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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-07-19-CEC-minMinutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting July 19, 2013 Date, Place, and Location: July 19, 2013, 8:00 A.M., Town Office Building, Parker Room (G -15) Members Present: Charles Lamb, Chair (initially); Beth Masterman; Jill Hai, Chair (successor); Bill Hurley; David Kanter Others Present for at least Some Portion of the Meeting: Wendy Manz, Pending Committee Member; Glenn Parker, Chair, Appropriation Committee; Deborah Brown, Town Moderator; Hank Manz, Member of the Board of Selectman (Board); Carl Valente, Town Manager; Rob Addelson, Assistant Town Manager for Finance; Pat Goddard, Director, Department of Public Facilities; Bill Hadley, Director, Department of Public Works; John Livsey, Town Engineer; John Wilson, Chief, Fire Department; Donna Hooper, Town Clerk; Margaret Coppe, Chair, School Committee; Mary Ellen Dunn, Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Business Operations; Candy McLaughlin, Management Analyst (Town Manager's Office) Documents Presented: • CEC Certificate of Recognition and Appreciation to Charles Lamb for Service to the Committee • Board's Charge to the Ad hoc Cary Memorial Building Renovation Design Committee, June 3, 2013 • CEC Input to Selectmen's Goal Setting (Jun 2013) (Mr. Lamb's e-mail to Linda Vine, Deputy Town Manager, and "cc" to Committee members, June 5, 2013, 2:24 P.M.) • Outline Minutes for the CEC Meeting, July 19, 2013 Call to Order: Mr. Lamb called the meeting to order at 8:00 A.M. Change in Membership and Election of Committee Officers Mr. Lamb announced that his resignation, effective with this meeting, had been accepted by the Town Moderator and that Wendy Manz will be appointed by the Moderator to fill the remainder of his term. Ms. Manz will formally join the Committee in a few weeks after completing what would otherwise be a conflicting commitment in her current position as a member of the Lexington Housing Partnership Board. It was then moved and seconded that the Committee present Mr. Lamb with the formal certificate of recognition and appreciation for his 10 years of outstanding service on the Committee, the last 8 years of which were as its Chair. Vote: 4 -0 -1 (Mr. Lamb abstained) Each Committee member then voiced a personal expression of appreciation for Mr. Lamb's service. Many of the visitors then voiced their appreciation. Mr. Valente presented Mr. Lamb with a framed and signed cover of the Town's "Fiscal Year 2014 Recommended Budget & Financing Plan, March 1, 2013" (the "Brown Book ") which was the last, under Mr. Lamb's leadership, the Committee had influenced. Page 1 of 4 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting July 19, 2013 As requested by Deborah Mauger, Chair of the Board, who was unable to attend, Mr. Kanter extended her sincere thank you to Mr. Lamb for his years of outstanding service to the Committee —and thus to the Town. The Committee discussed who would be its officers for the balance of this fiscal year (FY2014 which ends June 30, 2014) —and continuing until a subsequent election or the elected person is no longer a member of the Committee. It was then moved and seconded that Ms. Hai be, at this time, the sole officer as the Chair and she said she'd be willing to accept the position. Vote: 5 -0. (At this point, Ms. Hai took over the leadership of this meeting.) Appointment of Liaison to the Ad hoc Cary Memorial Building Renovation Design Committee (AhCMBRDC) The Committee discussed which member wanted to be the liaison and Mr. Hurley volunteered to be it. The Committee welcomed his willingness to take on that responsibility as he also had been the liaison to the Ad hoc Cary Memorial Building Program Committee —the predecessor committee —and, thus, would provide continuity in representation and bring his prior knowledge to the new committee. Mr. Kanter asked Mr. Hurley whether he would find it in conflict if Mr. Kanter also attended the AhCMBRDC meetings because of his own interest in the project. Mr. Hurley said he would have no issue with such attendance by Mr. Kanter. Mr. Hurley's appointment was made by acclamation and Ms. Hai will provide notice of the appointment to Ms. Mauger, Lynne Pease (the Board's Executive Clerk), and to Mr. Goddard (primary staff support to the new committee). As the Committee will not be at its full complement until its next meeting when Ms. Manz is present as a member, Ms. Hai recommended the Committee revisit all of it's liaisons and assignments at that time —and the Committee agreed. Outcome of the CEC Input to Selectmen's Goal Setting (Jun 2013) Mr. Lamb and Mr. Kanter briefed the Committee on their telephone conference call with Ms. Mauger, Mr. Valente, and Mr. Addelson on July 17, 2013, during which the Board's position was provided on the Committee's submission. Ms. Mauger expressed the Board's appreciation for the Committee's input. She said all the items were well thought out and addressed important matters for the Board to consider. The following provides a synopsis of the response received for our Committee on each item in its submission —which included having heard comments by Mr. Valente, Mr. Addelson, Mr. Kanter, and Mr. Lamb. The Committee discussed the responses to the extent needed for a better understanding, as needed, on each; however, the Committee decided that no further communication to the Board was warranted at this time on any of the matters. 1. Commitment to Increased Extraordinary Maintenance Funding: Ms. Mauger proposes that the Board needs to discuss, in a more quantitative and public manner, this important aspect regarding attention to the on -going need to ensure we are not avoiding the extraordinary maintenance which is needed to extend or maintain the expected useful life of the Town buildings. (Mr. Valente acknowledged that Mr. Goddard has provided quantitative information on this matter, but it has not yet Page 2 of 4 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting July 19, 2013 been vetted.) This need is just one of those the Town faces which will require careful analysis in order to balance the need with the ability (and expected willingness) of the Town's taxpayers to fund. (Among those other, concurrent, needs are the Town's roads and sidewalks.) As each year's budget must address a changing set of demands, it's premature to set a policy to earmark a portion of the revenue for just this one need. 2. Cash Financing for Capital "Programs ": Ms. Mauger understands the Committee's interest, to the extent practical, of funding with cash, rather than debt, those year - after -year capital programs. As for also eventually moving them into the Operating Budget, if done, there would then be the issue of trying to reduce those Operating Budgets when those programs no longer have even one - year's annual requirement. It is recognized that the School's Technology Program should be a focus of the debt - to- cash - funding objective even if remaining in the Capital Program. 