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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-10-28-PBC-min.pdf TOWN OF LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS PERMANENT BUILDING COMMITTEE Minutes of Tuesday October 28 1997 Meetina in Room 105 , Town Office Building, as approved November 25 , 1997 The meeting was called to order at 7 38 p m by Chairman Bruckman with other committee members Himmel , Johnson, Kelley and Touart , as well as Director of School Building Operation John Moynihan and project manager Fay DeAvignon present Also attending were architect Dorthea Hayes of HMFH, School Committee Chairman Barrie Peitz , Anne Frymer and Dawn McKenna Diamond plans, more finalized in consultation with Diamond staff , were displayed by Hayes Among the few changes not previously made was the removal of the canopy across the bus drop-off area to better expose the new main entrance, further enhanced by addition of an identifying struc- ture Switching the designated bus and parent drop-off areas was proposed by Principal Hennessey, for security and supervision and it was received with reservation by the PBC Hennessey still expressed concern about congestion in hallways The current main entrance will now be relocated to the doorway within the courtyard and the doors adjacent to the auditorium will be open only for special functions The committee was ambivalent about Principal Hennessey's proposal , but gave authority to HMFH to prepare a sketch which would show an alternate scheme Other changes in the Diamond plans include equalizing locker room facilities for boys and girls and adding extra rest rooms at a hall corner to lessen need for long trips for users Asked whether the new addition would be placed upon a foundation with crawl space or a slab on grade (answer the latter) , and whether there might be tennis courts (once proposed) built on the Diamond site so that students at that school could to have equal opportunities with Clarke students Schedule presently calls for high school construction document prepara- tion begin December first , with May bid documents and actual construc- tion to begin about August, following bid award July 1 The middle schools bid documents would be ready September 1 , with contract award November 1 Harrington School would be two months later Moynihan asked that this schedule be speeded up, so that more construction work can be done during summer 1998, as all secondary schools must be ready by September 2000 This could not happen unless construction can be accomplished in 20 to 24 months Later in the meeting DeAvignon was asked by the committee to talk with John Miller as soon as possible about speeding the schedule Invoice from HMFH dated September 30 , 1997 was APPROVED after review of information detailing furniture and equipment proposed for different types of classrooms in each of the four phase I schools Committee requested that DeAvignon give initial input on all invoices prior to committee approval and sign-off by Moynihan On plans and proposed other changes , she would be the go-between to obtain school staff input , within limits and parameters set by the committee beforehand Proposed public displays to be placed in Cambridge Savings Bank windows and at Cary Library were shown on foam-core boards A notebook with detailed information would be at the library's reference desk This could be signed out for use inside the library Recommended that the PBC Minutes of 10/28/97 - Page 2 notebook contain a comment sheet asking for the commentator's name and telephone number and that DeAvignon pick up the sheet every few days A committee advocating for the project asked if they could add current school enrollment figures to the display Upon advice of Moynihan, the answer was , "No, " since that data would be inappropriate This request sparked a lively debate later in the meeting about use of DeAvignon's time to do any work for organizations outside of town government Emphasized that the sharing of information is a role of the committee and that DeAvignon should note locations of available information or refer to Bruckman and/or member Touart Reauest for extra funding for filina with the Conservation Commission Since this work is not part of the basic services in the HMFH contract, extra funding will be needed, Hayes pointed out Committee VOTED to authorize negotiation for the cost of this work before the landscape architects file with the Conservation Commission Included would be delineation of wetlands , Request for Determination and possibly a Wetlands Act hearing for the four sites involved with Phase I Another request for extra work/funding came from a contractor who proposed monitoring air quality with special equipment during construc- tion Although the committee saw some value in this , they noted that the most important issue was that installed air handling equipment work properly from day to day after project completion Architect Hayes was asked to bring specifics on the wetlands and air quality issues to the next PBC meeting Question about hiah school capacity and peak enrollment projections was posed to the Chairman at one of the information meetings , and he asked for explanation of an apparent discrepancy Architect Hayes assured that although projected peak enrollment at time of space study was 1845 , the high school is actually planned for about 28 percent above that , and thus the school can be described as a school for 2000 students Phasina plan first draft sketches for Diamond were displayed and explained by DeAvignon She envisioned construction of the new wing to be in a suggested first phase of work in the school and renovation in the second Among the problems yet to be fully confronted are asbestos abatement work and need to keep rest rooms , gym, library, cafeteria and auditorium open when school is in session and during most construction She also noted possible problems in providing science rooms for school programs Committee commented that phasing should be a joint effort between DeAvignon and HMFH and their consultants to provide the best proposals given time constraints and the building users ' needs Noted that DeAvignon should request and have mechanical , electric and plumbing plans from TMP engineers for full planning of phasing Cary Library meetings and negotiations were reported briefly by Johnson, who has been attending various meetings Concern expressed that with all the money being spent on the project , more careful attention should be given to the requirements of the Open Meeting Law Secretary was asked to call Julie Triessl on this Meeting adjourned at 10 20 p m Respectfully submitted, r�� Secretary