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Home My WebLink About2002-11-06-CEC-min Town of Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee Meeting Notes November 6, 2002 Town Hall, Room 111 Committee members present: Bhatia, Burnell, Hornig, Rosenberg, Stolz Appropriation Committee liaisons present: Karen Dooks, Sheldon Spector Department of Public Works presenters: Peter Chalpin (Town Engineer), Derek Fullerton (Senior Engineer), Brian Gilbert (Operations), Bill Hadley (Director), Ralph Pecora (Water and Sewer), Kelly Zeoli (Policy Analyst) Minutes of the October 30 meeting were approved, as corrected, and will be forwarded to Appropriation Committee liaisons. DPW staff presented “Town of Lexington Capital Improvement Program FY 2004 to FY 2008” in summary form and with background information. Reference is made to that document throughout, and it should be considered a part of these minutes. The DPW listed its 10 priorities in the following order, highest to lowest: landfill closure, DPW operations facility, traffic improvements, equipment replacement, street improvements, building envelope, water distribution system improvements, storm sewer improvements, sanitary sewer improvements, and sidewalk improvements. At the committee’s request, presentation and discussion of these priorities began with number 5, street improvements, and then cycled through the list; discussion of planning and construction funds for a DPW operations facility will be reserved for later review at a separate meeting, pending progress from the Selectmen’s DPW/201 Bedford St./Senior Center advisory group. Street improvements (FY 2004 request $1.045 mil., with a like amount, inflating, each subsequent year. $460,ooo from Ch. 90, $500,000 from original debt exclusion, $85,o0o from cash capital. Note that this total EXCLUDES the effects of the four-year, $7-million program approved in the spring 2002 debt exclusion; initiation of this program depends on the timing of arranging suitable contracted project management/oversight personnel, to complement the Town personnel who manage the existing, continuing street program.) List of streets—principally thoroughfares— not yet available; DPW was requested to provide, and should be able to do so by end of January. $7-million program will proceed in quadrants, as outlined (NW, SW, SE, NE), but may not start until 2004; that decision should be made before Town Meeting. (Question: is 2004 soon enough, given planning of next debt exclusion in 2005?) Spector questioned the availability of the budgeted Ch. 90 funding. DPW was asked to provide a list of streets worked on during the summer 2002 season. Building envelope (FY 2004 request: $750,000, with a like amount, inflating slightly toward the end of the five-year planning period.) First priority: $100,000 to update 1993 facilities study, to identify building envelope needs for next several years; are now past end of 1993 10-year priority list, and this request has been deferred twice. Absent it, DPW maintains, it cannot plan for projects or set priorities rationally henceforth. The report, reviewed by an ad hoc building finance committee, would be the proper way to set priorities. In response to committee questions, DPW said the report would not encompass schools (the projects are larger in scope); if approved would be undertaken by 9/03, to be available for Town Meeting in 2004; and should feed into the computerized building maintenance management system, operation of which should begin during the next few weeks and which should be populated with complete (prototype) data on Diamond School and Town Hall by town Meeting 2003, with the library coming on-line thereafter. (But note that the updated facilities study will not cover schools, so will not feed school-building data into the maintenance management information system.) Other priorities: $100,000 for Visitor Center wiring (not upgraded since 1947); prior work has covered roof, heating, and repainting, with ADA access at the front door and bathroom modification authorized an d in design now. The electrical system work would complete the Visitor Center program $350,000 for a proposed review of need and replacement of lighting for Town Hall, driven by usability and changes in use of the building, and (only secondarily at best) potential energy savings. No inventory, no sense of lighting levels vs. standards—determining which would be by retaining a consultant and lighting designer, the first part of the project (chicken and egg, with no separate design money available first). Further detail unlikely to be available before Town Meeting. DPW could conceive of phasing the request: planing money first, then implementation in a subsequent year, but that takes longer. $150,000 for Cary Hall refinishing/post-library move- out. To revert to hall use, including painting, aesthetics, cleaning, reverting to old layout. Spending was anticipated in the plan for library use/swing space during library renovation. $50,000 for ADA upgrades, meant to be a running item, for up to 10 years, to meet needs identified by the Enablement Committee. No details. 