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Home My WebLink About2021-11-18-CEC-min RECEIVED Minutes of the 2022 arn ��M Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting 03 Jan 0 November 18 2021 TOWN 1E APRIL 19*" .AING'f Q� IIL.IX:°iia.A il' ', IR II'tiW A, Location and Time: Remote Meeting; 8:00 A.M. CEC Members Present (remote participation): Charles Lamb, Chair; David Kanter, Vice-Chair & Clerk; Sandy Beebee; and Frank Smith CEC Members Absent: Rod Cole Others Present (remote participation): Other Lexington Committees: Scott Bokun and Sara Cuthbertson, School Committee liaisons; Staff: Department of Public Works (DPW& Dave Pinsonneault, Director, DPW; Marc Valenti, Manager of Operations, DPW; Dave Pavik, Water & Sewer Superintendent, John Zaccardi, Superintendent of Highways, Equipment, and Drains; Romina Comunale, Management Analyst, DPW; Engineering: John Livsey, Town Engineer; Finance Department. Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager for Finance, Jennifer Hewitt, Budget Officer; Sara Arnold, Recording Secretary Documents Presented: • Notice of Public Meeting/Agenda CEC Meeting, November 18, 2021 • DPW's FY2023-FY2027 Capital Improvement Programs/Projects (CIPs) • DPW's responses to CEC Questions Provided Regarding its CIPs • Backup Material for Many of the DPW FY2023-FY2027 CIPs Call to Order Mr. Lamb called this Remote (Virtual) Meeting, which had been posted as such, to order at 8:00 A.M. As all the Committee members present had been previously advised of the special conditions of this meeting, he passed on repeating them (i.e., the authority to not require a physical presence of a quorum and other selected terms under the Open Meeting Law is legislation signed on June 16th of this year by Massachusetts Governor Charles D. Baker). Mr. Lamb advised that materials provided electronically to the Committee or presented at the meeting, would be available upon request and are those listed in this Minutes as Documents Presented. Any votes during this meeting would be taken by a roll call. Further, this meeting would be recorded to assist in preparing Minutes, and the recording would be deleted once the Minutes is approved. Mr. Lamb took a roll-call attendance and determined that four members were present. Review of the DPW FY2023-FY2027 CIPs Appreciation was expressed for the responses that had been provided to CEC questions. During their review, global comments included, but were not limited to, the following: • Mr. Kanter suggested that, in general, it is preferred that cost estimates be on the high-side to avoid future requests for additional funding. • Mr. Pinsonneault noted that some CIPs would be updated as additional information became available. • Mr. Pinsonneault reported that additional back up material would be provided. During a review of the CIPs, staff provided supplemental information, including the following: • #5016: Equipment Replacement: There is always an effort to identify any trade in value for pieces of equipment that are being replaced. Page 1 of 3 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting November 18, 2021 • #5019: Townwide Signalization Improvements: The Town can request signalization upgrades on State roads. This usually results in State approval, but the Town is expected to implement the improvements at its own cost. The $80,000 remaining from the 2017 Annual Town Meeting appropriation for signalization should reduce the amount needed in out-years. Unlike the Fire Department vehicles, police vehicles are not currently equipped to trigger the traffic signals. • #5022: Street Improvements: An effort has been made to provide realistic estimates for out-years, which include escalators. Escalator/de-escalator clauses for asphalt are in the contracts, which affect costs during construction. • #5020: Storm Drainage Improvements & National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Compliance: There was discussion with the Select Board (SB) in September to discuss options for a Stormwater Enterprise Fund; additional discussion is anticipated. A By-Law would be needed to impose a financial penalty for illicit discharges into storm drains, although the responsible party is responsible for covering the corrective costs. • DPW 23-1 : Battle Green Streetscape Improvements: An oval-shaped round-about is being considered for the Harrington Road/Bedford Street intersection. It will need to be built in stages to ensure a continuous flow of traffic. This will be discussed at the SB December 6t" meeting. • DPW 23-3: Municipal Parking Lot Improvements: It has recently been determined that this parking lot should be designed and constructed as part of the Police Station Project, but the funding should be requested by DPW. The number of parking spaces has not yet been determined. The CIP will be updated as new information becomes available. • DPW 23-4: Public Parking Lot Improvement Program: Negotiating public parking in privately owned parking areas, as was considered in the past, is not being pursued. • DPW 23-5: New Sidewalk Installations: The projects scheduled for the next construction season will use the currently available funds. • DPW 23-6: Bedford/Hartwell Long-Range Transportation Improvements: When the Town completes a 25% design for this project it could be eligible for State funding sooner than the currently scheduled 2030-2035 timeframe. • #6001 : Pump Station Upgrades: The $520,000 requested a year ago was the delta between available funds and the amount needed to upgrade one pump station. Additional funds are needed for upgrading a second pump station. Volatility in prices has been substantial. • #6002: Sanitary Sewer System Investigation/Improvements: The average infiltration in Lexington is well below other Massachusetts Water Resources Authority communities. • #DPW 23-12: Water Tower Replacement: Lexington has leases with communication vendors that allow those companies to use Lexington's water towers for their Page 2 of 3 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting November 18, 2021 equipment. The leases limit Lexington's ability to terminate them, which complicates the Town's ability to replace the water towers at this time. The foundation of the small tower does not meet code. Alternative locations for a new water tower are being explored. The large tower is adequate on a temporary basis, but this eliminates redundancy. DPW staff departed at 8:58 A.M. Minutes and Future Meetings No Minutes are ready for approval at this time, and the meeting for this evening has been cancelled. The next meeting is on December 2, 2021, when the Department of Public Facilities' CIPs are scheduled for review. Member Concerns and Liaison Reports In response to a question from Ms. Kosnoff, this Committee expressed interest in participating as the Town makes plans for determining the use of funds for both operating costs and capital projects that have been made available through the American Rescue Plan Act. The spending does not require Town Meeting appropriations; staff is considering how to best establish a transparent process for making these decisions. Mr. Kanter noted another concern about unused funds from previous appropriations, including encumbered funds. Ms. Kosnoff agreed that this needs to be reviewed and there is "cleaning up" that needs to be done. Mr. Lamb reported that he is finalizing this Committee's written comments on plans for funding the Pension Fund, the Other Post-Employment Benefits Fund, and the Capital Stabilization Fund. Ms. Kosnoff noted that this will be discussed at a future financial summit. Adjourn A Motion was Made and Seconded at 9:11 A.M. to adjourn. Roll-Call Vote: 4-0 This Minutes was approved by the CEC at its meeting on December 30, 2021 Page 3 of 3