2013-11-04-STM-AC-rpt - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE NOVEMBER 2013 STM the $7,700,000 to be borrowed under this Article. The plan yields annual debt service increases after the application of the planned Stabilization Fund withdrawals that are close to or below 5 %, i.e., the portion of the tax levy revenue that will need to be devoted to debt service will increase smoothly over the next few fiscal years. No debt exclusion would be required under this plan. Chapter 44 of the Massachusetts General Laws categorizes modular structures as equipment, for which debt may not be issued for a term longer than 5 years; however, the Board of Selectmen may extend that authorization to 10 years, and it is anticipated that they will do so for the borrowing proposed under this article. The Committee recommends approval of this request (9 -0). Article 5• Appropriate For Funds Funding Committee Requested Source Recommendation Renovations to Buildings to be Acquired at 39 Marrett Road $2'846'184 $322,816 CPA GF Approve (6 -0) $3,169,000 This request would appropriate funds for Phase 1 of the renovations on the building at 39 Marrett Road to create a new Community Center. The funds would cover the design and engineering process all the way through construction documents, as well as the cost of the bidding process and the actual construction. The Ad Hoc Community Center Advisory Committee (AhCCAC) consists of seven town residents fo- cused on exploring and refining the programmatic needs of a future Community Center at 39 Marrett Road in Lexington. The committee is also supported by a large contingent of liaisons from various Town committees and departments, including the Appropriation Committee. This group has been collaborating with Steffian Bradley Architects to consider the best possible use of the buildings and land at 39 Marrett Road, and to make recommendations to the Board of Selectmen on how to proceed. Creating a Community Center will require renovations to convert a large portion of the existing building at 39 Marrett Road from its original office layout into a space suitable for public gatherings of various sizes. In some areas, there will be significant changes in the size and organization of rooms. Other areas of the building will be left in their present configuration. There are also structural engineering upgrades required to permit a change in use from office space to a place of assembly, and building code require- ments that must be met to accommodate the increased numbers of people who will be using the building. Minor updates for accessibility and safety will be incorporated along with technology modifications to allow for compatibility with the Town's systems and for building security. Prior to purchasing the building, a feasibility study for the "full build" of the Community Center (exclud- ing the addition of a large, multi - purpose space) estimated that approximately $950,000 would be needed for the design & engineering (D &E), and approximately $8,546,000 for the subsequent construction, roughly $9,500,000 in all. To date, $100,000 has been appropriated for the initial D &E, to create schemat- ic designs for Phase 1 and the "full build ". The AhCCAC has initially focused on Phase 1, a subset of the "full build ", intended to create a facility that will be available relatively quickly, while still providing adequate space and flexibility for many of the Town's needs for at least two more years after the completion of Phase 1. The AhCCAC is also dis- cussing the future of the Community Center after Phase 1 is complete. The AhCCAC will continue gath- ering data and deliberating, and a Phase 2 "full build" plan may be ready for Town Meeting at the 2014 Annual Town Meeting. The first proposal for Phase 1 was estimated to cost $962,000 for D &E plus construction. This proposal would have allowed the building to be occupied in fairly short order, but the result would have limited the usefulness and flexibility of the building until further construction could be done. It could also have re-