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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL TOWN MEETINGS 2017-2&3 OCTOBER 10,2017 Article 2016-2.4: Appropriate Design Funds for Fire Headquarters Funds Requested Funding Source Committee Recommendation $676,300 Excluded Debt Approve(9-0-0) This article seeks appropriation of the amount of$676,300 for the continuation of work on the design of a new Fire Headquarters building at the site of the current Fire Headquarters. These funds are intended to allow the design to proceed through the construction document development stage. This appropriation of funds for design work for Lexington's Fire Headquarters represents another step to- ward replacement of the current building on Bedford St. at the corner of Worthen Road with a new larger building that will better serve the needs of the Fire Department for many years into the future. The numer- ous deficiencies of the current building include, among others, lack of sufficient room for equipment,per- sonnel, and workspaces, a floor under the equipment bays that is failing and is held up with temporary supports,and a leaky basement that has had problems with mold and mildew. The justification for replace- ment of the Fire Headquarters station is documented in detail elsewhere. This Committee briefly reviewed the rationale in our "Report to the Special Town Meeting on September 21, 2016" dated September 14, 2016, under Article 2016-5.2. A brief synopsis of the rationale may also be found in the report of the Capital Expenditures Committee to that special town meeting. The reasons to replace the facility are dis- cussed at length in a report submitted to the Town by consultants Donham & Sweeney Architects in 20111. The total cost of the replacement of the building, not including the cost of swing space, has recently been estimated to be $19,950,000. Under Article 2 of Special Town Meeting 2017-1 held in March, 2017, $450,000 was appropriated for design work on the new station through the schematic design and design development stages. Both this amount and the amount requested under this article are included in the estimated total cost. The estimate of the total cost is likely to change,hopefully only to a small extent,after the completion of construction documents, and finally upon award of a construction contract. The Bedford St. site is not sufficiently large to allow construction of a new building while the Fire Depart- ment continues to operate out of the current facility. The current facility must be demolished before con- struction commences on the new facility. Therefore, the Headquarters operations need to move to an off- site facility before demolition of the current structure commences. Late in 2016, the Town purchased the Liberty Mutual land and building at 173 Bedford St. to serve as swing space during demolition of the old building and construction of the new building. Of course, the overall cost of the project must take the costs of the swing space into account. These cover the cost of acquiring the land and building at 173 Bedford St., the costs of designing modifications to that site and building, of modifying the site and building, of acquiring and installing a temporary structure to house the fire trucks and other equipment,of installing a temporary traffic signal and traffic signal controls, and of moving the Headquarters to the temporary site and, later, into the new facility after it is completed. It is not clear how much of the cost of acquisition of the 173 Bedford St. property should be allocated to the replacement project,because after the replacement is complete,the land and building will become avail- able for another use or uses. Nevertheless, the acquisition costs should be noted. The costs of the swing space are fully discussed under our report on Article 5 of this special town meeting. It is anticipated that this appropriation request will be contingent on approval of the exclusion of debt ser- vice for the project at a referendum in late November or early December. The debt exclusion authority 1"Lexington Fire Station Schematic Design Study Report",dated 2/15/2011,Donham& Sweeney Architects. This report is available on the Town website at: http://records.lexingtonma.gov/weblink/O/doc/142658/Pagel.aspx 12