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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-11-10-CEC-min LL n Minutes of the Y = 4 Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting November 10, 2015 APRIL 19' Location and Time Samuel Hadley Public Services Building, Training Room, 7.30 A.M Members Present Jill Hai, Chair, David Kanter, Vice-Chair & Clerk, Elizabeth Barnett, Wendy Manz Member Absent Rod Cole Others Present Pat Goddard, Director, Department of Facilities (DPF), Shawn Newell, Assistant Director, DPF, Jon Himmel, Chair, Permanent Building Committee (PBC), Jessie Steigerwald, Chair, School Committee, Bill Hurley, Vice-Chair, School Committee, Katie Colburn, Appropriation Committee, Joe Pato, Chair, Board of Selectmen (BoS), Sara Arnold, Recording Secretary Documents Presented • Notice of Public Meeting for CEC Meeting, November 10, 2015 • DPF's FY2017—FY2021 Capital Improvement Projects (CIPS) • Town of Lexington, Public Facilities, MEP/Life Safety Capital Renewal Costs, Master Spreadsheet, prepared by Commercial Construction Consulting, Inc , Update 2013 • DPF FY2014—FY2018 CIP #869, Revision Date October 18, 2012, Building Renewal Funding • DPF CIP #979 Munroe School Roof [Updated October 21, 2015, Revision Date remained October 8, 2015] • DPF CIP #1009 Munroe School Window Study • CEC's CIP Questions FY2017-2021 for DPF, November 6, 2015 • Financial Impact of Major Capital Projects—FY17-21, prepared by Finance Department Call to Order Ms Hai called the meeting to order at 7:33 A.M Presentation of DPF's CIPS Mr Goddard began the discussion by reviewing handouts that provided perspective on the department's multi-year programs, life-cycle costing is incorporated into the plans There was reference to DPF's 2012 effort to initiate a Building Renewal Fund when it was estimated that $2 0 million was needed annually to maintain the Town's facilities The fund was not created, thus the DPF is working at the component level In response to general questions regarding the CIPS, Mr Goddard reported the following • Lexington Public School Educational Capacity Increase (#961) Includes components that were identified as separate projects a year ago, as follows Middle Schools Space Mining, Diamond Energy Improvements, Middle School Science and Performing Arts, and the Clark Middle School Circulation and Parking Improvements • Community Center Sidewalk The Department of Public Works is now responsible for this project. • The Interior Painting Program has been completed • Last year there was a focus on addressing the most immediate problems associated with extreme winter weather Page 1 of 5 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting November 10, 2015 • The Design & Engineering (D&E) component of projects generally includes 70% of the funds for the fiscal year prior to construction and 30% for the year the construction begins (which is primarily project management) The 30% is not laying the ground work for a new project. • The school capacity issues came late in the process for being incorporated into the five-year plan • Lexington High School (LHS) space mining was done before the prefabricated buildings were installed Committee Comment Given all of the major school-related building projects that are being pursued, it is surprising also to see seven separate CIPS for LHS projects Discussion about specific DPF CIPS continued, as follows • Townwide Roofing Program (#561) A roofing contractor is used annually to determine the roofs with the most critical needs The School Central Administration Building is currently so identified It is generally less expensive to pursue a "stand-alone" project than incorporating a roofing job into a large construction project that has a contract manager (CM) because of the CM's percentage-based fee Committee Request A spreadsheet with the square feet of all the roofs • School Building Envelope and Systems Program (#562) A screening for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in school-building caulking was conducted prior to the rebuilding of Estabrook Elementary School Projects are considered capital if they include an upgrade rather than just repair work. There could be some individual upgrades that are less than $25,000, but generally they are greater than $25,000 Committee Request Add some wording to explain how this project is addressing "extraordinary" needs • LHS Heating Systems Upgrade (#564) This had been envisioned as a multi-year project when it was going to be funded as non-excluded debt. The current proposal identifies the remaining costs compressed into just FY2017 & FY2018 to represent the funding for the scope intended to be included in a debt exclusion along with the other near-term School Building Projects The D&E portion is based on a recent estimated cost. It is anticipated that energy costs would be reduced by $50,000 to $75,000 annually This project remains separate from those addressed in the Facilities Mechanical/Electrical System