ACTON TOWN REPORT Annual reports. Town of Acton, Massachusetts Acton Incorporated as a Town: July 3. 1735 Type of Government: Town Meetings ~ Selectmen/Town Manager Location: Eastern Massachusetts, Middlesex County, bordered on the east by Carlisle and Concord,, on the west by Boxborough, on the north by Westford and Littleton, on the south byl Sudbury, and the southwest by Stow and Maynard. Elevation at Town Hall: 268' above mean sea level Land Area: Approximately 20 square miles Population: Year Persons 1950 3,510 1960 7,238 1970 14,770 1980 19,000 1990 18,143 1991 17,509 1992 18,055 1993 18,351 1994 18,530 1995 18,517 1996 18,883 1997 19,056 1998 19,132 1999 19,305 2000 20,331 2001 19,789 2002 19,842 IN MEMORIAM DONALD RHUDE Februray 17, 1931 - Arpil 26, 2002 Board of Assessord DONALD J. MacLENNAN March 23, 1922 - December 13, 2002 Cemetery Commission Front Cover: Acton Then Acton Center, 1 886 Main Street Looking South The pictures in this year's Town Report are all copies of pictures created by Arthur Davis, except for the cover photograph of Acton Center which was taken in 1 889 by J.W. Black, a Boston photographer. Arthur Davis was bom on March 7, 1 863 and died on February 9, 1953. He was Librarian of the Acton Memorial Library for 43 years and library trustee for 25 years. He lived at 491 Main Street in Acton Center and exhibited in the American Watercolor Society in 1890. His painting and sketches mainly portrayed the roads, country views, and houses in and around Acton. All of the originals in this report are owned by the Acton Memorial Library, except for the High School Library and the revolutionary bridge drawings which are owned by the Acton Historical Society. 2002 Town of Annual Acton, Reports Massachusetts For Reference Not to be taken from this room Two Hundred and Sixty-Seventh Municipal Year for the year ending December 31, 2002 Printed by Athol Press Inc. — Athol, MA 01 331 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Administrative Services 7. Public Works and Environment Board of Selectmen 3 Board of Appeals 64 Town Manager 5 Building Department 64 Personnel Advisory Board 7 Cemetery Commission 64 Town Report Committee 7 Community Preservation Committee 65 Volunteer Coordinating Committee 7 Engineering Department 66 Highway Department 68 2. Financial Management Services Municipal Properties 69 Board of Assessors 8 Natural Resources 71 House Sales 8 Wastewater Advisory Committee 71 Elizabeth White Fund 12 Finance Committee 12 8. Community Safety Goodnow Fund 12 Animal Inspector 72 Town Accountant 13 Board of Health 72 Dog Officer 74 3. Human Services Emergency Management Agency 74 Commission On Disability 25 Auxiliary Fire Department 75 Community Housing Corporation 26 Fire Department 75 Council on Aging 28 Police Department 80 Housing Authority 29 Post/Crew 7 Search and Rescue 83 Public Health Nursing Service 30 Sealer of Weights and Measures 3 9. Legislative Veterans' Graves 31 Annual Town Meeting, April 1, 2002 84 Special Town Meetings, April 2, 2002 104 4. Education and Libraries Special Town Meeting, October 15, 2002 104 Acton and Acton-Boxborough Schools Report 32 Minuteman Science -Technology High School 44 10. Town Elections and Statistics Acton Memorial Library 49 Annual Town Election, March 26, 2002 106 West Acton Citizens' Library 51 State Primary, September 17, 2002 108 State Election, November 5, 2002 1 15 5. Cultural and Historical Activities Dog Statistics 1 18 Acton-Boxborough Cultural Council 52 Vital Statistics 118 Celebration & Ceremonies Committee 54 Historic District Commission 55 11. Acton Information Historical Commission 55 National, State, and County Officials 120 Elected Town Officials 120 6. Community Development Appointments by Moderator 121 Fence Viewer 56 Appointments by Selectmen 121 Economic Development Committee 56 Appointments by Town Manager 124 Metropolitan Area Planning Council 57 Street/Precinct List 127 Planning Department 59 Map of Acton 134 Recreation Department 61 Volunteer Application 1 43 Taxation Aid Committee 62 Transportation Advisory Committee 62 At Your Service Inside Back Cover Lowell Regional Transit Authority 63 2 ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES BOARD OF SELECTMEN property. The Board continued to be very impressed with the hard work of all the volunteers who, through grass roots efforts, The year 2002 was a very challenging and busy year for raised thousands of dollars to construct a Skate Park and the the Board of Selectmen. Selectmen are confident that the T. J. O'Grady Memorial Skate Park will be a valuable recreational asset for Acton for many Early in the year, the Board received two Citizens' Peti- years to come. tions for the 2002 Annual Town Meeting to repeal the Planned Unit Development (PUD) and Planned Conservation Residential The Selectmen dealt with a variety of licensing issues Community (PCRC) bylaws. A group of interested citizens, rep- throughout the year and worked cooperatively with local estab- resentatives of the Planning