USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Arlington > Town of Arlington annual report 1902-1903 > Part 24
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Your Auditor's report will give, it seems to me, an intelli- gent and comprehensive showing of the financial operations in the different departments, and will also show the financial con- dition of the Town at the close of 1903, so that it may be under- stood by all.
The Auditor has grasped the situation and has conducted the work in a manner which entitles him to the favorable comment
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COMMITTEE OF FIVE.
of the citizens. Although I consider my labors now at an end, I shall be pleased at any time to answer any questions or give any assistance of an advisory nature without charge.
Very truly yours, (Signed) THOS. S. SPURR.
PUBLIC PROPERTY ACCOUNT.
At an adjournment of the annual Town Meeting of March, 1903, the following vote was passed :
" Voted, That the re-valuation of the public property account and its division into three parts : viz., real estate, personal property, and trust funds, be referred to a committee consist- ing of the chairman of the Board of Selectmen, the chairman of the Board of Assessors, the chairman of the Water Com- missioners, the chairman of the Sewer Commissioners, and the Committee of Five with full powers."
The appraisal in accordance with the above vote has been made, and appears in the printed Town Reports of this year as- a part of the Treasurer's report.
UNCOLLECTED TAXES.
At an adjournment of the annual Town Meeting of March, 1903, the following vote was passed :
" Voted, That the unpaid taxes from 1896 to 1900, inclusive, be referred to the Assessors and the Committee of Five for the purpose of closing these accounts. either by collection or abatement."
We can report progress as follows :
On January 1, 1903, the uncollected taxes for the years 1896. to 1900, inclusive, as shown by the Collector's Warrant Book, amounted to $7,940.91.
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COMMITTEE OF FIVE.
Up to and including January 29, 1904, collections and abate- ments as reported to your Committee by the Collector have been made as follows :
Years.
Abated.
Collected.
1896
$
3 48
$ 68 99
1897
257 26
459 72
1898
891 78
420 78
1899
707 53
441 07
1900
1,216 71
663 56
Total,
$3,076 76
$2,054 12
Grand total of both collected and abated, $5,130.88.
These figures are substantially correct. There is still out- standing on the years 1897 to 1900, inclusive, nearly $3,000 in taxes, a very large proportion of which is uncollectable and will have to be abated.
Up to the same time viz., January 29, 1904, the Assessors have abated taxes as follows :
Years.
1901
Abated. $878 70
1902
.
743 83
1903
1,331 18
Abated 1901-3
$2,953 71
66 1896-1900
3,076 76
Total abated to January 29, 1904 . $6,030 47
Less amount raised for abatements
by Town Grant for 1903
1,500 00
Amount to be raised by taxation $4,530 47
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COMMITTEE OF FIVE.
At the same date, viz., January 29, 1904, the taxes outstand- ing were
For 1901
$337 85
1902
506 96
Total
$844 81
Real estate is liable for only $54.00 of this $844.81, leaving nearly $800.00 of taxes for personal property and polls still outstanding on those two years.
In the opinion of your Committee it is for the Town's best interests for the Assessors and Collector to at once take up the subject of all the back taxes, and with the advice of the Town Counsel, to collect or abate them at the earliest possible mo- ment in order that the shortage may be determined and made good.
The prompt collection or abatement of taxes, if faithfully followed up from year to year, will prevent or disclose any future defalcation in the Collector's department, and will give the Town a more uniform tax rate.
Your joint Committee (the Assessors and the Committee of Five) unanimously recommend that the Town take action in- structing the Collector to collect all taxes assessed for Polls only before October 1st of the year in which the said Polls are assessed, and that the Collector be instructed to use all neces- sary legal means to that end.
ALTERATIONS IN TOWN OFFICES AND THE PURCHASE OF ADDITIONAL SAFES, DESKS, OFFICE FURNITURE, ETC.
Your Committee, together with the Selectmen, were ap- pointed to attend to the above, and $2,400 was voted by the Town to meet the expenses thereof.
In the Auditor's report will be found a detailed account of said expenses.
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COMMITTEE OF FIVE.
SUMMARY.
Your Committee was first appointed in November, 1901, and it has held fifty-seven meetings.
As a result of its deliberations and recommendations to the Town, the following results have been accomplished : -
The financial books and accounts of the Town have been examined and audited for the years 1896 to 1902, inclusive.