20o5 plan: Westview Cemetery Building, Police Station elevator, etc.: no details available. General inflation (about 10 percent) from prior years’ plans? Driven by general inflation, information from appraisals of projects, ADA requirements, etc. Water distribution system improvements (FY 2004 request: $900,000, declining to $850,000-800,000 in the subsequent three years, and $500,000 in 2008. Water enterprise funds.) Encompasses cleaning/lining and replacement, continuing a long-running (nearly 20 years) program. New: “supplemental roadwork allowance”—amount NOT specified (but one of several such attempts to carve capital needs/protected funds out of DPW operating budget), to coordinate with street repaving program, so don’t have to take funds from operating account when needs are discovered during course of that work. As complete 20-year program of relining pre-1929 cast-iron pipes less than 10 inches in diameter, hope to do a three- year program of lining 10- and 12-inch pipes at roughly $700,000 per year, in FY 2008-2010. Where find structural problems, budget for “relay” work to replace the pipe. No relining contemplated for larger-diameter lines. Risk of failure in larger lines? DPW always alert to the possibility, but they are thick-walled, and the strategy is to leave them alone. Sufficient allowance to cover anticipated roadway-related work? Believe so; amount of relaying spending shown here is for the current $1-million annual street program; funding for the four-year, $7-million program incorporated funds for anticipated pipe relaying. Storm sewer improvements (FY 2004 request: $150,000, rising thereafter to $335,000-365,000 per year, including both engineering/design, and construction. Sewer enterprise funds.) Separate from long-planned Lake and Winter street projects, for which $100,000 appropriated last year. A program coupled to annual and $7-million road paving program. In most recent season, sewer reconstruction ate into funds available for paving work on Spring Street, as storm drains were opened and found to need extensive subsurface reconstruction. Meant to correct drainage defects to protect new pavement (as with the supplemental funding proposed, above, in water distribution system improvements). In future, would be wise to include in funding dedicated to the street resurfacing/improvement work, per se. Sanitary sewer improvements (FY 2004 request: $75,000 for design/engineering, followed by $525,000 for construction in 2005; like amounts budgeted each subsequent year, but no detail on use. Sewer enterprise funds.) With study in hand on Grant Street/Saddle Club overflow problems, design repair work ($75,000). But new connection to MWRA relief sewer delayed until MWRA relines to correct acidification problem (to be bid 9/03); Lexington construction then ready to proceed a year later (9/04 at earliest). Later years just a plug number. Sidewalk improvements (FY 2004 request: $105,000 to begin a sidewalk maintenance and construction program, followed by like amounts budgeted each subsequent year, but no detail on use.) Begin with requested walks near Bowman and Hastings schools., plus $25,000 for maintenance (currently fund patches out of $10,000 of highways funds). Virtually no requests from residents for new sidewalks; 1981 master plan was for new sidewalks, not updated, and in light of limited demand, no reason to do so (but note that the project description lists updating the master plan). Out-year proposed funding reflects likely School Committee requests for new walks, plus maintenance. Could see asking for maintenance dollars only in out years; town-wide, might be a few-million-dollar item (get data from Wayne Brooks). Landfill closure (FY 2004 request: $450,000. Cash capital.) DEP presumed to allow closure under Hazardous Waste Management regs, now Solid Waste Management regs. DEP reviewing report from DPW, and approval not certain but seems favorable. Current estimate reflects Camp Dresser & McKee assessment, based on field work (two hot spots). Reuse would be commercial-industrial, and, importantly, this treatment would satisfy requirements of legal closure. (Question: what