2003-03-20-CEC-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Meeting 03/20/03 Capital Expenditure met with Appropriation in Town Offices Room 105, from 7:45 to 9:20 p.m. Burnell, Hornig, Rosenberg, Stolz present. Bhatia absent. Charles Lamb attending as observer. Given the developments at the Selectmen's meeting 3/17, both committees felt they could not support (change opinions in favor of) the proposed $50,000 ADA work (now identified as Fire Station entry modifications) or the proposed $350,000 Town Offices energy/lighting project, because neither has been presented project details, plans, or cost estimates, nor even enough information to determine whether capital spending is involved. Similarly, the situation is fluid regarding the citizen and Recreation proposals for some allocation of tax levy and Recreation enterprise funds for work at the skate park (again, there are unresolved isses: whether items meet the capital threshold and whether fencing work at the skate park, if done by volunteers or in-kind, would satisfy the Town's insurance and risk-management criteria; plus the sufficiency of Recreation enterprise funds). Accordingly, Appropriation Chair Brown will invite DPW and Town engineer Peter Chalpin to brief the two committees on ADA and the Town Office project 3/26 at 7:00, before Town Meeting; to be followed by Recreation at 7:30. A separate skate park presentation by the proposing citizens, if needed, would be 3/31. Brown will also contact the Town Manager and Selectmen to note that the information provided to the finance committees concerning the projects listed is insufficient for the committees to take a position (and therefore, implicitly, they would be opposed to the spending). On the Skyworker, Appropriation voted 5-2 to oppose the project, given the option to maintain the equipment in service with repairs. Capital Expenditure remains in favor of buying replacement equipment, but now 4-1 (Hornig opposes); the committee will need to review its position, perhaps favoring the investment on the basis of maintaining a regular schedule of equipment replacement, but not moving on the floor of Town Meeting to secure funding. It is worth noting that with minimal equipment spending this year, the deferred backlog is growing; and that given the cuts from capital this year ($100k plus the $170k from interest savings and the $14k from truing up the recap sheet, all taken into the operating budget), capital will have to fight against the perception of a huge "increase" in its funding allocation next year. Likely course of Town Meeting: Article 8 items 3/31 Article 12, 14, 25 items 4/9 (The committees feel there are not real proposals on the table, so action is not warranted at this time; the committees would not favor giving the Selectmen sole discretion, without subsequent Town Meeting approval, to act on disposal of 201 Bedford Street-which authority could be used either by those favoring disposal or by those trying to kill off the option, without wider Town debate) Article 18 (Ledgemont), 4/14, which is hoped to be the final day of Town Meeting, given the 4/16 holiday and the subsequent break week. John S. Rosenberg