Town of Arlington annual report

120 Pages·1999·6.7 MB·English

by  Arlington (Mass.)

'
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
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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.
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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;
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