HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-12-19-CPC-min
Minutes of the Community Preservation Committee
Public Hearing
Monday, December 19, 2011
7:30 PM
Cary Auditorium
Cary Memorial Building
Present:
Board Members:
Wendy Manz,Chair; Joel Adler, Norman Cohen, Marilyn Fenollosa,
Vice-Chair, Jeanne Krieger, Leo McSweeney, Sandy Shaw and Betsey Weiss.
Administrative Assistant
: Nathalie Rice
Also in attendance were David Kanter and Shirley Stolz of the Capital Expenditures
Committee (CEC), Town Meeting Member David Kaufman, and Town resident Bob
Pressman.
The Public Hearing was called to order at 7:34 pm. by Ms. Manz.
1.Buckman Tavern Historic Structure Report/Restoration Plans –
Ms.
Susan Bennett, Director of the Historical Society, presented this request for
$65,000 in CPA funding for a Historic Structure Report and Restoration Plans
for the Buckman Tavern. She explained that the funds would be used for a
Historic Structure Report on the human and architectural/structural history of
the building, definitive dating of the Tavern, a building needs assessment and
renovation plans and specifications for the restoration work.
Dawn McKenna, Chair of the Tourism Committee noted her support of the
project. Mr. Kanter of the CEC questioned Ms. Bennett on the magnitude of
the FY14 renovation costs for the project. Ms. Bennett responded that she
expected the proposed renovation costs to be lower than the Hancock-Clarke
restoration ($1.1M) and the Munroe Tavern ($820K). She explained that she
would return to the CPC for funding for a portion of the renovation costs, and
would seek grants for this phase of the project. She noted that the likelihood
of a grant for the Historic Structure Report is minimal, and only slightly
higher for the restoration work.
In response to a question from Ms. Fenollosa, Ms. Bennett explained that the
Town had formerly carried the insurance on the Tavern, but that under the
new lease (which was presently being prepared), the Society would pay
insurance costs. A question arose about the need for public bidding for the
project, to which Ms. Bennett replied that the Society had prepared its
response to this question, which was now with Town Counsel for
consideration. Mr. Adler was interested in the level of detail in the dating of
the building and asked Ms. Bennett to explain the process of using
dendrochronology to date buildings. Ms. Bennett explained that by examining
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tree rings in the lumber in the Tavern, a dendrochronologist can match the
wood to local lumber of a known date. This technique, she explained resulted
in dramatic re-dating of the Buckman and Munroe Taverns. The estimate for
this work was approximately $3,000.
2.Historical Society Historic Records Conservation –
Ms. Bennett presented
this request for $77,268. She explained that the Society is the steward for
important historical records, most notably the original records from the First
Parish Church dating back to 1696. The Society also has early records from
Lexington, in varying states of disrepair. She explained that all records will be
conserved, digitized and archived, and that all Historical Society records will
then be available through the Town’s portal. Mr. Adler questioned where the
original copies of the Society’s records would ultimately be housed, to which
Ms. Bennett explained that they would reside in the climate controlled
archives in the Hancock-Clark House.
3.Archives and Records Management/Records Conservation –
Ms. Donna
Hooper, Town Clerk, presented this project which is the Year 5 request of a 5-
year project to conserve the Town’s historic records and documents. She
explained the progress to date, noting that Year 4 work was presently
underway. She noted that as the work from years 1-4 come to a close,
attention will focus on the design and “construction” of the Town’s digital
exhibit. She said in future years, her applications will be for $20,000 a budget
she felt she could stay within. There were no questions regarding this project.
4.Center Playfields Drainage – Implementation, Phase III
– David
Pinsonneault, Director of Operations at the DPW, presented this request for
$605,718 for the third year of drainage work in a 3-year project. He explained
that work will include drainage improvements to the practice field along
Worthen Road, the little league field/JV softball field, and the center track
area. He explained that the work will be similar to that completed in years 1
and 2, where soils were removed, amended, and drainage work undertaken.
He expected the Phase III work to be completed in the summer of 2013.
5.Battle Green Master Plan Implementation, Phase II –
Mr. Pinsonneault
introduced this request for $143,845 for improvements to the Battle Green.
Ms. Dawn McKenna, Chair of the Tourism Committee was also in attendance.