Replacements (#939) as (1) the work at the High School has long been recognized as a very-large, discrete, need, and (2) the projects under#939 continue to be proposed for funding outside a debt exclusion Committee Request Updated CIP reflecting the increase to a $13 0 million request. • Municipal Building Envelope and Systems (#647) This project is the companion to #562 (for school buildings) in that it addresses municipal-buildings needs Committee Request Updated CIP with Description of Project's 1St line citing "Municipal" (rather than "Town") and adjustment of the FY2021 amount to $206,775 (rather than $210,121) to be consistent with the cited 2 5% increase each year • Building Flooring Program (#653) This project includes a FY2017 request for $25,000 to test the cafeteria flooring at Fiske Elementary School regarding the underneath, ongoing, moisture infiltration and to design an appropriate project. After Page 2 of 5 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting November 10, 2015 the design work is complete, there will be a better understanding of the construction costs Priorities for flooring projects are determined each spring Since 2011, there have been flooring projects at Clarke and Diamond Middle Schools (Clarke and Diamond) and Hastings Elementary School (Hastings) • School Paving Program (#698) The $363,000 that was appropriated at the 2015 Annual Town Meeting to address Clarke traffic circulation issues is expected to be rescinded as that work is now proposed as part of the major work at that school The paving design at Bridge Elementary School will be coordinated to avoid conflicts with the future location of prefabricated buildings or the dam repairs needed at the Old Reservoir Committee Requests Updated CIP to reflect the appropriate increase for FY2021 (e g , if 2 5%, to $170,150 rather than to $172,596) Ms Steigerwald Comments School traffic flow needs attention, and it needs to be determined whether the school paving projects should be from the tax levy or debt exclusion and whether each school should have its own "stand alone" CIP Sidewalk projects need to be coordinated with the paving projects • Public Facilities Bid Documents (#749) In FY2016, from a comparable spring 2015 appropriation, $29,000 has been spent to look at Clarke space mining In FY2015, a number of small projects at LHS were designed from a comparable appropriation • Visitors Center (#835) There are plans for a stakeholder meeting on November 19th with a goal to identify the program for the facility This will be followed by a December meeting with the PBC to work on the project's scope The architect was asked to show options, and a new facility was presented as an option, but the CIP funding request envisions FY2017 renovations and an addition to the existing facility rather than a new building Current funding sources include Community Preservation Act funds and the tax levy There has been no discussion about private funding • Hastings School Renovation/Replacement (#870) The funding request in this CIP would allow the Town to proceed with plans to rebuild Hastings should the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) invite Lexington into the eligibility period The Town is awaiting response from the MSBA regarding the Town's Statement of Interest (SOI) in receiving State aid for the project. (The full feasibility-study amount for the Hastings work must be appropriated even if there should later be MSBA approval of a partial reimbursement—which would be expected to be at approximately 32% of the portions of the project that the MSBA deems eligible for reimbursement.) Under Article 2 in the November 2, 2015, Special Town Meeting (STM) #1, it is expected there will be a request for design funding of multiple schools, including about $574,000 to begin schematic design for the Hastings project should the MSBA decline the submitted SOI The preliminary work prepared by DiNisco Design Partnership can be used in either scenario—and even if a new architect is brought into the project. The goal is to have a new school with 30 classrooms by the fall of 2019 The debt-exclusion request would be for about $60 0 million in either scenario In either scenario it would be necessary to request funding for a feasibility study from the 2016 Annual Town Meeting (ATM) In this CIP, the project management component is included in the construction costs Page 3 of 5 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting November 10, 2015 Committee Request A memo describing the issues associated with receiving MSBA approval • Community Center Enhancements (#892) The enhancements requested in this project were not identified until the facility was open and the operational plans were put into place The enhancements would improve visibility, thus security, and increase functionality of the arts-and-crafts room by installing a partition The partition represents 60% of the request. Committee Comments Perhaps this could be covered in the operating budget. It