By so doing, a basis was established for opening the books of the Town for 1903, which have been supervised, audited, and closed for that year, and properly opened for the year 1904.
By vote of the Town. The offices of Town Clerk, Treasu- rer and Collector have been separated, and are now held by three persons instead of by one as formerly.
An Auditor has been elected to keep the books of the Town and to perform other most important duties which safeguard the financial affairs of the Town, and which are duly set forth in the By-Laws of the Town under which he is elected and acts.
All taxes, including street watering, and apportioned sewer assessments levied in any year are to be collected before June 1st of the following year.
The Collector and Treasurer are bonded in a Surety Com- pany at the expense of the Town.
The use of a rubber stamp by any official in giving a receipt for money paid to the Town has been forbidden.
The By-Laws of the Town have been revised and are printed in the Town Report for each year
A system of making out bills in duplicate form has been adopted for Taxes, Water Rates and Cemetery Dues.
The taxes, street watering assessments and water rates for 1903 were properly committed by the Assessors and Water
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COMMITTEE OF FIVE.
Commissioners to the Collector, and we recommend that the same form of commitment be continued in the future.
The responsibility of receiving and disbursing the Town's finances has been distinctly defined and separated the one from the other, in strong contrast to the old way of doing things in this respect.
The auditing of the financial books and accounts of the Town is now a matter of business and not a form, affording a check in an effective manner upon the exceeding of appropriations for the various departments, and a guard against financial irregu- larities in the future.
The financial departments of the Town are now fully and freely independent of any of the other departments, and in the opinion of your Committee no change should be allowed by the Town to be made in this respect. It is highly desirable that there be no division of responsibility for the conduct of these departments, and no question in regard to the same.
The foregoing sums up in part the work of your Committee and marks the turning point for the better in the conduct of the Town's financial affairs.
Your Committee have been greatly encouraged in the per- formance of their duties by the confidence of their fellow citi- zens so often and so forcibly expressed in Town Meeting at critical times during their term of service, by the general and growing interest taken in Town affairs, and by the fact that many of our citizens have been willing to give of their time and ability to the advancement of the Town's welfare. These facts, together with the words of encouragement given person- ally to members of your Committee from time to time by their fellow citizens, have made it possible to complete a task where the responsibilities were ever present, the difficulties many, and the opposition persistent.
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COMMITTEE OF FIVE.
FUTURE PROSPECTS.
We regret to say that the immediate future, viz., 1904 and 1905, affords but little encouragement for those who are ex- pecting a low tax rate.
Arlington will become a desirable place of residence from the standpoint of the tax payer when more of her citizens who have succeeded in their chosen professions and business, be- come willing to give of their time and the service of which they are capable to the Town's welfare. Until this is the case Arlington's tax rate will continue at a high figure.
In making up the schedule of the tax levy for this year it will be necessary to take into consideration the following items :
Suspense Account $12,000 00
Legal Requirements of the Sinking Fund
20,381 00
Serial Loans falling due
.
13,850 00
Town Grant .
9,372 90
TAX ABATEMENTS.
Deficit to January 1st, 1904 .
$1,675 45
Abatements made in January, 1904 ·
2,708 74
Deficit in Corporation Tax
2,328 34
$62,316 43
In the report of the Auditor, there appear unexpended and unappropriated balances to the amount of $12,000.
We recommend the covering of these balances into the Suspense Account, thereby wiping out the balance of the defal- cation there represented.
Our recommendation in regard to the Sinking Fund require- ments appears in the first part of this report, and is that the law be complied with.
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COMMITTEE OF FIVE.
The Serial Loans falling due, and the Town Grant already made, must be provided for.
The deficit caused by the tax abatements and overestimate of the amount of the corporation tax, should also be taken care of in this year's tax levy.
The amount which it will be necessary to further abate on back taxes, is a sufficient sum to leave open for future con- sideration.
By vote of the Town, the receipts from sewer assessments are to be used for the payment of any sums due to the Com- monwealth of Massachusetts for assessments collected on the line of the Metropolitan Sewer and for the reduction of the · notes in the Sewer loan account as they become due.
As the loans now outstanding practically equal the amount of assessments due, it will be necessary to make some provision for money for the use of this department.
We recommend that the Town make an appropriation for the general care and maintenance of sewers ; and if any extra- ordinary sum be required for new construction, that authority be given the Board in charge, to apply to the Legislature for permission to borrow for this purpose on the basis of serial payments ; and that all moneys received for assessments on accoun of such construction, be used toward the payment of this loan.
