' Property of Robbins Library ! Ma®», Arlington, ; Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from Boston Public Library https://archive.org/details/townofarlingtona1999arli Town of Arlington Massachusetts 1999 Annual Report Board of Selectmen John W. Hurd, Chairman Kathleen Kiely Dias, Vice Chairman Charles Lyons Kevin F. Greeley Diane M. Mahon Town Manager Donald R. Marquis TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SERVICES 5 PUBLIC WORKS AND Board of Selectmen ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 60 Town Manager Public Works Recycling & Household Hazardous Waste Committee CENTRAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES 9 Conservation Commission Personnel Affirmative Action CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL ACTIVITIES 66 Legal Arlington Arts Council Arlington Historical Commission Arlington Historic District Commissions FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Cyrus E. Dallin Art Museum SERVICES 11 Finance Committee COMMUNITYSAFETY 71 Town Comptroller & Coordinator of Data Processing Police Budget - Miscellaneous Fire Board ofAssessors Support Services Assessment Data Recapitulation ofthe Tax Rate COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 81 Revenues and Expenditures Planning and Community Development Audited Financial Statements and Redevelopment Board Zoning Board of Appeals Arlington Housing Authority HUMAN SERVICES 37 Vision 2020 Administration Open Space Committee Whittemore Robbins House Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee Arlington Youth Consultation Center Metropolitan Area Planning Council Board of Youth Services Alcohol and Drug Education Program LEGISLATIVE 93 Council on Aging Town Moderator Fair Housing Town Meeting Members Human Rights Commission Town Meeting Report Commission on Disability Board of Health TOWN CLERK AND ELECTIONS 100 Veterans' Services Town Clerk Recreation Board of Registrars of Voters Park and Recreation Commission Voting Results TOWN DIRECTORY 106 EDUCATION AND LIBRARIES 52 Town Officials and Committees Robbins Library and Board of Trustees Arlington Public Schools ARLINGTON REFERENCE GUIDE Ill Minuteman Regional High School - School of Applied Arts and Sciences ARLINGTON INFORMATION 112 CREDITS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS / The following people have contributed to the production ofthis report: Editing and Typesetting: Teresa H. DeBenedictis and Nancy T. Galkowski. Cover photograph of Brackett Elementary School by DominicVecchione AIA, Drummey Rosane Anderson Inc.. CoverDesign and Printing: Eagle Graphics, Inc.. Thanks to all Department Heads, and Chairpersons of all Boards, Committees, and Commissions fortheir reports. Special thanks to Marjorie Cabral. Published: April 2000 — ' M . i »^ u. i •t" =»VWks-i I. f* "I *).’ M'Wv--- ' • .f V«‘ 4*‘i ; /3D h '•*•'- 'i:^ 'o. . 'uti'r -m* ‘ <'' '^ M ^ •T'4'«A‘t«.V1Tv VV"'» {i *>> '^;!. . - .' T «i •.CJ^Jr||ii.:..v-: W.' uf^ Hi^ . < «•*»,! * *4 <- ib '* ” ¥je«Nlii ^ .T .Tfcofva 'cbi#A I ' l:- : \ A . ^'' -i-'rv > «’<'' '-*.<- '" '*• ^'<yi -»-V*_ -*3. .-.i. .. . ^ J?-,, A.'Sv,\j . • ' •: '• f^' -aOS-. i ;:>crii|jS=5 . .^- .. .iVJ' M^U<SF‘«I - « ' -% •- - '*' jr- T .i " *' •.*. . ‘ ' •> % ” - l<‘- -r^ ' -.**'J>H - > •jr- V ^«i.> :; EXECUTIVE SERVICES Board of Selectmen BoardofSelectmen 1999 2009 Administration & Licensing Budget: $139,902 $160,221 ; Personnel, Full Time: 3 3; Parttime: 1 1 i ElectionsandTownMeeting $76,289 $74,990 i AnnualReport $10,000 $8,000 $32,500 $32,500 The Arlington Board of Selectmen is composed of five part-time individuals who are entrusted with the responsibility to set policy and oversee the management of the municipal functions of local government. The Board is pleased to submit to the residents ofArlington our annual report for 1999. The Board is most appreciative of the citizens of Arlington active in the civic affairs in our community, making it a quality place to live. From participating in Vision 2020, to serving on committees and commissions, to public service as a Town Meeting Member, Arlington’s greatest asset is the involvement of many people in community services. Many others coach youth sports, participate in scouting, or are active members of their church. A quality, active, engaged citizenry is the rock upon which our cherished democracy is built. The Board is also indebted to the hundreds of municipal and school employees who provide the important basic public services to our residents. Led by Town Manager Donald R. Marquis, the Board applauds the quality performance exhibited by these public servants. Arlington’s crime rate continues to decrease, test scores for students in our public schools are comparatively high, and the beauty of ourtown continues to improve. Some of the highlights in 1999 include the following: The Board began the long process of starting the search to replace our current Town Manager. Mr. Donald R. Marquis will retire in Novemberof2000 after having served as Town Manager for 33 years. Mr. Marquis’ service to Arlington is unparalleled in any community and the Board is very clear that it will be difficult to find a worthy successor to lead Arlington in the 21®' Century. The Board appointed a Citizen’s Advisory Committee comprised of ten individuals from the community, charged with the BoardofSelectmen assisting the Board in the search and particularly SeatedItor: KathleenKielyDias, Vice-Chairman, with citizen outreach. The Board feels very John W. Hurd, Chairman, DianeMahon;StandingI passionately that the community must feel a tor: