USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Plymouth > Town annual report of Plymouth, MA 1912 > Part 2
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COURT STREET.
Appropriation, $5,000 00
Expenditures, 3,682 75
Balance unexpended, $1,317 25
This appropriation was intended to cover from Shirley Square to Lothrop Street, but it was decided that the section from North Park Avenue to Lothrop Street was in good enough con- dition to go another year at least, consequently only that part from North Park Avenue to Shirley Square was done.
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SUMMER STREET.
Appropriation,
$2,000 00
Reimbursement (from Contingent account),
448 81
Expenditures,
$2,448 81
$2,448 81
WATER STREET.
Appropriation, $2,300 00
Expenditures, 1,898 30
Balance unexpended, $401 70
In asking for this appropriation it was expected to extend the improvement from Leyden Street to Sandwich Street, but as the necessary widening between the property of George Harlow and Sandwich Street was not made the surfacing of that portion has been deferred. An alteration (widening) of about ten feet on the northwesterly side of Water Street and of the easterly cor- ner at Water and Sandwich Streets will be made and presented to the Town for action at the coming Town Meeting.
SANDWICH STREET.
Appropriation, $2,000 00
Expenditures, 1,782 29
Balance unexpended,
$217 71
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COURT STREET (RUSSELL AVE. TO CHERRY ST.)
Appropriation,
$1,600 00
Reimbursements-
Cash (for stone),
$52 29
Contingent account,
12 34
$1,664 63
Expenditures,
869 73
Balance unexpended,
$794 90
NEW ROADS (NOW ROAD CONSTRUCTION).
Appropriation,
$5,600 00
Reimbursement (from Contingent account), 273 26
$5,873 26
$5,873 26
Expenditures,
On petitions the Selectmen have decided to lay out the fol- lowing new ways :-
Savery's Lane, from Court Street to Standish Avenue; Lewis Street ( petition laid over from last year), both ends terminating on Mt. Pleasant Street ; Brookside Avenue, from Sandwich Street to a way leading to Bay View Avenue.
Alterations of existing Town ways have been decided upon as follows :-
Southerly end of Water Street, between the property of George Harlow and Sandwich Street, and the Beaver Dam Road, from the State Highway to the house of Thomas A. Proctor. These alterations and layouts will be reported to the Town for action at the annual Town Meeting.
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The County Commissioners have made a decree widening Court Street at the Plymouth-Kingston Line. As mentioned last year, petitions were received for the lay out of a way from a point on Allerton Street northerly of the Pilgrim Monument to Standish Avenue. A way at this point would allow of houses only on one side, the larger part of the route would be on the land of the Pilgrim Society and the expense of construction would be excessive. The officers of the Pilgrim Society protest against the plan. For these reasons no action is taken by the Board. On last year's petition to lay out Cliff Lane, a hearing has been held, but the need of laying out this way at the present time does not seem sufficient to warrant the expense.
Petitions have also been received to lay out Peck Avenue, so- called ; a further extension of Water Street, from a point below the foot of Lothrop Street to a point in the line of Nelson Street extended, and an extension of Taylor Avenue to the brook run- ning from Bartlett's Pond.
The Peck Avenue proposition has been considered by several boards of Selectmen, and the failure to take action is due to the inability to secure a suitable width or grade at any reasonable expense. The peculiar conditions are plainly shown by the cut on the following page.
TOWN OF PLYMOUTH Plan and Profile of Proposed Street at Peck's Lanc. Horizontal Scale, 1 in. to 30 ft. Vertical Scale, 1 in. to 4 ft.
Marian Pimentos
Antone Silva Joseph Enos
Cosme Silva
Hamilton Street
Albert Lemius
Manuel Mottor
Present fence
L
STANDISH
7
$105.0
105:0
Present street grado
Proposed street gradey
--
100.0
100.0
Proposed server gradey
---
Proposed street line -
₦
Joseph Thomas
AVENUE
Armentori Yerionisi Joseph Ramos Joseph Mote
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To avoid the recurrence of similar conditions the Board rec- ommends that the Town accept Chapter 191, Acts of 1907, en- titled "An act to authorize the establishment of Boards of Sur- vey in Towns," printed herewith.
