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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE MARCH 2014 STM FundsFundingCommittee Article 3: Amend Article 5 of RequestedSourceRecommendation November 4, 2013 Special CPA 5,817,184 Town Meeting, Renovation to GFApprove (8-0) $402,816 Community Center $6,220,000 Original Request At the November 2013 Special Town Meeting under Article 5 “Appropriate For Renovations to Buildings to be Acquired at 39 Marrett Road”, the Town appropriated $3,169,000 to pay for design and construction costs to renovate the buildings at 39 Marrett Road for use as a community center. Funds from the Com- munity Preservation Fund (CPF) provided $2,846,184 of that appropriation, and the remaining $322,816 came from the General Fund. This amount was based on a “10% design estimate” for a project that would upgrade the building to be code-compliant, and that would make minimal renovations necessary to enable a functioning community center. Since then, members of the Ad hoc Community Center Advisory Committee (AhCCAC), committee liai- sons, and Town staff have familiarized themselves with the building, surveyed potential users, and visited other community centers in the region. They have all worked closely with an architectural firm to refine and extend the scope of work needed to create a community center that best meets the needs of the Town, and to finalize the construction documents needed to put the project out to bid. While considering a range of development options, including the construction of a new gymnasium and/or multi-function room, the AhCCAC first designated a subset of key features to be implemented in “Phase 1”. The goal of Phase 1 was to quickly create a functioning community center that would serve adequately for two or three years, while leaving some important issues to be addressed in future construc- tion phases. Presentation of Phase 1 to the Board of Selectmen Following the November appropriation, the AhCCAC made a recommendation to the Board of Selectmen with a plan for Phase 1 that would require approximately $4.9 million, an increase of $1.7 million above the original appropriation. The Board of Selectmen responded with two requests. First, the Board asked the AhCCAC to revisit the layout of the largest meeting area on the first floor to allow for a more practical room shape with a higher seating capacity. This change was anticipated to require significant new structural engineering work to support additional weight while also removing some load-bearing walls. The Board of Selectmen also noted that, with many urgent capital needs facing the Town in the coming decade, the chances of town funding for significant construction at the community center after this initial phase seemed unlikely. Thus, they asked the AhCCAC to consider what additional scope should be incor- porated assuming that the Town would fund no additional construction in the foreseeable future. This triggered a significant change in the mindset of the AhCCAC. Their initial concept, which drove many initial architectural and programming decisions in the original November request, was a multi- phase plan with at least two significant construction phases, each funded by separate appropriations from the Town. The AhCCAC has now reconsidered its requirements in light of the need to complete all con- struction in a single phase, creating a community center that can serve the Town with limited disruptions for many years. Changes for a Single Construction Phase Based on advice from the architectural firm, the AhCCAC determined that upgrading the HVAC system was a critical need for the building. Doing so will bring the air circulation into compliance with recog- 3