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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-01-27-CCAC-min TOWNOFLEXINGTON AdhocCommunityCenterAdvisoryCommittee(AhCCAC) Minutes Date: January 27, 2014 Place and time: Cary Memorial Building, Estabrook Hall, 1:00 .. PM Members Present: Michelle Ciccolo, Chair; Mary Ellen Alessandro; Betty Borghesani; Harry Forsdick; Laura Hussong; Jon Himmel (Chair, Permanent Building Committee); Florence Koplow; Leslie Zales Members Absent: None Liaisons Present:Staff: Linda Vine, Vice Chair of AhCCAC, Town Manager’s Office; Charlotte Rodgers, Human Services; Karen Simmons, Recreation; Committees: Jessie Steigerwald, School Committee; David Kanter for Beth Masterman, Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC); Joe Pato for Norm Cohen, Board of Selectmen (BoS) Liaisons Absent (liaisons only attend as-requested and as-available to address relevant agenda items):Staff: Dorinda Goodman, Information Technology; Shawn Newell, Department of Public Facilities (DPF); Chris Filadoro, Department of Public Works; Koren Stembridge, Library; John Mazerall, Police Department;Chief John Wilson, Fire Department; Committees: Glenn Parker, Chair, Appropriation Committee Steffian Bradley Architects (SBA) Consultant Representatives: Teresa Wilson, Richard Berry, Joe Sirkovich, Ashley Jordan Also present:Pat Goddard, staff, DPF; Mark Barrett, staff, DPF; Sheila Butts, staff, Recreation Department; Bob Pressman, Community Preservation Committee & Lexington Housing Partnership Board; George Burnell, Town Meeting Members Association; Nancy Adler, Chair, Council on Aging Board; Joel Adler, Town Meeting Member Recording Secretary: Sara Arnold The meeting was called to order by Ms. Ciccolo at 8:10 .. AM 1.Minutes: There was a motion and second to approve the Minutes for January 22, 2014, with a spelling correction by Ms. Zales and an addition requested by Mr. Himmel. The motion passed. VOTE: 8-0 2.Correspondence: Ms. Ciccolo reported having recently received a suggestion that the Community Center renovations be documented in a way comparable to the way the television show “This Old House” documents renovations. 3.Community Center Open House Discussion: Mr. Forsdick made a PowerPoint presentation that discussed the input from 226 comment cards received during the Community Center Open House. He identified ways to summarize the input, sought mechanisms to understand the input, and presented specific suggestions for going forward. To understand how he would respond to some of the comment cards, he envisions a master list of assumptions and their consequences, sometimes unintended, to help document why certain decisions were made; and he would like this list to be updated regularly. He wants to know more about staff needs to be able to respond to questions about the space usage for town offices. He wants to discuss program plans to better understand the intent of the Committee and staff. He credited Ms. Koplow with having played a significant role in crystallizing the presentation and thanked all of the Committee for helping compile the data. It was generally agreed that the focus over the past six months has been on developing floor plans and structural details that will meet the needs of the community and provide flexibility that allows adjustments as demands and interests fluctuate over time. This has been done with challenging time constraints. SBA was commended for its leadership and for bringing the Town to “a good place”. Many attendees commented on the presentation. Comments included: Some comments may need some interpretation; what is someone really saying? Some comments may come from someone who is generally disgruntled. There needs to be discussion about governance. There needs to be discussion about dedicated space and what that really means. There needs to be discussion about specific plans for using space. It’s important to represent the entire community in this process, although it won’t be possible to please everyone. More time does not necessarily translate into a better product; there may not be a “best” solution. This Committee is well-educated about all the complexities; the general public is not. Documents about the use of space should indicate that all “assignments” are flexible; this will protect the Committee from possible future criticism. There should be responses developed for all of the comments. Some of the comments have architectural significance and should be reviewed by SBA. Some comments from the general public already resulted in changes to the design. There is room for more collaboration between the staff and the Committee. There is deep appreciation for the staff. Seniors are particularly concerned about what kinds of space they will have in the new center. Some comments suggest elements that are beyond the charge of this Committee or beyond the mission of the Community Center. This discussion has been amazing in and of itself. Ms. Ciccolo identified four ACTION ITEMS to pursue: Answer the comment cards: It was suggested that a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) could