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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-03-21-CCAC-min TOWNOFLEXINGTON AdhocCommunityCenterAdvisoryCommittee(AhCCAC) Minutes Date: March 21, 2014 Place and time: Cary Memorial Building, Estabrook Hall, 8:30 .. AM Members Present: Michelle Ciccolo, Chair; Mary Ellen Alessandro; Harry Forsdick; Laura Hussong; Jon Himmel (Chair, Permanent Building Committee); Florence Koplow; Leslie Zales Members Absent: Betty Borghesani 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); Koren Stembridge, Library 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; John Mazerall, Police Department;Chief John Wilson, Fire Department; Committees: Glenn Parker, Chair, Appropriation Committee Also present:Pat Goddard, staff, DPF; Mark Barrett, staff, DPF; Sheila Butts, staff, Recreation Department; Nancy Adler, Chair, Council on Aging (COA) Board; Joel Adler, Town Meeting Member; Rich McDonough, Town Celebration Committee; Carroll A. Bottino, COA Board Recording Secretary: Sara Arnold The meeting was called to order by Ms. Ciccolo at 8:40 .. AM 1.Minutes: It was noted that the place and time referenced in the draft February 28, 2014 Minutes need to be corrected. Mr. Forsdick commented that he was not at the meeting and is not suggesting the Minutes are incorrect, but the Minutes refer to $200,000 in the Public, Educational and Governmental Access Revolving Fund being available for Lexington Community Center (LCC) technological infrastructure. He said that those funds are supposed to be used to support media access and not generic technological infrastructure. There was a motion and second to approve the Minutes of February 28, 2014, as corrected and March 5, 2014 as presented. The motion passed. VOTE: 7-0 2.Staff and Liaison Reports: Mr. Goddard reported that the LCC presentation created by Steffian Bradley Associates for the Town Meeting Members Association’s Information Session was being enhanced for the th March 24 presentation to the Special Town Meeting (STM). He explained that a sidewalk will not be included in STM Article 3: Amend Article 5 of November 4, 2013 STM, Renovation to Community Center. Safety concerns were identified when Town staff met with Scottish Rite staff to review the initial sidewalk design. An unlikely scenario is that the sidewalk will be included in ATM Article 8: Appropriate the FY2015 Community Preservation Committee Operating Budget and CPA Projects; more likely, this project will be brought to a future Town Meeting. Ms. Ciccolo reviewed relevant Town Meeting procedures, adding that she will try to arrange for this Committee to sit at the front during the Article 3 presentation and discussion. Ms. Adler urged committee members to attend to show their dedication to the project. Ms. Ciccolo reported that the Appropriation Committee supported STM Article 3 8-0, the CEC supported it 5-0, and the Board of Selectmen supported it 4- 0-1. Mr. Pato abstained because of unresolved questions related to the condensing boiler. Mr. Goddard explained that a new condenser is not needed; however, if the BoS decides to adopt a policy that requires additional sustainability, the question will need to be revisited. 3.Working Groups: Using the Draft Working Group Schematic, which demonstrated a first effort to assign people to various working groups, Ms. Ciccolo explained that there can be no more than four committee members on a working group, and she prefers to have no more than three. These groups do not need to keep formal Minutes, but having notes is advisable, and each group will need to present reports to the AhCCAC. Ms. Ciccolo said that the Tech Working Group should review the bid documents to ensure there is adequate infrastructure to support the technological needs of the new building. Because of the complexity of this aspect of the project, Mr. Goddard is planning to hire a consultant to coordinate the effort. Ms. Koplow suggested that safety and security in this large building will be challenging; it was agreed that having a separate Safety Working Group is advisable. Ms. Zales suggested that the Governance Working Group consider recommending a Volunteer Coordinator. Mr. Himmel recommended having one of the working groups plan the opening. There was considerable discussion about who should be on the identified working groups. ACTION ITEM: Ms. Ciccolo will update the schematic to reflect the discussion. 