HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-10-30-CEC-min
Town of Lexington
Capital Expenditures Committee
Meeting Notes
October 30, 2002
Town Hall, Room 111
Committee members present: Bhatia, Hornig, Rosenberg, Stolz.
Absent: Burnell
Minutes of the October 23 meeting were approved, as
corrected, and will be forwarded to Appropriation Committee
liaisons.
Library briefing
Carol Mahoney, director, presenting.
East Lexington: Building is in need of serious review
as a town asset, but Trustees have not focused on it at all
yet, pending completion of main library reconstruction and
patterns of use once it is reopened (projected fall 2003).
Complicating consideration of the branch’s use, reuse, and
renovation is its status in the town historic district and
listing on the national register of historic places, and
restrictions on use in the terms of the gift (as a branch
depository, reading room, museum, meeting and lecture hall,
place for children’s literacy, etc., but not as a school).
Trustees have begun discusssing who in the community should
be involved in discussions about the building’s future, but
have not initiated such a conversation. Building is roughly
10,000 sq. ft. on two floors, and would be costly to expand
or to renovate as a public lending library. Is generally
aged, not accessible, but not in any immediate need of
repairs/building envelope issues, since the roof has been
rebuilt and bathrooms and heating have been fixed. Remains a
low priority. Listed as a future item in queue, but NOT for
2005 overide funding. Conceivably planning money in 2006-07,
with construction money in 2008 given current three-year
debt-exclusion cycle.
Could the building be closed as a library to offset
increased operating costs at the renovated main library,
Bhatia asked? Mahoney said that raised both legal issues and
use issues she was unprepared to answer now, as the main
library closing and temporary Cary Hall facility had
prompted much-increased use of the branch and, in effect,
community rediscovery of it as a library facility. Operating
costs are roughly $90,000 for staffing and utilities, but
that will phase down somewhat as the main library reopens
and branch hours are scaled back. Apparently for the
forthcoming operating override, hours the branch would be
open would be put at risk, but not closing outright.
Larger questions about reuse: connection between the
main branch, the new Depot Square historic center, and the
housing of and use of historic/archival records, and perhaps
town records (i.e., possibly a noncirculating, nonlending
archival facility?); possibility that Waldorf School will
vacate the Adams School, making it possible to consider anew
a town use for the area as a whole as some sort of campus
(implications also for senior center siting)—Waldorf
decision expected sometime next spring.
Main building: Capital campaign at $3.8 million, with
$4 million goal likely by December 31.
Building on track: $1 million contingency fund and with
about 50 percent of the work done, $100,000 of change orders
have been approved and $189,000 pending. Reflects careful
management through project manager reporting to Permanent
Building Committee, and on-site management by experienced
clerk of works, who joined the project after a middle-school
renovation, all overseen through Wednesday weekly project
management meetings with contractor. This despite
significant differences of vision between architect and
builder. Mahoney feels the building quality is superb, and
substantial completion is likely by the targeted June 30
date, allowing for two months to move back in and open the
facility by some unannounced date at/about September 2003.
Furniture and equipment budgeted at $1 million, and even
though bid review is not until next week, the work will be
done for that (staff office furniture being recycled; new
workstations and data ports, accommodating up to 75 public
users, will be handsomely furnished). Adequate landscaping
funds. Meeting room (up to 125 capacity, and separable from
the library, for post-9:00 p.m. usage), will be available to
public users, and leased to others. Operating issues—
maintenance, cleaning, etc., normally a DPW responsibility,
might be outsourced; and utility costs—to be determined.
Significant operating-cost issues coming from state
budget cuts in library services, telecommunications, and
MetroWest system (database purchases, interlibrary loan);
those items collectively total in the tens of thousands of
dollars, and user fees for some services are a strong
possibility.
Net status: no capital funding needs during immediate
planning horizon.
Fire Department briefing
Peter Torode, chief, presenting
Vehicle replacement schedule: Deferring replacement not
only risks equipment integrity (and inflates replacement
cost, increases maintenance costs), but also crowds the
replacement cycle itself. Desired goal is 16-year life for
major vehicles (Engine 1 will be 19 years at scheduled
replacement; 16 years is higher than recommended standards,
but reflects department’s preventive maintenance work and
cycling of engines from frontline to reserve status later in
their usable life), and four-year separation between
purchases; deferral risks reducing that to a two-year
separation between purchases. Current inventory is three
structural firefighting vehicles (on-road) and two for brush
use; desired cycle is 10 years in frontline service and six
years as backup. Residual value of vehicles varies;
sometimes a transaction reflects trade/credit with vendor,
but some equipment is valueless to vendors and so department
disposes of it (recent ladder truck sale: vendor was out of
business and there was no aftermarket, so truck was sold for
$2500 on eBay).
Specifications are published and competitive bids
sought. The determining factor is not always lowest price,
as features and performance enter into most bids.
Engine 4 (brush truck) previously in capital budget was
in fact purchased with a federal grant ($189,000) which the
town had to match with $21,000. Those funds were redirected
from the department’s annual operating funds used for
special equipment purchases (hose, foam, nozzles).
Engine 2 back on list for 2003 appropriation; cost
inflated approximately 5 percent from last year, to
$327,000.
Addition to list: $35,000 for compressor for self-
contained breathing apparatus tanks. Not previously on the
department’s schedule. Clearly a capital item; appearance on
list now in effect reflects coverage of matching-funds
requirement to fulfill town side of the brush-truck (Engine
4) grant, and as such is an accommodation acceptable to the
committee. Current unit, 20 years old, is slow and needs
$7,000 of repairs, which Torode feels is neither warranted
not adequate to the need.