CHAPTER 191, ACTS OF 1907.
AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BOARDS OF SURVEY IN TOWNS.
Be it enacted, etc., as follows :
SECTION 1. The selectmen of any town which accepts the pro- visions of this act shall constitute a board of survey for that town.
SECTION 2. Any person or corporation desiring to lay out, lo- cate or construct any street or way in any town which accepts the provisions of this act, after the date of such acceptance, shall, before the beginning of such construction, submit to said board of survey suitable plans of such street or way, to be prepared in ac- cordance with such rules and regulations as the board may pre- scribe. Upon the receipt of such plans, with a petition for their approval, the board shall give a public hearing thereon, after giv- ing notice of such hearing by publication once a week for two successive weeks in a newspaper published in the town, the last publication to be at least two days before the hearing; and after such hearing the board may alter such plans and may determine where such street or way shall be located, and the width and grades thereof, and shall so designate on said plans. The plans shall then be approved and signed by the board and filed in the office of the clerk of the town, who shall attest thereon the date of the filing.
SECTION 3. The board of survey shall from time to time cause to be made under its direction plans of such territory or sections of land in any town which accepts the provisions of this act, as the board may deem advisable, showing thereon the location of
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such street or ways, whether already laid out or not, as the board shall be of opinion that the present or future interests of the pub- lic require or will require in such territory, showing clearly the direction, width and grades of each street or way; and the board may employ such assistants and incur such expense in regard to said plans as it may deem necessary, not exceeding the amount of money appropriated by the town for the purpose. Before mak- ing any such plan the board shall give a public hearing as to the location, direction, width and grades of streets or ways in the territory to be shown on the plan, after giving notice of such hearing by publication once a week for two successive weeks in a newspaper published in the town, the last publication to be at least two days before the hearing, and shall, after making any such plan, give a like notice of hearing, and a hearing thereon, and shall keep the plan open to public inspection for one month after the first publication of notice of such hearing. After such hearing and after the alterations deemed necessary by the board have been made in such plan, the plan shall be marked as made under the provisions of this act, shall be signed by the board, and shall then be filed in the office of the clerk of said town, who shall attest thereon the date of such filing.
SECTION 4. The powers of the board of selectmen of any town which accepts the provisions of this act in regard to highways shall not be abridged by this act in any manner, except as provid- ed in this section, and the powers given to them by this act shall be in addition to the powers now possessed by them. After the passage of this act no street or way in such town, shown on any plan filed as aforesaid, shall be laid out, located anew, altered or widened, and no such street or way, whether already or here- after laid out, shall be constructed by any public authority, ex- cept in accordance with the provisions of this act. If any per- son or corporation shall hereafter open for public travel any pri- vate way the location, direction, width and grades of which have not previously been approved in writing by the board of survey in the manner provided for in this act, then neither the town nor
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any other public authority shall place any public sewer, drain, water pipe, or lamp in, or do any public work of any kind on, such private way so open to public travel contrary to the pro- visions of this act: provided, however, that these provisions shall not prevent the laying of a trunk sewer, water or gas main, if it be required by engineering necessities.
SECTION 5. If any building shall hereafter be placed or erect- ed in any town which accepts the provisions of this act within the boundaries of any street or way shown on any plan filed with the town clerk as herein provided, or on land adjacent to any such street or way the grade of which at the time of placing or erecting such building is other than the grade shown on said plan, or on land adjacent to any street or way the plan and profile of which have not been approved by said board of survey, no damages- caused to any building so placed or erected, by the construction of such street or way as shown on said plan, or caused to any building so placed or erected, or to the land upon which such building is placed or erected, by the subsequent change of grade of any street or way the plan of which has not been approved by said board of survey, shall be recovered by or paid to the owner of the whole or any part of the estate of which the land upon which said building so placed or erected formed a part at the date of the first publication of notice of hearing as aforesaid.
