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CAPITAL EXPENDITURES COMMITTEE REPORT TO 2017 ATM&STM 2017-1 (with Updates&Errata)
<br /> Replacement or renovation and add-on to the existing Police Headquarters (located at 1575 Massachusetts
<br /> Avenue) is currently planned for D&E funding in FY2019, with construction funding in FY2020. Beyond
<br /> correcting basic needs due to overcrowding and functional inadequacy, the renovation or replacement of
<br /> the Police Headquarters will include other necessary enhancements to bring it to 21st-century standards.
<br /> Such enhancements include adequate evidence processing and secure storage, and secure prisoner entry to
<br /> the building. Currently, there is no secure entry to the building for a police vehicle transporting a prisoner.
<br /> Industry standard is a secure, controlled entryway through which a vehicle could enter the building and
<br /> then escort a person in custody directly to the booking and holding area("a sally port").
<br /> The Federal Government has mandated that public-safety agencies (including Lexington's Police and Fire
<br /> Departments) will be required to move their radio-band frequency from the current 400 MHz band, to the
<br /> 800 MHz band. This will require a complete replacement of radio equipment, including hand held,
<br /> mobile, and base stations. The radio system was upgraded and changed in 1994, at a cost of over
<br /> $1,000,000. A change to the new frequency band will be a capital project affecting both the Police and
<br /> Fire & Rescue Departments. Those Departments are currently studying how best to comply with the new
<br /> mandates. Cost estimates will follow once the scope and timing of the project is clearly defined.
<br /> Public-Safety Departments 5-Year Capital Appropriation History (All
<br /> Sources) (Combines Fire & Rescue and Police Departments Appropriations)
<br /> FY2013 FY2014 FY2015 FY2016 FY2017
<br /> Fire Trucks&Ambulances1'2 $485,000 $228,211 $479,665 $875,000
<br /> Firefighter Protection Turnout Gear
<br /> Public Safety Radio Connectivity $50,000
<br /> Public Safety Radio Stabilization $90,000 $90,000
<br /> Heart Monitor $105,000
<br /> Police/Fire Dispatching &Records Software $705,900
<br /> Totals $50,0001 $485,0001 $333,2111 $1,275,5651 $965,000
<br /> Of the FY2015$250,000 appropriation, $21,789 of unused borrowing authority was rescinded at the 2016 ATM.
<br /> 2 Of the FY2016$500,000 appropriation, $20,335 of unused borrowing authority was rescinded at the 2016 ATM.
<br /> (Police Department 5-Year Capital Appropriation History has been combined with the Fire & Rescue
<br /> Department History—hence this Public-Safety Departments History—as some appropriations are for the
<br /> joint benefit of both Departments.)
<br /> Cary Memorial Library
<br /> In December 2010, architects Adams and Smith were hired to study how operations at the Main Library
<br /> could be improved ($25,000 under 2010 ATM, Article 12(q)). Funding of $100,000 for recommended
<br /> changes was approved under 2011 ATM, Article 13(1). The recommendations include changes to
<br /> workflow and ergonomics. Under 2013 ATM, Article 10(b), $124,000 was appropriated to purchase
<br /> equipment and supplies and provide for staff time to convert the Library materials to Radio Frequency ID
<br /> (RFID) as a direct result of that report. That implementation was largely completed in October 2016 and
<br /> the final minor installations will be in place before the end of FY2017. The Library has seen significant
<br /> improvement in operational efficiency. As a result of a 2013 strategic plan, the Library sought to realign
<br /> and reconfigure some of its spaces and services to today's Library patron needs. "Transformative
<br /> Spaces", a$1,200,000 project was fully funded through private donations and is now open.
<br /> Restoration work to, and updating the Massachusetts Historical Commission Inventory on, the Stone
<br /> Building (former East Lexington Library Branch), including a new roof, gutters, aluminum siding
<br /> removal, painting, and window glazing, were completed in 2010 using $202,933 from the CPF under
<br /> 2010 ATM, Article 8(q). Although the Historic Structures Report on which this work was based
<br /> recommended a small addition to the rear, those plans were not acted upon as the Town has not yet
<br /> determined a new use for the building. A feasibility study for possible use of the first floor as exhibition
<br /> space is contemplated. (See Article 10(h) The building continues to be maintained by the DPF under the
<br /> oversight of the Library's Board of Trustees.
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