Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-10-28-CEC-min 0„3s,PAO �1kr, 00 Minutes of the je n Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting APRIL YS 4 October 28, 2014 Location and Time Town Office Building, Parker Room, 8.00 A.M Members Present Jill Hai, Chair, David Kanter, Vice-Chair & Clerk, Wendy Manz Member Absent Rob Cole Others Present Chief Mark Corr, Police Department, Chief John Wilson, Fire Department, Donna Hooper, Chief Information Officer and Town Clerk, Dorinda Goodman, Information Technology (IT) Director, Rob Addelson, Assistant Town Manager for Finance, Sara Arnold, Recording Secretary Documents Presented • Notice of Public Meeting/Revised Agenda for October 28, 2014 • IT Department's FY2016—FY2020 Capital Improvement Projects (CIPS) • Fire Department's FY2016—FY2020 CIPS • Police Department's FY2016—FY2020 CIPS • Ms Hai E-mail, October 27, 2014 6.30 P M , to Chief Corr, Chief Wilson, Ms Hooper, Mr Addelson, Ms Goodman, and all CEC members, Subj CEC Questions for Tomorrow's Presentations • VoIP Master Plan Timeline, prepared by IT Department • Memo prepared by IT, Fire, and Police Departments, Subj Public Safety Radio Associated Capital Projects • Diagram prepared by IT Department, Subj Police/Public Safety Radio Infrastructure 2014 • Diagram prepared by IT Department, Subj Fire/Public Safety Radio Infrastructure 2014 • Table prepared by the Fire Department with information on its Capital Equipment Inventory • Draft #2 Minutes of the CEC Meeting, September 23, 2014 (distributed by Mr Kanter's e-mail to all CEC members, September 23, 2014 5 54 P M ) • Draft #2 Minutes of the CEC Meeting, October 8, 2014 (distributed by Mr Kanter's e-mail to all CEC members, October 14, 2014 1 50 P M ) • Lexington Tourism Committee Interoffice Memorandum to the Board of Selectmen, October 17, 2014, Subj Use of Design Funds for Visitors Center (distributed by Mr Kanter's e-mail to all CEC members, October 25, 2014 1 .05 P M ) • Mr Cole Notes from the Ad hoc School Master Planning Committee's meeting, October 23, 2014 (distributed by Mr Kanter's e-mail to all CEC members, October 25, 2014 4.04 P M ) Call to Order Ms Hai called the meeting to order at 8.01 A.M Page 1 of 6 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting October 28, 2014 Discussion of IT Department CIPS Ms Goodman supplemented the CIPS, as follows • Replace Town Wide Phone Systems Phase IV (#553) Because of procurement delays, this project is behind schedule Using a timeline, Ms Goodman demonstrated which buildings have received the new system, those that are in the installation process, and those that are outstanding Phase IV funding is being requested for the Police Department phone system For schools that have not yet received the new system, the School Department is developing schedules that avoid disruption of school programs In response to Mr Kanter's question about requesting additional funds at this time even though delays have resulted in previously allocated funds not being used to-date, Ms Goodman explained that the schedule for school installations is not yet determined and this could result in some "catching up" on the schedule Also, it is important that the project move forward as the facilities are ready for the phone-system replacement. Mr Addelson added that these projects are debt financed and if approved by Town Meeting, but the funds are not needed, he would request that those financing authorizations be rescinded He acknowledged that there may be a perception issue, but the Town has no financial impact until the debt obligation is incurred It was noted that $204,000 is identified for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, this would be for Fiske and Harrington Elementary Schools and the Cary Memorial Building REQUEST Members of this Committee asked that an updated timeline be provided in the early spring so it could be considered when preparing the Committee's Report to the 2015 Annual Town Meeting (ATM) Head End Equipment Replacement (#556) The Town experienced problems when using the Liberty Mutual building for its network head-end equipment the location lacked adequate security and access to an emergency generator The Town recently moved this equipment to 201 Bedford Street to address these problems Currently there is adequate space at 201 Bedford Street. There will be additional space at the new Lexington Community Center (LCC) that could be useful for housing some head-end equipment, but the LCC renovation plans do not include installation of an emergency generator Mr Kanter reported that including an emergency generator has been considered, but wasn't a high-enough priority for LCC purposes to be included in the current renovations However, a concept was developed for such a generator and one could be added to the LCC if needed The CIP does not include a request for additional funding in FY2016 Municipal Technology Improvement Program—Phase III (#708) The amount being requested for FY2016 is $31,000 greater than last year's estimate for FY2016 because it was difficult to estimate costs two