SECTION 6. Any town which accepts the provisions of this act: may from time to time appropriate sums of money to be expend- ed by the board of survey for carrying out the provisions of this act ; but no expenditures shall be made in excess of such appropri- ations.
SECTION 7. Said board of survey, its officers and agents, may, so far as they deem it necessary in carrying out the provisions of this act, enter upon any lands and there make such examinations and surveys and place and maintain such monuments and marks as they may deem necessary; and any person whose property is- injured by such entry or by such placing or maintaining, who
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fails to agree with the town as to the amount of his damages, may have them assessed and determined in the manner provided by law in the case of land taken for the laying out of highways in said town, on application at any time within one year after such entry or after such placing and maintaining.
SECTION 8. This act shall not be construed to authorize any taking or condemnation of land, or to render a town liable for damages of any kind, except for making entries upon land and for placing and maintaining monuments and marks as authorized by section seven, nor to authorize a town to lay out or to construct any way located on any of said plans, until such way has been laid out as a highway under other provisions of law.
SECTION 9. This act shall take effect upon its passage so far as to authorize the submission of the question of its acceptance to the voters of any town, but it shall not take further effect in any town until it has been accepted by a majority of the voters of such town present and voting thereon either at a special meet- ing called for the purpose, or at an annual meeting.
Approved March 12, 1907.
A hearing has been held on the Water Street extension peti- tion, but the failure of the Andrew Kerr Co. to submit plans of their proposed improvements on the line of the way, which im- provements we understand involve a large fill, and side track crossing the line, has prevented the Board making any decision on this matter.
The Taylor Avenue extension petition was received too late to allow a survey and proper consideration before the Town Meet- ing. Then, too, the expense of construction prevents favorable action at this time on all the petitions mentioned.
The estimated cost of completion and construction of ways already accepted by the Town and those to be presented for ac- ceptance is as follows :-
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Summer Street (County Commissioners layout) to Morton Park entrance, $1,100 00
Change at Plymouth-Kingston line (County Commis- sioners layout), 600 00
Savery Avenue,
800 00
Savery's Lane, land damage,
$1,366 50
Savery's Lane, construction,
700 00
$2,066 50
Lewis Street, land damage,
$300 00
Lewis Street, construction,
800 00
$1,100 00
Water Street, land damage,
$1,800 00
Water Street, construction,
1,500 00
$3,300 00
Beaver Dam Road (allotment for this year) say
500 00
Total,
$9,466 50
Brookside Avenue not in estimate, but expense not large, pos- sibly not necessary to spend anything in 1913.
Under the head of New Roads or Road Construction, the lat- ter designation being used by the Bureau of Statistics, we also recommend a bituminous macadam surface for Court Street from Park Avenue to Lothrop Street and for Main Street Ex- tension, the estimated cost of which is $5,800.00, making the ag- gregate estimate of New Roads or Road Construction work $15,266.50.
We recommend an appropriation of $15,300.00 for 1913.
Savery's Lane, Lewis Street and Brookside Avenue will be laid out under the betterment act, accepted by the Town April 13th, 1895.
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SIDEWALKS.
Appropriation,
$3,000 00
Reimbusements :-
Contingent account,
440 37
Other departments (labor and materials),
502 74
Cash (labor and materials to outside parties), 14 67
$3,957 78
Expenditures,
3,944 55
Balance unexpended,
$13 23
For 1913 we recommend an appropriation of $5,000.00 and that at least $2,000.00 of this sum be expended for granolithic or some other kind of walk more permanent than tar concrete.
For a number of years the Town has laid very little new tar concrete, but the expense of repairing the comparatively large area laid in former years has been a large item from each year's appropriation.
