USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Braintree > Town annual report of Braintree, Massachusetts for the year 1930 > Part 12
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96
STREET LAMPS USED 1930:
1255-60 candle @ .6035. $757.30
35-250
candle @
1.17
40.95
15-400 candle @ 1.35 20.25
31-1000 candle @
2.21 68.51
$887.01
.
266
WIRE USED 1930:
This includes copper of various sizes and purposes for which it is utilized.
No. ft.
Size
For what used
12,095
6
Primary Construction
5,800
6 Primary Replacement
2,980
6 New Secondary Connection
2,265
6
Secondary Replacement
22,835
6
Arc Circuit New Construction
8,535
6
Arc Circuit Replacements
30,381
6
House Connections
84,891
24,682
4
New Primary Construction
1,190
4
New Primary Replacement
38,400
4 New Secondary Construction
9,005
4 New Secondary Replacement
7,257
4
House Connections
80,534
20,649
0
New Primary Construction
1,685
0
Primary Replacements
750
0
New Secondary Construction
23,084
4,500
00
Secondary Replacement
#6 & #4
696
6
Tree Wire Arc Circuits
1,182
8
Arc Cable New Street Light Const.
918
8
Arc Cable Replacements
2,100
5,240
5/16
New Construction
267
100
160
3/8 7/16
New Construction New Construction
5,500 800
8 Duplex Cable Traffic Lights Grove and Plain Streets
POLES USED FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION 1930: 35 ft. Red Cedar Poles
1 Thorndike Rd., Braintree.
3 Kew Rd., Braintree.
2 Totnes Rd., Braintree.
3 Faulkner Place, Braintree.
1 Newport Ave., Braintree.
2 Hawthorne Rd., Braintree.
1 Hollis Ave., at Walnut, Braintree.
6 Storrs Ave., Braintree.
1 Lemoyne St., Braintree.
1 Bower Rd., Braintree.
1 Wash. St. at Quincy Line, Braintree.
1 Park St., Braintree.
6 Elm St., Braintree.
1 Elm Terrace, Braintree.
1 Fairfield St., Braintree.
1 Pleasant St., Braintree.
1 Tremont St., South Braintree.
3 Norton St., South Braintree.
1 Hobart Ave., South Braintree.
1 Sheppard Rd., South Braintree.
1 Arthur St., East Braintree.
2 Audubon Rd., East Braintree.
268
1 Hillcrest Rd., East Braintree.
1 Edgehill Rd., East Braintree.
1 Nickerson Rd., East Braintree.
2 Trefton Drive, East Braintree.
4 Dobson Rd., East Braintree.
50 Total.
40 ft. Red Cedar Poles
1 in yard of Old Colony Gas Co., off Quincy Ave., East Braintree.
1 Quincy Ave., opposite Norton's Store, East Braintree.
1 Washington St., across from Taylor, East Braintree.
1 Georgiana St., South Braintree.
2 Braintree Shoe Co., off Union St., South Brain- tree.
1 Sampson Ave., Braintree.
1 Elm St., Braintree.
8 Total.
POLES USED FOR REPLACEMENTS 1930:
