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10/20/2021 AC Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee (AC) October 20, 2021 Place and Time: Remote Participation: in accordance with Section 20 of Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2021 "An Act Relative to Extending Certain COVID-19 Measures Adopted During the State of Emergency", communication took place via a Zoom teleconferencing session that was open to the public; 7:30 p.m. Members Present: Glenn Parker, Chair; Sanjay Padaki, Vice-Chair; Alan Levine, Secretary; Anil Ahuja; John Bartenstein; Eric Michelson; Meg Muckenhoupt(arrived at approximately 8:30 p.m.); Lily Manhua Yan; Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager,Finance (non-voting, ex officio) Member(s)Absent: None Other Attendees: Eileen Jay, Vice-Chair, School Committee; Deepika Sawhney, School Committee; Philip Hamilton, Conservation Commission; Karen Mullins, Conservation Director; Sara Arnold, Recording Secretary Mr. Parker reviewed the authorization for meeting remotely, noted that the meeting was being called to order at 7:36 p.m. on October 20, 2021, stated that the meeting was being recorded for the purpose of creating minutes, and confirmed attendance by roll call. Announcements and Liaison Reports Ms. Kosnoff reported the following: • At the October 18, 2021 Select Board (SB) meeting, senior staff presented possible options for using the approximately $9.9 million that is available to the Town of Lexington under the American Rescue Plan Act(ABPA). It must be committed by late 2024 and spent by 2026. Based on this information, Jim Malloy, Town Manager plans to present his recommendations at the November 1, 2021 SB meeting. • A presentation of the recommended water/sewer rates is now scheduled for the November 1, 2021 SB meeting. Mr. Levine and Mr. Padaki reported that they had been reappointed to this Committee and had also recently completed their ethics on-line training. Mr. Levine noted that when a committee goes into executive session during a virtual meeting, the chair must verify that no one attending the session has anyone else who can hear the discussion. Preparation of the Committee Report to Special Town Meeting (STM) 2021-1 Mr. Parker introduced Ms. Mullins and Mr. Hamilton. Ms. Mullins reported that one project included in Article 6: Appropriate for Community Preservation Projects, is seeking a supplemental appropriation for creating an accessible trail in Parker Meadow, a high priority for the Conservation Commission. Funds were previously appropriated for this project, but bids exceeded the appropriated amount, particularly because lumber costs have increased considerably. Based on the middle-amount bid, this article is requesting an additional $235,750. Assuming this request is approved, bids using the same scope of work would be solicited as soon as possible. Only one construction season should be needed to complete the project. Mr. Parker added that Article 6 also includes a request for an additional $75,000 for playground improvements because the scope for this project was changed. The third component of this article is 1