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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-08-08-CEC-minMinutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting August 8, 2013 Date, Place, and Location: August 8, 2013, 8:00 A.M., Town Office Building, Reed Room (111) Members Present: Jill Hai, Chair; Bill Hurley; David Kanter; Wendy Manz; Beth Masterman Members Absent: None Others Present: Charles Lamb; David Tabeling, Photographer Documents Presented: Outline Minutes for the CEC Meeting, August 8, 2013 Call to Order: Ms. Hai called the meeting to order at 8:00 A.M. Taking of a Committee Picture with Membership as of June 30, 2013, for use in the 2013 Annual Town Report Mr. Lamb joined the then - current members for the picture taken in the meeting room by Mr. Tabeling. Consider an Additional Election of Committee Officer(s) Ms. Hai asked that we formally elect a Vice - Chair. Mr. Kanter volunteered for the post and, although not formally designated as such, he said he would continue to assist the Chair and the Committee with the clerk -type duties he is currently accomplishing. It was then moved and seconded that Mr. Kanter be the Vice - Chair. Vote: 4 -0 -1 (Ms. Manz abstained as she is awaiting the oath -of- office document for her signature as a member of this Committee.) Review the Committee's Liaison Responsibilities for Possible Changes After discussion, the Committee members agreed to serve as liaisons to subject areas and Town of Lexington departments as follows: Conservation & Open Space ...................... Ms. Masterman Facilities ....................... ............................... Mr. Hurley Fire and Police ............. ............................... Ms. Masterman Library.......................... ............................... Ms. Hai Public Works ................ ............................... Ms. Hai Schools ........................ ............................... Mr. Hurley Information Technology .............................. Mr. Kanter Recreation ................... ............................... Ms. Manz Community Center ....... ............................... Ms. Masterman General Financial ......... ............................... Mr. Kanter The Committee members agreed to serve as the formal liaisons to the following Lexington committees, commission, task force, and boards: 'Community Preservation Committee........ Mr. Kanter t Lexington Center Committee .................... Ms. Manz Page 1 of 4 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting August 8, 2013 Ad hoc Townwide Facilities Master Planning Committee (AhTFMPC) ........... Mr. Kanter 'Ad hoc Cary Memorial Building Renovation Design Committee (AhCMBRDC) .......... ............................... Mr. Kanter Ad hoc Community Center Advisory Committee ............... ............................... Mrs. Masterman t t Solar Energy Task Force (under the Sustainable Lexington Committee) ......... Ms. Masterman 'Permanent Building Committee ................ Mr. Hurley 'Commission on Disability (CoD) ............... Ms. Manz t Planning Board .......... ............................... Ms. Manz 'Housing Partnership Board ...................... Ms. Manz t The liaison is not currently included in the Committee Members Web Report at the Town's on -line Records Portal. t t Task Force is not present in that Web Report.] The responsibilities as liaison include drafting this Committee's positions, as appropriate, for this Committee's Reports to Town Meetings. Mr. Kanter volunteered to remain as the editor for such reports. It was agreed that the Committee members act for what, in their opinion, is best for the Town. Status of the Town's Initiative to Establish Another Fiber -Optic Data Connection as Redundant to a Portion of the Existing Institutional Network (11-Net) Ms. Hai advised that the Town was not yet prepared to make a presentation to this Committee on this initiative. It is expected that a presentation would be made at this Committee's next meeting. Mr. Kanter expressed his appreciation that the Town is planning to get this Committee's approval —along with that of the Board of Selectmen and the Appropriation Committee —as it is expected that the Public, Educational, Governmental (PEG) Revolving Fund (RF) would fund this initiative. That funding would require an increase, before the 2014 Annual Town Meeting (ATM), to the FY2014 Authorization approved at the 2013 ATM. Such out -of -cycle increases are authorized by the Massachusetts General Law (Part I, Title VII, Chapter 44, Section 53E'/2) "with the approval of the selectmen and finance committee, if any, in a town ". As it is this Committee's current practice to report to Town Meeting on any RF authorization if payments from the RF are anticipated to be for a capital project, then Mr. Kanter believes it should be a standard Town practice to obtain this Committee's approval for any out -of -cycle RF Authorization. He asks that our Chair request confirmation that is the standard Town practice. The Committee concurred and Ms. Hai said she would make that request. Page 2 of 4 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting August 8, 2013 Member Concerns and Liaison Reports Mr. Kanter reported the AhTFMPC had approved at its meeting on July 31, 2013, its final report to the Board of Selectmen —with its Chair being authorized to confirm pending editorial changes. The AhTFMPC Chair plans to meet next Wednesday (the 14 with Pat Goddard, Director, Department of Public Facilities, and the consultant (The Cecil Group) to accomplish that confirmation. Mr. Kanter reported on having attended last Thursday (the 1 the meeting of the CoD where it received a presentation from Don Mills (Mills Whitaker Architects) on the full package of variances from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that is planned to be submitted to the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (MAAB) as needing the MAAB's approval for the planned renovation of the Cary Memorial Building. That Commission found the variances to be appropriate for the renovation of that historic building and voted unanimously to add its approval —with its Chair to write a letter to the MAAB confirming its support that Mr. Mills would include in the submission package. At the AhCMBRDC meeting two nights ago (the 6 it unanimously approved the submission package with one minor change in wording that Mr. Kanter had suggested. Mr. Mills shared with the AhCMBRDC the letter he had received from the CoD Chair that was a very- enthusiastic endorsement of the variance package. Ms. Hai briefed the Committee on her first meeting on August 1st with Carl Valente, Town Manager, since assuming the Chair. Mr. Valente made a specific point of how much he and the Town staff appreciated the extent to which this Committee tried its best to minimize the burden its requirements placed on them. She reported on some specific, near -term, scheduling plans the Town has regarding Capital matters of significance to this Committee: • Temporary Classrooms for the High School: At least initial construction funding is expected to be requested at a Special Town Meeting this November. Mr. Goddard expects to brief the project to the School Committee on September 10, 2013, and would then brief this Committee at its subsequent meeting. Yet to be determined is whether that construction would be accomplished in one or two phases. • As part of the development of the FY2015 Capital Program, Mr. Valente has set September 9, 2013, as the due date for the Town departments to submit their proposed Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs) to the Senior Management Team. The CIPs should be made available to this Committee beginning in middle -to -late October. A schedule for the department -by- department presentations to this Committee will be developed once the availability, perhaps incrementally, of the CIPs is known. Mr. Valente expects this Committee's positions on that Capital Program would be presented to the Budget Collaboration- Summit Meeting in January, 2014 —which is likely to be the 4 th Summit in the FY2015 budget process. Ms. Hai reminded the members of the need to submit to her their suggested changes to the draft Committee submission for the 2013 Annual Town Report by next Wednesday (the 14 th ) Page 3 of 4 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting August 8, 2013 Next Meeting Date Ms. Hai asked the Committee to reserve Tuesday, September 24, 2013, at 8:00 A.M., as a potential alternative to the currently planned meeting on Tuesday, September 17, 2013, at 8:00 A.M. All the members reported that, at this time, they would also be available at that alternate date and time. 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: 4 -0 -1 (Ms. Manz abstained for the same reason as cited earlier in these Minutes.) Adjourn: A Motion was made and seconded at 8:50 A.M. to adjourn. Vote: 4 -0 -1 (Ms. Manz abstained for the same reason as cited earlier in these Minutes.) These Minutes were approved by the CEC at its meeting on August 8, 2013. Page 4 of 4