USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Wilmington > Town of Wilmington Annual Report 1956-1957 > Part 7
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Notwithstanding this fact, it is the committee's recommendation that it would be advisable to continue bodily injury coverage for all town departments and property damage coverage on the Water Dept. for the following reasons:
1. The coverage would provide the town with a contract to defend all claims brought against it whether or not any liability exists.
2. In the event the courts overturn the so-called immunity of a municipality, there would be adequate insurance protection in force.
The committee further recommends that the insurance carrier providing the general liability coverage be instructed to use the defense of municipal immunity when applicable.
Blasting damage being a standard exclusion under the public liability contract, arrangements have been made with the present carrier of this coverage to provide "spot coverage" for blasting operations carried on by the Water Department. The possibility exists however, that in some cases this coverage will not be available due to some particularly hazardous operation, and it is therefore recommended that before any blasting work is done, the contractor doing the work show proof of an adequate liability policy covering the operation and naming the Town of Wilmington as an additional interest, or that the contractor provide a bond of sufficient limits to adequately cover any damage done.
Any operation of this type carried on by the Highway Department should be handled in the same manner, although it is felt that the present practice of the town in requiring all property owners on streets which have been accepted and improved, to hold the town harmless in the event of damage to their property, provides reasonably good protection.
In order to protect the town's interest resulting from claims arising out of injury or property damage attributable to overhanging sidewalk signs, the committee further recommends that the owners of such signs be required to keep in force liability coverage with adequate limits, and naming the Town of Wilmington as an additional interest.
78
In the committee's investigation of the town's fire insurance program, it was found that all policies carried were specific as to amount of insurance and rates on each building. Though the companies carrying his coverage pay liberal dividends, the committee feels that it would be much more advantageous to have single average blanket rate for all town buildings and a single blanket rate for all contents. This would .esult in much more flexible coverage, in that the amount of insurance would not be fixed for each building or its contents, provided the overall amount of insurance met the co-insurance requirements of the policy should a loss occur. This is particularly important at this time, because of the necessarily frequent shift- ng of content values from one building to another due to the rather rapid growth of the town. An average blanket rate could easily be made available by filing a statement of values of all town buildings and their contents with the New England Fire Insurance Rating Association together with an application for the pro- nulgation of a rate on this basis.
The problem that the committee has encountered in attempting to accomplish this however, has een difficult due to the fact that of the two companies carrying the present fire insurance, the Pennsylvania Jumbermens Mutual and the Merchants and Businessmens Mutual, the latter has a relatively small amount f liability which they are able to assume on any one fire risk. However, since there are only three build - ngs in town on which the amount of insurance will exceed $100, 000 on each, this company is able to fully nsure all of the town buildings except the new High School, the Wildwood School and the Swain School, There the values exceed this figure. If the committee were to have an average blanket rate published, he participation of this company in the total amount of insurance written blanket would be limited by the ercentage of the risk they could assume on these three buildings. This would limit the amount of the olicy they could write to probably little more than 10% of the total amount of the insurance written.
Aside from the dividend savings we are now enjoying on fire insurance, the committee feels that ancellation of the fire policies with the present carriers for the purpose of placing them with some other ompany having the capacity to assume the entire line of coverage on a blanket basis, would not be practi- al due to the heavy short rate penalty the town would suffer. Therefore in October, the committee re- ommended to the town manager that all policies be cancelled on a pro-rata basis and rewritten on an nnual installment plan with the present carriers. Under this plan the premium is payable annually, and lthough there is a carrying charge equal to 3% of the first year's premium for each installment, it is elt that this charge is more than offset by greatly reducing the amount of money tied up in prepaid pre - iums. This plan further tends to provide a relatively fixed premium each year with dividends payable nnually. The committee also wishes to make note of the fact that some of the previous policies were on three -year basis, and on those policies the plan recommended results in a lower net cost per year.
