HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-03-20-CEC-min
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