4.Correspondence : Ms. Ciccolo reported on a recent communication from the Council for the Arts, which submitted an application for an $8,000 grant to help develop a welcoming exhibit for the opening of the LCC. They wanted to know if this Committee supported this effort. Various ideas were identified, and it was generally agreed that this Committee supports this effort. Ms. Steigerwald added that the Council for the Arts is likely to help with fundraising for this and other art displays at the LCC. 5.User Policies: Ms. Stembridge reviewed the memos about library policies that she had distributed to this Committee. She explained that the policies are re-visited regularly and new iterations are reviewed by Town Counsel. Currently, library staff are developing a policy regarding unattended packages. She noted the importance of having staff available, including nights and weekends, who can help with technical equipment. All library staff members have some technical training. Using volunteers might be helpful, but is also challenging; they may not always be available, and there could be union issues. Furthermore, as technology becomes more complex, there is more disconnect between the average person using the facility and the equipment. Most library volunteers address on-going needs, such as shelving returned books. Ms. Stembridge made the following points regarding the use of the library’s two meeting rooms: The library does not charge use fees, and all events are open to the public. Determining whether a group’s event meets the library’s criteria can be challenging, particularly if the event is of a political or religious nature. Once the library had to prepare for protestors. Although they don’t allow classes, they do allow the Scouts to use the rooms. Sales are not allowed, but there can be a fine line between a workshop, for example, and the selling of a product or service. Only the League of Women Voters and a Veterans group are allowed to secure a room more than about eight weeks ahead. All requests must be approved by two library staff members before they are logged into the computer system and put onto a public calendar. They generally allow an hour between groups. Sometimes library staff will ask a group to change rooms to maximize use. The library website is used for communicating unscheduled closings, such as for weather; then a group will have to reschedule. It was agreed to concentrate on what this Committee wants for the LCC rather than considering uniform policies for rooms at the library, Cary Memorial Building and the LCC. The discussion about policies triggered some additional thoughts about the working groups, as follows: 2 The Program Working Group should include the existing Fix It Shop and Window Pane Shop. The Space/Interior Working Group will need to develop space usage policies; the Council for the Arts may be helpful. Someone should serve on the Program Working Group and the Governance Working Group to ensure coordination. The Governance Working Group may find existing documents to be useful, such as: The Human Services’ volunteer training manual used by 120-130 volunteers. The Recreation Department’s volunteer training manual and fee schedule. Mr. Goddard’s Rental Registration Form used for groups that are planning to use a Town building. Policies from other Towns, which some committee members already have. 6.Future Meetings: The next meeting is on Thursday, March 27, 2014 at 8:30 .. Additionally, this AM Committee is scheduled to meet on April 7, 2014 from 1:00 .. to 3 .. at the Muzzey Senior Center; senior PMPM citizens are being encouraged to attend and bring questions, concerns, and comments. Ms. Ciccolo recommended that this Committee meet with other standing committees that represent LCC stakeholders. In addition to the COA Board, these include the Human Services Committee, the Youth Commission and the Recreation Committee. ACTION ITEM: Ms. Ciccolo will explore scheduling such meetings. 7.Adjourn: A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 10:20 .. The motion passed. AM VOTE: 6-0 These minutes were approved on April 7, 2014. Materials distributed/used at the meeting: Public Meeting Agenda, March 21, 2014, AhCCAC Draft Work Group Schematic for 3/21/14 discussion only Community Center Memo from Ms. Stembridge to Ms. Vine updated March 15, 2014 with attached material: Cary Memorial Library, Staffing needed for non-library related activities o Cary Memorial Library, Bulletin Board and Materials Distribution Policy o Cary Memorial Library; Display Policy o Cary Memorial Library; Meeting room Policy o Cary Memorial Library; Rules of Behavior o Weston Council on Aging Business, Educational and cultural Programs and Flyers Posting Inquiry o Procedure Summary of Comments from Open House; Harry Forsdick and Florence Koplow, January 15, 2014 3