HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-07-25-PBC-min.pdf MINUTES OF 7/11,(06
PERMANENT BUILDING COMMITTEE
Interviews of three of the potential architectural firms as
candidates to conduct a study of Lexington's elementary schools
for possible additions and renovation were held Tuesday night,
July 11, in the Selectmen's Office. Attending were PBC members,
chair Phillip Poinelli, Peter Johnson, Bill Kennedy, Mary Lou
Touart, Dick Perry and Bruce Creager Superintendent of Schools,
Dr. Paul Ash, and Director of Facilities, Bill Hartigan, were also in
attendance.
Don and Whittier Architects, Inc., with main offices in
Vermont and local offices nearby do 90% of their work in
education. In 25 studies of 68 buildings, 11 were built or are in the
process of building. The firm is concerned with linking buildings
to student success, the delivery of special services, grade
groupings, projection of student numbers, and community use. It
showed how one school site could be developed in different ways.
J Stewart Roberts have already done studies of our Bowman
and Estabrook Schools and are very much aware of Lexington's
elementary school buildings and needs. As a small firm, they will
hire engineers, landscape architects and cost estimators to
complete their study They discussed the complexity of the time
line in completing all the buildings and reviewed the project scope,
costs, and MSPA demands.
Design Partnership, Cambridge has had over 100 public
school projects. It illustrated, by a series of charts and projections,
just how Lexington might renovate, or add to a school. They asked
how many students per school, what we might do in the way of a
new school building, and what to do with the White House and
how and where to house the school department. The firm also
emphasized the need to educate voters. In conclusion, they
answered Dr. Paul Ash's question on how to figure out the
capacity of the future enrollment along with the problem of
redistricting.
After the interviews were done and a discussion of the pros
and cons about each of the five firm completed, the Permanent
Building Committee, in unanimous agreement, decided to offer the
job to Design Partnership for their very complete presentation.
Each of the PBC members were to fill out a rating chart on the five
firms and return them to chair Poinelli for complete verification.
Then, action was to begin to hire Design Partnership for the study
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