In accordance with our recommendations, this plan was adopted by the town manager when the surance Committee learned that as a result of a further inspection of the new High School by the New ngland Fire Insurance Rating Association, the rate on this building had increased by approximately $. 03 er $100 annually due to non-standard conditions found in the new addition. When the committee learned f this, the new rate had not as yet been published and putting the insurance out for bid at this time would ave resulted in bids being received on the basis of the new higher rates. By recommending canceling nd rewriting at this time, the town was able to insure that the previous lower rate would prevail for the ext five years, resulting in a five-year savings on the fire coverage alone of approximately $1422. 00. was the feeling of the committee that bids for this insurance could not be justified at this time due to le unusual rate situation. It was also agreed by the present carriers, the Merchants and Businessmens [utual and the Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual, that more attention would be paid by them to possible ate decreases on town buildings through Fire Engineering.
The importance of engineering cannot be over emphasized. First quality service of this type an provide the town with recommendations which if carried out, particularly in some of our older build- gs, could substantially reduce the fire -life hazard which we feel now exists and could avert a disastrous ss. Any rate decreases brought about by recommended improvements are reflected in return on our re insurance policies, while any rate increases are not charged to us until expiration, five years from w. Frequently during the course of construction of a new building, the expenditure of a reasonable mount of money to provide fire safety features will result in a reduced fire rate, in many cases the
C
79
additional cost may be completely offset within a very few years due to a reduced insurance cost.
The committee therefore recommends that before construction is begun on any new town building or before undertaking any major alteration on any existing building, the proper party or committee consult with the New England Fire Insurance Rating Association, 89 Broad Street, Boston, Massachusetts, to- gether with the Fire Insurance Agent.
It is further recommended that immediately upon undertaking any type of new construction or major alteration, the town accountant, or building committee make certain that insurance adequate to cove the cost of the new unit be placed with the agent handling the town's fire insurance. This coverage should ordinarily be a "builders' risk" policy on new buildings, and on alterations it will generally be an endorse. ment to an existing policy.
The committee spent considerable time discussing the problem of valuation on town property. It was hoped that the appraisal firm of Cole -Layer- Trumble Company which conducted the town reappraisa would provide the town with valuations on town buildings which could be used for insurance purposes. The valuations provided however, were found to be inappropriate for this purpose, being in most cases, much too low. It is therefore recommended that an appraisal of all town property be provided to bring the in- surance valuation up to date either by hiring an independent appraiser or requesting our own assessors to provide the information.
Before completing the study of the fire coverage needed by the town, it became necessary to obtain renewal coverage for Motor Vehicle Physical Damage coverage, Public Official Bonds, Motor Vehicle Liability coverage and Boiler insurance.
As had been done on the Workmens' Compensation and Public Liability coverages, the committe recommended that the town manager ask for bids on these various lines of insurance. Requests for bids were sent to interested agents in advance of the expiration of the respective coverages with the exception of the Public Official Bonds, which due to the time element involved were renewed with the same agents that had placed them previously.
When the Boiler Insurance was advertised for bids, interested agents and companies were asker to quote on both a $10, 000 and $25, 000 limit of liability per accident basis. At the time, it was the committee's opinion that a $10, 000 limit of liability was not adequate to cover any explosion that might occur. After bids had been opened, the committee recommended and the town manager agreed to the placing of the Boiler Insurance with the company submitting the lowest bid with the provision that the limi per accident be increased from $10, 000 to $25, 000.
The adoption of the bidding procedure resulted in the saving of substantial sums of money. It is a foregone conclusion that competition tends to reduce prices, and the same is true with insurance premiums. There is no question that the bidding procedure recommended by the committee and insti- tuted by the town manager has provided the town with adequate insurance coverage at the lowest possible premium during the first year of its use. A saving of more than $2, 000. 00 has been realized by the town.
Recognizing that the bidding procedure has been extremely helpful in lowering the cost of insur ance and has provided the Committee with a sound basis of determining those lines of insurance where there is a flexibility in rates, the committee does not believe that the continuation of a bidding system would be desirable on a long term basis. One result of the perpetuation of this plan would be to allow the matter of price to play too large a part in the selection of carriers of the town's insurance. Price is important, but in a municipality where the insurance problems constantly arising are complex, the matter of service and know-how is many times even more important. Constant changes are taking place in the town as it continues to grow in size that directly effect the coverages required to protect the interests of the town. In addition, the insurance industry itself is developing new coverages and policies which are more comprehensive in the scope of their coverage.
