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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-02-05-CEC-minMinutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting February 5, 2013, Open Session Date, Place, and Location: February 5, 2013, 8:00 A.M., Town Office Building, Reed Room (111) Members Present: Charles Lamb, Chair; Beth Masterman, Vice - Chair; Bill Hurley; David Kanter Member Absent: Jill Hai Other Attendees: Carl Valente, Town Manager; Maryann McCall - Taylor, Planning Director; William Hadley, Director, Department of Public Works (DPW); John Livsey, Town Engineer; Rob Addelson, Assistant Town Manager for Finance; Sara Arnold, Recording Secretary Documents Presented: • Hartwell Avenue Engineering Drawing • FY2014— FY2018 Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs), Department of Public Works • Sustainable Lexington Solar Taskforce — Update for Capital Committee, 04 Feb 2013 • Draft Minutes for the January 29, 2013, CEC Meeting • Draft Minutes for the February 4, 2013, CEC Meeting, Open Session Call to Order: Mr. Lamb called the meeting to order at 8:02 A.M. DPW CIP for Hartwell Avenue Infrastructure Improvements: Mr. Valente explained that several years ago the Town adopted a Transportation Management Plan for the Transportation Management Overlay District that includes Hartwell Avenue ( "Avenue "). Based on that plan, short -term and long -term projects are being pursued that would add amenities along the Avenue that will support current and potential businesses, and would demonstrate the Town's commitment to business development in that zone. The Hartwell Avenue Association, representing most of the property owners, is taking a lead role in outlining this effort. Short -term projects include: • A mixed -use sidewalk on the easterly side of the Avenue between Bedford Street and the Minuteman Bikeway (Bikeway); • Shuttle service to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Alewife station; • Amenities, such as food - service trucks and banks; • A gateway entrance: It is expected that a landscape architect will create a name to give the area some presence; a sign will be on State land and maintained by the Town; and • A bus shelter on Bedford Street: The adjacent Medical Care Center, operated jointly by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Children's Hospital, is asking to add parking spaces at its facility, and the Town is asking that they build a Bedford Street bus shelter and a sidewalk from their facility to the shelter in exchange for zoning relief. Page 1 of 5 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting February 5, 2013, Open Session Long -term projects include: • Intersection improvements (e.g., a roundabout) at Maguire Road; • Sidewalks the entire length of both sides of the Avenue, with a mixed -use sidewalk on one side; • Perhaps consolidating some access /egress points along the Avenue; • Traffic - calming at Wood Street; • Putting the currently overhead utilities underground; and • Repairing the limited -load- capacity section that bridges wetlands (the "bridge "). Mr. Livsey explained that the long -term projects have been broken into phases because of their costs and magnitude. Consultants identified 16 to 18 components associated with the long -term projects and estimated that the associated D &E would be approximately $2.1 million. In the CIP, that D &E was divided into three phases of approximately $690,000 each —with two separate years of construction. Phase 1 will include sidewalks; details for Phases 2 and 3 have not been developed yet. Mr. Kanter said that a narrative of the specific scope of each phase would need to be developed for Town Meeting. The Committee discussed the two, $8 million each, out -year construction projects and questioned whether any State Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) funds would be available. The response was none was contemplated; the Bedford Street project, including the Avenue intersection, has the best hope for TIP funding. Mr. Valente noted that the Avenue serves Hanscom Air Force Base (HAFB), which is recognized as a valuable resource for the State. The Federal government may be starting another Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. That might challenge the continued operation of HAFB which, in turn, may serve as leverage for State support of improved access to HAFB to demonstrate the State's commitment to the military facility. It is arguable that for this reason the State should support the entire length of improvements on the Avenue. Mr. Valente discussed the bridge on the Avenue near Maguire Road, which isn't noticeable as such when driving on the road. The State has informed the Town that either the bridge needs to be repaired /replaced or the roadway will need to have a restriction on heavy -per- axle vehicles from crossing over the bridge. If the latter were to take place, this would increase the number of heavy vehicles on Wood Street. This is problematic because during the Avenue zoning change discussions several years ago, the Town made a commitment to the Wood Street residents that the Town would pursue restricting trucks on Wood Street. The State, however, wouldn't agree to the restriction until the bridge is repaired because the proposed, required alternative route would be the Avenue. Mr. Valente suggested that the State should see this as a regional issue because of the impact on HAFB. It was agreed the bridge needs to be addressed as soon as possible —both as a practical matter to maintain adequate access and to facilitate moving ahead to fulfill the Town's commitment to Wood Street residents. Mr. Kanter said he felt that Town Meeting would be responsive to funding a roundabout at Maguire Road and addressing the bridge problem as those appear to him to be more of value than the other "amenities" being suggested. Page 2 of 5 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting February 5, 2013, Open Session Mr. Lamb asked whether the Avenue project would result in increasing the tax base. Mr. Valente said that analysis associated with the change in zoning for the Avenue that took place several years ago showed that there would be increased development with the changes. The zoning change coincided with the recession, thus delaying the positive impact. Currently the vacancy rate is 30% when measured against the maximum -now- allowed build -out, but there are indicators that suggest commercial property vacancies, in general, are declining as commercial property is reasonably priced. Mr. Valente added that there are two empty buildings next to each other on the Avenue near the Bedford Street intersection, one of which looks like a tear -down. The Town will be talking to the owners about consolidating, but there are some logistical complexities for the owners. One potential option is for the Town to purchase, or take by Eminent Domain, both parcels, consolidate them, and sell them as one property. That approach has been used successfully by the City of Lowell. Mr. Lamb expressed concern about the magnitude of the construction