if the community wanted to reuse as playing fields, as some members of the DPW/201/Senior Center study group may desire?) Work is pending state approval. Traffic improvements (New request. FY 2004 request: $25,000, followed by a like amount in 2005-2006, rising to $500,000 in 2007 and $200,000 in 2008. Cash capital.) To carve out a fund for minor traffic safety modifications on all Lexington Streets, ranging from pedestrian-crossing cones n the center to no-parking signs (cost $175 apiece with poles, when set), now taken out of highway operating budget. Includes new crosswalk painting, etc. Committee members pointed out that this is, borderline, not capital spending per se. Harrington Road traffic improvements? Early read it that they are working. Accidents remain, but fewer injuries. 2007 spending includes making temporary modifications permanent. Chance of state funding for major intersection traffic lights, as on Maple St. and Mass. Ave, Hartwell Ave? Unlikely. DPW master plan of major traffic improvements? None such exists. This funding proposed only for signs, striping, cones, NOT signals, intersection redesign and reconstruction (but note, Harrington Road reconstruction is just this kind of reconstruction, isn’t it?) DPW doesn’t see compelling need for such major traffic/intersection improvements? No, it does not. State highway issues? State would love town to take over all the mileage; don’t go there! Equipment replacement (Note MODIFIED. FY 2004 request: $295,000, followed by amounts of $300,000-370,000 in subsequent years. Cash capital.) As listed. Mileage, condition, and usage data, repair vs. replacement costs, to be presented by DPW. DPW ranks as higher priority than all building envelope proposals. Discussion, other DPW items DPW to provide 5 years of data on project spending, accomplishments by end of January (in support of committee’s emerging priority of communicating capital spending plans and programs to the wider community). Brook cleaning? DPW has met with Conservation on Worthen Road wetlands area; characterizes as “falling” if not actually “moving” in the right direction on the Lincoln Park committee’s $20,000 grant to plan repairs to wetlands, opening up of Vine Brook, etc. Street light relamping for energy efficiency? Done in part. Lighting Options committee requested funding from Selectmen last year for comprehensive relighting, but funding to be made available unclear. If program advances, would come before the committee via DPW, in all likelihood. Intent to come to committee, Town Meeting for operations facility plans and design this year? Yes. Amount there is a placeholder until refined. DPW query: how much capital funding expect to have, since it takes a significant effort to plan projects, many of which may not advance/ Committee guesses $1 million for roads (Ch. 90 plus prior overrides), plus $1 million cash for all other capital items, of which landfill closure would take half, leaving $500,o00 for all other cash capital requests—implies very limited equipment and building envelope funding. (DPW personnel and Appropriation liaisons depart. Committee continued in session for general business.) Schedule update November 12: Gang of Eight, 8:00-9:00 a.m., Stolz to cover, Burnell and Hornig as backups November 14: Town Manager, 7:30-8:15; Electrical study committee thereafter November 19: Summit II, Hastings School, 7:00-8:00 November 20: Recreation 7:00-7:30, then committee to join Selectman’s meeting on all town capital except schools. School briefing deferred, Burnell will try to reschedule December 12 or December 10 (assuming Special Town Meeting on PAYT will be December 9 or 11). Rosenberg to arrange briefing on DPW operations facilities December 18 or 19 (Hadley, Kennedy, Lapointe): scope, renovate vs. build new, timing. Cash Capital Policy discussion Assuming $1 million available, half to landfill closing. Current 5 percent policy yields something like $4.5 million, but mostly goes to debt service. Should new policy be a cash amount, preclude borrowing or debt service? Hornig things yes, Burnell thinks no. Burnell says the point is to secure adequate funding for capital needs; as existing debt goes down, so long as don’t drive up total amount of debt, why not borrow to sustain needed stream of funds for capital spending. Bhatia concurs. Burnell says point is to stay at something like the 5 percent level, borrow if need to do it; don’t risk relapsing to a 15-year period of no capital spending. Consensus at this point; hold on to 5 percent policy, and fund it, until an acceptable new policy is put in place. Meeting adjourned 10:25 p.m. John S. Rosenberg