HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-03-STM-AC-rpt
AC
PPROPRIATIONOMMITTEE
TL
OWN OF EXINGTON
R
EPORT TO THE
M2014
ARCH
STM
PECIALOWNEETING
Released March 17, 2014
ACM
PPROPRIATION OMMITTEEEMBERS
Glenn P. Parker, Chair • John Bartenstein, Vice Chair/Secretary
Robert N. Addelson (ex-officio; non-voting) • Robert Cohen • Mollie Garberg
Alan Levine • Susan McLeish • Eric Michelson • Richard Neumeier • Jonina Schonfeld
APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE MARCH 2014 STM
Contents
Contents .......................................................................................................................................................................... i
Summary of Warrant Article Recommendations .................................................................................................. ii
Preface ............................................................................................................................................................................ 1
Warrant Article Analysis and Recommendations ................................................................................................. 2
Article 2: Cary Memorial Building Upgrades ................................................................................ 2
Article 3: Amend Article 5 of November 4, 2013 Special Town Meeting, Renovation to
Community Center ....................................................................................................... 3
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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE MARCH 2014 STM
Summary of Warrant Article Recommendations
Abbreviations: GF = General Fund; EF = Enterprise Fund; RF = Revolving Fund;
CPA = Community Preservation Act Fund; BAN = Bond Anticipation Note;
DSSF = Debt Service Stabilization Fund
An entry of IP for “Indefinitely Postpone” in the right-hand column merely signifies our expectation.
Ar-FundsFundingCommittee
Title
ticleRequestedSourceRecommendation
CPA
$8,241,350
Cary Memorial Building GF
$235,230
2Approve (8-0)
UpgradesPEG Access
$200,820
$8,677,400
Amend Article 5 of November
CPA
$5,817,184
4, 2013 SpecialTown Meeting,
3GFApprove (8-0)
$402,816
Renovation to Community
$6,220,000
Center
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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE MARCH 2014 STM
Preface
This report for the March 2014 Special Town Meeting has been published in advance of the Committee’s
regular report to the Annual Town Meeting. This fulfills the Committee’s goal of distributing our reports
at least one week before the articles covered are to be taken up at Town Meeting.
This report is published and distributed to the members of Town Meeting as a printed document and as an
electronic document via the Town website. During Town Meeting the Committee will also provide updat-
ed recommendations on appropriations, proposed amendments, and matters for which the Committee’s
formal position was not available at the time of publication.
The discussion for each article presents the prevailing view of the Committee, as well as any other con-
siderations or cautions that we feel Town Meeting should be informed of. If one or more Committee
members are strongly opposed to the majority position, we summarize the opposing perspective. Each
Article discussion concludes with the most recent vote of the Committee prior to publication. The vote is
summarized by the number of members in favor, followed by the number of members opposed, and lastly
(when applicable) the number of members abstaining, e.g. “(6-2-1)” indicates six members in favor, two
opposed, and one abstaining. It is not always possible to collect a complete vote for every article from
nine voting members. In such instances, the total number of votes and abstentions published will be less
than nine. For convenience, Committee votes are also summarized on the preceding pages.
Acknowledgements
The content of this report, except where otherwise noted, was researched, written and edited by members
of the Committee with support from Town staff. Our Committee has the pleasure and the privilege of
working with Town Manager, Carl Valente; Assistant Town Manager for Finance, Rob Addelson; our
Budget Officer, Theo Kalivas; the Capital Expenditures Committee; the Community Preservation Com-
mittee; the School Committee; the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Paul Ash; the Assistant Superintendent
for Finance and Operations, Mary Ellen Dunn; and the Board of Selectmen. We thank the municipal and
school staff, Town officials, boards and volunteers who have contributed time and expertise to help us
prepare this report.