also may be possible to seek Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds for some of the partition costs • Security Camera Upgrade to Digital from Analog (#937) This project is addressing cameras at the School Central Administration Building • Public Facilities Mechanical/Electrical System Replacements (#939) The systems that need replacement components were installed in 2000 and 2003 and are located on the roofs of buildings where they are exposed to the elements, the boilers do not need to be replaced • Lexington Public School Educational Capacity Increase (#961) The School Committee needs to provide updated material • Munroe School Roof (#979) The Munroe Center for the Arts would be assessed for the new roof, they would make monthly payments, scheduled over five years Committee Comments The agreement with the Munroe Center for the Arts is silent about responsibility for capital projects, this should be corrected • LHS Security Evaluation and Upgrade (#989) The security systems at LHS need to be re-evaluated, the campus arrangement creates challenges for locking down the school This effort is being coordinated with the Police Department. • LHS Guidance Space Mining (#990) A new CIP, which includes enrollment numbers, has been provided • LHS Nurse Office and Treatment Space (#991) Increasing enrollment added to the already overcrowded situation is driving this project request. Facility improvements for the nurses have previously been made at the middle schools • Building Resiliency Plan (#992) This project would allow the Town to develop a plan for responding to a major emergency that would ensure the ability to sustain critical services and the Town's core mission This could influence future construction, e g , Hastings Ms Barnett departed at 9.35 A M • LHS Fitness Center/Athletic Training Floor (#993) LHS constitutes 25% of the Town's facilities Committee Request Additional rationale for the project is needed • Lexington High School Visual Arts Sinks (#994) This project is an enhancement, requires design documents, and will go out to bid Committee Comments This should be moved to the operating budget. • Harrington Wiring Upgrade (#998) Removed • Harrington Electrical & Storage Needs for Staff Lunch Room (#999) Removed Page 4 of 5 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting November 10, 2015 • Harrington Replace Retractable Wall in Cafe/Gym (#1000) The current retractable wall is not an acoustical barrier All possible maintenance to address the problem has been tried unsuccessfully Committee Comment Consider moving this out a year • Harrington Cafeteria Sink (#1001) The sink is needed, but this project could be included under the School Building Envelope and Systems Program (#562) • Munroe School Window Study (#1009) This project has been submitted to the Community Preservation Committee for approval of the funding for a study Three windows at the Muzzey Condominiums were recently replaced for approximately $2000 per window, indicating that construction of this project would be approximately $250,000 Mr Goddard suggested that, because a new Hastings will not be realized for at least four years, there may be an additional CIP for $75,000 to install window air conditioners in the 19 classrooms at Hastings There is ample electrical power Liaison Report Ms Hai reported on the financial model that was presented and discussed at Monday evening's BoS meeting The model includes all of the large building capital projects that are being contemplated over the next five years It does not include replacing LHS or count of funds from any new growth in the Town It identifies FY2017 as the last year for funding the Capital Stabilization Fund (Capital Fund) in the foreseeable future There is currently $16-17 million in the Capital Fund The financial model assumes drawing down the Capital Fund completely over five years, a 4% interest rate, using up to 30-year bond terms, depending on the life expectancy of each project, and the projected decline in existing debt service The incremental increases in taxes for excluded debt would result in a peak cumulative increase per average-value residential parcel of approximately $1,000 in FY2021 Additionally, an operating override may be necessary in 2019, which would further increase taxes Mr Pato encouraged the Committee members to share their reactions and observations at the Budget Summit being held on November 12th He noted that this would be the largest increase the Town had ever requested and the financial burden may be untenable to taxpayers If these projects are not approved, the quality of the educational system would be impacted If they are approved, there could be a change in Lexington's demographics Ms Hai asked that the School Committee share its position, during the Budget Summit, on how the projects impact policy Adjourn A Motion was made and seconded at 10.35 A.M to adjourn Vote 3-0 These Minutes were approved by the CEC at its meeting on January 5, 2016 Page 5 of 5