AUDITOR.
The work in the Auditor's department has been greater than was anticipated by your Committee when the salary was fixed for that office.
The Auditor has been obliged, during the past year, to em- ploy clerical assistance which he has paid for to the amount of $200.
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COMMITTEE OF FIVE.
We recommend that he be reimbursed to that amount, namely, $200.
Respectfully submitted,
HOWARD W. SPURR, GEORGE G. ALLEN, CHARLES T. SCANNELL,
WILLIAM N. WINN, HORATIO A. PHINNEY.
REPORT OF THE TOWN ENGINEER.
ARLINGTON, MASS., Jan. 16, 1904.
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen: -
Herewith I respectfully submit the fourth annual report con- cerning the work of the Engineering Department for the year ending December 31, 1903.
There is no appropriation for the Department, consequently the expense is charged each week to the Department for which work is done, and is classified for the year as follows : - Highways : Comprising lines and grades, plans,
profiles, estimates, locations, records and all engineering for the Department, $229 93
Sidewalks : Comprising lines, grades and measure- ments of edgestone and concrete and brick sidewalks, 28 95
Water Department: Comprising lines for new mains and locations and records of gates, hy- drants, specials and service boxes, 150 20
Sewers : Comprising surveys, plans, estimates, profiles, lines, grades, records and all engineer- ing data including making of assessment plans of 1902 construction, 806 80
Superintendence and Inspection on Sewer con- struction, 336 70
Superintendence and Inspection on Particular Sewers, 227 40
Superintendence and Inspection on Maintenance, 120 30
Cemetery Department : Comprising lines, grades, surveys and plans and staking out lots,
69 69
Symmes Hospital Lot : Comprising plans and pro- files and laying out of proposed Right of Way from Summer street, 27 18
98
ENGINEER'S REPORT.
Board of Survey : Comprising surveys, plans and
profiles and work in connection with streets laid out by the Board of Survey, 42 00
Parmenter School : Lines for new building,
5 25
Library : Levels, grades and plans for proposed regrading, 6 56
Fire Alarm : Plans and locations, 10 50
Town House Improvement : Plans,
3 05
Tree Warden : Lines for locations of new trees,
4 38
Incidentals or Miscellaneous, $284.69 subdivided as follows :
Street Numbering : Locating and plotting build- ings and completing the revising of plans in accordance with the Town by-laws, 43 81
Surveys and plans for conveyance of Symmes Hos- pital land, Foster school lot and Locke school playground, 48 89
Indexing and Filing Plans : Card Index of Town and Selectmen's Records and copying Records for Commonwealth,
51 64
Copying plans and abstracts of Deeds from Registry at East Cambridge, 10 16
Description and Titles of real estate for Tax Col- lector, 38 72
Locations of telephone and electric light poles,
9 47
Plans, studies, estimates, photographs and data for various Boards and Committees, including sur- veys for stone bounds on Irving street, Bartlett avenue, Woodland street, Tanager street, Cres- cent Hill avenue, Park circle and Cutter school lot, 62 92
Engineering Records and notes and care of instru- ments, 19 08
$2,353 58
99
ENGINEER'S REPORT.
Draughting materials and office supplies,
$52 19 70
Expressing,
Printing,
9 00
Repairs to instruments,
1 20
Carfares,
5 13
$68 22
Careful notes, measurements and locations of the changes, additions and extensions made by the departments during the year were taken as the work progressed and are now being. shown on permanent plans and records ; also all the informa- tion which it is possible to obtain concerning existing structures in the Town has been compiled for ready reference. Many preliminary plans and estimates for the use of the several De- partments, Boards and Committees were made as requested.
HIGHWAYS.
Park Circle, the street around the standpipe at Arlington Heights, is the only street accepted this year. This street is forty feet wide, and was accepted by the Town March 30, 1903. Crescent Hill avenue has been built under the Betterment Act in accordance with the plan accepted at the Town Meeting of Dec. 1, 1902. The construction of this street required, in ad- dition to earth excavation, the removal of 1,100 cubic yards of ledge which covered practically the entire width of the street near Westmoreland avenue to a maximum height of sixteen feet. There were also about 150 cubic yards of ledge removed near Montague street. The street has been built in a very substan- tial manner with a practically macadam travelway, gravel side- walks and grass strip, and with paved gutters and catch-basins on the steeper portion south of Westmoreland avenue, for the disposal of storm water. The location of the street required cutting on the easterly side and filling on the westerly side to
100
ENGINEER'S REPORT.
arrive at the established grade. The abutters were protected in these cases by retaining walls where necessary, and by filling, in the low places. The street should last for many years as the sewer and water pipes are laid and it would seem unneces- sary to soon disturb the surface.
