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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL TOWN MEETINGS 2017-2&3 OCTOBER 10,2017 This first request is to increase the use of Building Rental Revolving funds from $475,000 to $525,000 to pay for increased overtime staffing costs incurred in support of Spectacle Management events at Cary Me- morial Hall. Spectacle Management has already paid into the fund to cover these costs and this appropria- tion makes that revenue available to pay these costs. The current balance in this fund is $116,376. The second request is to increase the authorization for use of DPW Compost Operations funds from $755,000 to $897,000 to replace a storage bin at the compost facility.This storage bin was displaced by the installation of solar panels at the composting facility, and the solar panel vendor was required to rebuild it in a new location. The solar vendor asked that the Town find another contractor to do this work. The reim- bursement money from the solar vendor will be deposited into this revolving fund. The current balance in this fund is $1,011,139. The Committee recommends approval of these requests (9-0-0). Article 2017-3.8: Appropriate Design Funds for Visitors Center Funds Requested Funding Source Committee Recommendation $150,000 GF Approve(8-0-1) This article requests the appropriation of$150,000 to fund production of design development documents for a new Visitors Center. The building would be located in the current location of the Visitors Center, across from the Battle Green. The proposed design is for a two-story building with a full basement,which would have a gross floor area of 6693 sq. ft. The estimated design and construction cost of the current concept is $4,517,000, although the Permanent Building Committee (PBC) has identified savings that may reduce the estimated cost to $4,315,000. The gross floor area of this concept is reduced by 19% from the 8297 sq. ft. area of the 2016 concept,which in June 2016 had an estimated design and construction cost of$4,063,675.In order to com- pare the cost estimates of these two designs, the 2016 concept cost has to be adjusted for inflation to a cost of$4,400,000. This comparison shows the cost per square foot of the 2016 concept as $530, compared to $645 for the current design after PBC reductions. The Tourism Committee has recommended a construction start in early November 2018 so that a new Visitors Center can be completed in time for the Massachusetts 400' celebrations beginning in 2020 and the 250'anniversary of the Battle of Lexington in 2025. In order to allow occupation of a new building by April 2020, this Special Town Meeting would have to appropriate $350,000 to cover $150,000 for design development and $200,000 for construction documents. This would be followed by a request for funding for construction at the 2018 annual town meeting. As of press time. the Selectmen will only be requesting $150,000 in design development costs. The Tourism Committee has urged that the Selectmen appropriate the additional$200,000 for construction documents at this Special Town Meeting,with the stipulation that this additional funding would be available for release by the Selectmen when they are satisfied with the results of the design development phase, estimated to be available in February 2018. The current Visitors Center building was constructed more than 50 years ago. It was designed to provide rest rooms and information for tourists coming to commemorate the bicentennial of the Battle of Lexington in 1975. The building is not fully handicapped-accessible, lacks adequate restroom facilities for use by tourists and Minuteman Bikeway users,is inadequate for accommodating the flow of visitors, and lacks the technology on which visitors now depend. 18