80
A bidding procedure, as clearly indicated by the experience of this committee during the past year, results in the placing of various lines of insurance with a number of agents and companies to the extent that no one agent or company has a sufficiently large slice of the town business to make it worth while to provide the many services required by the town.
Due to the diversification of coverages among many agents and companies, it has been difficult for the town manager and other town officials to obtain answers to insurance problems when they have arisen. Because of the existence of the insurance committee, all problems of immediate importance have been referred to the chairman or some other member of the committee for solution. This has resulted in the various members of the committee expending considerable time and effort in developing the necessary information and contacting the agents involved. In other words, the committee has been providing the . services and functions that in most cases should be provided by the agent. To further emphasize the difficulty encountered by the committee, it would be well to point out that no one individual or small group of individuals as represented on the committee can hope to have all of the necessary technical knowledge of insurance to enable them to make the proper evaluation of the many complexities of municipal insur - ance. Insurance as it applies to municipalities is a specialized field, and requires the skills of insur - ance specialists.
The Town of Wilmington is presently operated under the town manager form of government basically for the reason that the people have felt that the town should be run on a sound business basis. It is the opinion of this committee that the insurance of the town should also be handled on a sound busi- ness basis by competent individuals properly trained and experienced in the technical aspects of insur - ance.
With this background in mind, the committee recommends that the entire line of insurance of the town be placed with a single large agency that has at its disposal the experienced technical, underwriting, engineering and service facilities within its organization to properly administer the town's insurance pro- gram. The service that could be provided by such an agency would include but not be limited to the furnishing of technical advice in connection with the construction of new town buildings so that fire rates could be kept at the lowest possible level, claim and engineering service on all lines of insurance, the assumption of responsibility for the proper administration of the town's insurance coverages and needs, and the placement of the various coverages with insurance carriers at the best possible price. Under such a system all claims would be reported to a single agency thereby eliminating the confusion that now exists as to what agent or company a given claim should be reported. This would eliminate delays which many times result in increased claim and insurance costs to the town. It could be a requirement of any agreement entered into by the town with such an agency, that periodical reports of losses, engineering recommendations and status of the several coverages be submitted to the town manager for his review. It would also be the responsibility of the agency to keep up to date for the town manager a complete synopsis of the insurance in force together with the effective and expiration dates, and limits of liability of each coverage.
.
At the outset, this committee attempted to include in their report, a complete guide for use by he town manager in administering the town's insurance. This fast became an impossible task and if such had been attempted, this report would have become a very voluminous document. If the recom - nendation of this committee is adopted, such a guide will not be necessary. Furthermore, a permanent nsurance committee will not be necessary.
December 5, 1956
Town of Wilmington Insurance Committee Robert Gundersen, Chairman Howard Woolaver, Secretary Augustus Norton Joseph Slater
81
JURY LIST
Revised - July 2, 1956
Name
* Anderson, Mary B. *Anderson, Ruth M.
*Bedell, Vilma B.
*Biggar, Mary E.
*Black, Pauline R.
*Boylen, Marion C. Bridges, Frank B.
*Buck, Elizabeth E.
*Buck, Hilda May Cates, Howard L. Chisholm, Fred
*Clinch, Ethel J.
Coombs, Corydon W.
Cornish, Percival H.
4 Central Street
Asst. Foreman
Installer
Mason
Bench Assembly Packer
Electrical Designer Commercial Rep. Machine Operator
Industrial Appraiser Foreman
Asst. Engineer
Research Chemist
District Manager
Woodworker
Sheet Metal Worker
Housewife
Maint. Carpenter Machinist Housewife
Sheet Metal Worker
Maint. Superintendent Refrigeration Mechanic Retired
Regional Manager Manager Maint. Carpenter
Leather Worker Housewife
Vice President
Webber, Stanley
Widger, William K. Jr.
Woolaver, Howard C.
1 35 Woburn Street
Occupation
Housewife
332 Lowell Street
48 Burlington Avenue
Housewife
272 Middlesex Avenue
84 Church Street
22 Williams Avenue
2 Chandler Road
46 Middlesex Avenue
443 Middlesex Avenue
57 High Street
Manager
16 Church Street
Meat Cutter
Housewife
Vice President
Crawford, Ralph M.
