HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-11-02-CEC-STM#2-rptCAPITAL EXPENDITURES COMMITTEE REPORT TO NOVEMBER 2, 2015, STM #2
CAPITAL EXPENDITURES COMMITTEE
TOWN OF LEXINGTON
REPORT TO THE
November 2, 2015, SPECIAL TOWN MEETING (STM) #2
Released October 26, 2015
Submitted by:
Jill L Hai, Chair
David G. Kanter, Vice -Chair & Clerk
Elizabeth DeMille Barnett
Rodney Cole
Wendy Manz
Starts on Reverse
CAPITAL EXPENDITURES COMMITTEE REPORT TO NOVEMBER 2, 2015, STM #2
Warrant - Article Explanations and Recommendations
Cites of the "Town Warrant" refer to the "Town of Lexington Warrant for the 2015 Special
Town Meeting #2", November 2, 2015.
Abbreviations: CPF = Community Preservation Fund; GF = General Fund;
SF = Stabilization Fund; TBD = To Be Determined; ATM = Annual Town Meeting;
STM = Special Town Meeting
TM #2 Article 3: Transfer of
Property to LexHAB
Amount
Requested
Funding
Source
Committee Recommends
N/A
N/A
Approval (5 -0)
"To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to transfer the land known as 34
Lowell Street...to the Lexington Housing Assistance Board, Inc. ( "LexHAB ") for nominal consideration,
or act in any other manner in relation thereto."
[Town Warrant]
The Town owns this parcel as it was part of the purchase of the Busa Farm land (May 6, 2009, Special
Town Meeting, Article 6); however, in order for LexHAB to participate in the State's Local Initiative
Program (LIP) "that encourages the creation of affordable housing by providing technical assistance to
communities and developers who are working together to create affordable rental opportunities for
low -and moderate- income households "1, LexHAB needs to own the property.
The requested authorization will permit the transfer to LexHAB —which can then complete the approval
process required by the State's Department of Housing and Community Development. That approval will
allow the units to be built on the site to be included in the State's Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI). It
is the SHI that determines whether a municipality has met the 10% affordable - housing -unit threshold
specified in the State's Chapter 40B and, thereby, be protected from developments that don't have to
comply with the municipality's zoning provisions.
At the time of this report and using the State's current method for counting units for the SHI, Lexington
has 11.19% of its housing units on the SHI, but must continually add new SHI- eligible units to help
ensure the Town does not fall below the 10% threshold when that percentage is recalculated after each
Federal Census.
TM #2 Article 4:
Appropriate For Water
System Improvement
Amount
Requested
Funding
Source
Committee Recommends
$2,500,000
Water Enterprise
Fund (Debt)
Approval (5 -0)
"To see if the Town will vote to make water distribution system improvements, including the installation
of new water mains and replace or clean and line existing water mains and standpipes, conduct
engineering studies and purchase and install equipment in connection therewith, in such accepted or
unaccepted streets or other land as the Selectmen may determine, subject to the assessment of betterments
or otherwise; and to take by eminent domain, purchase or otherwise acquire any fee, easement or other
interest in land necessary therefor; appropriate money for such improvements and land acquisition...; to
1 http: / /www.mass.gov /hed/ community /40b- plan /local - initiative - program - lip.html
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CAPITAL EXPENDITURES COMMITTEE REPORT TO NOVEMBER 2, 2015, STM #2
determine whether the Town will authorize the Selectmen to apply for, accept, expend and borrow in
anticipation of or from federal and state aid for such projects; or act in any other manner in relation
thereto."
"DESCRIPTION: Funds requested in this article will be used to repair and replace large water
mains in east Massachusetts Avenue. Some of these water mains date from 1896 and have
deteriorated and have pin -hole size leaks."
[Town Warrant]
The Town's water mains from the Arlington line to Woburn Street, which deliver potable water, range in
age from 119 years to 80 years. They have served Lexington well. A series of investigative tests for
tensile strength and corrosion were conducted by engineering consultants for the Department of Public
Works (DPW). Test results indicated that the aging water mains were beyond repair and will need
replacement. It also was found that not replacing the aging water mains would leave the Town vulnerable
to emergency water main breaks and costly emergency repairs.
This funding request is for the first segment of the proposed replacement work, replacing the water mains
on Massachusetts Avenue between Pleasant Street and Marrett Road, with additional replacement work in
the Woburn Street area. A significant portion ($1,878,985) of the replacement work is eligible for
Massachusetts Water Resource Authority zero - interest loans.
This Committee strongly supports water -main strategic replacement with the expectation that there will
be future DPW funding requests for the remaining water -main segments requiring replacement in the
Arlington to Woburn Street area.