SEWERS.
Appropriation,
$3,000 00
Reimbursements-
845 86
Cash (labor and materials to outside parties),
347 01
Other departments (labor and materials),
17 15
$4,210 02
Expenditures,
$4,210 02
Contingent account,
Referring to last year's report it will be seen that the estimate of laying a new iron pipe for outlet to the sewer at the north
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part of the Town was $2,000.00. At that time it was thought that the wooden outlet would have to be replaced in full, but investigation showed the necessity of laying but 500 feet. The lowest bid, however, for laying that quantity was $5.00 per foot, making the cost $2,500.00. Other incidental expenses on the job amounted to $91.40.
This and the assumption by the Town of the labor bills for making sewer connections (heretofore collected by the Town workmen directly from the party for whom the work was done, but now collected by the Town) caused the large draft by the Sewer Department on the contingent account.
For 1913 we recommend an appropriation of $2,000.00.
WELLINGSLEY SEWER.
Undrawn balance of 1911,
$233 23
Appropriation (from proceeds of Plymouth & Middle-
borough R. R. Co. stock), 3,000 00
Reimbursements- $53 99
Contingent account,
Cash (Jordan Hospital),
101 30
$3,388 51
Expenditures,
$3,388 51
REMOVAL OF SNOW.
Appropriation,
$600 00
Expenditures,
596 58
Balance unexpended,
$3 42
For 1913 we recommend an appropriation of $1,000.00.
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STREET SPRINKLING
Appropriation,
$4,000 00
Reimbursements-
Contingent account,
635 12
Cash (oiling for outside parties),
6 10
$4,641 22
Expenditures,
4,641 22
For 1913 we recommend an appropriation of $5,000.00.
STREET LIGHTING.
Appropriation,
$7,700 00
Expenditures,
7,639 42
Balance unexpended, $60 58
For 1913 we recommend an appropriation of $8,250.00, this to include the expense of $140.00 for maintaining the four range lights and the three lights on Pilgrim Wharf heretofore charged to Miscellaneous account.
There are now-
357 incandescent lights (including one cluster of three on Main Street) at $20.00, $7,140 00
8 clusters of five lights each, at $89.00, 712 00
7,852 00
Fifteen lights hae been added during the year, as follows :-
One on Court Street near Cold Spring, one on Allerton Street north of Samoset Street, one on Oak Street south of Samoset Street, one on Warren Avenue south of Hotel Pilgrim, two on Main Street opposite head of Middle Street, one on Church
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Street, one on Samoset Street west of Royal Street, one on Court Street between Murray and Lothrop Streets, one on Wood Street, one on Stafford Street corner of Wood Street, and three on Cherry Street and the extensions thereof.
POLICE DEPARTMENT.
Appropriation,
$8,000 00
Reimbursement (Contingent account), 1,198 72
$9,198 72
$9,198 72
Expenditures,
The draft on the Contingent account is due to the additional men since May 1st, necessitated by the Town voting for license.
In accordance with the vote of the Town at the Annual Meet- ing of 1912 the Selectmen arranged with the County Commis- sioners for the use of a part of the old jail for a police station, on the following terms :-
"The Town shall, at their own expense, make all the necessary changes and repairs in the interior of the building to suit its re- quirement ; shall furnish all the heat, light and janitor work necessary for its own purposes and for such use as the County, as hereinafter provided, may make, and shall be considered a tenant at will. In consideration of the above the Town shall al- low to the County the free use of such cells (not exceeding 15) as it may need during the criminal sittings of the Superior Court, shall allow the County officers the use of one office room during the sittings of said Superior Court and shall assume all charges against the County for insurance and taxes upon said building."
The appropriation for fitting up the Police Station was
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$3,000.00 of which $896.94 was expended, leaving a balance of $2,103.06.
For the convenience of the Police Department two cells from the old Police Station have been put in the basement of the north Fire Station and a telephone installed there, the expense being charged to the appropriation for Watch and Police.