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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE MARCH 2014 STM
Warrant Article Analysis and Recommendations
FundsFundingCommittee
Article 2: Cary Memorial Building
RequestedSourceRecommendation
Upgrades
CPA
$8,241,350
GF
$235,230
Approve (8-0)
PEG Access
$200,820
$8,677,400
The Cary Memorial Building was dedicated in 1928 and it has served Lexington for 86 years.
In 2010 Town Meeting appropriated under Article 8(i) $60,000 in Community Preservation funds to per-
form a comprehensive review of building systems, building and life safety codes, and theatrical and func-
tional capabilities. The evaluation concluded that improvements were needed in several areas:
accessibility
support spaces
structural
electrical
mechanical
plumbing
stage
acoustical
audio visual improvements
The Board of Selectmen formed the ad-hoc Cary Memorial Building Program Committee (AhCMBPC),
which reviewed the recommended scope of work and reported to the Selectmen on January 13, 2013. At
the 2013 Annual Town Meeting, $550,000 from the Community Preservation Fund was appropriated un-
der Article 8(c) to continue the design process and begin the development of construction documents.
In June 2013, the Selectmen appointed the ad-hoc Cary Memorial Building Renovation Design Commit-
tee (AhCMBRDC) to oversee the design and construction documents and to oversee the implementation
of the recommended design. The AhCMBRDC met monthly and on December 16, 2013 the Board of Se-
lectmen supported the committee’s recommendation of bringing the project to the Community Preserva-
tion Committee at a revised cost of $8,677,400.
The intent of taking this up at a Special Town Meeting is to get this project out to bid by the end of
March, 2014 and to commence work as soon as possible.
Money from the Community Preservation Fund (CPF) would be appropriated annually to cover the cost
of debt service for a ten year period. The PEG Access funds would be accounted for in the FY2015 budg-
et and the General Fund component would be from sources currently available for appropriation, i.e., un-
reserved fund balance (free cash).
Because it is clear that the building is in need of the recommended upgrades, and because the building
will be heavily used by the community and will continue to be needed to host future events, the Commit-
tee concurs with the recommendations to move forward with this project.
The Committee recommends approval of this request (8-0).
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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE MARCH 2014 STM
FundsFundingCommittee
Article 3: Amend Article 5 of
RequestedSourceRecommendation
November 4, 2013 Special
CPA
5,817,184
Town Meeting, Renovation to
GFApprove (8-0)
$402,816
Community Center
$6,220,000
Original Request
At the November 2013 Special Town Meeting under Article 5 “Appropriate For Renovations to Buildings
to be Acquired at 39 Marrett Road”, the Town appropriated $3,169,000 to pay for design and construction
costs to renovate the buildings at 39 Marrett Road for use as a community center. Funds from the Com-
munity Preservation Fund (CPF) provided $2,846,184 of that appropriation, and the remaining $322,816
came from the General Fund. This amount was based on a “10% design estimate” for a project that would
upgrade the building to be code-compliant, and that would make minimal renovations necessary to enable
a functioning community center.
Since then, members of the Ad hoc Community Center Advisory Committee (AhCCAC), committee liai-
sons, and Town staff have familiarized themselves with the building, surveyed potential users, and visited
other community centers in the region. They have all worked closely with an architectural firm to refine
and extend the scope of work needed to create a community center that best meets the needs of the Town,
and to finalize the construction documents needed to put the project out to bid.
While considering a range of development options, including the construction of a new gymnasium
and/or multi-function room, the AhCCAC first designated a subset of key features to be implemented in
“Phase 1”. The goal of Phase 1 was to quickly create a functioning community center that would serve
adequately for two or three years, while leaving some important issues to be addressed in future construc-
tion phases.
Presentation of Phase 1 to the Board of Selectmen
Following the November appropriation, the AhCCAC made a recommendation to the Board of Selectmen
with a plan for Phase 1 that would require approximately $4.9 million, an increase of $1.7 million above
the original appropriation.
