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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-02-05-AC-min 02/05/15 AC Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee February 5, 2015 Place and time: Parker Room, Town Office Building, 7:30 p.m. Members present. Glenn Parker, Chair; John Bartenstein, Vice Chair and Secretary; Mollie Garberg; Alan Levine; Beth Masterman; Susan McLeish; Eric Michelson; Richard Neumeier; Andrei Radulescu-Banu; Rob Addelson (non-voting, ex officio) Members Absent: None Other attendees: Patty Moore, Budget Officer; Paul Ash, Superintendent of Schools; Margaret Coppe, Chair, School Committee; Kate Colburn, Lexington Parents Advocacy Group, Fiske Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization The meeting was called to order at 7:33 p.m. 1. Announcements: Mr. Radulescu-Banu reported that he had become aware of four homeless individuals apparently living in Lexington; he wanted this Committee to be aware of the issue. Mr. Addelson confirmed that there are plans to hold two special town meetings (STMs)in the spring. One STM will allow the Town to address some administrative issues. The other will be used for school capital budget requests that are currently being developed. Separating them will allow flexibility in closing the school STM without impacting other articles. 2. Liaison Reports: Mr. Parker reported that earlier in the day he and Mr. Michelson had attended a meeting, called by Mr. Addelson and Town Manager Carl Valente, Town Manager, with representatives from the Capital Expenditures Committee and the School Committee. This was an effort to prepare for the Budget Summit scheduled for February 111', which will focus on the need for additional school building capacity for current and projected enrollment. The discussion allowed those present to clarify their questions and perspectives on the issues. 3. Minutes: A motion was made and seconded to approve the January 29, 2015 Minutes, as edited both prior to the meeting and at the meeting. The motion was approved. VOTE: 9-0 4. Preparation for this Committee's Reports to the 2015 Town Meetings: Some changes were made to the assignments for writing and editing material for the reports. Updates on the following items were discussed: • Pump Station Repairs (STMArticle 4): Mr. Addelson reported that the Department of Public Works is addressing a problem with noise in the sewer force main that is fed by the pump station at the Bedford St.-Route 128 interchange. On an immediate basis, a device is being rented that should mitigate the periodic, disturbing noises. An engineering analysis is being pursued to determine a long-term solution to the problem. 1 02/05/15 AC Minutes Some costs associated with the pump station will be covered by the annual wastewater article request for $1.2 million that addresses maintenance, but an additional $750,000 is needed for the recently identified noise issues. Funding for the latter will come from debt service in the Wastewater Enterprise Fund. Mr. Levine reported that some residents question whether the proper studies are being done to address the noise issue. • Fire Engine Purchase (STMArticle 6): Mr. Michelson reported that Article 6 requests $500,000 for a replacement fire pumper. In 2000, the Town purchased a fire pumper that was returned to the manufacturer because of mechanical failure. A settlement was reached, and the Town will be receiving $500,000, but, Mr. Addelson reported, these funds will not be available for use before the end of FY 2015. The Town wants to purchase a replacement vehicle before the end of the fiscal year to take advantage of the State's current group purchasing contract, which expires at the end of June 2015. A straw vote was taken, and there was unanimous support of this article. • Cary Memorial Building Sidewalk(STMArticle 6): Ms. McLeish reported that this article seeks funds for the installation of a cement sidewalk with brick borders around the Cary Memorial Building. The Board of Selectmen voted earlier in December to support this design, which is considered less expensive and more durable than an all-brick design, and is preferred by the Commission on Disability. The project is Community Preservation Act- eligible, but neither the Community Preservation Committee nor the Capital Expenditures Committee has voted on it because the Historic Districts Commission (HDC)has not yet taken a position on the design. The HDC, which will be addressing the project at an upcoming meeting later this month, may advocate an all-brick design; however, the Board of Selectmen questions whether the HDC has jurisdiction. Mr. Michelson expressed strong support for the cement sidewalk with a brick border. A straw vote was taken, and the results were 8-0-1 in favor of the currently proposed design. Mr. Radulescu-Banu abstained pending the receipt of further information about the relative merits of brick and cement sidewalks. • School Building Capital Projects: Dr. Ash provided an overview of issues related to current space shortages in the schools, increasing school enrollment, and the compounded pressure on school facilities. His comments included the following: ➢ An Enrollment Working Group (EWG) evaluated enrollment projections using the Cohort Survival Method, a standard method used by school systems nationwide, to determine its applicability to Lexington's experience. The findings included the following: • Projections of elementary level enrollment increases in Lexington using the Cohort Survival Method lacked accuracy over recent years. • A linear projection model shows elementary school enrollment increases considerably greater than the Cohort Survival Method as previously implemented by the School Administration. • The enrollment increases at the elementary level are coming from apartments and condominiums, not single family homes. 