3 Chase Road
Hopkins Street
10 Baker Street
Dalaimo, Katherine D.
18 Burlington Avenue
Dayton, William P.
214 Burlington Avenue
Denner, Philip F.
283 Chestnut Street
Flight, Henry T.
74 Shawsheen Avenue
5 Strout Avenue
224 Chestnut Street
200 Middlesex Avenue
26 High Street
76 Burlington Avenue
Ledgewood Road
120 Forest Street
8 High Street
Taplin Avenue
3 Forest Avenue
Hopkins Street
30 Brentwood Avenue
32 Grove Avenue
Palmer, Douglas
124 West Street
275 Middlesex Avenue
87 Forest Street
380 Main Street
197 Middlesex Avenue
116 Andover Street
31 Atlantic Avenue
343 Salem Street
668 Main Street
Administrative Asst. Meteorologist
Insurance Underwriter
*Indicates married woman
Residence
Westdale Avenue
Housewife
Housewife
Housewife
Housewife Service Manager Housewife Housewife
67 Chestnut Street
464 Middlesex Avenue
Crispo, Ernest M.
Cunningham, Joseph L.
Foberg, Charles A.
Haynes, Frank W.
Hayward, John G.
Jolly, J. William
LaCreta, Norman M.
LaDow, Chester F.
Littlewood, Ernest L.
*MacLeod, Gladys H. Madigan, John Jr. MacMullin, Allan D.
*Martino, Eugenia M. Metcalf, Paul T.
Page, Edward F.
Ring, Joseph P.
Sottile, Joseph J.
Staveley, Wilbur T.
Swain, Harold Swain, Lester M.
*Thiel, Sadie J.
Tobey, John P.
1 Fairview Avenue
82
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ACCEPTED STREETS
From
To
Miles
Feet
Date(s) Accepted
Adams Street
Middlesex Ave.
Roman Way
0.2
3- 2-08
Adams St. Cont.
800
3-17-52
Aldrich Road
Shawsheen Ave.
Billerica Line
1.2
11 - 6-94
Andover Street
Salem Street
Andover Line
2.3
11 - 6-94
Auburn Avenue
Shawsheen Ave.
800
3-12- 45
Westdale Avenue
800
3-10-47
Ayotte Street
Baker Street
Brand Avenue
700
3- 12 -45
Ballardvale St.
Salem Street
Andover Line
2.7
11 - 6-94
Bancroft St.
Liberty St.
400
3-17-52
Bartlett Street
King Street
400
3-12 - 45
Beacon Street
Church Street
Lexington St.
1000
3- 10- 47
Beech Street
Burlington Ave.
Byron Street
1000
3-10 - 47
Columbia St.
State Street
1000
3- 3-33
Belmont Ave.
Birchwood Road
Judith Road
Short Street
1550
3-17-52
3- 10 - 53
Boutwell Street
Aldrich Road
Burlington Ave.
0.8
11 - 6-94
Brand Avenue
Bridge Lane
Baker Street
2370
3-13-33
3- 8-43
Brattle Street
Glen Road
Both Sides
1100
3- 12 - 45
Brentwood Ave.
Woburn Street
Woodside Ave.
907
6-21- 38
Bridge Lane
Main Street
Shawsheen Ave.
0. 3
11 - 6-94
Broad Street
Doane Street
Norfolk St.
1 377
3-13-54
Burlington Ave.
Main Street
Burlington Line
1.6
11 - 6-94
Surnap Street
Grove Avenue
Winchell Road
1 378
3-12- 45
3-10-53
Burt Road
Cedar Street
Shawsheen Ave.
2578
3-12-45
3-11 -46
Butters Row
Main Street
Chestnut St.
0. 6
11 - 6-94
83
Street
Street
From
To
Miles
Feet
Date(s) Accepted
Carson Avenue
Hathaway Rd.
677
3-10-53
3-12 -55
Carter Lane
Shawsheen Ave.
1900
3-11-46
Cedar Avenue
Fairfield Road
Faulkner Road
530
3- 5-51
Cedar Street
Harris Street
Burt Road
600
3-12-45
Central Street
Middlesex Ave.
