2011-03-CEC-ATM-rpt - Laserfiche WebLink

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CAPITAL EXPENDITURES COMMITTEE REPORT TO 2011 ATM The minority on this Committee is opposed to including the restoration of the fountain in the Hayes (Minuteman) statue ($15,000) at this time as they do not believe there has been sufficient Town-wide discussion on the merits of doing that work. As we're told that work is severable from the other work being done on that statue and doing it later would not materially affect the estimated cost we believe the fountain work should be brought back to a later Town Meeting for consideration, if there are still proponents, at that time,for it to be done. • • • Project Description(CPA Category) Amount Funding Committee Recommends Requested Source (g) Center Playfields Drainage— $911,863 CPF (Cash) A royal 5-0) Phase II Recreational Use pp "The Center Playfields Complex is the most heavily used Recreation complex in the Town. It is used by the schools, adult and youth leagues and the general public. The entire 23-acre area has very poor drainage conditions resulting in standing water, soft field areas, and reduced turf cover and quality which lead to unsafe and unplayable conditions. Funds requested for FY 12 are the second phase of a three year project projected to cost $2.39 million. Work in this phase will implement drainage and grading improvements on the football field and JV baseball field areas to move water off the fields and allow them to dry faster. Funding for the remaining field areas and parking lot will be requested in FY 13." [Brown Book, Page XI-15] Project Description(CPA Category) Amount Funding Committee Recommends Requested Source (h) Muzzey High Condo Association Window Replacement $0 CPF (Cash) Indefinite Postponement p (Historic Resources) • • • (5-0) "This project involves the replacement of windows on the former Muzzey Junior High School building on Massachusetts Avenue,which is in the Munroe Tavern Historic District. Windows owned by the residents of the Muzzey Condominium Association are in need of replacement due to energy inefficiency and widespread deterioration, and the Historic Districts Commission has approved the Association's plan for total replacement with windows which cost $2,855 per window -- a substantial premium over the more affordable $931 per window for modern vinyl windows. The Association is seeking to mitigate this difference in cost for approximately 137 windows. The Association feels this is necessary since many residents are on limited fixed incomes, substantially below the area-wide median income level, and have had to face $300,837 in capital improvements to the building in the last two years. The CPC has approved this request, with the stipulation that the monies appropriated in this grant be returned to the Town upon sale of individual units." [Brown Book, Page XI-17]. On March 15,2011, the applicant withdrew its request (which was for $253,915, to which $20,000 had been added to cover the anticipated Town's legal expenses as it was to be a loan) as it is negotiating an alternate process with the Board of Selectmen whereby the owners will be able to add the total cost of the replacement windows specified by the Historic District Commission (HDC) to the capped sale price of the unit; therefore, the Motion under this sub-element will be for Indefinite Postponement. However, as the CPC had voted to support the request to Town Meeting, this Committee believes it is important to be on record why it was unanimously opposed to that request. On the surface, the request may have appeared as a compassionate accommodation to an extra burden that is placed on the unit owners, as well as their condominium association, by being in one of Lexington's historic districts and, thereby, having to maintain the exterior of their property to a standard established by our HDC that, as often is the case, is more expensive than an alternative approach, but there were many more issues associated with the request all very troubling to this Committee. While we had a 34