2010-02-08-AC-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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February 8, 2010 Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee February 8, 2010 Place and time: Town Office Building, Room 207, 7:30 p.m. Members present: Alan Levine (Chair), Glenn Parker (Vice - Chair), John Bartenstein (Vice Chair and Secretary), Rick Eurich, Mollie Garberg, Susan McLeish, Eric Michelson, Joe Pato, Rob Addelson (ex officio, non - voting) Also present: Charles Lamb, Capital Expenditures Committee; Joel Adler, Community Preservation Committee; Micah Niemy, Budget Officer The meeting was called to order at 7:32 p.m. 1. Capital Budget Issues. Charles Lamb of the Capital Expenditures Committee briefed this Committee on the major issues relating to proposed capital expenditures on the warrant for the upcoming Annual Town Meeting. The first items discussed were school - related. The School Department's request for approximately $1.7M for design and engineering for a high school renovation project has been deferred until the fall as there has not been a positive response by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to the Statement of Interest submitted last fall. Proposals for renovation projects at Bridge and Bowman are moving forward. There is an $80,000 request from Minuteman Career and Technical High School for a feasibility study. This expenditure, as well as project funding, requires the approval of all sixteen member towns. Charles anticipated that it would be difficult to obtain the necessary approval for the implementation funding from all member towns if, as now appears likely, it would require a debt exclusion in each of those towns. Charles then discussed projects for which funding will be sought under the Community Preservation Act ( "CPA"). The largest is the proposed renovation of the Town Office Building at a total cost of approximately $1.9 million. The main purpose of the proposed renovation is to reconfigure space in the building to accommodate current needs following the departure of the Engineering Department to the new DPW facility, but significant work would also have to be done to bring the facility up to current building code requirements, such as installing handicapped - accessible bathroom facilities. Town staff and the Town's architectural consultants made a presentation on this project to the Community Preservation Committee ( "CPC ") last Thursday and also provided a tour of the facility. The CPC will not vote on the project until it receives more final plans. Charles Lamb and Joel Adler also brought the Committee up to date on the latest discussion of potential land acquisitions, including the Goldinger property, which abuts the recently purchased Busa Farm, and the Cotton Farm property, which is being sought as conservation land. In the course of that discussion, Charles mentioned that there is still an outstanding bond authorization for $3 million for land acquisition that was -1-