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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-03-29-AC-min 03/29/2023 AC Minutes 1 Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee (AC) March 29, 2023 Place and Time: Robbins Room – Cary Memorial Building, 1605 Massachusetts Ave.; 7:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. Members Present: Glenn Parker, Chair; Sanjay Padaki, Vice-Chair; Anil Ahuja; John Bartenstein; Alan Levine, Secretary; Eric Michelson; Sean Osborne; Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager, Finance (non-voting, ex officio) Members Absent: Lily Manhua Yan Other Attendees: Carolyn Goldstein, Mark Manassas (Lexington Lyceum Advocates) At 7:02 p.m. Mr. Parker called the meeting to order. Announcements and Liaison Reports Mr. Michelson announced that he had attended a meeting of the Minuteman Regional High School District where there was a discussion about adding new member towns. He briefly stated that MRHS was not ready to take any action and deferred further discussion on the issue to a future meeting of the Committee. Appropriation Committee positions at the 2023 Annual Town Meeting Mr. Parker asked the Committee to vote on recommendations on four proposed amendments to Ar- ticle 10, which covers Community Preservation Committee projects. Motions to recommend ap- proval of the following amendments were made by Mr. Michelson. Amendment 10(b)-Lamb “If Article 10(a) does not pass (Stone Building), then CEC (or I) will offer an amendment to the motion for 10(b) to reduce the $2,000,000 debt to $1,600,000 and increase the $1,000,000 Unbudgeted Reserve amount to $1,400,000.” The Committee voted 6-0 to recommend approval of Amendment 10(b)-Lamb. [During the follow- ing session of Town Meeting, the Committee’s vote was revised to 8-0.] Amendment 10(b)-Himmel “The Monroe Center for the Arts project will adhere to the Town's Integrated Design Policy within the funds available.” The Committee voted 6-0 to recommend approval of Amendment 10(b)-Himmel. [During the fol- lowing session of Town Meeting, the Committee’s vote was revised to 8-0.] The Committee learned that this amendment may be withdrawn because it is redundant for projects administered by the Town. Amendment 10(i)-Krieger “and further, only natural grass turf will be installed in the Lincoln Field improvements.” The Committee voted 0-5-1 to recommend against approval of Amendment 10(i)-Krieger. [During the following session of Town Meeting, the Committee’s vote was revised to 0-7-1.] 03/29/2023 AC Minutes 2 Amendment 10(i)-Kern “and further that this appropriation shall be made in accordance with the recommendations of the Article 10i Working Group Letter of Support dated March 24, 2023.” The Committee voted 6-0 to recommend approval of Amendment 10(i)-Kern. [During the following session of Town Meeting, the Committee’s vote was revised to 8-0.] Article 10(a) Stone Building Design and Repairs Mr. Parker thanked Ms. Goldstein and Mr. Manassas for attending as representatives of Lexington Lyceum Advocates, and asked Committee members to share their comments and questions about Article 10(a). Mr. Bartenstein asked whether the Committee could support the request without an implicit com- mitment to fund construction, which was estimated at roughly $10 million in a previously commis- sioned report. Mr. Michelson stated that he supports the request. Mr. Ahuja stated that he was not sure about his position. Mr. Bartenstein asked Ms. Goldstein and Mr. Manassas about their expectations for the cost of ren- ovating the Stone Building. Ms. Goldstein stated that the report was very thorough, but the dollar figures from the report were now outdated. Mr. Manassas stated that Jim Malloy and Mike Cronin used an estimated renovation cost of $1,600 per square foot, which implied a total cost in the range of $4 million to $10 million. Mr. Padaki stated that he opposed the request. Mr. Parker asked whether Lexington Lyceum Advocates would be able to support future renovation costs with private fundraising. Ms. Goldstein and Mr. Manassas declined to make any promises, but assured the Committee that they would work with the Town if they became tenants. They noted that the building is currently listed in the National Register of Historic Places, but that opportunities for funding from private and government grants might be improved if the building was designated as a National Historic Landmark. The Committee voted 4-1-1 to recommend approval of Article 10(a). [During the following session of Town Meeting, the Committee’s vote was revised to 4-4.] Article 8 Evaluation of Archaeological Resource Potential The Committee voted 2-6 to recommend against approval of Article 8. Minutes of Prior Meetings Minutes from the Committee meeting on March 9 were approved by a vote of 6-0. Minutes for the meetings of March 16, 27, and 29 are currently outstanding. Future Meetings The Committee will meet at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 3. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Glenn P. Parker 03/29/2023 AC Minutes 3 Approved: April 3, 2023 Exhibits ● Agenda, posted by Mr. Parker