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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-01-19-AC-minMinutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee (AC) January 19, 2023 Place and Time: Remote Participation: In accordance with “An Act Relative to Extending Certain State of Emergency Accommodations”, signed into law by Gov. Baker on July 16, 2022, communication took place via a Zoom teleconferencing session; 7:30 p.m. Members Present: Glenn Parker, Chair; Sanjay Padaki, Vice-Chair; Anil Ahuja; John Bartenstein; Eric Michelson; Sean Osborne; Lily Manhua Yan; Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager, Finance (nonvoting, ex officio) Member(s) Absent: Alan Levine Other Attendees: David Kanter, Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC); Joe Pato, Select Board Member; Charles Lamb, Chair, CEC; Marilyn Fenollosa, Chair, Community Preservation Committee (CPC) At 7:33 p.m. Mr. Parker confirmed attendance by roll call and stated that the meeting was being recorded for the purpose of creating minutes. Mr. Ahuja agreed to take minutes in the absence of a recording secretary. Announcements and Liaison Reports Ms. Kosnoff said that a meeting was held today with the Town Manager and representatives from the Select Board, AC, CEC, and School Committee, and that the White Book should be released on Friday, January 20. Budget Summit IV will be held on January 30. The finance office plans to issue a bond in February for the bulk of the Police Station project costs. Initial plans were to issue the first bond for the Police Station next year but the Town’s financial advisors have recommended that a bond for the complete construction be issued this year as interest rates are projected to go higher by 75 basis points. Mr. Padaki mentioned that several questions that arose from the previous Summit meeting should be discussed at a following AC meeting. Article 10 – Community Preservation Act (CPA) Ms. Fenollosa reported that the CPA previously has done the following in Lexington: • created 41 units of Community Housing for $12 million • funded 96 Historic Resource projects at a cost of $34 million • acquired or preserved 68 acres of open space for $18.8 million • created or preserved 68 Recreational Resources for $22.6 million At the beginning of the 2023 annual town meeting (ATM), $16,772,276 will be available for appropriation from the Community Preservation Fund (CPF). The total of all proposed project costs and administrative expenses for FY2024 is roughly $14 million, which would leave a cash balance of $2,849,366. 10(a) - Stone Building design and emergency repairs - $400,000 The building’s interior was heavily damaged by a broken water pipe in 2007 and it requires significant renovation before any tenant will consider a lease. Mr. Michelson asked whether the intent was to lease the building after repairs were completed. Ms. Fenollosa said that it would be based on the use of the building. Mr. Michelson asked whether the lease money would be used to offset the debt incurred under the CPA. Ms. Kosnoff responded that revenue from the lease would not be a significant amount, but she would need to look into whether this is possible. Mr. Padaki said that in recent town meetings, money had been appropriated to hire consultants to consider uses for the building, and he asked where we stood on that. Ms. Fenollosa said that repairs would need to be completed before the use of the building would be determined. Mr. Padaki asked whether funding would be requested in next year's town meeting for the construction. Ms. Fenollosa said that $10 million would be needed, spread out over 4 years for design and construction, according to the following schedule: Year Amount 2023 $400,000 2024 $4,950,000 2025 $2,950,000 2026 $2,450,000 Mr. Bartenstein asked whether the rooms would be reconfigured or are they going to be preserved as is. Ms. Fenollosa responded that it would depend on the needs of the user. Mr. Kanter added that Mr. Cronin has scheduled multiple phases for the construction work and the last phase will be dependent upon who has been selected to lease the space. 10(b) - Munroe Center for the Arts Mr. Parker noted that the committee already discussed this project with Cristina Burwell, Executive Director of the Munroe Center. Ms. Fenollosa said that the cost that they were being asked to fund is $6,635,191, of which $2 million would be funded by CPF debt. Mr. Michelson asked about the construction of the parking lot and Mr. Parker responded that the layout is still under discussion. 10(c) - Hancock-Clarke Barn Restoration Ms. Fenollosa said that this barn is owned by the Lexington Historical Society, and they need to bring it into compliance with the building code, as well as address accessibility, lighting and climate control, roof replacement, and foundation repair. The cost is estimated at $118,419. 10(d) - Archive and Records Management/Records Conservation and Preservation Ms. Fenollosa said that the Town has a 3-volume historical oversized book set which needs to be restored and the cost is estimated at $35,000. Mr. Bartenstein stated that he feels the estimate is at odds with prior CPA restoration costs for historic records. Ms. Fenollosa said these books are oversized and a certain level of expertise is needed for restoration. 10(e) - First Parish Church Clock Restoration The clock in the church steeple is in disrepair and needs a clock restoration expert at an estimated cost of $12,000. Town Counsel states that since there is no religious purpose in the restoration of the clock, any benefit to the church's mission is totally incidental. Mr. Padaki said that a few years ago there was some work done on the steeple, but the cost was borne by the congregation. Ms. Fenollosa said that the church did not ask the Town for funds at that time. 10(f) - East Village Clock at Follen Church Restoration The clock does not work and would be restored at a cost of $9,600. 10(g) - Willard's Woods Site Improvements Ms. Fenollosa said that this site needs upgrades to provide universal accessibility and safety on the 107 acres of conservation land, trail restoration, and visitor enhancements. The estimated cost is $1,211,675. Mr. Bartenstein asked which conservation lands need to be made accessible and which do not. Ms. Fenollosa said that the town has a responsibility to make everything accessible. 10(h) - Whipple Hill Trail Repair and Fire Access Ms. Fenollosa said that the requested $300,000 will be used for design, permitting, bid documentation, and construction of the wetland crossing in this 116-acre conservation area. The work will include a new stream crossing and trail restoration on a route which serves as emergency fire access to the property. 