35 ft. Red Cedar Poles
3 Elm St., Braintree.
1 Elm Lawn Rd., Braintree.
1 Monatiquot Ave., Braintree.
7 Arnold St., Braintree.
2 Arnold Lane, Braintree.
2 Cedar St., Braintree.
11 Washington St., Braintree.
269
3 Morrison Rd., Braintree.
1 Hollingsworth Ave., Braintree.
1 Cochato Rd., Braintree.
1 Hollis Ave., Braintree.
6 Walnut St., Braintree.
1 River St., Braintree.
1 Faulkner Place, Braintree.
2 Hawthorne Rd., Braintree.
1 Vinton Ave., Braintree.
1 Stedman Ave., Braintree.
1 Oak St., Braintree.
5 Pleasant St., Braintree.
2 Park St., Braintree.
53 Total.
2 Pond St., South Braintree.
1 French Ave., South Braintree.
1 Hill Top Road, South Braintree.
4 West St., South Braintree.
3 Granite St., South Braintree.
1 Pearl St., South Braintree.
3 Tremont St., South Braintree.
1 Dewey Ave., South Braintree.
2 Fairview Ave., South Braintree.
1 Norfolk County Hospital, South Braintree.
19 Total.
1 Arborway Drive, East Braintree.
3 Cedar Cliff Rd., East Braintree.
270
2 Somerville Ave., East Braintree.
2 Pleasant View Ave., East Braintree.
1 Liberty St., East Braintree.
6 Commercial St., Quincy Line, East Braintree.
10 Hillside Rd., East Braintree.
3 Hillcrest Rd., East Braintree.
1 Argyle Rd., East Braintree.
2 Edgehill Rd., East Braintree.
1 Mill Lane, East Braintree.
1 May St., East Braintree.
7 Dobson Rd., East Braintree.
3 North Bowditch St., East Braintree.
5 Fairmont Ave., East Braintree.
2 Sheppard Ave., East Braintree.
3 Hobart St., East Braintree.
53 Total.
Total 125 35 ft. Red Cedar Poles used for Replace- ments.
40 ft. Red Cedar Poles
2 Commercial St., Quincy Line, East Braintree.
1 Plain St., High Tension Line, South Braintree.
1 Elm St., Braintree.
1 West St., Braintree.
1 Union St., South Braintree.
1 Union St., California Redwood, South Braintree.
7 Total.
271
Miscellaneous Second-Hand Poles
1 35-ft. Cedar, Woodsum Coal Co., South Brain- tree. Replacement.
5 35-ft. Chestnuts, Sunnyside Park, Braintree. Replacement.
1 30-ft. Chestnut, Mill Lane, East Braintree.
8 30-ft. Chestnuts, Quincy Sand & Gravel. New construction.
1 30-ft. Chestnut, Prescott Lane, East Braintree. Replacement.
1 30-ft. Chestnut, High View Rd., South Brain- tree. New construction.
17 Total. .
STREET LIGHTS
Hours Operated 1930: 3982.43
Hours per month
Hours
Minutes
January
422
44
February
351
44
March
347
09
April
294
48
May
265
57
June
235
49
July
254
03
August
287
27
September
319
43
October
373
13
November
397
43
272
December
432
23
-
Total
3982 43
DISTRIBUTION
Kilowatts Generated 1930.
7,745,400
Kilowatts Purchased 1930. 5,090,400
Total 12,835,800
Motors in Generating Station
380,590
Lights in Sub-station
1,500
Lights in Station
6,000
Lights in Office 5,000
Domestic Consumers' Light & Power 3,003,357
Power, Consumers' 7,408,018
Municipal Light and Power 536,885
Street Lighting 426,242
Total 11,767,592. Line Loss 83%
OPERATING EXPENSES
OPERATING :
601 Superintending $ 15,392.52
606 Boiler Fuel 58,293.72
607 Water for Steam 816.26
608 Lubricants 220.32
609 Miscellaneous Expenses 482.44
$ 75,205.26
MAINTENANCE :
611 Station Structure . $ 1,129.88
612 Boiler Plant 2,333.28
273
614 Turbo-Generator Units. 2,572.03
615 Electric Generating Equipment 82.75 634 Electric Energy Pur- chased 79,463.76
$ 85,581.70
TRANSMISSION AND OPERATION
OPERATING :
