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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-10-24-CPC-min Minutes of the Community Preservation Committee Monday, October 24, 2011 3:00 pm Ellen Stone Room Cary Memorial Building Present: Board Members: Wendy Manz,Chair; Marilyn Fenollosa, Vice-Chair; Joel Adler, Norman Cohen, Jeanne Krieger, Sandy Shaw, Betsey Weiss, Dick Wolk. Administrative Assistant : Nathalie Rice Also in attendance were David Kanter, member of the Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC), and Bob Pressman, a Lexington resident. The meeting was called to order at 3:04 pm. by Ms. Fenollosa. Appointment of the CPC Chair and Vice Chair - Ms. Fenollosa called the meeting to order and asked for a motion for the appointment of the Chair to the CPC. Mr. Wolk nominated Ms. Manz, the nomination was seconded, and Ms. Manz was appointed (7-0) to a second year as Chair. Ms. Manz thanked members for their support. Ms. Manz then asked for a nomination for Vice-Chair. Several members nominated Ms. Fenollosa, the nomination was seconded and Ms. Fenollosa was elected for an additional year. 1.Minutes - Minutes of the meetings of 1/27/11, 2/17/11, 3/28/11 and 4/25/11 were approved as amended (8-0). 2.Updates - a.State Match - Ms. Manz updated the Committee on the State Match notification received earlier in October. Lexington received $885,463 in State Matching Funds (27.62%), which was up from $858,729 last year (28.22%). The Town had budgeted for a match of $859,000, so no supplemental funds will have to be voted to cover FY12 projects. b.Signs – Ms. Shaw updated the Committee on the placement of signs on on-going CPC projects. The signs are 18”x 24”, are blue with white lettering, and were installed with the help of the DPW Department. Signs are currently at the following locations; Stone Building, East Lexington Fire Department, Cary Library, Munroe Tavern, Center Playfields, Busa Property, Old Reservoir, Pine Meadows and Greeley Village. The 1 Committee thanked Ms. Shaw for shepherding the sign project to completion. c. Ms. Manz updated the CPC on the progress of the SB 765, An Act to Sustain Community Preservation. She said she and Ms. Rice had attended a ten-year celebration of the Community Preservation Coalition at the State House in September, and had had the opportunity to talk to Lexington’s legislators about the bill. She noted, that despite support for the bill, it did not seem to be “at the top of the list” for passage. 3.Cary Library Supplemental Appropriation for FY12, $34,151 - Sergio DeMango, Facilities Project Manager, Koren Stembridge, Director of the Library, and Rob Addelson, Assistant Town Manager for Finance were present for the discussion. Mr. DeMango presented the Library’s request for supplemental funds for the project to build a secure storage room for historical documents. The 2011 Town Meeting approved $100,000 for this work, but the project had come in $30,000 over bid. The Library had also realized that the existing shelving, which was to be reused in the new storage room, was not sufficient. Mr. DeMango explained that the storage room, (not technically a vault) would have fire suppression, HVAC and humidity control. He said he would work as the general contractor for the job to save money, and he itemized the fire suppression, HVAC, electric and construction costs. He estimated the total project costs to be $31,757 including $4,000 in contingency costs. The Committee discussed the proposal, noting that there might be additional costs, and voted (8-0) to recommend approval of the application for $35,000 in supplemental funding. 4.Review of Municipal Projects - Ms. Manz reviewed the municipal applications for CPA funding, and there was a brief discussion on each of the projects. The projects submitted by the Town are noted below, with brief notes as to any discussion: a.Archives and Records , $150,000 b.Paint Mine Barn Preservation , TBD – The barn has been put on a priority list for consideration by the Historical Commission. c.Conservation Acquisition , TBD d.Cary Library Materials Handling , $28,600 – Ms. Fenollosa noted that this project in all likelihood will not comply with the CPA Statute, since the book drop is not on the historic portion of the Library building. e.Muzzey Senior Center Upgrades , Phase 2, $82,000 – Members questioned whether the Muzzey High School Building will be the permanent home of the Senior Center, and would 2 therefore justify the $1.04 million in proposed renovations over the next two years. f.White House Stabilization and Potential Reuse , $202,000 – The question arose as to whether the Selectmen had approved the stabilization of the White House to which Mr. Cohen said that they had not voted on the project. Ms. Manz recommended that members review the Historic Structure Report (or the Executive Summary of the Report) for information about the building and its condition. It is on the Public Facilities web page on the Town website at http://www.lexingtonma.gov. g.Cary Memorial Hall Building Upgrades , $550,000 – Members noted that the projected cost for 2014 ($7.2 million) was extremely high. They