For 1913 we recommend an appropriation of $10,000.00.
CULTIVATION, PROPAGATION, AND PROTECTION OF SHELLFISH.
Attention is called to the report of Alfred Holmes who has had supervision of the shores and flats in the interest of the clam in- dustry. No money has been spent for planting clams this year, as the shores and flats are gradually being reseeded naturally and the planting by lessees of grants should materially aid the pro- cess.
Under Chapter 195, Acts of 1870, as amended by Chapter 57, Acts of 1912, grants for the term of fifteen years have been made as follows :-
To Andrew Kerr a section of White Flat, and all of Ichabod's Flat laying in Plymouth, about 130 acres in all; to Henry J. Beytes all of Rock Flat; to Charles B. Holmes about one acre on Stephen's Flat ; to Allen P. Eddy about one half acre on the Oyster Bed; to Harry Sampson about two acres on the Oyster Bed; and to Paul A. Liebold about one acre on the Oyster Bed. The last mentioned lease has not yet been accepted by the lessee.
Believing that the interest in the cultivation of clams, as shown by the number of applications for grants, and that the pos- sibilities of the business warrant the expense of such supervision as will protect the Town's interest in the flats and shores, we have
Plymouth Three
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continued the services of Alfred Holmes for that purpose to May 1st, 1913, and recommend that the Town make an appropriation to go through the year.
Appropriation,
$800 00
Expenditures,
600 00
Balance unexpended,
$200 00
For 1913 we recommend an appropriation of $:00.00.
SUNDRY MATTERS.
By authority of votes of the Town, these bonds have been re- purchased and cancelled :- $3,733.24, all of balance of New School House Loan of date Aug. 1st, 1895 ; and $4,200.00, all of balance of Macadamizing Loan of date Aug. 1st, 1895, with money from the sale of the Armory and of the Plymouth & Middleborough R. R. Co. stock, respectively.
At the suggestion of a committee of the Commercial Club, with which the Selectmen are in full accord, plans and estimates are being prepared for sanitaries in the basement of the Town House, and there will be an article in the Warrant to see if the Town will authorize their installation.
It seems desirable to repair the bulkhead at the head of the dock between Pilgrim and Atwood's wharves, completing the im- provement to Pilgrim Wharf made in 1911. A rough estimate of the expense is $250.00, which we recommend be taken from the Roads and Bridges appropriation.
Attention is called to the first annual report of the Town Ac- countant, printed herewith. It is believed that the installation of this system will be beneficial to the Town in being a restrain- ing influence to keep within the appropriations, in allowing the various boards in charge of the expenditure of Town money to
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know at any and all times the available balance of their several appropriations, and in furnishing the citizens more detailed in- formation of the expenditures than heretofore.
Under the law the salary of the Accountant is fixed by the Town. The committee on salaries recommended that the Ac- countant act as Clerk of the Selectmen and that the combined salaries be $900 per year. The Town adopted the recommenda- tion and the Selectmen appointed the Accountant, Clerk of the Board. Last year's Board of Selectmen recommended that the salary of the Accountant be $1,000.00. It is also the opinion of this year's Board that the salary should be as much as $1,000.00 for the Accountant, exclusive of the position of Clerk of the Se- lectmen, and we so recommend.
The duties imposed by law on the Accountant are responsible and the position in a Town of this size involves a vast amount of work.
From the Accountant's report it will be seen that the unex- pended balances shown in the several running appropriations have been transferred in part or in whole in some cases to the Contingent Account, as authorized by vote of the Town, and the final balances of such accounts, if any, covered into the Excess and Deficiency Account at the end of the year.