638 Transmission and Dist.
Lines $ 4,005.53
639 Supplies and Expenses 354.05
640 Inspecting and Testing Meters 1,291.60
641 Removing and Reset- ting Meters 1,080.87
642 Removing
and
Reset-
ting Transformers
641.54
MAINTENANCE:
646 Transformer Station .. . $ 19.84
647 Transmission and Dist. Lines 15,446.67
648 Underground Conduits . 1,155.10
650 Meters and Transform- ers 1,117.94
651 Transformers
645.00
$ 7,373.59
$ 18,384.70
UTILIZATION
OPERATION :
654 Street Lights $ 659.71
655 Municipal Street Lamps
and Expenses
954.17
274
MAINTENANCE :
657 Street Lamps $ 1,250.77 659 Consumers' Installation 1,333.85
$
4,198.50
GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES
660 Office, Commercial Sal-
ary
$ 10,497.44
664 Advertising
3.75
666 Salaries
Municipal
Light Board and Man-
ager
5,300.04
667 Salaries General Office 3,767.21
668 Office Expenses 4,349.52
669 General Office Rents .. . 1,400.88
671 Insurance
4,041.56
675 Transportation Ex-
penses
1,489.70
677 Maintenance of General Structure 500.34
678 Depreciation
18,497.16
679 Misc .- General
Ex-
penses
525.18
$ 50,372.78
Grand Total
$241,116.53
PROFIT AND LOSS STATEMENT
401 Credit Balance Jan. 1,
1930
$336,170.03
275
402 Credit Balance Trans-
ferred from Income ... 44,811.98
$380,982.01
Total
$380,982.01
INVESTMENT ACCOUNT
Land
$ 1,065.00
Structures
24,050.94
Boiler Plant Equipment. 54,796.91
Prime Movers and Auxili- aries
69,533.61
Turbo Generator Units
2,043.35
Electric Plant Steam
66,460.05
Poles and Overhead Con- struction
106,264.71
Underground Conduits
16,839.70
Consumers' Meters
44,018.75
Line Transformers
61,657.98
$446,731.00
UTILIZATION EQUIPMENT
Street Lighting Equipment. . $ 20,188.76
$ 20,188.76
GENERAL EQUIPMENT
Office Equipment . $ 8,696.92
Transportation Equipment. . 3,735.40
Laboratory Equipment 921.43
$ 13,353.75
Total Plant Investment
$480,273.51
276
ELECTRIC OPERATING REVENUE
COMMERCIAL AND DOMESTIC:
501 Light and Power
$126,568.56
501 Power 139,213.17
Flat Rates to Private
Consumers
1,090.56
$266,872.29
MUNICIPAL REVENUE:
505 Light and Power
$
6,898.31
505 Street Lighting 14,274.37
$ 21,172.68
Total Revenue
$288,044.97
INCOME STATEMENT
500 Operating Revenues. . . $288,044.97
600 Operating Expenses ... 241,116.53
$ 46,928.44
564 Interest Income $ 1,585.23
209-B Merchandise and Job- bing 260.03
$ 1,325.20
$ 48,253.64
551 Taxes $ 82.60 550 Misc. Deductions 3,359.06
$ 3,441.66
277
Income Balance Transferred to Profit and Loss
$ 44,811.98
BALANCE SHEET
Assets
INVESTMENT :
Plant Investment $480,273.51
$480,273.51
CURRENT ASSETS :
Cash Operating Fund.
$
3,669.33
Cash Depreciation Fund . .
47,127.18
$ 50,796.51
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE
207 Consumers' Light and
Material
$ 10,230.51
207 Consumers' Power and
Material
14,175.79
207 Municipal
Light
and
Power and Material ...
939.13
$ 25,345.43
Inventories
Material and Supplies. ... . $ 21,905.70
$ 21,905.70
Prepaid Accounts
Prepaid Insurance
$
867.97
$
867.97
Total
$579,189.12
278
Liabilities
APPROPRIATIONS: Appropriation of Construc- tion $ 46,168.74
$ 46,168.74
CURRENT LIABILITIES :
Accounts Payable $ 19,015.99
Appropriate Surplus :
Loans Repayment $133,000.00
Profit and Loss 380,982.01
Cash
22.38
$514,004.39
Total
$579,189.12
OPERATION FUND
Debit
Balance December 31, 1929.$ 2,263.09
Receipts Consumers 295,086.32
Street Lighting 14,274.37
Interest Income
124.44
$311,748.22
Credit
Bills Payable December 31, 1929 $ 57,362.12
Transferred to Depreciation 18,497.17 Operation 232,241.98
Balance December 31, 1930 3,669.33
1931 Receipt Included 22.38
$311,748.22
$ 19,015.99
279
DEPRECIATION ACCOUNT
Debit
January 1, 1930, Balance .. . $ 48,601.41
Transferred from Income .. 18,497.17 Interest Income 1,460.79
$ 68,559.37
Credit
Amount Withdrawn for
Plant Equipment . .. .$ 21,432.19
December 31, 1930, Balance 47,127.18
$ 68,559.37
OPERATION FUND
Balance on Hand December
31, 1930 $ 3,669.33
Minus $22.38, 1931 receipts 22.38 $ 3,646.95
AUDITORS' REPORT
We have examined the accounts of Fred B. Law- rence, Manager, of the Braintree Electric Light De- partment, and approve same. Cash received and paid to Town Treasurer as per cash book $309,360.69 re- ceived and $309,383.07 paid to Town Treasurer.