years in advance, the scope has not changed Page 2 of 6 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting October 28, 2014 Network Redundancy & Improvement Plan—Phase III (#855) The FY2016 funding request is for installing wireless capability in the Cary Memorial Building, wireless service can serve, to some degree, as a redundancy resource Several Town buildings will have wireless installed during the current FY, and the LCC will have wireless capability when it opens in the spring of 2015 In response to questions, Ms Goodman explained that more information is needed from the connectivity study, which has reached the design and engineering stage, before additional project costs can be identified or schematics showing time lines can be developed It was noted that the acronym "MAN" refers to municipal area network and includes Schools and Town facilities This Committee expressed a high-priority interest in seeing a full redundancy plan as soon as it can be provided Discussion of Fire Department CIPs Chief Wilson supplemented the Fire Department CIPS, as follows • Public Safety Radio Stabilization (#926) This project includes replacing the Police Department's copper telephone lines with fiber-optic cables, expanding the Fire Department's wireless connections to outlying areas, and creating a redundant repeater system The project is based on results of Lexington's connectivity study and has been split into two years of capital requests that will serve both the Fire and Police Departments A handout identified which parts of the project are being managed by the IT Department, the Police Department, and the Fire Department. Because there are overlapping areas of interest, these three departments are working very closely together Portable Radio Equipment (#741) Federal Communication Commission (FCC) requirements are going to be updated sometime between 2020 and 2025, and the FCC reports that the changes will make the current equipment obsolete Efforts are being made to minimize expenditures that support the current portable radio equipment. The Fire Department is currently using grant money to replace radios, as needed Ladder Truck Replacement (#849) The Fire Department anticipates needing a new ladder truck in FY2017 for a projected cost of $1,000,000 As shown on the inventory of Fire Department vehicles, the current ladder truck began operating in Lexington in June 2001 The trade-in value for that vehicle is currently estimated at $75,000 to $100,000 It was noted that the Massachusetts Metropolitan Area Planning Council has contracts with large-vehicle manufacturers that are used by municipalities, the current contract that covers ladder trucks expires in 2016, but there is an expectation an applicable contract will be in place when Lexington needs to order its replacement. Ambulance Replacement (#735) A new ambulance was ordered on July 1, 2014, and should be delivered in the near future After the trade-in value of a retired ambulance was factored in, the cost of the new vehicle was $250,000—which was Page 3 of 6 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting October 28, 2014 appropriation Each of the Town's three ambulances is on a 9-year rotation schedule, funds for a new ambulance are expected to be requested again for FY2018 Headquarters Fire Station Replacement (#738) As previously requested by Mr Addelson, discussion on this matter was deferred until a yet-to-be proposed date Discussion of Police Department CIPS Chief Corr supplemented the Police Department CIPS, as follows • Software (Police & Fire/Emergency Medical Service [EMS]) (#477) The Police and Fire Departments have been using a software program purchased in 1994 that has been cumbersome and inefficient to use Staff has spent several years seeking an alternative system that would meet both Departments' needs Earlier this year a fully integrated police, fire, and dispatch system was identified Over 300 public-safety entities, including those in Nantucket, MA, are using this product. Staff has seen demonstrations, and will be visiting Nantucket and a user in New Jersey in the near future as part of the Town's research into this system All information collected so far indicates that it will meet Lexington's public-safety needs and that the vendor is reliable and responsive Transitioning to a new system will require staff training, a well-coordinated effort to ensure a seamless process, and moving data from the old system to the new Mr Kanter asked whether it would be planned to operate the new system in parallel with the current system for a period before cutting over to the new system and Chief Corr's response was "yes" To date, the current vendor has been cooperative and supportive of the changes the Town is contemplating it would want. It was also noted that the hardware hosting the system software is portable, so moving it to other facilities—such new buildings for the Police and Fire Departments Headquarters—would not be a major undertaking and continued operation straightforward provide the other facilities have the necessary connectivity in place