be developed and then each comment could be correlated with a FAQ. This approach is likely to respond to most if not all comments. It was also suggested that each Committee member be tasked with developing a response to a portion of the comments. List the underlying assumptions that have influenced decisions: Ms. Ciccolo volunteered to begin identifying and compiling a list of assumptions by reviewing past reports to the BoS and identifying architectural constraints identified by SBA. Staff and SBA will be asked to review the material and add their input. Everyone was encouraged to send their input to Ms. Ciccolo. It was agreed that some issues, such as dedicated space, do not fall into the assumption category. Separate discussion time will be needed for such issues. Site Visits to the Senior Center and the Recreation Department to better understand their programs and needs: Ms. Ciccolo will schedule those visits. Mix up the seating during meetings: Ms. Ciccolo encouraged those attending the meetings to change where they sit so that staff and committee members/liaisons are interspersed. Mr. Kanter suggested that this Committee start by focusing on building-related comments or issues in preparation for responding to questions at the March 24, 2014 Special and/or Annual Town Meetings. 4.SBA Report on Phase 1 Recommendations and Cost Estimates : In addition to a table showing a need for an additional $1.7 million for Phase 1 of the Community Center project, SBA’s letter to Mr. Goddard and the Committee members outlines two alternatives for addressing the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) needs. In one scenario the HVAC work is broken into two components; the building is opened in January 2015 with only the first component addressed; the second component is completed after the opening. In a second scenario, all of the HVAC work is included in one project and the building doesn’t open until the summer of 2015. 2 If there are two components, some of the work done in the first component will be undone during construction of the second component. Additionally, this involves two contracts, which is likely to involve two contractors with two entirely different sets of subcontractors; this will create a warrantee problem at the very least. If the opening is delayed, it may be possible to improve the electrical design for accommodating audiovisual equipment. However, the delay will further disrupt Recreation Department programs because they will be losing space they use for programs and storage in the Cary Memorial Building when renovations of that building begin in the summer of 2014. The delay also requires the Senior Center to remain in the Muzzey Building until the summer of 2015. Mr. Himmel expressed his opinion that the issue needs further exploration. He suggested two negative impacts related to delaying the second component: The level of interruption to the Community Center clientele and staff would be significant during a separate HVAC phase; and The total capital cost of a separate HVAC phase would be greater. He suggested that the details are still unfolding regarding cost, schedule, and the energy conserving/fresh air HVAC design. Ms. Ciccolo and Mr. Pato noted that the scheduling issues will be decided by the BoS. The information presented at this meeting will be shared with the BoS tonight, and it is anticipated that they will make a decision at their meeting on February 3, 2014. 5.Next Meeting: The next meeting is on Tuesday, February 4, 2014. The agenda will include the BoS position regarding the HVAC renovations, identified assumptions, answers to comments, and the allocation/dedication of space in the Community Center. 6.Adjourn: A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 10:00 .. The motion passed. AM VOTE: 8-0 These minutes were approved on February 4, 2014. Materials distributed/used at the meeting: Public Meeting Agenda, January 27, 2014, AhCCAC Meeting Schedule and Work Plan—Revised for 01/22/2014 Summary of Comments from Open House; Harry Forsdick and Florence Koplow, January 15, 2014 Recommendations Based on Comments Received at the Open House, Florence Koplow and Harry Forsdick, January 15, 2014 Comment Cards Categorized – Sorted Category 1; spreadsheet prepared by Florence Koplow and Harry Forsdick, January 15, 2014 Comment Cards Categorized – Sorted Category 2; spreadsheet prepared by Florence Koplow and Harry Forsdick, January 15, 2014 Open House Comment Cards and Suggestions as We Go Forward, Harry Forsdick and Florence Koplow, January 27, 2014; PowerPoint Memo from Ms. Ciccolo to the Lexington Board of Selectmen; Subject: Status Report, with Recommendations Regarding Future Phased Build-out of the Lexington Community Center; January 24, 2014 Letter from Mr. Sirkovich, SBA, to Mr. Goddard and Committee Members, January 27, 2014 Lexington Community Center Project Schedule, January 24, 2014, prepared by SBA Lexington Community Center Phase 1A; Hard Costs and Soft Costs, 1/26/2014, prepared by SBA Phase 1 Floor Plans prepared by SBA, January 27, 2014 3