HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-07-12-PBC-min.pdf TOWN OF LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS
PERMANENT BUILDING COMMITTEE
Minutes of July 12 1995 Meeting with representatives of Cary Memorial
Library in the Library Oval Room, as approved January 24, 1996
The meeting was called to order by Chairman pro tem McCabe at 7 00 p m
with other committee members Bruckman, Edson, Johnson, School Committee
appointee Kennedy, and Library Trustees appointees Pierce (also Chairman
of the Library Building Committee, ) and Touart present Representing the
Library were Director Carol Mahoney, Julie Triesl , Sara Chase and
Carolyn Beckwith Town Engineer Francis X Fields was also present
Interview III Stephen Hall & Associates with Melissa Butler Bennett
These two firms have been associating with each other since 1979 on
municipal projects Engineers Sergio Sianni Associates are working with
them
Solutions for a project are not preconceived The group has done
libraries in Brewster and Carver and also has done housing projects
They dubbed themselves "the environmental designers" They expressed
concern about cost to run a building and the comfort and convenience of
the user/occupant They want a building to have the least environmental
impact and to be an inspiration to all who contact it In Wellfleet
they received an award for lighting in a project renovating space in an
old factory Ninety-five percent of the lighting is indirect
In their design work, they have senior people at meetings and involved
in coordination Pros and cons of various options are explained in
easily understood terms Controls of costs and energy conservation -
such as maximum use of daylight - are important considerations , as well
as keeping the library open They expressed favor for information
kiosks, and for computer and remote controls for the various building
systems , such as temperature and humidity controls for rare collections
When questioned about the collaboration, they responded that Architect
Hale will be hired and be most involved with costing and specifications
while Bennett is the library and programs specialist They are still
two architectural firms
Responding to questions They hire professional estimators to help
produce cost-benefit analyses They work to prevent need for change
orders Their engineers aim for flexibility in floor plans to maximize
accessibility for changes Lexington' s schedule was termed
"reasonable, " better than most libraries They ended their presentation
with praises for Jay Lucker and his contributions to the Cary Library
project The committee took a break from 8 15 to 8 30 p m
Interview IV Keyes Associates Presenters from Keyes included
Associate Director Jay Litman, Information Services Consultant Howard
Boksenbaum and Architectural Director Robert Vogel Also speaking were
engineers Sheikh A Rahman and Richard Herbold of SAR Engineering
Keyes is a full service firm Among examples of their restorations are
additions and lighting for libraries in Dighton, Jamestown and
PBC Minutes 7/12/95 - Page 2
Cumberland RI (a conversion from a monastery) The firm is now working
on a new DPW facility for the town of Brookline
When asked about their experience with acoustics, they responded that
they are very experienced They commented upon the importance of space
height and that there is additional room at upper levels of our library
Keyes uses a professional estimating firm Most questions were posed by
Walter Pierce
Presenter Jay Litman has been brought aboard only recently by Keyes as a
library expert Noting the explosion of library use with computers ,
Boksenbaum emphasized the need for full access , including the Internet,
from all terminals Rahman talked about potential needs Vogel
highlighted the experience, stability and local connection (with an
office in Waltham) of Keyes Presentation ended about 9 35
Interview V Anthony Tanne and Associates Presenters were Principal
Anthony "Tony" Tappe, Senior Architect J Stewart Roberts , Jeff Hoover
and Manny Garcia of Garcia and Galuska Engineers
The Tappe firm is a team of about 40 people, all in the public and
institutional sector They have worked on projects in Kennebunk, Dover
MA, New Bedford, Wayland and Sudbury They are redesigning the Natick
Library-town complex Among their commercial projects are the Borders
Bookseller They seek relationships to the community, a fresh look and
dialogue and promised good analysis , lists of needs and issues
approached with flexibility and expansion (in areas such as multi-
media) They expressed eagerness for the challenge of revitalizing the
interior of Cary Library The team for this project would be Roberts
and Hoover, working with Tappe Their presentation ended at
approximately 10 50
Analysis and Discussion Each person used the rating sheets passed
around To the list of criteria was added "Team-client chemistry"
Each person in the room told who topped his/her list Amsler, Hale and
Tappe were most favored for their quality of presentation Hale/Bennett
rated tops in team-client chemistry, and received the highest number of
favorable ratings PBC members commented on the various engineers
After some discussion the Hale/Bennett collaborative was SELECTED
UNANIMOUSLY
Meeting adjourned at 11 48 p m
'Respectfully submitted,
� ,h_,
Erna S Greene