questioned whether the project was similar to the renovation project studied several years ago, when it was concluded that while proposed upgrades were attractive, the building could not be become a self-supporting performance center. h.Center Playfields Drainage , third year increment of $605,718 i.Battle Green Master Plan Implementation , $224,845 – There was a question as to whether the traffic study in the proposed project was approvable under the Statute. Town Counsel’s opinion will be sought on the matter. j.Visitor Center Expansion/Renovation , $255,000 – There was a brief discussion of the age of the structure and whether it would qualify for CPA funds. Ms. Fenollosa stated her opinion that the building would qualify since it is listed in the Comprehensive Cultural Resources Survey (“The Inventory”), is in a Historic District, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. k.Antony Park , TBD – Members were not certain into which category this project would fall. There was also a question about whether the Tower family would approve of having a section of their park designated for an alternate use. 5.Future Meetings, Member Concerns - Ms. Manz noted thatthe CPC will have an article at the Special Town Meeting - the supplemental Cary Library request for $35,000. She said the CPC would not need to prepare a report for STM, unless members felt otherwise. Members agreed that there was no need for a report, and that Ms. Manz’s verbal report to the Special Town Meeting would suffice. thst Future meetings were set for Mondays, November 7, and 21, and December th 5, all to commence at 3:00 pm. These three meetings will be held in the Legion Room in the Cary Memorial Building. 3 6.LexHAB - Update on FY12 Project - Bill Hays, Vice Chair of LexHAB, met with the Committee to discuss the use of FY12 funds for the purchase of a home at 1 Wilson Road. The purchase price of the home is $370,000 and Mr. Hays noted that it needed $30,000 to $40,000 in renovations and repairs. Upon completion of these renovations, the house would be rented to a qualifying low or moderate income family, and become a permanent addition to the Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI). Mr. Hays reviewed the conditions of the CPC Guidelines, which were accepted at the 2011 Annual Town Meeting with Article 8d – the proposal for $450,000 in CPA funds for “Set-Aside” Funds. Mr. Hays said LexHAB adhered to the Guidelines set forth by the CPC in selecting the Wilson Road home, though he noted the building did not have an energy efficient heating system. This prompted a discussion of the system, which Mr. Hayes said would need replacement in the near future. Ms. Krieger suggested that the replacement of the boiler could be done with CPA funds. There was a discussion of the $30,000 to$40,000 needed in renovations, and Mr. Hays requested to be able to pay for these costs out of the funds in the CPA account. There was a question regarding LexHAB’s financial investment in the project, to which Mr. Hays responded that LexHAB would be paying the closing costs associated with the purchase. He added that LexHAB had recently purchased a $400,000 home on Fairview Avenue with its own funds, and will construct an addition to the building, again at LexHAB’s expense. th Mr. Hays noted that he would be meeting with the Selectmen on October 26 to seek their approval of the purchase, but that the CEC would not meet until th Friday, the 28. (Mr. Kanter, who was present at the CPC meeting, will update the Capital Expenditures Committee.) Mr. Hays said the closing for th . the Wilson Road home was planned for December 5 The CPC voted (8-0) to approve the purchase price of $370,000 and the renovation costs of $40,000 for the home at 1 Wilson Road,. with the understanding that LexHAB would pay the closing costs for the acquisition, and that it would consider updating the utilities in the home to make them more energy efficient. 7. Executive Session – The CPC took a roll call vote (8-0) and entered into Executive Session for the purposes of considering the purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property, the discussion of which in open session might have a detrimental effect on the negotiating position of the Town. The CPC vote included the provision to reconvene in open session only for the purposes of adjourning. 4 At 5:30, the CPC took a roll call vote to end Executive Session, and to adjourn the meeting. Three documents were presented and reviewed at the CPC meeting; (1)“Cary Library Documentation Room Renovation, #12-32”, dated Wednesday September 14, 2011. Submitted by Sergio DeMango, Facilities Project Manager, Facilities Department. (2)“LexHAB, Proposal for the purchase of one unit of housing using CPA funds approved by the Spring 2011 Town Meeting”. Submitted by Bill Hayes, LexHAB Vice Chair. (3)LexHAB, Purchase Proposal using CPC funds approved at the Spring 2011 Town Meeting. COMPLIANCE WITH GUIDELINES”. Submitted by Bill Hayes, LexHAB Vice Chair. These three documents are on file in the CPC Office in Town Offices. Respectfully submitted, Nathalie Rice Administrative Assistant Community Preservation Committee 5