costs and wondered how they will be rationalized to Town Meeting and the taxpayers. Mr. Valente commented that the Selectmen believe that the Town needs to provide infrastructure improvements because such improvements trigger re- development. The Committee discussed the need for better transportation on the Avenue. Ms. Masterman wondered if moving municipal facilities to the Avenue would trigger more commercial interest. Mr. Valente questioned whether it was advisable to use limited commercial space for municipal facilities. He likes the idea of some mixed -use facilities on the Avenue. Mr. Valente reported that there is no high -speed Internet service on the Avenue or at HAFB, and HAFB has an immediate need for that capability —which would be achieved at its expense. There is Level 3 optical fiber on Route 1- 95/128. There is a connection point on Route 2 at Spring Street or the route could be along the Avenue. Mr. Lamb and Mr. Hurley concurred that providing such Internet service serves a more critical need to businesses along the Avenue than building sidewalks. The Town will be urging that HAFB choose the Avenue routing and, if it does, a condition of the Grant of Location could be the concurrent installation of extra conduit with (or for) dark fiber for use by the businesses along the Avenue. With regard to the undergrounding of utilities, Mr. Livsey said it is estimated to cost $4.0 million. The Committee and Mr. Valente discussed the financial impacts of pursuing infrastructure improvements versus having high vacancy rates. Mr. Valente said that the Town is paying out hundreds of thousands of dollars in abatements because of high vacancy rates. He added that the D &E project will inform the Town in terms of construction costs and the impact on debt service. This will provide data for analyzing the pros and cons of pursuing construction. The Committee suggested that the sequencing of the D &E and construction would be better if construction were in the year following the D &E— rather than having three years of D &E Page 3 of 5 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting February 5, 2013, Open Session before any construction (beyond the initial sidewalk) begins —and that the initial scope of D &E be for what the Committee considers the high -value efforts such as the bridge and the Maguire Road intersection. This would provide data for evaluating the impact of the improvements on vacancy rates. Mr. Valente agreed to have the Town revisit the packaging of the Hartwell Avenue project. In response to questions from Mr. Kanter regarding the mixed -use sidewalk from Bedford Street to the Bikeway on the easterly side of the Avenue, Mr. Livsey explained: • The topography between the Bikeway and Maguire Road does not lend itself to being included in the project. • The sidewalk will be constructed as close to the buildings as possible, while staying on the Town's right -of -way, to preclude interference with some other project that the Town may wish to pursue along the Avenue. The Committee brought up its previously made request to keep the 2013 Annual Town Meeting vote on the $200,000 Avenue sidewalk project separate from the residential sidewalk project and from the rest of the Hartwell Avenue project. Mr. Valente said that the Motion under the sidewalk Article will provide for two votes: one for residential sidewalks and one for the Avenue sidewalk between Bedford Street and the Bikeway. In response to Mr. Kanter asking if additional funds could be included in FY2014 for more work on residential sidewalks, Mr. Valente said the Town likely had the capacity to do more of that work in FY2014, but that such funds would have to be taken from somewhere else. Mr. Kanter responded by pointing out that there is currently about $2.5 million in unallocated FY2014 revenue. Committee's Report to the 2013 Annual Town Meeting and Associated Special Town Meeting: Mr. Kanter reported that the Draft #1 he distributed to the members on February 1 has all of the subsections based on the Town Warrant for those Meetings. He explained how the Committee's past practice has been that if the descriptions he'll quote in the Committee's Report from the Warrant or, eventually, from the Town's Recommended Budget & Financing Plan (the "Brown Book "), are adequate, there is no need to add anything except the Committee's vote unless the member responsible for the Article feels it is important to say more. He explained that in Draft #1 —as he will do in subsequent drafts —he uses three colors of text: • Black: Generally this is text from last- year's report, with any obvious updates that are already known, which he suggests may be suitable for inclusion in this - year's Report. That text, however, still warrants careful review by all members. • Blue: This is like the black text, except that the blue text is thought to need to be validated and /or updated. • Red: This is from last- year's report and is included only to provide members with an example of what might be warranted —most likely with modification or even deletion —in this - year's report. Ms. Masterman questioned whether the quantity of information included in the report is helpful to Town Meeting members and felt it should be easier for readers to more - readily Page 4 of 5 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting February 5, 2013, Open Session understand where this Committee disagrees with a proposed action. It was agreed that relatively few Town Meeting members read the full report, but the historical information is helpful to Committee members. It is also useful in preparing the five -year plan. Mr. Kanter suggested that Ms. Masterman's interests might be achieved with a slightly more - robust Executive Summary and, perhaps, with a change in where one or more of the tables appear in the report. (No decisions were made regarding a change in the format or content of the report.) Minutes: It was moved and seconded to approve the January 29, 2013, Minutes, as presented. Vote: 4 -0 It was moved and seconded to approve the February 4, 2013, Open- Session Minutes, as presented. Vote: 2 -0 -2 (Mr. Lamb and Ms. Masterman abstained as they were not at the meeting.) Member Concerns and Liaison Reports: Ms. Masterman distributed a status report from the Sustainable Lexington Solar Taskforce. Move to Executive Session: Mr. Lamb, as the Chair, declared that an Executive Session is warranted under the Open Meeting Law Exemption 6 (to consider the purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property) as the discussion in an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the negotiating position of the Town —and with the intention to reconvene in Open Session only to adjourn. A motion to do so was moved and seconded. Each member was polled. Vote: 4 -0 The Committee went into Executive Session at 9:53 A.M. Return to Open Session: The Committee returned to Open Session at 10:25 A.M. Adjourn: A Motion was made and seconded at 10:25 A.M. to adjourn. Vote: 4 -0 These Minutes were approved by the CEC at its meeting on March 6, 2013. Page 5 of 5