HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-11-30-CEC-min
Capital Expenditures Committee
November 30, 2005 – 4:00 p.m.
Town Office Building – Room 111
TE, CWL, RB, SS, WH, Kanter, Paul Chernick
Approved minutes from 10/26/05, 10/24/05, 10/20/05, 10/19/05, 10/11/05
SS: still going to Senior Site Access meettings. Looking at
approx. 23K s.f. SS to send more info about what program they're
looking at. Muzzey site includes Clean Air Act issues because
Recreation has been using it (open space). Munroe brings the arts
community into play. Waldorf would have problems. Sacred Heart
Church might be a possibility. 41 Worthen revisited, but eliminated.
Considered Lex. center. Unclear if they will request an appropriation
this year.
TE: DPW facility. Met w/ Hadley and Brooks. Don't have a contract
yet. Engineer was going to come back w/ an idea of the s.f. needed.
TE not optimistic that they'll have something for TM. HKT is the
architect, Gannet-Phillips is the engineer.
Chernick: Legislation H.4240 is now out of joint committee (JC on
Municipal Affairs). NStar didn't show up at the home rule petition
hearing, but did show up at the overall bill hearing. Speaker and
Senate President still have to let it get to the floor for a vote.
Close to getting approval of takeover. NStar would have to give us a
value for equipment in Lexington. If can't be negotiated, then DTE
would arbitrate. Legislation gives DTE authority to make the
valuation. After a price is agreed on, NStar would have six months to
turn over the assets. If this happened, Lexington would contract w/
Belmont and Concord Munis to get the Lexington system started up.
General order of events is Study, DTE determines price, 6 months to get
an STM going to appropriate the money and approve debt, but no
referendum (or 2.5 override) is required because this is not exempt
(2/3rds vote required).
RB: Need to change Town Manager Act?
PC: No, doesn't change existing operation of town government.
DK: When is $150K appropriation? [this ATM in 2006]. $20K legal,
$130K tech. engineering study. Study would say how many trucks,
employees would be needed, where are lines needed?
DK: Won't we run into questions like we had w/ street lights?
RB: Are we paying attention to street light upgrade plan?
PC: We keep laying off people at DPW so we never get enough atention
to the matter.
RB: Muni would be able to take that over? [PC: would make sense]
DK: What's involved in transferring street lights to muni? Who has to
approve, etc.?
PC: BoS would probably do that if it's easy to do. Muni can also take
over mgt. of the poles. Verizon currently manages the poles.
TE: Where would the trucks be staged? Storage yard would also be
needed (transformers, etc.)
PC: Stage at the landfill.
DK: Seems feasible to put on Bedford St.
PC/RB: Both have gone to Concord to tour their facility. There's also
an administration building there and it's fairly large.
SS: What acreage is at the Concord site? [2-5 acres est.]
DK: How long will the study take? [6-9 months]? What's the six month
trigger? [DTE determination]
After the study, the ATM after that would appropriate more $'s to do
the litigation with NStar ($250K - $500K); then STM once we have a
price from the DTE. Then $30-50M for bonding.
Feasibility study: does it make economic sense, what's it cost, how do
we finance it? It would be done by the 2007 ATM hopefully. Then in
07 or 08 ATM appropriate $250 - $500K to do the filing. Then 1-2
years after that, DTE gives us a price and we have 6 months to do an
STM and bonding.
Town Counsel said no referendum needed.
$150K price tag is a couple of years old, but needs to be updated.
DK: what assures that seed money is paid back?
PC: Will check w/ Norm.
CWL: Do we get the same treatment in an emergency from other
utilities?
PC: Would have to ask other munis but should get the same treatment.
Concord is undergrounding over 50 years.
Liability is the same as it is for town workers.
Muni employees are employed by the muni.
More separate than an enterprise fund.
CEC moved to SMR for summit.
Adjourned at 7pm.