Church Street
574
10-16-50
Chapman Ave.
Hathaway Rd.
322
3- 5-51
Chase Road
Hathaway Rd.
297
3-10-53
Chestnut St.
Burlington Ave.
Woburn Line
2.1
11 - 6-94
Church Street
Main Street
Middlesex Ave.
0.8
11 - 6-94
Clark Street
Main Street
Church St.
0.8
11 - 6-94
11- 8-04
Cochrane Road
Forest Street
800
3-10-47
Columbia St.
Church Street
Talbot Ave.
0.1
3- 2-08
Concord St.
Federal St.
N. Reading Line
1.1
11 - 6-94
Cook Avenue
Main Street
B & M R. R.
1000
3-11 - 46
Coolidge Road
Hathaway Road
270
3- 5-51
Corey Avenue
Grand Street
Shawsheen Rd.
366
3- 5-51
Cottage Street
Main Street
920
3-13-54
Cross Street
Main Street
Lowell St.
0.2
11 - 6-94
Cunningham St.
Salem Street
Essex St.
1400
3-13-44
Cypress Street
Glen Road
260
3- 5-51
Davis Road
Main Street
Oakwood Road
500
3-17-52
Dayton Road
Hathaway Rd.
Hathaway Rd.
170
3- 5-51
Dobson Street
Glen Road
Cary Street
1 350
3-13-54
Dorchester St.
First Avenue
Billerica Line
1400
3- 5-51
Dublin Avenue
Main Street
500
3- 5-51
Dunton Road
Nassau Avenue
Both Ways
638
3-10-56
84
Street
From
To
Miles Feet
Date(s) Accepted
Eames Street
Main Street
Woburn St.
0.7
11 - 6-94
Edwards Road
Forest St.
Baldwin Road
450
3-10-47
Essex Road
Jamaica Avenue
Everett Ave.
920
5-10-53
Fairfield Road
Main Street
Oakwood Road
1 300
3-11-46
Fairview Avenue
State Street
Adams Street
650
3-13-33
Faulkner Avenue
Glen Road
Faulkner Road
671
3-13-44
Faulkner Road
Faulkner Avenue
2000
3-13-50
ay Street
Glen Road
700
6-21- 38
3-13-45
Federal Street
Middlesex Avenue
Woburn Street
1.1
11 - 6-94
Flint Street
now Salem Street
11 - 6-94
Forest Avenue
Main Street
572
3- 5-51
orest Street
Aldrich Road
Burlington Line
0.8
11 - 6-94
Garden Court
Burt Road
Shawsheen Road
654
3-12 -55
ilen Road
Main Street
Middlesex Ave.
1.3
11 - 6-94
ilendale Circle
Glen Road
Glen Road
1 300
3-17-52
rowing Road
Park Street
Marcus Road
870
3-10-56
irand Street
Shawsheen Ave.
Birch Road
952
3-17-52
irant Street
Federal Street
B & M R. R.
780
3- 8-43
irove Avenue
Main Street
Lake Street
0.4
9-29 - 10
rove Street
now McDonald Road
irove Street
West Street
Reading Line
0.5
11 - 6-94
lardin Street
Aldrich Road
Blanchard Rd.
250
3- 5-51
larnden Street
Main Street
Glen Road
0.1
3- 4-95
arris Street
Burlington Ave.
Cedar Street
700
3-12-45
arvard Avenue
Main Street
River Street
430
3- 5-51
85
Street
From
To
Miles Feet
Date(s) Accepte
Hathaway Road
Woburn Street
Carson Ave.
1150
3- 5-51
3-10-3
Hawthorne Road
Woburn Street
230
3-10-56
High Street
Middlesex Ave.
Woburn Street
0.5
11 - 6-94
Highland Street
Salem Street
1040
3- 5-51
Hillside Way
Chestnut St.
Burlington Line
0.5
2 - 2-14
Hobson Avenue
Bridge Lane
Lubber Brook
950
3- 3-51
3-17.2
Hobson Street
Main Street
Hobson Avenue
800
3-12- 45
Hopkins Street
Shawsheen Ave.