3. Roads: Ms. Mauger acknowledges the Committee's proposed steps (i.e., update the 2010 Pavement Management Study's data, have a target Pavement Condition Index [PCI], and plan a funding approach to achieve that PCI by a chosen date), agrees there should be a quantitative and public discussion, but the same balancing decisions applicable to the buildings' extraordinary maintenance funds —as identified in #1 above —apply here, too. 4. Residential Sidewalks: Ms. Mauger said the Board recognizes the need for a better definition of what should be done to maintain /rehabilitate existing residential sidewalks and for adding new residential sidewalks, and is already committed to addressing the matter, but the same balancing decisions applicable to the buildings' extraordinary maintenance funds —as identified in #1 above —apply here, too. 5. Affordable Housing Policy: Ms. Mauger said the Board recognizes the importance of this and Selectman Joe Pato already has accepted the leadership role on behalf of the Board in this matter. 6. Enhance the Town's Recreation Field Capacity: Ms. Mauger noted there is a need. 7. Improved Capital Planning: She said the Board is looking forward to the Final Report of its Ad hoc Townwide Facilities Master Planning Committee (AhTFMPC) (now expected soon after the end of this month) and recognizes that it is important for the Town to have a Master Plan regarding its facilities — although it will, by necessity, have to be updated as events, over time, warrant. 8. Capital Project Submission Process: Mr. Addelson said he will continue to work with the department heads so as to make even further improvements in the submittals. 9. Enhanced Transparency of the Board's Decision Making (Exclusive of Executive Session): Ms. Mauger said she recognizes that improvements are warranted, but the staff is already at capacity to even get the information packages out to the Board prior to its meetings. Mr. Valente advised that, based on some practices already initiated in other towns, he will be seeing if any of those practices might help in this matter in Lexington. 10. Early Position - Taking Regarding Town Applications for Use of the Community Preservation Fund (CPF): Ms. Mauger said that although in principle this may seem to make sense, as a practical matter it would be difficult to implement it just for those Town projects proposing to use the CPF. Page 3 of 4 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting July 19, 2013 Member Concerns and Liaison Reports Mr. Kanter reported that based on his routine attendance at the meetings of the AhTFMPC, he had been asked by its Chair to assist in the editing of that committee's reports —both its interim report to the Board and what will be its Final Report —and had done so for several of the draft versions of both. The AhTFMPC expects to receive next week a proposed final draft of its Final Report and that committee plans to approve its Final Report at its next meeting on July 31, 2013. Mr. Kanter reported on having attended, strictly as a guest, the initial meeting of the AhCMBRDC this past Wednesday evening (the 17 During that meeting, Don Mills (Mills Whitaker Architects) —which firm had done the two most - recent studies of Cary Memorial Building (2011 the initial condition evaluation and the 2013 vetting of the renovation program) — reviewed the approved program scope. He presented specific issues regarding the site and all 3 levels of the building for guidance from the committee —which guidance was provided. Next, Mr. Mills presented the probable scope of the requests for variances from the Americans with Disabilities Act that need to go, as soon as practical, to the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (MAAB) for approval as there is currently at least a 2 -month delay in having a hearing before the MAAB scheduled. Approval or denial of each variance may have a major impact on the design effort. That committee endorsed the variance items and Mr. Mills will complete the package that is proposed for submittal to the MAAB and plans to meet with the Lexington Commission on Disability on August 1, 2013, to gain its support. If achieved, then the package would promptly be sent to the MAAB. Ms. Hai advised that the Committee has to make its submission for the 2013 Annual Town Report —which covers FY2013 —by this August 30 She will circulate to the members the text published last year and asked that each send her a revision about the significant activity within their liaison areas in FY2013— deleting what is no longer applicable; adding what was new for FY2013 —but be terse as the space allowed for the Committee is limited. Schedule Next Meetings The Committee discussed each member's projected availability and chose to plan for meetings on August 8, 2013, and September 17, 2013 —both at 8:00 A.M. Mr. Kanter will make room reservations for both and ask the Town Clerk's Office to make "Future Date" entries for the meetings in the Town's on -line Public Calendar. Approval of Minutes As no other business was before the Committee, it then reviewed the presented Outline Minutes for this meeting and updated it to reflect the actions taken. Then it was moved and seconded to approve the updated version with the inclusion of what will be the actual time of adjournment and with Mr. Kanter authorized to make any needed editorial adjustments. Vote: 5 -0 Adjourn: A Motion was made and seconded at 9:38 A.M. to adjourn. Vote: 5 -0 These Minutes were approved by the CEC at its meeting on July 19, 2013. Page 4 of 4