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10/02/2018 AC Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee(AC) October 2, 2018 Place and Time: Parker Room, Town Office Building, 7:30 p.m. Members Present: John Bartenstein, Chair; Glenn Parker, Vice-Chair; Alan Levine, Secretary; Ellen Basch; Richard Neumeier; Nick Nichols; Sanjay Padaki; Lily Manhua Yan; Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager, Finance (non-voting, ex-officio) Member(s)Absent: Eric Michelson Other Attendees: Dave Pinsonneault, Director, Department of Public Works The meeting was called to order at 7:35 p.m. Mr. Bartenstein welcomed Nick Nichols as a new member of this Committee, 1. Special Town Meeting, Center Streetscape Project: Mr. Pinsonneault reviewed the history of this project. Initially it included plans to install a traffic light at Massachusetts Avenue (Mass. Ave.) and Woburn Street, but that element was removed when the light became controversial. The Board of Selectmen (BoS) subsequently created an ad hoc committee to review the project, including materials for sidewalks and street lights, and that committee presented a report to the BoS about a year ago. The BoS held public meetings, and the Town Manager created a working group, including staff and citizens, to work with an architect. A 25% design plan, being developed by Beta Engineering, will be presented to the BoS on October 15. Mr. Pinnsonneault reported that the project incorporates Mass. Ave. from Cary Memorial Library to the Police Station, and Waltham Street from Mass. Ave to Vinebrook Road. His handout reviewed the goals and elements of the project, as well as the schedule for implementation. The Battle Green Streetscape project is being pursued separately but with the same engineering firm. There are no current financial estimates for the Battle Green project because it is only at the schematic design stage. The intent is to eventually link the two projects so that they are both completed by 2025. It is anticipated that the November STM 2018-1 will include a request for $650,000 to complete a 100% design plan for the Center Streetscape project. The design should be completed by March 2019, in time to request construction funds at the 2019 Annual Town Meeting (ATM). In order to take advantage of the best time to go out to bid, it is anticipated that construction would not begin until 2020. Mr. Pinsonneault and Ms. Kosnoff plan to develop modeling for the funding options. It was noted that borrowing for the project could be phased in even if the ATM appropriates the total needed for construction. It is currently estimated that $9.5 million is needed for construction. This is more than the amount included in the five-year capital plan. Perhaps 20-30% would be eligible for Community Preservation Act funding. Ms. Kosnoff added that the funding of the project would likely include an assortment of sources, all within the tax levy, and borrowing would likely be for 10-15 years. The funding sources must be included in the motion for the article at the ATM, so Ms. Kosnoff plans to develop funding source information in the near future. I