2 02/05/15 AC Minutes ■ There is still sufficient capacity in apartments and condominiums to support continued enrollment increases well beyond the next five years. ➢ The Town hired Symmes, Maini, &McKee Associates (SMMA) to evaluate the capacity of the current school buildings and to provide concepts for addressing space shortages based on current and projected enrollment. SMMA also explored options for addressing current space shortages on a short-term basis. The findings included the following: • Eight of the nine elementary and middle schools are currently at or over capacity. • The pre-kindergarten program has outgrown its space in Harrington Elementary School. Space in the School Administration Building is being used, but this is not a satisfactory long-term solution. The program is governed by state regulations that are not flexible. The Town is obligated to provide a pre-K program only for children with special needs; however, the state will not approve a Town-operated program unless non-special-needs children are also admitted. Without adequate space for a combined special needs and non-special needs program, the special education students in the pre- kindergarten program would have to be sent to out-of-district programs, an expensive alternative and one that makes no sense for children less than five years old. • Schools need additional space to allow for enrollment fluctuations and fluctuations in the number of students per grade that need to be accommodated. • Schools need core space in addition to classrooms that is enrollment-dependent. The cafeteria, gymnasium, art room, music room, library, nurses' facilities, etc. must be able to support the student population in a school. Enrollments at the Bridge and Bowman schools are proposed to be reduced to "right-size" these schools. • SMMA used the Massachusetts School Building Authority criteria for determining the appropriate size for classrooms and core space. These criteria have changed over the years to accommodate additional space needs resulting from the use of technology in the classroom and the increased use of one-on-one or small group teaching methods. Many rooms are currently inadequate under these standards. Ideas were suggested and questions were asked by this Committee; Dr. Ash and Ms. Coppe responded, sharing information about all the avenues that had been explored and adding details that illustrated the complexity of a multi-dimensional problem. Ms. Coppe noted that redistricting will be part of the solution, and parents are being prepared for this. There was discussion about the funding associated with adding space to school buildings. Dr. Ash shared a handout that identifies a possible funding approach that includes a spring 2015 appropriation of$4,080,000 to fund further studies, schematic-level design, design development, construction documents, and bidding—with the level of work tailored to each of the schools involved and the projected timelines to bring on the additional capacity at each school. The concept is to retain flexibility as more information is gained about the costs and timing of the various capital-improvement components being considered but to have funds available to pursue the most pressing needs in an efficient and timely approach. Mr. Levine expressed his concern about the amount of money being requested for school projects. Attempting to address the need for new municipal buildings, new school buildings, and other school projects in a relatively short time, as set forth in the funding model created by Carl Valente, Town Manager, and Mr. Addelson, could result in an unacceptable tax burden that may not be supported by Lexington's taxpayers. He supports the work that was 3 02/05/15 AC Minutes done by the EWG and SMMA, but he wants to see funding alternatives, such as phasing projects, that allow more flexibility and reduce the impact on the tax rate. All potential debt exclusion funding for Town and School projects needs to be included. Dr. Ash stressed two points: ➢ There is an immediate, critical need for additional pre-kindergarten space and additional middle school space, irrespective of enrollment projections. ➢ The request for the $4,080,000 does not make a commitment to a series of projects that address all the enrollment issues; it allows the Town to prioritize the best approach for addressing the capacity needs associated with current and projected enrollment. Mr. Addelson discussed probable funding techniques for the $4,080,000. Dr. Ash said that he envisions a debt exclusion referendum in December 2015 or January 2016. The meeting was adjourned at 9:55 p.m. The documents used at the meeting are listed below. Respectfully submitted, Sara Arnold Recording Secretary Approved February 19, 2015 Exhibits 1. Agenda, posted by Glenn Parker, Chair 2. Project Votes in Rob and Carl's Model(Model no. 1); February 1, 2015; prepared by Mr. Levine 3. A Recommended Funding Approach with Flexibility that helps Achieve the Currently Slated School Projects; prepared by Mr. Jon Himmel, Co-Chair Permanent Building Committee, January 28, 2015; distributed by Dr. Ash 4