Mr. Pinsonneault explained that the FY13 funds would be used primarily for
the stabilization of the sand paths which ring the Battle Green and for the
stabilization of paths to certain monuments. (Work also includes restoration of
some of the granite paving, and the repair of fencing at Ye Old Burying
Ground.) There were no questions on this proposal. (The amount of this
project was shown incorrectly on the handout to both the public and CPC.
This has since been corrected.)
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6.Visitor Center Renovation/Expansion
– Ms. Dawn McKenna, Chair of the
Tourism Committee commenced this presentation. She was joined by Mr.
Colin Smith, architect and Chair of the Chamber of Commerce, and Ms. Mary
Jo Bohart, Executive Director of the Chamber. The proposal before the CPC
was for $177,731 for design funds for the renovation of the existing Visitor
Center. (The CPC had previously established that CPA funds could not be
used for design or construction of the new section of the Center.)
Ms. McKenna presented a series of slides which highlighted the importance of
the tourist industry in Lexington. She cited a statistic from the State which
indicated that $50 million in funds came into Lexington during the 2010
calendar year. She also noted that $478,000 had been received from the meals
and hotels taxes in the last year. Mr. Smith then presented a series of slides,
which showed the proposed improvements to the Visitor Center. He noted
that the Center had been constructed in 1974 when the railroad was active,
and as a result, did not have a welcoming front to the present-day Bikeway.
Renovations to the building would include a welcoming entrance on the
Bikeway, increased meeting and exhibit space, and additional meeting rooms
on the second floor. Construction would follow LEED (Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design) Silver guidelines. He said the entire job is
presently estimated at $1.6M. The requests for design and renovation funds
for the historic section of the building are $177,731 for FY13 and $599,755 in
FY14.
Mr. Adler questioned the egress to the second floor, and whether there was
only an outdoor access to the top floor. Ms. McKenna explained that there
will be separate outdoor access to the second floor, (allowing access to the
Chamber office and meeting rooms after hours), but that there is also an
interior stairwell. Rooms on the first floor can be closed off, she noted, if the
upper Chamber of Commerce rooms are in use after hours.
David Kaufman, Town Meeting member, asked how the Visitor Center
qualified as an historic building. Ms. Fenollosa responded to this question,
explaining that the Center is on the State and National Register of Historic
Places, and as such, qualifies under the CPA statute.
Mr. Kanter questioned when the final Visitor Center Report would be
complete. Ms. McKenna responded that the Tourism Committee is meeting
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with the Selectmen on January 9, and said that she is planning to have the
report finalized by that point. There was a brief discussion of the possibility of
the Chamber or individual businesses contributing to the cost of the
renovation, but Ms. Bohart, Executive Director of the Chamber felt there was
little likelihood that either could contribute. She noted that the Chamber
presently covers the cost of staffing the building, and the Town covers its
maintenance.
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7.Paint Mine Barn Preservation
– Karen Mullins, Director of Community
Development, and Administrator of the Conservation Commission, presented
this project for $34,770 for the restoration of the Paint Mine Barn, located on
the Paint Mine Conservation Area off Mountain Road. She showed a locus
map and slides of the structure, noting that the building is 80’ by 20’ and
contains seven stalls. She said the building had been assessed by the Building
Inspector, Gary Rhodes and by Pat Goddard, Director of Facilities. She said
the structure would be used to store conservation equipment and tools. In
response to a question from Mr. McSweeney, she explained that the building
has power, but no water. The question arose about security and Ms. Mullins
explained that the building would be locked and alarmed. Mr. Adler
questioned whether Conservation equipment could be housed in the new
Public Services Building, to which Ms. Mullins replied that there was not
enough space.
Mr. Kanter asked the CPC to explain the historic status of the building, and
Ms. Fenollosa replied that the barn had been placed on the Comprehensive
Cultural Resources Inventory (the “Inventory”) for further study. Once on the
Inventory, (even on a “pending” basis) Ms. Fenollosa stated that the Paint
Mine Barn is afforded the same level of protection as those properties which
have received full study. To elucidate this point, Ms. Mullins added that a
request to demolish the building would trigger the Demolition Delay By-law.
8.Conservation Land Acquisition
- Ms. Mullins spoke to this request, which
had been submitted by the Conservation Commission. She stated that there
had been no progress on this acquisition, and that any discussion of the
acquisition was being handled in Executive Session. Mr. Kanter questioned
whether there was any anticipated time-line for the project, to which Ms.