We have examined the inventories in the report and compared same with stock on hand and approve them as rendered.
Bills Payable December 31, 1930
$ 19,015.99
Accounts Receivable :
280
Consumers' Light and Ma-
terial
$ 10,230.51
Consumers' Power and Ma-
terial
14,175.79
Municipal Power and
Ma-
terial
939.13
$ 25,345.43
RALPH W. ARNOLD, CHARLES W. EVANS, HERBERT W. CURTIS,
January 18, 1930.
Auditors, 1930.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
Planning Board
OF THE
TOWN OF BRAINTREE
FROM
Dec. 31, 1929 to Dec. 31, 1930
R
NMOI
TREE
A
ยท1640.
S
SA
Printed by Order of the Town
Printed by PRATT & PRATT The Braintree Observer Braintree, Mass.
282
REPORT OF THE PLANNING BOARD
The Planning Board presents its report for the year 1930.
Comprehensive Plan
In accordance with the vote of the 1930 Annual Town Meeting whereby $200 was appropriated for the expenses of the Planning Board in the preparation of a comprehensive town plan and for the general ex- penses of the Planning Board, we have made a defi- nite beginning on the work leading to the plan. We are supplementing our own active studies of the prob- lem by engaging the services as consultant of Prof. Arthur C. Comey of the School of City Planning, Har- vard University, one of the foremost national authori- ties on this subject, who has had a broad experience in the planning of towns and cities all over the country. At the end of this report will be found Prof. Comey's first statement, describing the general process of for- mulating a town plan and explaining in some detail the sort of information needed for such a plan.
It is hardly necessary to dwell on the need for a comprehensive plan. All signs point to the fact that Braintree is now in a very critical position. There can be no question but that our town will continue to grow in population with increasing rapidity, due to our near- ness to Boston and our new sewer system, as well as . to our many other advantages. This increasing popu- lation will need new streets, schools, playgrounds, parks, and other public properties of all sorts. If these are to be obtained at minimum expense to the taxpayers they must be planned for in advance. Land
283
which is eventually going to be needed for school sites and other purposes should be bought before its price goes up and houses are built upon it. Projects should be studied in relation to each other, so that one will not interfere with another-so that a playground shall not be placed in the path of a future thoroughfare, for instance. In some cases the same property can be used for a combination of purposes, as for example, land around a reservoir used both for protection of water supply and for recreation. Another good fea- ture of a comprehensive plan is that it makes possible a program of execution so that jobs may be carried out at their most advantageous time-excavations for a sewer or water main being done before instead of after a street is resurfaced, for example, and the larger projects being so distributed that their expenses do not come too heavily in any one year. A compre- hensive plan is simply an application of good business methods to town affairs.
But a plan is not worth much if it is not based upon facts-such kinds of facts as Prof. Comey de- scribes in his report-and the gathering of these in- volves time and moderate expense. Therefore we are asking this year for $720 to pay for this important work, and we hope that this appropriation will be made without diminution, as it represents the actual minimum needed if the work is to be done with the greatest ultimate economy. This will be paid for many times over by the savings made possible through planning.
284
School Sites
Your Planning Board is strongly in favor of the program of the School Committee regarding the imme- diate purchase of suitable sites for future school build- ings and grounds. Land for this purpose should be secured at once while there is an opportunity to buy at reasonable prices. The Board believes that the sites should be of ample size to provide for the future growth of the town. Experience in other localities has shown this to be an important factor.
