2007-Annual Report - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Lexington Tree Committee continued from previous page in the ground by Friends of Trees and other volunteers. About 10 smaller donated trees were also planted. Watering, with irrigation tubing donated by Guy Doran, was monitored all summer by Barbara Kent, a member of Friends of Trees Board. • CPA Grant Application: Initiated by Anne Senning, the Tree Committee submitted an application for a $9,850 grant for Belfry Hill Tree Restoration based on 2006 tree inventory for 2008 Town Meeting approval. • Tree Revolving Fund: At the close of 2007, the balance was $2,224.45. • Tree City USA: Award received again this year, the eigh- teenth Tree City USA Award for the Town. • Commemorative Tree Fund: Produced a brochure explaining the procedure for donating a commemorative tree to the town; available for all who wish to commemo- rate a person or an event, or just do a good deed. Brochures can be picked up at the Library, DPW Barn or from the publications rack outside the Clerk's office in the Town Office Building. • Friends of Trees: Gave yeomen's help on the tree farm installation, grant writing, coordination of Commemorative Tree Program, bittersweet eradication and other important projects. Jewel Kuljian's grant pro- Permanent Building Committee Expenditures Project Management FY07 FY06 $2241349 $2481537 Architects $3111623 $4181803 Contractors $314141233 $1117191656 ROLE: To provide ongoing expertise and experience in man- aging the design and construction of all town building pro- jects, including hiring of design professionals, obtaining bids, and entering into contracts for design and construction. APPOINTED by the Town Manager for 3-year overlapping terms: Chair Jonathan Himmel, Richard Perry, and Peter Johnson; DPW liaisons William Kennedy and Eric Brown: 2 School Committee positions vacant. HIGHLIGHTS: • The Fiske students vacated their temporary home at the old Harrington School in February 2007 and finished the school year at the new Fiske Elementary School. The old Harrington subsequently became home to the School Administration. • The December 2006 Special Town meeting provided the nec- essary approvals to continue on with the design of the new DPW building. During the first two months of 2007, an extraordinary amount of effort was expended "reviewing posal to the Lexington Field and Garden Club produced $1,500 for planting 6 new trees along Meriam Street at the parking lot near the Bikeway. • Community Outreach: — Presented the Tree Nursery to the Selectmen at their public meeting 5/21/07. — Several pertinent articles published, including one by Anne Senning in the Lexington's Colonial Times Magazine, Mary Lou Touart's in The Lexington Minuteman, and Laurie Atwater's in the Lexington's Colonial Times Magazine, in addition to the DRC'S The Citizen Forester. — Wrote letter to Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets Chairs Sen. Montigny and Rep. Flynn to strongly endorse H58, which called for transferring the Lexington portion of Lot 1 to DCR. — Worked with Tom Brown of the LABBB program at Lexington High School conducting a Tree Inventory around the high school grounds. This provided a meaningful and instructive project for his students, who take pride in participating in a community -wide project. and re- evaluating" the entire project and its design. During the spring, the construction documents were finalized, Town Meeting voted in favor of the project, followed by approval in a special town election. The project was favorably bid in late summer and commenced construction in the fall. • In 2006, the PBC conducted a designer selection process to choose a design firm to prepare an Elementary School Master. The Design Partnership of Cambridge (TDPC) was selected. The feasibility study was completed and pre- sented to the School Committee in 2007. Patrick Goddard was hired as the Town's first Director of Public Facilities. The PBC looks forward to collaborating with him and his staff on projects in the years to come. The committee conducts regularly scheduled monthly meetings with additional meetings as necessary. All pro- jects were supervised by the Town's Project Manager, Bill Kealy. Gary Kaczmarek, the Town's Clerk of Works, left Lexington to work on a project in Cambridge. Cara Shapiro left her PBC assignment for another Town assign- ment. Alan Miller has been hired as the Clerk of the Works for the DPW Building Construction. Philip Poinelli resigned from the committee after serving for 12 years. Both Bruce Creager and Richard Sperandio resigned at the end of the year after being on the commit- tee for a number of years. 2007 Annual Report, Town of Lexington Page 43