There has been no other new construction of streets, the remaining work being resurfacing of old streets and making necessary repairs. One thousand and forty-seven linear feet of edgestone and 1,220 square yards of concrete, and 141.5 square yards of brick were laid during 1903.
The question of paving of at least a portion of Massachusetts avenue, west of Medford street, must soon be given consider- ation, as a macadam pavement can hardly be considered per- manent on this street owing to the constant travel and heavy teaming and the narrowness of the travelways on either side of the Boston Elevated Railway tracks. The street is muddy in wet weather and dusty in dry weather, causing great annoyance to merchants and the general public and results in much wear on the surface of the street. The cost of constant repairs to keep it in clean and safe condition is increasing each year, and economy demands that a paving of suitable material should be provided. Nine hundred dollars will capitalize $20,000 at 4 1-2 per cent., enough to do a considerable part of the work, or it would seem a good plan to spend a fixed sum each year towards this improvement.
· The abolishment of the railroad crossing on Massachusetts avenue, in the centre of the Town, should be given careful con- sideration before any change in the street or pavement is made at this point, especially as the safety of the public and delay in travel to pedestrians, electric cars and all travel demands an early solution of the problem. Also, the development of the centre of the Town is much retarded on account of the uncer- tainty of the effect to adjacent property, resulting from the
101
ENGINEER'S REPORT.
separation of the grades. For reasons of economy, the work should be soon accomplished, since the increase in the amount of private property damages must necessarily be greater as time goes on. At least a definite plan of construction should be agreed upon with the railroad and State authorities that all future improvements may be planned in accordance therewith and be therefore permanent.
The advisability of laying bitulithic macadam pavements, so satisfactorily used in many of our neighboring towns and cities, should be given consideration in the reconstruction of some streets of the Town.
BRIDGES.
All the highway bridges are in good condition with the ex- ception of the River street bridge. This bridge is of wood resting on granite abutments and granite pier and is maintained jointly by the Town of Arlington and the City of Medford; it is now much out of repair and must soon be rebuilt. The work should be done jointly by the Town, of Arlington, the Metro- politan Park Commission and the City of Medford.
The iron work of the Medford street bridge has been newly painted and the abutments repointed with Portland cement, the cost being paid jointly by the Town of Arlington and the City of Medford. A new bridge across the brook at Forest street has been built by the Highway Department of concrete, rein- forced with iron rails, in a very substantial manner. All the other bridges in the Town are comparatively new and of modern construction and are practically permanent.
STORM DRAINS.
The 12-inch storm drain in Westmoreland avenue was ex- tended from Westminister avenue to Crescent Hill avenue in connection with the new construction of that street and a 15-
102
ENGINEER'S REPORT.
inch drain was laid in Massachusetts avenue from the Boston Elevated Railway car-barns to Paul Revere road, there connect- ing with catch-basins for the removal of surface water and with 6-inch and 8-inch pipes extending to Dundee road to drain a large amount of ground water which comes to the surface at this point. The length of these drains is 1,230 feet.
BOARD OF SURVEY.
Plans of Brattle street from Summer street to Brattle avenue were approved by the Board on the petition of Messrs. Tolson and Millett. A plan of Aerial street was also approved by the Board of Survey on petition of the abutters. The total num- ber of plans now on file approved by the Board is seventy, representing 8.38 miles of streets.
All the lines of the streets established by the Board of Sur- vey under Section 3 of the Board of Survey Act have been de- fined by stone bounds, with the exception of Gray and Summer streets. The points for bounds on Summer street have been located, and it is intended to place them in position as soon as possible.
Many of the street lines of accepted streets and Town ways are not well defined, especially is this true of streets which have been laid out for some years. Stone bounds should be placed at the angles and the points of intersection of these streets, as at present it is impossible to determine the lines without considerable expense, it often being necessary to run lines and make measurements for quite a distance to obtain the necessary data. In some cases it is impossible to arrive at the exact line originally established, owing to neglect in the placing of proper bounds and imperfect description with refer- · ence to boundaries now existing. This work should receive immediate attention and the old lines should be relocated and re-established as the growth of the Town requires their accurate and frequent use.