TM #2 Article 5:
Appropriate For
Property
Improvements -241
Grove Street
Amount
Requested
Funding
Source
Committee Recommends
$200,000
CPF
(Cash)(Community
Housing)
Approval (5 -0)
"To see if the Town will vote, upon recommendation of the Community Preservation Committee [CPC],
to raise and appropriate a sum of money to remodel, reconstruct and make extraordinary repairs and
related improvements to the existing farm house at 241 Grove Street for community housing purposes,
and for other mitigation to the property, determine whether the money shall be provided by the tax levy,
by transfer from available funds, including the Community Preservation Fund, by borrowing, or by any
combination of these methods; or act in any other manner in relation thereto."
"DESCRIPTION: This article is to request funding for necessary improvements to the farm house
on the Wright Farm property owned by the Town in order to provide a unit of affordable
housing."
[Town Warrant]
A request for the funding to make those improvements to the farm house was originally planned to be
included along with the request to purchase the land (2015 ATM, Article 9) for both affordable housing
and conservation land; however, the scope of that Article's language did not include improvements. (This
Committee noted at the time that a future Town Meeting would be asked to fund that work.)
The estimate last year for the renovations to make the house into an affordable 4- bedroom unit—based on
an initial walk - through —was on the order of $140,000. A walk - through last month led to a revised
estimate that made provision for additional work found to be needed and, in discussion with the CPC,
there is now an additional contingency allowance for the potential of having to do the work in accordance
with historical - preservation specifications and procedures. (As with any appropriation, if the approved
amount is not required to accomplish the purpose described to Town Meeting at the time of the request,
the unused funds are returned to the source or, if for debt that wasn't issued, the authority is ultimately
rescinded.)
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CAPITAL EXPENDITURES COMMITTEE REPORT TO NOVEMBER 2, 2015, STM #2
This Committee anticipates that funding might be requested at a future Town Meeting from the CPF for a
Community Housing expense for any mitigation work done on the portion of the property planned for
affordable housing and for an Open Space expense for work done on the balance of the property which is
planned for conservation purposes.
TM #2 Article 6:
Appropriate Funds for
Fire Station Study
Amount
Requested
Funding
Source
Committee Recommends
$20,000
GF (Cash)
Approval (5 -0)
"To see if the Town will vote to appropriate a sum of money for studying potential sites for a fire station;
determine whether the money shall be provided by the tax levy, by transfer from available funds, by
borrowing or by any combination of these methods; or act in any other manner in relation thereto."
"DESCRIPTION: This article is to request funding for evaluating potential sites for a fire
station."
[Town Warrant]
This Committee appreciates that specific sites cannot be made public at the time of this report as such
identification in an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the negotiating position of the Town.
Notwithstanding that the specific sites to be studied cannot be identified, in light of the important need to
provide a modern Fire Department Headquarters located to allow acceptable response times, this
Committee has endorsed, and will continue to endorse, the Town's diligent evaluation of all potential
sites for such a Headquarters and, therefore, the funding requested under this Article.
TM #2 Article 7: Amend
FY2016 Operating,
Enterprise Fund and
Community Preservation
Budgets
Amount
Requested
Funding
Source
Committee Recommends
TBD
State Supplement
to the Community
Preservation Fund
Approval or Indefinite
Postponement (5 -0)
"To see if the Town will vote to make supplementary appropriations, to be used in conjunction with
money appropriated under Articles 4, 5 and 8 of the warrant for the 2015 Annual Town Meeting, to be
used during the current fiscal year, or make any other adjustments to the current fiscal year budgets and
appropriations that may be necessary; to determine whether the money shall be provided by the tax levy,
by transfer from available funds, from Community Preservation funds or by any combination of these
methods; or act in any other manner in relation thereto."
[Town Warrant]
At the time of this report, the only potential amendment on which this Committee would report is one to
adjust the Community Preservation Budget once the actual FY2016 State supplement to the Town is
known. However, as that amount is usually not released by the State until later in November than this
STM is expected to be in session, if that should be the case, this Committee would support Indefinite
Postponement of any action on that Budget. If that amount should be known while this STM is in session,
as any request would be simply to adjust the budget using the actual supplement, this Committee would
support that amendment.
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CAPITAL EXPENDITURES COMMITTEE REPORT TO NOVEMBER 2, 2015, STM #2
TM #2 Article 8:
Appropriate To and
From Specified
Stabilization Funds
Amount
Requested
Funding
Source
Committee Recommends
Appropriations To
totaling $87,826.45
as described below
Special Revenue
Accounts for each
of the Funds
Approval (5 -0)
"To see if the Town will vote to appropriate sums of money to and from Stabilization Funds in
accordance with Section 5B of Chapter 40 of the Massachusetts General Laws for the purposes of:
(a) Section 135 Zoning By -Law, (b) Traffic Mitigation, (c) Transportation Demand Management /Public
Transportation, (d) School Bus Transportation, (e) Special Education, (f) Center Improvement District;
(g) Debt Service, (h) Transportation Management Overlay District, (i) Avalon Bay School Enrollment
Mitigation Fund, and (j) Capital Projects; and determine whether the money shall be provided by the tax
levy, by transfer from available funds, or by any combination of these methods; or act in any other
manner in relation thereto.