10(i) - Lincoln Field Park Improvements Ms. Fenollosa said that the town will be asked to approve $2,475,000 for the replacement of athletic field #1 at Lincoln Park, including construction, landscaping and site improvements, and installation of lighting at Lincoln Park fields #1 and #3. Artificial turf fields have a warrantied 10-year life span, which can optionally be extended by a year or two. 10(j) - Park Improvements - Athletic Fields - Bridge School Ms. Fenollosa said that $285,000 will be requested for the renovation of fields, irrigation system, laser grading, natural grass, and installation of new backstops, signage and park benches, plus improved accessibility to the fields and playground. This will also provide universal accessibility. 10(k) - Park and Playground Improvements - Justin Park Ms. Fenollosa said that $155,000 will be requested for the replacement of playground facilities at Justin Park off of Eldred Street, including renovation and rehabilitation of the existing safety surfacing as well as installation of an accessible path from the parking lot. 10(l) - Public Grounds Irrigation Improvements Ms. Fenollosa said that the town will be asked to approve $80,000 for updates to the irrigation systems at the Battle Green, Visitor Center and Buckman Tavern lawns to preserve the lawns while conserving water. The upgraded systems have sophisticated controllers that reduce water usage in response to local weather conditions. 10(m) - Transforming Trees into Art - Birds of New England Ms. Fenollosa said that the town will be asked to approve $22,000 for the carving of representations of birds of New England from white pine tree stumps along the path abutting the Center Recreation Complex. These would be about 10 feet tall and require minimum maintenance. 10(n) - Affordable Housing Trust Funding Ms. Fenollosa said that the town will be asked to appropriate $1,500,000 for the recently created Affordable Housing Trust (AHT). The Trust will distribute funds for the acquisition of properties, holding and other costs, hiring of consultants to prepare RFPs, preparation of housing needs assessments, etc. Access to funding via the AHT will allow for a timely response when suitable properties come on the market. There will be some startup costs to get the Trust up and running. Mr. Michelson asked whether all CPA funds intended for affordable housing would go to the AHT in the future, or whether the CPA might also continue to fund affordable housing projects directly. Ms. Fenollosa said that the CPC would give the AHT the money and they would determine how it would be spent. Mr. Michelson asked whether AHT would still fund LexHAB. Ms. Fenollosa responded in the affirmative. 10(o) - LexHAB - Property Acquisition Prefunding Ms. Fenollosa said that the town will be asked to approve $400,000 for prefunding to enable the purchase of a property to provide new affordable housing. 10(p) - LexHAB - Preservation, Rehabilitation & Restoration, and Installation of Solar Panels Ms. Fenollosa said that the town will be asked to approve $345,125 for the preservation and rehabilitation of 14 LexHAB units. The work will include kitchen/bath renovations; electrical upgrades; new doors; exterior painting to prevent damage; roof replacements; retaining wall work; and solar panels. Mr. Parker asked who will receive the credits for the installation of the solar panels. Mr. Pato said that LexHAB would likely get the credits because electric utility costs are included in the monthly rent paid by tenants. 10(q) - CPA Debt Service Ms. Fenollosa said that the town will be asked to appropriate $1,788,900 to cover debt service for previously approved CPA projects. 10(r) - Administrative Expenses Ms. Fenollosa said that the town will be asked to approve $150,000 for staff expenses, legal bills, Community Preservation Coalition dues, miscellaneous expenses, and $50,000 in land planning funds (including appraisals). ARPA Funds Mr. Pato said that the objective of the ARPA funding is to address direct harm from the pandemic, and to mitigate the resulting economic stress on local residents and businesses. The funds need to be spent within a 3-year window, of which about a year and a half has passed. At this point, the Select Board has committed a little more than half of the funding. Mr. Parker observed that the rate of funding should not necessarily correlate with the grant’s timing. The amount of $4,417,027 in ARPA funds has already been spent, and another $1,100,000 is committed for specific expenses. The remaining amount is $2,892,354. Three rounds of charitable grants have been carried out or started. ARPA spending approved so far has been allocated to pandemic control (7.3%), public health and safety (27.9%), economic stimulus (52.9%), food insecurity (1.1%), and housing (10.8%). Mr. Parker asked whether a food pantry has approached the town for funding. Mr. Pato said that he does not see the applications as they are handled by the staff. Mr. Bartenstein said that he understood $500,000 was set aside for resident’s concerns and asked Mr. Pato to say more about this. Mr. Pato said this refers to the Participatory Budgeting process for which $1.1 million has been set aside over the next two years. There will be a total of three cycles, the first of which is already completed. There were about 200 applications to the program. The Town Manager is in the process of narrowing the number down to 10 and the Board will prioritize the list. This was also a way to engage residents in the process. Mr. Bartenstein asked about the maximum allowed grant for a request. Mr. Pato said it was $25,000, but merchants were required to demonstrate the pandemic’s impact on their business. Grants were not intended to make them whole, but rather to ensure that they did not go out of business. Mr. Bartenstein asked whether a business could apply for grant money more than once. Mr. Pato said that was not the case. However, they did open it up for all one time, but the conditions were very stringent. Mr. Bartenstein asked whether we have set aside contingencies so that we are better prepared should such a pandemic occur another time. Mr. Pato said that money was assigned for public health, mental health, and other services and for a study for planning on how to respond. Mr. Parker commented that the funds need to be spent and cannot just be put into reserves. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned by roll call vote at 9:38 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Anil Ahuja Approved: February 2, 2023 Exhibits: Agenda, posted by Mr. Parker