Zoning
The events of the past year have only served to strengthen the convictions of the Board regarding the pressing need for zoning in this town. A community which is not zoned today cannot possibly maintain its place in the growth and expansion of facilities and benefits which its neighboring cities and towns enjoy under zoning. The Board, however, believes that more educational work regarding the nature of zoning will be required in Braintree before a zoning plan and by-law can be successfully presented to the citizens for their consideration and approval. To this end, your Board respectfully recommends that the Zoning Committee be continued, to report at the Annual Town Meeting in 1932.
CIVIC CENTER
While your Planning Board believes that it is de- sirable that the town should acquire the French estate opposite the Town Hall to add more land to provide facilities for an adequate Civic Center, as we advocated by the Board last year, owing to the present financial
285
situation we do not urge purchase of this land this year.
HANCOCK STREET
We recommend for early consideration by the town the widening and reconstruction of Hancock Street.
This is one of our most important streets, making a direct connection as it does between South Braintree Square and all points south, and is an indispensable link in one of the two main highways of the town in that direction.
The present width including car tracks and side- walks is thirty-two feet at its southern end. The dis- tance here between the electric light poles on one side and the nearest rail is but fifteen and one-half feet, giving room for only one vehicle and an electric car. When a vehicle traveling north meets an electric car and vehicle going south, there are all the elements set for a bad accident, for the three cannot pass simul- taneously.
On Wednesday, August 20, 1930, the State High- way Department took an official count and found that between 7 A.M. and 11 P.M. 3855 cars passed. This, according to their computation of averages over the state would mean a summer Sunday volume of 7664 automobiles passing at this point.
The making of Hancock Street a one-way thor- oughfare as has been suggested is but postponing a job that sooner or later must be done at greater ex- pense because of the increasing property damages. Moreover the electric cars cannot be regulated for just one way. The traffic going in the other direction would have to make what amounts to a devious detour, meeting several intersections and adding traffic to an already congested thoroughfare.
286
Liberty Street
We trust that the widening of certain parts of Liberty Street to forty feet, now being carried out as an unemployment relief measure, will not lead anyone to think of this width as permanently sufficient.
This street runs through four-fifths of the total length of the town, parallel to our main street, at an average distance of about a mile from it thus furnish- ing a valuable alternate route, connecting directly at its southern end with Pine Street, Holbrook, and an increasingly important route to the Cape and other south shore localities. We believe that Liberty Street is destined to become one of the most important high- ways in the town. At the very least it must surely be considered a future secondary thoroughfare. The "Rules and Regulations" prescribed by the Board of Survey say on page 5, section 8, "Streets which may become secondary thoroughfares must be at least fifty feet in width." It is inconceivable that our town should fail to obey its own regulations.
Studies of this situation have been started by the County Engineering Department and one hearing has been held, but the work is now at a standstill. Your Planning Board recommends that the Town, through its Selectmen, request the County Commissioners to resume their studies of Liberty Street and formulate plans for its ultimate development.
Invitation
We renew the invitation given in previous reports for any citizen having ideas regarding the planning of
287
the town to tell us about them. Now that we are ac- tively working on the comprehensive plan we would especially appreciate such suggestions.
Prof. Comey's first report follows.
Respectfully submitted, THERON I. CAIN, Chairman, J. CALEB JUSTICE, Secretary, JOHN F. CLINTON,
JOSEPH W. PARKER,
MERTON A. TURNER, Members of the Planning Board.
288
REPORT OF PLANNING CONSULTANT
December 27, 1930.
To the Braintree Planning Board :
In accordance with your instructions I present herewith a program of town planning procedure for Braintree. In this outline I have included both those things already done as well as those remaining to be undertaken, indicating the progress already made. For convenience I have divided the program according to function, but it should always be borne in mind that town planning is not merely planning ahead for each separate municipal activity but planning ahead for - each of these matters in due relation to the others.
Certain general underlying factors are listed first, as a part of a general civic survey, but it is not believed to be necessary that all such information be collected and mapped in detail in advance of a demonstrated practical need for it. However, most of the data listed will inevitably be found needed before much of Brain- tree's plan can be put into action.