CharlesLyons, andKevinF. Greeley sense of ownership and connection to the town’s highest appointed official, the Town Manager. With the assistance of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee the Board plans on conducting final interviews forthe position in August of 2000. Town Day 1999 was truly exceptional. Under the leadership of co-chairs Rene Tsoukalas and Kathleen Darcy the event was very well organized and residents enjoyed over 220 displays. This year’s Town Day was also special because of a visiting delegation of Japanese guests from Arlington’s sister city of Nagaokakyo. This year marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the relationship between our two cities. The Japanese performed traditional dances on center stage dressed in full ceremonial costume. The Selectmen hosted a dinner for our guests sponsored by Mount. Auburn Hospital at the Whittemore Robbins House on the evening of Town Day. The evening was capped off by watching the fireworks fired off from Spy Pond. The Board worked with Boston Edison and Bell Atlantic to help develop a more efficient approach to the repair of area utility poles. The Board recognized that as telecommunications becomes more and more complex the burden on utility poles to carry the associated attachments would place greater burden on our utility poles and thus create a public safety issue. Selectman Hurd was delegated to work with representatives of the companies to develop a comprehensive listing of poles in need of repair and replacement. Page 5 EXECUTIVE SERVICES Town Manager On November 1®', 2000 will have been Town Manager in Arlington thirty-four years. They have been good I years for both the town and me. During those years, have focused my attention to accomplish the following: I Reorganizing the town’s administrative structure, reducing department heads from twenty-seven to seven, providing a workable, efficient, and effective span of control; •:» Reviewing ways to increase revenue sharing from both the state and federal governments, providing the catalyst for the successful passage of Question Five on the State-wide ballot in 1990, calling for forty percent of the growth tax to go to the cities and towns, and developing the strategy and leadership in 1977 to retain Community Development Block Grant funds forArlington and seven other communities in five states generating over $30 million to the town to date; Renovating or replacing all school and town buildings to keep ourtown well maintained and attractive to potential new residents; Redeveloping the business community by blending the new with the old and encouraging residents to visit our shops and eat at our many fine restaurants; Renewing and renovating much of our housing stock to the point where we have very few dilapidated houses in the community; Restoring the Winfield Robbins Memorial Garden adjacent to the Town Hall and the landscaping designed in 1938-1939 by the Olmsted Brothers using Federal Grant revenues ensuring the preservation ofthat most important landmark in our history; Retaining and restoring many other historic landmarks including the erection ofthe Uncle Sam statue, the symbol of our country; Renovating all our parks, playgrounds, and fields periodically, providing the best recreational facilities the town can offer its citizens; Reclaiming ourformersanitary landfill at Reed’s Brook and converting it to provide passive and active recreation including two soccer fields, a little league field, picnic areas, and a holding area for flood control, etc.; Renewing all our infrastructure such as water mains, sewer lines, streets, and facilities on a regular basis; Reevaluating all town services after the passage of Proposition 2 1/2, which forced a reduction of over $4 million in revenues, without resorting to devastating service cuts; Removing the abandoned Boston & Maine railroad bed and replacing it with the most heavily-used bicycle trail in the United States, thereby eliminating an existing eyesore, and turning it into a wonderful asset which connects many of our parks and playgrounds and provides an attractive artery for recreational purposes and to reach Alewife Station and all parts of Boston and other suburbs; Recycling as much as we can to reduce as much of our solid waste as possible because it makes sense economically and environmentally; Removing as much intersection concrete as possible and beautifying the business and residential areas with flowers and attractive landscaping with the help of the business community, neighborhood groups, and individual citizens; Reclaiming many roadway areas in our cemetery to extend its life by at least fifteen years and making plans to add another fifty or more years of cemetery space; Recapturing the control of our ice rink twenty-five years ago and turning it into a well-run facility without spending one penny ofthe property tax; Replacing our antiquated police and fire communications system with an up-to-date E911 response system where the caller’s name, address, and telephone number appear on the screen to ensure proper emergency response; Reenacting forthe last twenty-five years our holiday candlelight ceremony; Rededicating our commitment to establish and maintain a strong mentoring program for over thirty interns and administrative assistants, many who have become managers in Massachusetts and elsewhere in the country. Arlington is near the top, if not number one, on the list nationwide for having had so many young people interested in training here for public management. We all learned from them as well as they from us; Page 6