Mullins said there was not. She added there was some question as to whether
it would come before the CPC for FY13.
9.Land Acquisition – Wright Farm –
Mr. Cohen reported that negotiations
were ongoing, and that there was a slight possibility that the acquisition might
need to be postponed until next year. He added that the Wright Farm has been
on the Conservation Commission list of properties of interest for the last thirty
to forty years. Ms. Manz added that the CPC had authorized the release of
$9,000 in CPA funds to pay for two appraisals on the property.
10.Muzzey Senior Center Upgrades –
Patrick Goddard, Director of Facilities,
presented this project for $561,518. The project was initially submitted to the
CPC with an estimated cost of $82,000 for design development and
construction documents. After review by the Board of Selectmen, the design
funds were amended to include important safety upgrades, which Mr.
Goddard explained included a communicating stair, a limited use elevator,
and upgrades to lighting. He noted that the infill in between floors and the
HVAC work would be postponed until FY14. He said the total cost of the
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upgrades would remain at $1,040,444, with $561,518 requested for FY13 and
$478,926 requested for FY14.
Ms. Manz asked if the Year 2 work could be easily “severable” to which Mr.
Goddard replied that it could be deferred if needed. There were no other
questions on this project.
11.Cary Memorial Building Upgrades –
Mr. Goddard, Director of Facilities,
presented this project request for $550,000 for the development of design and
construction drawings for improvements to the Cary Memorial Building (as
recommended in the 2011 Isaac Harris Cary Memorial Building Evaluation).
Of the many items suggested in the report for improvement, he noted that the
most important were acoustical improvements, renovations of the HVAC
system, upgrades to the bathrooms, accessibility upgrades, and a lift to the
Bird Room. Phase 2 costs for this project are estimated at $7.2M.
Mr. Goddard recognized that the FY14 project was very high, and noted that
there was an option for a 4-year phased approach to the project. This would
necessitate a 20% premium on construction costs, however. He suggested that
the CPC decide upon an amount that would be reasonable for the FY14
project, and that he could “work within” the CPC budget. There was a general
discussion of this approach, with members discussing the various aspects of
the building that they felt most needed repair. It was generally agreed that the
acoustics, the HVAC and bathrooms were priorities. Ms. McKenna made the
point that the Town should not eliminate the “historical aspects” of the
building while trying to preserve its history. She noted that items like the
bathrooms, were an important historical element in the building and should be
considered for preservation. She also noted that it would be a valuable
exercise to compare the present project with an earlier one to upgrade Cary
Memorial Hall for a performance center. Ms. Manz clarified this issue, stating
that the previous study only examined Cary Hall as a self-supporting
performance center, a standard to which the current project did not aspire.
Town Meeting member David Kaufman, noted that the bathrooms and HVAC
system would benefit from energy upgrades. In response to a question from
Ms. Shaw, Mr. Goddard noted that the renovations to the acoustical system
would be in the range of $200,000 to $250,000. Mr. Kanter suggested Mr.
Goddard return to the CPC with a modified project for FY14 that prioritized
the various upgrades for the Cary Memorial Building.
12.White House Stabilization –
Mr. Goddard presented this proposed project
which sought $202,000 in CPA funds for the exterior stabilization of the
White House. Mr. Goddard reported that there was no Board of Selectmen
support for a previous amendment to the project, which called for modest
interior stabilizations to the interior, so that it could be used by those utilizing
the Conscience Land (such as the Farmer’s Market patrons) and by the
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Liberty Ride. He said he had brought forward “Scenario #5”, of the Historic
Structure Report of the White House, which called for the demolition of all
sections of the building except the original house (referred to as the Main
Block).
Mr. Adler brought up the issue of the replacement of the storm windows on
the White House, which were specified in the Report as being aluminum. He
said he felt this would be unacceptable, given the CPC’s stand on the Muzzey
Condominium window renovation project in FY12. Mr. Goddard said that the
storm windows could be addressed in the design review process. Ms.
Fenollosa added that the Historic District Statute calls for “replacement in
kind” for historic renovation projects, which would necessitate wooden storm
windows.