The following appropriations are asked for by the different de- partments :-
Roads and Bridges,
$25,100 00
Road Construction,
15,300 00
Sidewalks, 5,000 00
Sewers,
2,000 00
Street Sprinkling,
5,000 00
Removal of Snow,
1,000 00
Street Lighting,
8,250 00
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Police Department,
10,000 00
Shellfish,
700 00 5,000 00
Contingent,
Selectmen's Department,
1,350 00
Accounting Department,
1,000 00
Town Treasurer's Department,
1,200 00
Tax Collector's Department,
1,400 00
Town Clerk's Department,
450 00
Law Department,
500 00
Election and Registration,
950 00
Maintenance of Town House,
1,800 00
Miscellaneous,
1,000 00
Sealer of Weights and Measures,
500 00
Harbor Master,
150 00
Sexton,
125 00
Poor Department,
11,500 00
Oak Grove and Vine Hills Cemeteries (including water pipe),
5,300 00
Burial Hill,
800 00
Chiltonville, Manomet, Cedarville and South Pond Cemeteries, 100 00
Schools (including $2,000.00 appropriation made at
special Town Meeting, Nov. 30th, 1912, to complete Hedge School),
70,000 00
Town Debt and Interest (including Water Debt),
50,000 00
Assessors, 3,000 00
Assessors (for plans and survey),
500 00
Parks, 1,500 00
Parks (Shelter at Beach Park),
700 00
Training Green,
185 00
Training Green (Granolithic walks, etc.),
800 00
Tree Warden, 1,000 00
Gypsy and brown tail moths (including new power sprayer), 3,800 00
Fire Department,
14,500 00
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Forest Warden,
2,000 00
Board of Health,
4,800 00
Inland Fisheries,
300 00
Water Department,
18,000 00
Appropriations for deficiencies :-
Military Aid (one half),
$72 00
Soldiers' Relief,
3,562 20
3,634 20
$280,194 20
Less estimated receipts :-
Water Department,
$38,000.00
Sewers,
1,350.00
Miscellaneous,
1,900.00
Sealer of Weights and
Measures,
100.00
Poor Department,
1,800.00
Cemteries : Oak Grove and
Vine Hills, due Jan. 1,
1913, for care and mak- ing lots, etc.,
1,104.71
Sale of lots in 1913,
700.00
Care, making of lots and burials, 1913,
1,500.00
Due from care and making
of lots and burials on
Burial Hill, Jan. 1, 1913,
63.07
Town debt and interest,
2,300.00
Roads and Bridges,
1,500.00
Forest Warden,
87.66
Board of Health,
350.00
$50,755.44
Corporation tax,
$23,304.35
National Bank tax,
1.179.83 $75,239.62
$204,954.58
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To cover the amount required above it will be necessary to raise by taxation the sum of $204,954.58 to meet the expenses of the Town for the pear 1913.
Respectfully submitted,
FREDERICK D. BARTLETT, JOHN W. CHURCHILL, EPHRAIM D. BARTLETT, ALFRED S. BURNS, JAMES W. HAZEN,
Selectmen.
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REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF STREETS
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen-
I herewith submit the report of the Street Department for the year 1912. In the following account of the work done by this department during the past year the items of cost have been omitted as they will be shown in the report of the Town Accountant.
ROADS AND BRIDGES
Besides the ordinary repairs, which are increasing each year owing to the rapidly increasing volume of travel, a bituminus surface has been put on to the following streets and roads : on the Manomet Point road a surfacing of Standard Oil No. 6 for a length of 5,000 feet and a width of 15 feet; an application of the same material on Court street, between the residence of Mrs. Knapp and Cherry street, a distance of 3,500 feet and an aver- age width of 22 feet; on the Darby road a covering of Tarvia B for a distance of 13,900 feet, or about 2.7 miles, and a width of 15 feet; also on Sandwich street, from Water street to Jabez Corner, two applications of Tarvia B about one month apart. This last was an old macadam road, quite badly worn, and re- quired considerable patching before the surfacing was put on. The distance treated was about one mile, the average width be- ing 18 feet, and the result has been very satisfactory. Of the above the work on Court and Sandwich streets was done under special appropriations.
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