2014-03-31-CEC-ATM-STM-rpt (Final- incorporates Updates and Errata 03-31-14)

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CAPITAL EXPENDITURES COMMITTEE REPORT TO 2014 ATM & 2014 STM (Mar 24th) Executive Summa Beginning last October, the Capital Expenditures Committee ("CEC") vetted proposals from municipal departments, school administration, and various citizens groups for capital projects to be included in Lexington's Fiscal Year 2015 ("FY2015") budget. Of those proposals, the ones in the recommended budget are addressed in this report, along with this Committee's recommendations. A Summary of Warrant -Article Recommendations is at the end of the report and the individual Warrant -Article Recommendations begin on Page 38. As a result of the detailed review and resulting refinement of capital requests since the initial presentations, Town Meeting will observe that the CEC most often has joined a consensus among the boards and committees relative to the capital articles being presented to it. Our committee would like to draw Town Meeting's attention to the following items: Community Center On December 3, 2013, the Town completed the purchase of the land, now with the address of 39 Marrett Road, from the Masons. The expressed purpose of that acquisition was for use as a Community Center. The prior use of the primary building on that property was as office and training space. The Board of Selectmen (BoS) created the Ad Hoc Community Center Advisory Committee ("AhCCAC") on April 22, 2013, to identify short-term improvements needed to permit occupancy as soon as possible and for long-term improvements to the property to support additional programs at the new Center. Through an ongoing iterative process, the AhCCAC continues to work with the architects— with inputs from key decision makers, stakeholders throughout the Town, the BoS, and other committees—on what would be a multi-year commitment to expand the facility's functionality. While a second phase of expansion has been put on hold because of other pressing Capital needs the Town faces, on March 10, 2014, the BoS approved the AhCCAC's recommendation for a more -robust first -phase build -out with occupancy planned for next March. The CPA Use of the CPA in Lexington is now eight years old. The bonds that financed the purchase of Busa Farm, Cotton Farm, and the Leary Land have been paid in full, eliminating a nearly $2 million annual debt - service burden on the CPF. The absence of that burden this year has expanded the opportunity for new or continuing projects in FY2015. The beginning of the debt service for the land purchase off Marrett Road is among the beneficiaries of that in FY2015. Big -Ticket Projects In the foreseeable future, the Town must consider many "big-ticket" projects (i.e., approximately $1 million or more). The following are only those that will be considered at this STM and ATM. (See the Big -Ticket Items listed in The Projects Agenda on Page 5 for a more comprehensive list including those beyond these Town Meetings.) Except for the first item which has been stated by the BoS as the Town's highest importance—and with which this Committee agrees—no such ranking is intended by the rest of the order of this listing. Q Fire Station Central Headquarters—Renovation or Replacement Q Cary Memorial Building—Upgrades Q Community Center—Build-out (including the Carriage House) Q Visitor Center—Expansion & Renovation Q Community (Affordable) Housing—Development and Acquisition Q Minuteman Regional High School—Renovation (through annual assessments) Q Recreation Facilities—A continuing need Q Roads—Continuing needs Q Sidewalks—Continuing needs Q Traffic Mitigation—Continuing needs Affordable Housing See the new section on Page 33 that addresses how this topic is addressed in the Town.