103
ENGINEER'S REPORT.
WATER DEPARTMENT.
Lines and grades for location of new mains were given, also measurements and computation of work under contract on Mystic street were made. All the mains, gates, specials and service boxes are located and shown on the plans and records of the department.
CEMETERY.
Stakes have been placed at the lot corners in three of the new areas laid out by the Cemetery Trustees in 1901 and 1902. The number of each lot is shown by a zinc figure on the stakes so that the lots may be readily found and identified. A new receiving tomb is under construction on the easterly side of Mystic avenue, near Laurel avenue. The dimensions of the tomb are sixteen feet by twenty-four feet inside with arched concrete roof nine and one-half feet above the granolithic floor at the centre. The walls are of blue stone and ledgestone plas- tered on the inside with Portland cement and waterproofed on the outside with asphalt, as is also the dome. The tomb when completed will be enclosed in a grass covered mound, there- fore great care was taken in the construction that the interior might be well ventilated and free from dampness. It is in- tended to build a granite retaining wall for a support to the embankment, and as a finish for the front of the tomb, to be laid with thin rock-faced stone reinforced with concrete.
SEWERS.
The construction this year has been expensive in proportion to the length of pipe laid, on account of the large amount of ledge,-459 cubic yards having been excavated. Reference to
104
ENGINEER'S REPORT.
the annexed table will show the streets sewered and the cost of the construction. On Crescent Hill avenue it was deemed advisable to connect the two ends of the sewers constructed in 1900, as the construction of this street was under way by the Highway Department, and it was desired to avoid the possible tearing up of the finished street in the future. The Highway Department had removed the ledge to a sub-grade preparatory to finishing the street, and the Sewer and Water Departments combined in making the connection for both systems. The excavation was done by the Sewer Department, and after the water pipe had been laid on the westerly side of the trench the Water Department completed the back-filling. The Water Department paid one-quarter of the total expense of the work.
The work of construction during the year was done by day labor, with the exception of Appleton street from Sta. 1 + 75 to Oakland avenue, which was done by contract with C. E. Trumbull & Co., of Boston.
The Highway Department steam drill was used on Crescent Hill avenue, Harvard street and Cliff street, where the excava- tion was nearly all ledge.
On Windermere avenue the sewer passes through wet ground where it would be necessary to lay an underdrain to carry off the water to permit the securing of tight cement joints. A part only of this sewer was laid by use of underdrains, the balance and portions of the Appleton and Harvard street sewers com- prising about 479 linear feet were laid by using a new form of joint of asphalt composition prepared by Warren Bros. Corpora- tion, of Boston, with very satisfactory results. This method had been prieviously tried with success by the Department on a smaller scale and our experience this year proves this method to be economical, and we believe the only one which will secure absolutely tight work. The use of asphalt is of great assistance as the otherwise necessary excavation for underdrain
TABLE SHOWING COST OF SEWERS BY STREETS, 1903.
Cost of
Size.
Length.
Total Cost.
Amount of Assess- ments.
Cost per Foot.
Average Cut.
Character of Soil.
Labor.
Materials
Appleton place, Appleton street easterly .... *Appleton street, Mass. av. to Oakland av ... Cliff street, extended to Linden street .. ... Crescent Hillav., Westmoreland av.northerly Franklin street, Hamlet street easterly ......
8
143
$140 16
$50 90
$191 06
$200 54
$1 33
6.3 ft.
Blue gravel and ledge.
8
964
1,357 77
416 93
1,774 70
443 59
1 84
4.5 "
Blue gravel and ledge.
8
135
417 24
375 50
792 74
175 86
5 87
6.9 “
Ledge.
S
217
394 38
152 53
516 91
185 98
2 52
7.5 "
Ledge.
co
90
78 63
34 68
113 31
102 03
1 26
8.6
Sand and gravel.
Harvard street, Appleton street easterly ....
8
282
662 03
178 90
840 93
459 43
2 98
6.4
Blue gravel and ledge.
Linwood street, Belknap st. to B. & M. R.R ..
6
126
67 30
42 28
109 58
128 80
87
5.0
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