HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-09-19-CSDRC-min
Town of Lexington
Center Streetscape Design Review Ad Hoc Committee
Monday, September 19, 2016
Parker Room, Lexington Town Hall
8:00 AM to 10 AM
Minutes
The meeting was called to order at 8:10 AM. Attendees were welcomed and asked to sign in and
provide contact information. Attendees:
Committee Members; Committee Chair Howard Levin, Victoria Buckley (Disability
Commission), Nancy Corcoran-Ronchetti (Planning Board), Anne L. Eccles (HDC), Margaret
Enders (Bicycle Advisory), John Frey (Tree), Jonathan A. Himmel (Tourism), Wendell C.
Kaslow (Historical Comm), Timothy D. Lee (Design Advisory), Pamela F. Shadley (Center
Comm).
Liasons; Elaine Doran (Garden Club), Wendy Manz (Capital Expenditures),
David Wells (Hist. Soc.),Ada Wong (Chamber)
Invitees; Elizabeth Brach, George Burnell, Mark Connor, Jay Flynn, Sarah Forrester, Fred
Johnson, David Kucharsky, Gerry Paul, David Pinsonneault, Francine Stieglitz
The meeting began with discussion of the public hearing held on Tuesday evening, September 13
in Estabrook Hall. At that meeting, there were concerns voiced regarding the overall cost of
project, placing utilities underground and consideration given to people with various disablities.
Kalsow: Suggested simple crosswalk design as an option to lower costs. If budget is an issue,
would rather have high quality downtown center. Positioning and hence quantity of light fixtures
could also factor in lowering costs.
Buckley: Referred to email with images of combined use of materials. Feels notes were biased.
Should look at official notes taken at that Commission on Disability meeting which has not yest
been posted on the web.
Himmel: Need to investigate cement concrete sidewalk material and details further. Committee
asked DPW for a comprehensive protocol for maintaining Lexington Center that could be used
as the basis for subsequent annual budgets.
Pinsonneault: John Livsey wants to clarify that cement can be treated to be salt resistant to
certain salts. Frost heaves almost always due to silt subbase. For utility repairs, all materials
would need to be removed and reinstalled. If utility lines went underground, they would be
located under the sidewalk not the street (Winthrop Road to Wallis Court area). Suggests putting
empty conduit under installed sidewalks for future use but they would have to comply with each
utility's specifications.
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Shadley: Putting utilities underground could be as much as $500/ft. Underground piping conduit
is more involved than PVC, it involves concrete duct banks.
Wong: How will the Town dictate or establish what products business owners will use to
maintain (salt) their own section of sidewalk frontage.
Discussion continued with clay vs. concrete lifecycle and the role of the design firm being to
come up with a vision and solutions based not strictly on public suggestions but based on sound
design principals. It was suggested a firm be hired for a master plan.
Kalsow questioned, as others have in the past, whether Beta was the right designer choice and
whether they should be replaced or augmented.
Levin reminded committee that the Ad Hoc committee's role is to vet Beta's proposal and to
make changes as we see fit.
Burnell: Do not have to have same treatment throughout center of Town. Pay attention to putting
wires underground. Final design will need to be priced out for Town Meeting.
Wong: Business owners would like to know timeline for installation asit impacts their
businesses and how it may cause disruptions.
Connor: Presley and Beta both proposed all brick solutions.
Pam Shadley has copy of Presley Report and can share it with the committee.
The Presley Recommendation and the early Beta designs were brick schemes. The “hybrid
concrete/brick scheme” was incorporated by Beta in response to a more recent Commission on
Disability request.
Lee suggested it's time for the Committee to move on, need to come to a decision on materials.
Shadley: Presently project is on DOT bid form that is difficult for lay person to understand and
this may not be the best way to bid the project.
It was suggested that the committee request an independent, professional estimator be a resource
to the Ad Hoc’s effort so the committee's recommendations can be determined and refined.
Levin noted changes he's made to Draft report including; addition of paragraph on page 4,
addressing taller street lights on page 11, and Exhibit A general expenses simplified.
Himmel suggested the following clarifications/additions be made to the Draft Report
1. Cementitious base additive alternate language
2. Univ of Pitts’ findings relative to concrete and herringbone brick vibration
3. Project Oversight Committee’s interface with DPW and its consultants
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4. Level of OPM (Owners Project Manager’s) design phase involvement,
5. Establishing a maintenance Protocol for the center streetscape
6. Looking at concrete potential in more detail.
Someone suggested that committee further research visual disabilities. Noted that while one
material may be better suited to those with one type of disability, that material may not be
acceptable to those with other disabilities.
Shadley suggested the useof a solid material apron between the sidewalk and the front facades
of buildings. This may also address concerns of other groups not mentioned in this report. There
was favorable response to this idea.
We need to state our premise subject to materials and let details follow.
Enders: Wants to include (in Tier I report) bicyclists concerns about night lighting and holiday
lighting.
Motion made to accept the current Draft of the Tier I report as written incorporating above
comments and edits and to include theminority report to be attached at the end. Nine (9) votes in
favor to accept.
Howard Levin announced work would begin on the subsequent two Tiers of the Report and he
established the sub-committees.
Tier 2 committee established and to include:
Tim Lee (Chair), Elizabeth Brach, Mark Connor, Elaine Doran, Peggy Enders, John Flynn, John
Frey, David Wells
Tier 3committee established and to include:
Anne Eccles (Chair), Elizabeth Brach, Mark Connor, Nancy Corcoran-Ronchetti, Fred Johnson,
Eric Michelson, David Wells
Meeting dates and times for these committees will be posted to the public.
The meeting adjourned at 9:58 AM.
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