Board and Selectmen William "Trey" lishments and the Acton Police Department to ensure that ALL Shupert and Peter K. Ashton met to review the reasons for the establishments with Liquor Licenses conformed to local and initiating the petitions, and to determine if there were acceptable state regulations. alternatives to proceeding with the petitions at Town Meeting. This study group met regularly from January up through March Ongoing cable TV issues with AT&T Broadband, and now and did significant research into all aspects of the bylaws. It Comcast, consumed much of the Board's time and energy. The was determined that it was appropriate to recommend repeal of Selectmen are grateful to the Town's Cable Advisory Committee the PUD, however, there was substantial differences of opinion (CAC) for handling many citizen complaints and for ensuring on repealing the PCRC bylaw. At the April Town Meeting, AT&T's compliance with the terms of the Cable license. The voters approved the recommendation of the Study Group to Selectmen conducted a formal performance hearing into AT&T/ repeal the PUD bylaw and passed over the article to repeal the Comcast's overall performance and AT&T publicly recognized PCRC bylaw as the group had also recommended. The study several deficiencies in its operations and has taken action to group met throughout 2002 and has proposed modifications to improve customer satisfaction. the PCRC bylaw for consideration by voters at the 2003 Annual Town Meeting. In June, construction began on the new Quail Ridge golf course. It is anticipated that this golf course will be one of the Selectman Dore Hunter continued his work with the premier golf courses in New England. More importantly, the Route 2 Corridor Advisory Committee and focused on working Quail Ridge Country Club will provide jobs for area residents cooperatively with other Towns in designing several reconfigu- and increase tax revenue for the Town. rations of the Route 2 Concord Rotary. The Selectmen and the Transportation Advisory Committee reviewed eight possible Massachusetts DEP and U.S. Environmental Protection plans for the Concord Rotary and submitted their comments, Agency officials approached the Acton Board of Health in the recommendations and preferences to the State for review and summer of 2002 with conflicting recommendations regarding consideration. an expanding groundwater pollution plume associated with the W.R. Grace site in South Acton. At issue was the question of Construction on the Town's first public sewer system, the whether the Board of Health should restrict the use of residential Middle Fort Pond Sewer District, was completed and began oper- irrigation wells in the area of the plume. With conflicting recom- ating in February 2002. Residential hook-ups began during that mendations, the Board of Health launched studies to determine same month and a grand opening ceremony and public tour of the the best approach to this problem and issued a moratorium on new treatment plant was held in May. In an effort to encourage the use of residential irrigation wells and conducted an extensive residential properties to hook-up to the new system, the Select- public outreach program. men authorized the expenditure of gift monies to subsidize operating and maintenance expenses throughout 2002. At the The local and national economy continued downturns in end of 2002, many residential and commercial properties had 2002 and it became increasingly apparent that a serious revenue hooked up and the system was processing over 80,000 gallons shortfall would occur in FY 04. The Acton Leadership Group of wastewater per day. The central school campus was able to (ALG) met regularly throughout the year to prepare financial satisfy a Department of Enviionmental Protection (DEP) Consent forecasts and develop plans to address the forecasted revenue Order by hooking into the new sewer system. shortfalls. Much time was spent on working with the Common- The task of developing budgets amidst increasing health wealth of Massachusetts to secure a piece of state-owned land care and pension costs was nothing less than daunting, and on Hayward Road for construction of the T.J. O'Grady Skate although Acton had been able to manage its operating budgets Park. This has been a very long process, but we are pleased within the constraints of Proposition 2 '/: for 12 years, it became that the obstacles have been cleared for the final purchase of the clear that an operating override would be necessary to adequately 3 maintain core services. The Selectmen started their public budget to discuss the challenges of managing a complex Health Insur- process in August, a full four months earlier compared to previous ance Trust program. Participants in the seminar discovered that years. That process has been ongoing and rigorous, with eight controlling costs of the Health Insurance Trust were very difficult budget versions prepared and presented before the Selectmen due to the effects of a number of economic factors.