Ms. Manz asked Mr. Goddard if the Town is in agreement with Scenario #5,
which necessitates the demolition of the remainder of the structure. Mr.
McSweeney also questioned whether there were any thoughts of moving the
structure. Mr. Goddard did not elaborate on the Town support for the present
proposal, but did indicate that moving the building had been discussed. Ms.
McKenna stressed the point that historic buildings must be protected in
Lexington, and that what is often considered “unsavable” is in fact part of the
fabric of the Town.
Ms. Weiss stated she felt that the Stone Building exterior renovation had been
a successful project and a perfect example of the use of the Community
Preservation Act. She also suggested that Mr. Goddard show the “before and
after pictures” of the Stone Building at Town Meeting, which had received an
exterior renovation with CPC funding in FY11.
13.LexHAB Set-Aside Funds for Affordable Housing –
Mr. Bill Kennedy,
Chair of LexHAB, presented a request for $500,000 in up-front funds for the
purchase of affordable units in Lexington. He discussed the history of
LexHAB in Lexington, stating that the non-profit has 67 units of affordable
housing, which house 179 people, 80% of whom are Lexington affiliated. He
discussed the recent LexHAB purchases, particularly the Wilson Road home
acquired with FY12 CPA funds. The house sold for $365,000 Mr. Kennedy
explained, and would need $35,000 to $40,000 in renovations.
When questioned why LexHAB was requesting $50,000 more in funding than
requested in FY12, Mr. Kennedy stated that the increase was to offset
anticipated energy-saving renovations and replacements. He added that the
Guidelines established by the CPC for the purchase of affordable units by
LexHAB would be followed in FY13 if funding were granted. There was a
brief discussion of the lottery system used by LexHAB, and of the cooperative
work of LexHAB and the Lexington Housing Authority to meet the low and
moderate housing needs of the Town.
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14.Greeley Village – Construction of 4 Accessible Housing Units
– Mr. Steve
Keane, Director of the Lexington Housing Authority (LHA), presented this
project for $1,110,673 to design and construct four accessible units at Greeley
Village. Mr. Keane explained that there were no accessible units at Greeley
Village, despite a need for them. He added that Greeley Village is out of
compliance with the State’s requirement of 5% accessible units. He presented
the Committee with two letters; one from Minute Man Vocational Technical
School agreeing to help construct the units, and a second, from the
Department of Housing and Community Development, which stated that
although the Department supported the LHA initiative, it could not commit
funds at the present time. Mr. Keane said he would have a better sense of the
State’s position on funding before Town Meeting.
Mr. Cohen questioned whether Minuteman Vo-Tech might be committed to
other projects (such as Leary or Busa) in coming years. He also noted that the
construction of the units by the Town might make them ineligible for future
State or Federal maintenance dollars. Ms. Fenollosa questioned whether
renovations could be made to existing units to make them accessible, to which
Mr. Keane reminded Ms. Fenollosa that LHA had submitted such an
application a couple of years ago, which Town Counsel had deemed
ineligible. Mr. Keane added that the LHA had received State funding for the
renovation of two common rooms to make them handicapped accessible.
15.Debt Service Payments
– Ms. Manz addressed this item, stating that the CPC
had two debt service payments to make in FY13. These are; (1) the debt
service for Busa Farm of $930,300, and (2) the debt service payment for
Cotton Farm of $1,000,000. Both represent the final years of payments on the
projects.
16.Administrative Budget
– Ms. Manz also addressed this item, stating that the
CPC sought $150,000 in Administrative funds, $50,000 of which included
planning monies for land acquisition.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:43 PM.
The following documents were presented at the hearing:
(1)“FY13 CPA Projects and Account Balances (for CPC Meeting of 12/19/11), dated
December 19, 2011.
(2)“Greeley Village Accessible Housing Project” (project amendment), dated
November 11, 2011. (The date had not been amended.)
(3)A letter dated 12/19/11 from Steve Keane, Executive Director of the Lexington
Housing Authority, noting the attachment of two letters; a letter from Minute Man
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Vocational Technical High School pledging support for student construction of
the four accessible units described in Mr. Keane’s proposal, and a letter from the
Department of Housing and Community Development stating their inability to
commit to any funding support for the four units at this time.
Respectfully submitted,
Nathalie Rice
Administrative Assistant
Community Preservation Committee
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