2015-12-07-AC-STM#1-rpt - Laserfiche WebLink

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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE - NOVEMBER 2015 STM #1 will spread the principal payments over more years, thus reducing the annual debt service, but total inter- est costs for this debt will be larger, and the debt will affect tax payers over a longer period. Lexington Public Schools Operating Budget The Town's operating budget and the School Department budget will both be impacted by the growing school enrollment. Preliminary projections completed by the School Department and Town staff in the fall of 2015 suggest that the growth in spending to accommodate growing enrollment will potentially out- strip the Town's projected revenue by 2019. Barring other budget adjustments, such as a reduction in ser- vices, this could necessitate an operating override. The Committee makes its recommendation on Article 2 mindful of the increased burden the operating budget may impose in the future. Article 2: Appropriate for School Facilities Capital Projects Funds Requested Funding Source Committee Recommendation $5,386,000 GF Debt Approve (8 -0) The appropriation will fund the preparation of design documents for the renovations at Diamond Middle School and Clarke Middle School, as well as preliminary design documents for new construction at Has- tings Elementary School. This is the second round of appropriations of design funds for these projects. The appropriation also includes $2,915,000 for design documents and construction costs and acquisition of up to six modular classrooms at Bridge, Bowman and Fiske Elementary Schools. The funds sought under the current article break down as follows: Purpose Appropriation Diamond (design) $1,212,000 Clarke (design) $739,000 Hastings (design) $520,000 Six modular classrooms (design, site prep, acquisition) $2,915,000 TOTAL $5,386,000 Prior Authorization Out of $4,080,000 appropriated at the March 2015 Special Town Meeting in GF debt, $3,190,372 has been spent or is encumbered for bill payments. An additional $427,170 is projected to be released on De- cember 2, 2015, by the Board of Selectmen, and will cover design costs at Diamond, Clarke and for the modulars at Bridge, Bowman and Fiske. After the release of this amount, the remaining amount will be $462,458. If these funds are not released in the future, the authorization for the unused debt may be re- scinded at a future town meeting. Project Details The Diamond project consists of a 36,000 sq.ft. brick and mortar addition and a 36,500 sq.ft. renovation of the existing 139,916 sq. ft. building. Six general education classrooms will be added, replacing the same number of modular units that are at their end of life, and thereby maintain the number of general education classrooms at 36. The project includes addition of Intensive Learning Program (ILP) spaces, improved special education (SPED) spaces, an increase in the number of science labs from 9 to 12, and increased art, music, drama and engineering spaces. The HVAC systems will be updated in the old wings 4