With this program before the Board it should be able to proceed in an orderly fashion, even with com- paratively small appropriations, to formulate a com- prehensive town plan for official adoption. State legis- lation will doubtless be necessary before the full bene- fits of town planning can be realized in Braintree. However, the next steps to be taken involve no powers which the town does not already have.
While it might seem simpler to embark at once upon a single long-term program of producing a com-
289
plete detailed town plan, such a course would produce few tangible benefits until completed, and this would inevitably require a number of years with the limited funds likely to be available. It would therefore ap- pear wiser for the Braintree Planning Board to break the work up into successive stages. This has the added advantage that, while it may involve a certain amount of overlapping effort, it affords a better opportunity for testing out the various proposals of the town plan while still in the rough and thus adjusting them to meet the situation more perfectly when at last presented in detail for adoption. Moreover, the educational ad- vantage of keeping the citizens informed of the gen- eral characteristics of the developing town plan is very great when it comes to further support and action by the voters.
It is therefore suggested that this procedure pro- gram be considered the basis of, first, a pathfinder survey into each of the major aspects of the town plan, spending only so much time on each as is necessary to ascertain the present situation and to correlate it with the others. In most departments the facts are . doubtless already known but have never been studied with sufficient regard to other elements of the town.
This stage might or might not result in any actual concrete plans, depending on the nature of the findings of the survey. It would result, however, in a con- solidated statement of the situation, such a statement being at present non-existent. It would also present for the first time in a single picture all the previous planning proposals of many agencies, both those
-
290
within the town itself and those metropolitan in point of view, such as the Metropolitan Planning Division and the Massachusetts Highway Department. This last is of utmost importance, as it should be borne in mind that metropolitan agencies approach planning problems in Braintree from the angle of what improve- ments will benefit Metropolitan Boston as a whole, and not primarily what improvements will benefit Brain- tree itself. Furthermore, this aspect of the situation extends outside of Braintree's own boundaries, for many of the improvements needed in the surrounding towns have a distinct bearing for better or worse on Braintree's own conditions. Braintree's town plan must therefore include a regional plan showing the relation of the surrounding region to Braintree.
The second stage in town planning for Braintree will be the preparation of a general preliminary plan, presenting in broad outline each phase of the plan properly related to every other phase, and presenting in more detail than can this tentative program the steps necessary to secure actual results. This general plan will be an indication to many different agencies, both in Braintree and outside, of how their particular portion of the physical make-up of the town is related to its remaining elements, and may be utilized by each such agency in its own future planning, to the benefit of both the particular agency's work and to the town as a whole.
The third stage in Braintree's planning, which may be termed official planning, may follow one of three courses. The preliminary plan may be de- veloped into a more authoritative master plan. This
291
plan would show the approximate location of all major streets and other important improvements. Leg- islation similar to that recently enacted for the adop- tion by Boston of an official thoroughfare plan might readily be secured for Braintree. After adoption by the town no public improvements would be permitted in contravention of the plan unless approved by sub- stantially more than a majority vote. Private sub- dividers would be required to conform to the plan under the same powers as are already exercised by the Board of Survey. One advantage of the master plan is the relative ease and low cost of producing it. Among its disadvantages is the fact that it is often impossible to tell until a resurvey is made just where the future improvement will lie in relation to existing buildings or lots.
At the other extreme, we find a few cities adopt- ing official binding plans, for streets at least, complete in every detail, and dividing the entire area of the municipality into building blocks. Aside from the greater initial expense this method has the disadvan- tage of tending to stereotype the street plan and to destroy individuality, which would otherwise be likely not only to produce a more interesting layout, but also one more closely adapted to the varied needs of the community.
Between these, a middle course is recommended for Braintree, namely, that the third stage in its plan- ning should be the preparation and adoption of an official town plan, locating accurately as many as pos-
292
sible of the major streets and other important future improvements. The protection of the future streets mapped on this plan from private buildings being erected in them prior to their being actually laid out is a vital part of such an official plan. This will re- quire state legislation along the lines of the Nichols bill for this purpose proposed by the Massachusetts Federation of Planning Boards. If no such general powers are enacted before Braintree is ready to utilize them a similar bill may readily be drafted applying to Braintree only, and in such form would doubtless meet with no opposition.
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