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Home My WebLink About2021-12-02-CEC-min (AM) RECEIVED Minutes of the tui „ ::: u�i Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting xx December 2, 2021 ° L " RK `\l APRIL 19," �/ VI..W» tN W'WwNN M XINGI, Location and Time: Remote Meeting; 8:00 A.M. CEC Members Present (remote participation): Charles Lamb, Chair; David Kanter, Vice-Chair & Clerk; Sandy Beebee; Rod Cole; and Frank Smith CEC Members Absent: None Others Present (remote participation): Other Lexington Committees: Suzie Barry, Select Board (SB); Glenn Parker, Appropriation Committee liaison; Staff: Department of Public Facilities (DEFJ: Mike Cronin, Director, DPF; Shawn Newell, Assistant Director, DPF; Recreation and Community Programs: Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs; Cary Memorial Library Koren Stembridge, Library Director; 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, December 2, 2021 • DPF's FY2023-FY2027 Capital Improvement Programs/Projects (CIPs) • DPF's responses to CEC Questions Provided Regarding its CIPs • Backup Material for Many of the DPF 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 in 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 the 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, determining that five members were present. Review of the DPF FY2023-FY2027 CIPs The Committee expressed its appreciation for the responses that had been provided to its questions. Mr. Cronin started by making the following points: • Information from a VFA-facility assessment that included a 20-year plan was condensed into a five-year window for developing the CIPs. • There are four buildings for which staff needs additional direction pending future funding or other planning. They are Lexington High School (LHS), the Police Station, East Lexington Fire Station, and the School's Central Office Building. These facilities need significant investments, requiring coordination. It is planned to address that at Page 1 of 3 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting December 2, 2021 the Summit IV which is scheduled for February 10th next year. In the interim, assumptions were made in preparing these CIPs. • In some cases, level funding was used in the CIPs because of the uncertainties associated with those buildings. Ms. Hewitt reported that the financial summit scheduled for February 10, 2022, has been repurposed to discuss these issues. • Community Preservation Act (CPA) eligible projects have been consolidated into a one-year window because such funding appears to be available. In response to questions, Mr. Cronin's comments included, in part, the following: • Encumbered funds from previous appropriations are being used for the allocated project. Any unused funds are returned, as appropriate; there is an effort to avoid holding onto "old money". • It can be difficult to hire people in the trades (e.g., plumbers) that has resulted in some additional contract work. • Internally, staff is generally prepared to meet the challenges associated with staffing shortages. • There is a shortage of architects, which is impacting the ability to move forward on some projects. • Program management is generally handled internally except when facilities are being replaced or when new roofs are being installed. There was discussion about a backlog of projects and how they will be handled. Ms. Kosnoff commented that staff has been working on this, but additional work is needed to complete a comprehensive plan. During a review of the specific CIPs, staff provided supplemental information, including the following: • #5006A: Building Flooring: There is a short time-span in the summer to replace floors in the schools. To date, the replacement of twenty floors (four per school building) has been adequate to meet goals. Some floors still have asbestos, increasing the cost of replacement. Building viability is ranked A—F. The goal for buildings currently ranked B or better is to sustain a rank of B or better. C-ranked buildings would continue to be maintained at that level. Replacement of floors in buildings that are ranked a D—F is pursued if safety and cleanliness are compromised. • #5011 : School Building Envelopes and Associated Systems: The windows in the School Central Administration Building need to be replaced. There needs to be a conversation about the future of this building. The School Department manages the use of the space. • DPF-23-1 : Lexington Police Station Rebuild: The cost estimate of $25.6 million was developed by a cost estimator. Staff estimated an increase to $32.0 million as a result of decisions made by the SB about components to be included. A cost estimator is expected to update the estimate in late January 2022. • DPF-23-2: LHS Feasibility Study: The scope of work for this project has not changed; $350.0 million (10% for design) is being used in the financial models. It is expected the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) will inform communities this Page 2 of 3 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting December 2, 2021 month whether they had been selected to pursue a project with them. (Last year it was April.) The Town's previous financial models used a 30% MSBA reimbursement on eligible items, but this is probably high and will likely be reduced in future models. • DPF 23-3: LHS Science Classroom Space Mining: This project may not be necessary because the pre-Covid enrollment bubble at the high school has subsided. It is not clear whether there will be a return of pressure on space in LHS if COVID-19 is increasingly under control. • DPF 23-4: High School Equipment Emergency Funds: This is a new CIP to address potential equipment failure requiring replacement, a particular concern for LHS. Ms. Kosnoff added that this would be debt financed, if needed, to avoid impacting other budget items. It is expected that these funds would be held over multiple years and rescinded after the high school is replaced. Ms. Kosnoff also noted that the Emergency Reserve Fund ($750,000) is another potential resource for covering costs of an unexpected equipment failure. Mr. Cronin reported that the SB is starting a committee to look at the potential location of a new high school and how space would be used during construction. Ms. Barry reported that a survey of the property currently used by LHS and the center-recreation land had been completed. Some of the property is Article 97 (Open Space) land, which means that a one- for-one swap would be needed to use that land for another purpose. Ms. Stembridge reported that there are no FY2023 CIPs for the library, but an architectural firm is being used to determine costs and recommend timing for renovations for the Children's Room. Mr. Cronin and Ms. Battite reported that plans for replacing the bathrooms at the Lexington Center recreation fields, using CPA funds, are being pursued for the FY2022 Annual Town Meeting. They added that an all-electric hot water heater is being considered for the showers and sinks that service, but do not heat, the Town's pool. Adjourn A Motion was Made and Seconded at 9:07 A.M. to adjourn. Roll-Call Vote: 5-0 This Minutes was approved by the CEC at its meeting on December 30, 2021 Page 3 of 3