[Town Warrant]
Note: All of the Town's Specified Stabilization Funds are in addition to the Town's General
Stabilization Fund. See the Appendix for a table with information on all the current Specified
Stabilization Funds.
The only two of the funds identified in the Warrant under this Article with capital implications and for
which actions are contemplated at this Special Town Meeting have appropriations to them as results of
the payments to the Town as follow —all made in connection with approval of a property- development
project in Town. (The balances are as of October 19, 2015.)
a. (b) The Traffic Mitigation SF —whose balance is $107,026.72: $481.45 from Cubist
Pharmaceuticals.
b. (h) Transportation Management Overlay District SF whose balance is $10,778.56:
$87,345.00 from King Street Properties.
TM #2 Article 9:
Appropriate For
Authorized Capital
Improvements
Amount
Requested
Funding
Source
Committee Recommends
N/A
N/A
Indefinite Postponement
(5 -0)
"To see if the Town will vote to make supplementary appropriations to be used in conjunction with
money appropriated in prior years for the installation or construction of water mains, sewers and sewerage
systems, drains, streets, buildings, recreational facilities or other capital improvements and equipment that
have heretofore been authorized...."
"DESCRIPTION: This is an article to request funds to supplement existing appropriations for
certain capital projects in light of revised cost estimates that exceed such appropriations."
[Town Warrant]
At the time of this report, there is no planned action under this Article.
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CAPITAL EXPENDITURES COMMITTEE REPORT TO NOVEMBER 2, 2015, STM #2
Appendix: Information on the Town's Current Specified
Stabilization Funds
Review of Lexington's Specified Stabilization Funds
for Applicability to the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee's Reports to a Lexington Town Meeting
Town Warrant, Town of Lexington, for Special Town Meeting #2 on 2 Nov 2015, signed 5 Oct 2015
Article 8: Appropriate To and From Specified Stabilization Funds
"To see if the Town will vote to appropriate sums of money to and from Stabilization Funds in accordance with Section 5B of
Chapter 40 of the Massachusetts General Laws for the purposes of: (a) Section 135 Zoning By -Law, (b) Traffic Mitigation, (c)
Transportation Demand Management /Public Transportation, (d) School Bus Transportation, (e) Special Education, (f) Center
Improvement District; (g) Debt Service, (h) Transportation Management Overlay District, (i) Avalon Bay School Enrollment
Mitigation Fund, and (j) Capital Projects; and determine whether the money shall be provided by the tax levy, by transfer from
available funds, or by any combination of these methods; or act in any other manner in relation thereto."
Warrant
Town Meeting (ATM = Annual; STM = Special)
Capital
Related
Comment
Sequence
Name
Created
Purpose
(a)
Section 135 Zoning By -Law
2007 ATM,
Art 39
"for the purpose of financing
public improvements pursuant to
Section 135 of the Code of
Lexington"
Yes
(b)
Traffic Mitigation
2007 ATM,
Art 39
"for the purpose of financing
traffic mitigation projects
pursuant to conditions of special
permits issue by the Town
Yes
(c)
Transportation Demand
Management /Public
Transportation
2007 ATM,
Art 39
"for the purpose of supporting
the operations of Lexpress Bus
Service"
No
(d)
School Bus Transportation
2007 ATM,
Art 39
"for the purpose of supporting
transportation of students to and
from school on a daily basis"
No
(e)
Special Education
2008 ATM,
Art 24
None stated when created, but
Appropriation Committee Report
to that Town Meeting says "for
setting aside reserves to help
cover unexpected out -of- district
Special Education expenses that
exceed budget"
No
(f)
Center Improvement District
2009 ATM,
Art 25
"to fund needed improvements
in Lexington Center"
Yes
(g)
Debt Service
2009 ATM,
Art 26
"for the purpose of paying a
portion of the debt service on
certain outstanding bonds of the
Town issued for the purpose of
the Diamond Middle School,
Clarke Middle School and High
School construction projects"
Yes
(h)
Transportation Management
Overlay District
2011 ATM,
Art 20
"for the purpose of financing
transportation infrastructure
improvements per Section 135 -
43C of the Code of the Town of
Lexington"
Yes
(i)
Avalon Bay School Enrollment
Mitigation Fund
2011 ATM,
Art 20
"to mitigate the cost of students
attending the Lexington Public
Schools who reside at Avalon
Bay"
No
(j)
Capital Projects
2012 STM
19 Nov,
Art 3, &
renamed
under 2015
ATM, Art
26e
Originally name "Capital
Projects /Debt Service
Reserve /Building Renewal Fund ";
purposes remained the same
when renamed
Yes
Name should not include
"Projects" as that was not
included in the renaming.
Prepared 16 Oct 2015 by David G. Kanter, Vice -Chair & Clerk, Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee
Appendix