2008-11-17-SPTM-AC-rpt - Laserfiche WebLink

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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT, NOVEMBER 17, 2008 STM Article 7 part (a) would transfer $216,750 into the TDM/PT Stabilization Fund, which funds Lexpress. The current balance of the TDM/PT Fund is $93 plus a small amount of interest that has accrued on the $93. The new funds are derived from payments received after the Annual Town Meeting by Starwood Hotel ($200,000), Watertown Savings Bank ($1,750), Avalon Bay ($10,000), 45 Hayden Woods ($4,000), and Brookhaven ($1,000). Article 7 part (b) would transfer $25,000 into the TM Stabilization Fund. The new funds originate from a payment by the Watertown Savings Bank received after the Annual Town Meeting as part of the rezoning for their new building on Waltham Street across from Brookhaven. The current balance of the TM Fund (prior to the transfer) is $226,818.93. We unanimously recommend approval of this article. Article 8: Appropriate for Munroe School Funds Requested Funding Source Committee Recommendation Feasibility Study $35,000 GF Approve (9-0) The Board of Selectmen held a "summit" meeting with the School Committee, Appropriation Committee, and Capital Expenditures Committee on July 29, 2008 to discuss the use of the old Harrington School, the old Munroe School, the White House site and the Muzzey Senior Center. The uses under consideration for these buildings are school swing-space and administrative offices, asenior/community center, and an arts center such as the Munroe Center for the Arts. At the July 29 summit meeting it was determined that additional data and further analysis were required to understand the needs of the stakeholders and the capacity of each of the four buildings. A task force comprised of the Town Manager, the Superintendent, the Director and a staff member of the Department of Public Facilities, along with representatives from the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, Appropriation Committee, Capital Expenditures Committee, and Permanent Building Committee was organized to review currently available information, identify what additional information was needed, and make recommendations. The task force met on September 17, 2008 under the leadership of the Town Manager. One of the task force's recommendations was that the Munroe School building be evaluated as a potential site for asenior/community center. This requires a feasibility study to determine whether the site and the present building can be reconfigured or redesigned to house such a center. This study should use the same programmatic data used for the White House feasibility study conducted earlier this year, and once completed will allow comparison of the two sites. It is important to note that the task force also recommended that the Town defer moving forward on further engineering/design studies for a senior/community center at the White House site until the Munroe School feasibility study and the School Department Master Plan are completed. It is our hope that both the Munroe School feasibility study and the School Department Master Plan will be completed by February 2009. This schedule would allow the possibility of decisions on the disposition of one or more of these building -the Munroe School, the White House, and the Old Harrington School - at the annual town meeting in the spring. We unanimously recommend approval of this article. Page 10 of 15