2010-09-22-AC-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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September 22,2010 Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee September 22, 2010 Place and time: Town Office Building, Room 207, 7:30 p.m. Members present: Glenn Parker (Chair), John Bartenstein (Vice Chair and Secretary), Mollie Garberg, AlanLevine, Eric Michelson, Dick Neumeier, Rob Addelson (ex officio) Also present: Carl Valente, Town Manager; Paul Ash, Superintendent of Schools; Pat Goddard, Director of Facilities; Hank Manz and Deb Mauger, Board of Selectmen; Mary Ann Stewart,Margaret Coppeand Jessie Steigerwald, School Committee The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. 1.Supplemental Reserve Fund Transfer for Estabrook Remediation. The majority of the meeting was devoted to a report on the progress of PCB remediation work being undertaken at the Estabrook School and a discussion of the need for additional funding. Dr.Ash and Mr. Goddard described in detail the steps that had been taken since this Committee’s approval on August 23, 2010 of an emergency reserve fund transfer of $150,000 to address the issue of PCBs in caulking and air samples. Dr. Ash and Mr. Goddard outlined the creation of an advisory committee including parents, teachers and representatives of the town’s health and public facilities departments; meetings with Environmental Health and Engineering (EH&E), the Town’s remediation consultant, and the EPA; steps taken to encapsulate caulking and to repair and supplement building ventilation; continuous testing of air samples throughout the building; relocation of students in the classrooms most heavily affected; and the analysis of likely causes of and best methods to remediate airborne contamination. Dr.Ash distributed a letter he had written to the Estabrook community dated September 21, 2010 outlining a four-phase plan to bring PCB levels below EPA guidelines as soon as possible, with immediately essentialwork to be done by mid- October, consideration of the appropriation of additional funds at a special town meeting to held in November, and the balance of the remediation work to be done during the December, February and April vacations and during the summer of 2011. Mr. Goddard circulated a projection of anticipated remediationproject costs totaling approximately $1,500,000. Mr. Manz stated that a summit would be held on Friday, September 24, to include the Board of Selectmen, the School Committee, the Appropriation Committee and the Capital Expenditures Committee to consider the next steps and to plan for a potential special town meeting. He also circulated a proposal for a remediation Task Force. In the meantime, Mr. Goddard and Mr. Valente requested an immediate supplemental reserve fund transfer of $250,000 to fund the additional costs of Phase I remediation effortsso that important work could commence over the coming weekend. After extended discussion, the Committee voted to approve the requested reserve fund transfer by a vote of 5-1. -1-