In response to Mr Kanter's questioning whether the $140,000 included in the request for overtime by the Departments' staff for training was eligible as a capital expense, Mr Addelson said he planned to verify that with the Town's Bond Counsel Police Station, Renovation and Add-on Design and Engineering (#692) As previously requested by Mr Addelson, discussion on this matter was also deferred until a yet-to-be proposed date Future Meetings and Schedule The next scheduled meeting is on November 4, 2014, at 8.00 A.M , in the Cary Memorial Library Special instructions have been distributed regarding entry because the library is not open to the public at 8.00 A.M Page 4 of 6 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting October 28, 2014 Ms Hai reminded the Committee that Monday, November 10th at 8.00 AM , had previously been identified for a Committee meeting Two entries on its Agenda will be for the previously planned discussion of the content and format of the Committee's Report to the 2015 ATM and to at discuss this Committee's process and procedure regarding review of CIPS It was generally agreed that having this Committee identify and submit questions to the department heads prior to meeting with this Committee helped expedite the process and should be continued As this Committee does not yet know what non-Town applications will have been submitted to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) for its consideration of recommending approval to the 2015 ATM, presentations on those applications are not yet scheduled to this Committee Once the CPC has reviewed those applications and, at least preliminarily has looked favorably on them, it will be necessary to fit them into this Committee's schedule Mr Addelson and Carl Valente, Town Manager, have asked to attend this Committee's December 16th meeting to hear this Committee's initial positions on the projects (That will permit them to give consideration of those positions in the preparation of the Town Manager's FY2016 Preliminary Budget & Financing Plan ["White Book"] which is scheduled to be released on January 12, 2015 ) Ms Hai asked that members be prepared to stay until 10.30 A.M at the December 9th meeting to prepare for the December 16th meeting Mr Kanter noted that the Department of Public Works and Department of Public Facilities may each require more than the one meeting each in the current schedule Ms Hai suggested that with questions being submitted ahead of the presentation meetings, less discussion is needed, therefore, it may be possible to cover each of those departments in one meeting Approval of Minutes A Motion was made and seconded to approve the Draft #2 Minutes of the CEC Meeting, September 23, 2014 Vote 3-0 A Motion was made and seconded to approve the Draft#2 Minutes of the CEC Meeting October 8, 2014, Vote 3-0 Member Concerns and Liaison Reports Ms Hai commented that she is anxious to have a fifth member of this Committee appointed as soon after the November 4th election as possible, that is when it will be known whether Bill Hurley, candidate for School Committee, is elected or is available to be reappointed to this Committee Ms Hai is discussing this with Deborah Brown, Town Moderator, who makes the appointments to this Committee Mr Kanter noted the Tourism Committee's memo to the Board of Selectmen (BoS) with its recommendations for moving forward with renovations to the Visitors Center Ms Manz reported further on the Visitors Center including that the Chamber of Commerce is moving out of the building and the Town now runs the gift shop—which has financial challenges She has provided a report to the BoS suggesting that the Tourism Committee is filling in where there is a void, but their role needs to be clearly defined There was discussion about the Visitors Center being moved to the Lexington Depot building—which is owned by the Lexington Historical Society It was noted that there are advantages of having that Center Page 5 of 6 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting October 28, 2014 adjacent to the Battle Green, the Depot's current use is playing a valuable role in Town, there would be the downside to the current Visitors' Center becoming an empty building, and the Depot may be able to serve as swing space while the Visitor Center is renovated There was discussion that Ms Manz, who is the CEC liaison to the Ad hoc Community Center Advisory Committee (AhCCAC), is not expected to attend every meeting because the AhCCAC is now focusing on the LCC's programs and operations—that have operating budget implications rather than capital budget impacts—however, an official liaison position remains useful in case a capital-related matter is added to an AhCCAC agenda. Mr Kanter brought to the Committee's attention that Mr Cole, the CEC liaison to the Ad hoc School Master Planning Committee (AhSMPC), had provided his notes from the AhSMPC's meeting on October 23, 2014 Adjourn A Motion was made and seconded at 10.02 A.M to adjourn Vote 3-0 These Minutes were approved by the CEC at its meeting on December 9, 2014 Page 6 of 6