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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994-02-15-PBC-min.pdf TOWN OF LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS PERMANENT BUILDING COMMITTEE Minutes of February 15 1994 in Room 111 , Town Office Building The meeting was called to order by Francis X Fields at 7 37 p m with committee members John Bergeron, Christopher Casey, Ted Edson, John Kennedy, Dan McCabe and Mary Lou Touart present Also attending were Nick Cannalonga of the Capital Expenditures Committee, Chuck Langone representing RAM Communications and Lieutenant Tobias of the Fire Department alarm system, as well as Brett Donham of Donham and Sweeney, Inc , Architects and Police Captain James Kilmartin Joel Bargmann and Tom Scarlata appeared later for discussion of the schools and town buildings studies PROTECTION FACILITIES AND CONSOLIDATION OF COMMUNICATIONS/DISPATCH Langone and Donham passed out a summary statement of their work and estimates of costs for the consolidation of all safety/protection services communications and dispatch functions at the Police department Although some existing equipment can continue to be used most needs upgrading or adding Current estimate of total construction and equipment cost is $1 85 million (last year it was $1 3 million) , of which about $500 ,000 is needed to renovate the Police Building Langone listed three components of the communications aspect of the consolidation 1) telephone system, i e E-911 , including mobile communications 2) facility to digest the information and an expanded alarm system 3) radio equipment to replace the 20-year-old equipment Planned are three dispatch positions The town will be getting E-911 equipment at no cost Also needed will be a new cable to connect the police and both fire stations as well for radio equipment and more computer terminals, TV monitoring equipment for calls Noted that the E-911 equipment should be able to handle about 90 percent of all calls The fire alarm system (cost about $229,000) is being looked at closely, as to whether or not it is really needed Presently there are fire boxes in buildings and neighborhoods as well as at key intersections Th1ir signals are received at a radio tower at the water tower Basically the alarm system is now in good condition The town presently receives some revenue from private buildings ' connections According to Brett Donham of Donham and Sweeney, the plans for the Police Building renovation are to include 1) ADA compliance, 2) renovation of the dispatch area and 3) safety, health and security needs for the building Enlarging the cell block area and bringing it to health standards as promulgated by the State departments of Public Health and Youth Services, will be bid separately as an alternate add-on item ADA compliance will be attempted only in the areas of the building to be used by the public Also needed are locker room facilities for women The architects now have go-ahead for drawing up construction documents are specifications These will be 90 percent completed by the end of February and be ready in the Purchasing Office by March 9 Mandatory building walk-throughs will be scheduled Filed subbids will 1 PBC Minutes of 2/15/94 - Page 2 be due March 31 and general bids will be due April 7 The article will be ready for Town Meeting on April 11 The communications work bids will be on the same schedule in separate bids The architects have been coordinating with RAM on aspects such as sizing for cables The facility will be prepared first and then equipped Transition planning during construction is responsibility of the communications consultant Exchange of information between communications and construction people should be continuous Clear responsibility was emphasized by committee member Kennedy (John) The "front end" of the bid specifications have already been written and reviewed Historic District Commission approval already has been obtained for exterior changes (to the entrance and for the blocking of windows for the one padded cell to be installed for when protection from violence is needed Cannalonga urged accurate costing Donham and Sweeney have been working between three and four months on a letter of intent , and they have not been paid yet They anticipate a contract momentarily Cost estimates are included in documents of construction Most of the increases since last year have been in communications , but some are also due to increase in the scope of the project Cannalonga said the Capital Expenditures Committee would like to support the project but wonders how much Town Meeting will approve Presently the committee has decided to support S1 2 million for the project Donham said construction prices are "recovering" John Kennedy stated that the PBC's mission is to see that the town gets "value for the dollar" in construction The present lockup cells are in violation of current DPH regulations , but have been "grandfathered" In case of lawsuit this would provide little protection Donham will submit original versus current expanded scope of project costs Also included will be changes and small adjustments in the main fire station SCHOOLS AND TOWN BUILDINGS STUDY Joel Bargmann of Archetype reported that only 10 percent more of the town buildings study needs to be completed Basically, he said, both this and the schools reports are ready Not many comments have come back No major changes were recommended in town buildings Much of the required work could be done by town forces or would be small enough not to require general bids Raw cost for all town buildings ' needs would be about S4 million, with built-up cost S5 5 million, less than one might predict for 18 buildings In Archetype's listings code or life safety items have been prioritized for early accomplishment (ADA compliance in year one, for example) Signage has been added to the ADA list An ADA plan will be needed In some cases alternative arrangements will have to be made, such as using Town Offices to make burial arrangements involving handicap access needs Bargmann noted that the Fire Chief and Library Director were especially helpful in the study No comments were received on the study until the very end of December PBC Minutes of 2/15/94 - Page 3 The schools study has not been going so well Among obstacles have been redistricting and program changes Other complications have been an expanded special needs program and extended day programs at each school (adding 2000 to 2500 square feet of extra space at each elementary school for a total cost of $2 to $3 million) Thus reworking has been needed, taking an extra month of Archetype's time (at no extra cost to the town) Another frustration has been the lack of educational specifications Direction will be needed to avoid duplication in upgrading schools and planning for minor changes to accommodate subsequent programs Bargmann told of the need to resort or organize the school needs and talked also about comparing similar schools, breakdowns of program versus plant work He noted that contemplated additions amounted to two to three new elementary schools He wondered if data should be organized school by school or by jobs/components system-wide VOTED by the committee to request single school breakdown sheets, one per school , with elements/systems estimated in six categories Also VOTED to confirm Francis X Fields , Chairman for now Meeting adjourned at 9 51 p m Respectfully submitted, Erna S Greene, Secretary Ii