The Board of Selectmen responded with two requests. First, the Board asked the AhCCAC to revisit the
layout of the largest meeting area on the first floor to allow for a more practical room shape with a higher
seating capacity. This change was anticipated to require significant new structural engineering work to
support additional weight while also removing some load-bearing walls.
The Board of Selectmen also noted that, with many urgent capital needs facing the Town in the coming
decade, the chances of town funding for significant construction at the community center after this initial
phase seemed unlikely. Thus, they asked the AhCCAC to consider what additional scope should be incor-
porated assuming that the Town would fund no additional construction in the foreseeable future.
This triggered a significant change in the mindset of the AhCCAC. Their initial concept, which drove
many initial architectural and programming decisions in the original November request, was a multi-
phase plan with at least two significant construction phases, each funded by separate appropriations from
the Town. The AhCCAC has now reconsidered its requirements in light of the need to complete all con-
struction in a single phase, creating a community center that can serve the Town with limited disruptions
for many years.
Changes for a Single Construction Phase
Based on advice from the architectural firm, the AhCCAC determined that upgrading the HVAC system
was a critical need for the building. Doing so will bring the air circulation into compliance with recog-
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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE MARCH 2014 STM
nized national standards for public buildings, and will eliminate the reliance on open windows as the only
source of fresh air. This will make the building more comfortable and more energy-efficient.
Two options for the HVAC upgrade were considered, (1) augmenting the existing system and (2) in-
stalling a completely new system. When all the life cycle costs of each option were taken into account, the
payback period for a completely new system was still well over 20 years, so the choice was made to aug-
ment the existing system with the understanding that some older equipment would need to be replaced in
a 6 to 10 year time frame.
The AhCCAC also explored two options for a permanent on-site electrical generator to be used in the
event of power failures. Estimates from an engineering firm showed that the cost of a permanently in-
stalled generator would be prohibitive. A third option would prepare the wiring in the building for use
with a portable generator (not included in the cost) that could provide emergency power when/if needed.
The cost of this option is not yet known, but it is assumed to be much less than the first two options, and
may be incorporated into the project if it is deemed practical by the AhCCAC.
The AhCCAC inquired about whether the quality of insulation in the building should be improved. The
results of an analysis by their engineering firm indicated that the building already has satisfactory insula-
tion and that there would be no practical benefit to improving it.
The architects and engineers working with the AhCCAC have since revised the design as requested and
delivered a new estimate for the construction that includes the structural changes to the large meeting
room, and upgrades to the HVAC system.
There were a few other updates to the proposed budget:
The cost of relocating Town offices into the building was not included in the original request. The
updated request now includes $50,000 for this purpose.
The allocation for Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (FF&E) was increased from $75,000 to
$125,000 after determining that furniture left by the previous owners was not suitable for use in
the Community Center.
The addition of new HVAC equipment increased the cost of commissioning the building from
$15,000 to $50,000.
Repairs to the building envelope for damage that was found after the closing.
$100,000 for the construction of a new sidewalk has been added. Due to an issue with the scope
of the STM warrant article, this component of the request will be voted under Article 8(a) of the
2014 Annual Town Meeting instead.
Conclusion
The final design and construction cost for this proposal is $6,320,000, the sum of $6,220,000 requested
under this Article and $100,000 requested under Article 8(a) of the Annual Town Meeting. The total
amount is approximately $3.2 million more than the $3.1 million appropriation approved at the November
2013 Special Town Meeting. Most of the additional request is eligible for CPA funding, except for office
relocation costs and the additional FF&E. The Appropriation Committee considers this to be a good plan
for a completed community center with no additional construction phases in the foreseeable future. The
study used to evaluate the financial feasibility of the community center construction allowed for a total
cost of $9.5 million, and the Committee is satisfied that this project is well within the capacity of the
Community Preservation Fund.
The Committee would like to acknowledge the extraordinary commitment shown by the members of the
AhCCAC, committee liaisons, and the many members of Town staff who have worked together over the
last few months to arrive at this goal.
The Committee recommends approval of this request (8-0).
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