Rescue 2 unit replacement is scheduled in FY 2006 at
$175,000; Torode expects that cost to be increased about
$15,000 to accommodate a vertical stack and venting through
the department’s improved station exhaust-handling system
(the current vehicle is the only one not adapted to use the
new system). Engine 1 would be budgeted for FY 2008
replacement ($379,000).
Radio/dispatch system: New estimates reflect $40,000 in
FY 2005 (a year earlier than previously planned) for
planning and design for new dispatch system (fixed-base
radios, computers, software, backup, data logging, etc; for
fire, police, and some DPW use), and then $184,800 in FY
2007 acquisition, implementation. In preparation for the
system changes, the department is taking advantage of
Cingular’s installation of a new cell-phone antenna and base
building at the water towers; Cingular will accommodate
space in its building, with backup diesel power and air
condition, for the town’s dispatch system equipment, which
will be moved/reused from the current structure. The
committee asked Torode to present an integrated, joint fire-
police explanation of the overall dispatch-system program
and costs.
Fire alarms: Gradual improvements continue to be made,
although a more proactive maintenance program should be put
in place. System is generally reliable, and move to newer
technologies is not yet warranted: digital/fiber optic
systems, which would accommodate real-time and visual
monitoring, and remote building management, are not yet
fully proved; and wireless systems are simply unreliable,
vulnerable to interruption by other users, such as pagers,
on nearby frequencies. There are about 200 residential
street boxes, and 200 commercial sites (including a dozen
municipal buildings and three EMS-only sites such as
Minuteman Tech and Hayden); the circuits are integrated, so
it is not currently possible to move to separate operation.
Buildings: Reasonably happy with current status, given
current/recent electrical upgrades, exhaust improvements/air
quality improvements, and work put in by the department
staff members themselves. Headquarters office space improved
with partitions during electrical/envelope work. Still,
cramped for space at headquarters, which might ultimately be
resolved by reclaiming currently unusable basement space,
and getting an addition to the rear/new second-floor space
for apparatus storage, training use, and a suitable
mechanics’ shop. East Lexington has four bedrooms, three of
which could accommodate two users, but is staffed with only
3 people per shift; so there is extra space there, but it is
usable/used only on a swing basis, as when, during winter
storms, an ambulance might be stationed there, to overcome
possible travel problems. The electrical service is being
upgraded, and Torode would like to see the building air
conditioned. The exhaust system, in place, is excellent, if
expensive ($16,000 per lane).
Ambulance service: Moving toward Advanced Life Support
service level, pending two more licenses. Hope to be at
four-shift service by July 2003; service standard is for 90
percent of calls to be responded to within a four-minute
period. Moving from old system (fire department response,
hand off to ambulance vendor for transport) means one team
and vehicle per call, not two. While low reimbursement rates
will still mean the service operates at a loss, the loss
will be reduced to about $250 less per run compared to the
prior service. Vendor service will be available and summoned
when needed for backup. The plan remains to dispatch both an
ambulance and frontline fire equipment on each call (and
police, where needed) because the extra personnel can be
essential in maneuvering heavy equipment, getting patients
out of tight houses, etc.
Longer-term, hope to enlist broader community in
cardiac-emergency response, defibrillator training, etc.
Ambulance purchases are calculated to be heavier
vehicles to provide a more comfortable margin over carrying
capacity than earlier vehicles, providing better operating
safety, lower lifetime brake and suspension
part/maintenance/repair cost.
Other business
Schedule:
Nov. 6: DPW: focus on five-year plans for building
envelope, street program (project status, bids for next
summer?), enterprise funds; defer DPW operations
facility/201 Bedford Street status to separate briefing
Nov. 14: Town manager, plus add electrical study
committee
Nov. 20: Recreation at 7:30, followed by Schools,
8:30-11:00, focusing on five-year small-ticket outlook to
keep schools in shape pending stretched-out
replacement/renovation schedule (plus high school acoustic
work?)
DPW, Senior Center, 201 Bedford Street: Rosenberg
reported that the study committee had met for the first time
that morning, and had an aggressive schedule to refine
Senior Center and DPW building programs, determine value of
201 Bedford St. site, hold hearings, and report to Selectmen
by Feb. 1. From committee perspective, the critical issues
are:
When does DPW seek planning money for its facility
design? If seeking for Town Meeting this spring, committee
wants presentation no later than mid-December. Rosenberg to
raise with study committee, and perhaps issue to be raised
with DPW during briefing on other items next week?
What is senior center scope of work, and what are
market/user demands for facility per se (vs. the social
services provided), and what are continuing siting options
(in light of Adams School possible returning to
availability, continuing issues of Harrington School, Munroe
Center)? Hornig emphasized finance committees’ support will
be necessary to get through a possibly skeptical Town
Meeting, where two-thirds vote will be needed to get on to
debt-exclusion.
Cash capital: Bhatia will be absent Nov. 14 during Town
Manager briefing. He emphasizes the importance of a cash-
capital policy based on projected five-year need for cash-
capital items ($25,000-$1 million). Hornig thought the Town
Manager’s proposal was a smaller percent of town revenue,
but exclude ALL debt service from what that was expected to
cover (i.e., large projects like the library or schools
borrowing would affect the operating budget, not the cash-
capital allocation); is this in fact what he meant? But
Bhatia and Hornig clarified that the percent-of-revenue
formula, or borrowing, or whatever, is less important than
the actual cash available to meet identified, planned cash-
capital project/spending needs. The committee agreed that
clarifying and establishing this policy goal was a key
objective of its work for the year.
Meeting adjourned 10:15 p.m.
John S. Rosenberg