Billerica Line
0.5
11 - 6-94
Jaquith Road
Shawsheen Ave.
Kendall St.
1250
3- 8-48
4941
Jones Avenue
Glen Road
Cedar Avenue
719
6-10-40
Judith Road
Birchwood Rd.
Cedar Crest Rd.
520
3-10-53
Kendall Street
Aldrich Road
Blanchard Road
1300
3-12 - 45
King Street
Glen Road
Broad Street
2000
6-10-40
3-12 5
Lake Street
Main Street
Shawsheen Ave.
1.0
11 - 6-94
Lang Street
Bancroft Street
B & M R. R.
500
3-17-52
Laurel Avenue
Lowell Street
Parker Street
660
10-16-50
Lawrence Court
Lawrence Street
650
3-10-56
Lawrence Street
Glendale Circle
Shady Lane Drive
. 7
3-10-56
Liberty Street
Federal Street
B & M R. R.
740
3- 8-43
Lincoln Street
Federal Street
B & M R. R.
720
3- 8-43
Linda Road
High Street
1600
10-16-50
Lloyd Road
Main Street
1050
3- 5-51
Lowell Street
Main Street
Reading Line
1.9
11 - 6-94
Mackey Road
Federal Street
250
3- 8-43
Main Street
Tewksbury Line
Woburn Line
11 - 6-94
86
Street
From
To
Miles Feet
Date(s) Accepted
Marion Street
Burlington Avenue
900
3- 12 - 45
Marjorie Road
Main Street
1550
3- 5-51
Mass. Avenue
Main Street
St. Paul St.
800
3-12- 45
McDonald Road
Salem Street
Tewksbury Line
1424
3-13-44
Middlesex Avenue
Main Street
Salem Street
2.3
11 - 6-94
Miles Street
Main Street
Hobson Avenue
400
3-12-45
Miller Road
Glen Road
Cedar Avenue
640
3-12-45
Morse Avenue
Woburn Street
1 361
10-16-39
Mystic Avenue
Middlesex Avenue
600
3- 2-08
Nassau Avenue
Shawsheen Avenue
Birch Road
2000
3-11-46
Nichols Street
Shawsheen Avenue
Shawsheen River
0.7
11 - 6-94
Nickerson Avenue
West Street
900
3- 10-47
Norfolk Avenue
Carter Lane
Newark Avenue
538
3-13-54
North Street
Middlesex Avenue
2870
3-12-45
3-13-54
Oak Street
Salem Street
0,06
3-19- 51
Oakdale Road
Judith Road
Short Street
2000
10-16-50
Oakridge Road
Suncrest Avenue
365
3-10-56
Oakwood Road
Main Street
850
3-11-46
Olson Street
Church Street
115
3-10-53
Park Street
Woburn Street
N. Reading Line
0.9
11 - 6-54
Parker Street
Lowell Street
0.4
12-29-10
Parker St. Ext.
Sheldon Avenue
Blackstone St.
0.3
3- 3-19
Pershing Street
Federal Street
B & M R. R.
720
3- 8-43
Phillips Avenue
Wiser Street
Wild Avenue
1800
3-11-46
3-13-54
Pine Avenue
Main Street
Hobson Avenue
400
3-12-45
Wilmington Memorial Library.
87
Street
From
To
Miles
Feet
Date (s) Accepted
Pineview Road
Adelman Road
Silver Lake St.
450
3-13-54
Pinewood Road
Birchwood Road
Shady Lane Drive
1332
3-13-54
Powder House Cir.
Middle sex Avenue
790
3-13-54
Railroad Avenue
Clark Street
Chase Street
0.2
1 - 1-09
Rollins Road
Pine Road
Harvard Ave.
200
3-13-54
Roman Way
Adams Street
Young Street
1493
3-10-53
Roosevelt Road
Boutwell St.
Burlington Ave.
2000
3-11 -46
Salem Street
Tewksbury Line
N. Reading Line
2.7
11 - 6-94
School Street
Middlesex Ave.
High School Lot
0.1
3- 1-15
Sewell Road
Hathaway Road
380
3-12-55
Shady Lane Drive
Middlesex Avenue
Lawrence Street
1900
10-16-50
Shawsheen Avenue
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