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02/09/2023 AC Minutes 6 in the near future. Once the Town no longer needs 173 Bedford St as swing space, it might also be disposed of, but that would be at least 10 years out. Mr. Padaki asked if the East Lexington Fire Station could be relocated to the Stone Building. The answer was no, there is not enough room. Mr. Padaki asked if any large employers in town would be interested in using the Stone Building. Mr. Malloy said that would be a possibility, but it would require his office to organize a lease for the building. Mr. Bartenstein asked about whether a possible future access road behind the Commander’s House would complicate the siting of a fire station in that area. Mr. Malloy said that an access road could be designed to work with a fire station. Mr. Bartenstein asked if the Town would prefer a location in East Lexington for a new fire station, as he felt this would be more aesthetically appropriate, even though the Town would have to purchase land. Mr. Cronin responded that the Town has $2 million in its capital plan for 2025 that is intended for the potential purchase of land for a fire station. The feasibility study in FY2024 will help the Town decide whether to sell the current building and pro- vide insight on alternative locations. FY2024 Budget Discussion with Mike Cronin, Director of Public Facilities Mr. Cronin summarized the questions and gave the following responses: East Lexington Fire Station and School Administration Building Mr. Cronin said the current fire station building needs HVAC, a new roof, and the garage bays are too small for modern fire engines. The driveway infringes on the neighboring property line. The dormitory rooms are sub-standard. The Town would have to invest about $2 million to get from 5 to 7 more years of use out of the current building. Mr. Levine stated that the Town will face difficult timing for capital projects while the High School project is underway, and it might make sense to delay projects, even at some cost to the Town, to avoid exacerbating the early debt service impact from the High School. Mr. Cronin said that under ideal circumstances, the High School would be completed in September 2029. Delaying the fire sta- tion for two years after that would mean a total delay of 10 years. Mr. Cronin felt this was a risky plan for a building with so many existing issues, especially given the changes to modern firefighting gear since 9/11. He feels that the living accommodations are in dire need of renovation. Mr. Cronin said it would theoretically be possible to keep the current School Administration Build- ing operational for another 10 years. However, the Town expects it will take all High School fields offline during the High School construction. The School Administration Building could be torn down and converted into fields for about $1.5 million (demolition) plus $6.2 million (fields). If the building is not torn down, Mr. Cronin said it would need $9 million in maintenance over the next 3 years to replace the windows, roof, HVAC, improved electrical service, fire suppression and an ele- vator. The building is very inefficient to heat during the winter, in large part due to the windows. Mr. Levine agreed that if the Town wishes to add recreation fields, the building should be torn down. Mr. Levine asked whether it would be feasible to reduce the laydown area for the High School con- struction project. Mr. Cronin pointed to the new Police Station, which is a 30,000 sq. ft. building that is currently occupying a much larger amount of space during construction. He then suggested multiplying that amount of lay down space by 15 for the High School. Construction projects that are accomplished without convenient lay down space are far more expensive on a per-square-foot basis. Mr. Levine asked if the Town could use some portion of Hartwell Ave. as a lay down area. Mr. Cro- nin did not know if that was feasible.