HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-11-12-PBC-min.pdf TOWN OF LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS
PERMANENT BUILDING COMMITTEE
Minutes of Wednesday November 12 1997 Meeting joint with Cary Library
Building Committee in the library Oval Room, as approved December 16,
1997
The meeting was called to order by Library Building Committee Chairman
and PBC member Walter Pierce at 7 15 p m with other PBC committee
members Kelley, Lucker (also of Library Building Committee) Poinelli ,
and Touart present , as well as Director Carol Mahoney and staff project
coordinator Julie Triessl of the library Also attending were abutters
Brett and Jewel Douglass as well as members of the Design Advisory
Committee Betty Eddison, Stacey Bridge, Tom Coffman, Bruce Creager, John
Frey, Steven Hurley, Carl Oldenberg, and Betsy Whitman Others who came
for part of the meeting included Shirley Stoltz , S Lawrence Whipple,
Selectman Dan Fenn and architects Melissa Bennett and Stephen Hale
Library Project Progress has not yet progressed into preparations of
contract documents because the library building committee has not yet
signed off on the plans Director Mahoney reported on how the library
has been obtaining input from various town agencies , most actively with
the Enablement Committee She noted that the enablement group has been
particularly concerned with interior designs of such areas as desks and
shelves that should be well enough lit and not be too high or low for
accessibility She emphasized that both entrances receive equal use and
therefore both must be supplied with ramps
Landscape plans were displayed first Among changes proposed for the
Massachusetts side are getting rid of the hedge along the sidewalk
Considerable discussion concerned the right of way (r/w) between the
library and Douglass properties The northeast corner of the library
will contain an emergency egress, whose paved access to the sidewalk is
to be deemphasized (Pointed out in discussion of the interior plans
that followed that a Lexington authors ' room is planned for that
corner) The architects ' reductions of the building's impact at that
corner include moving the building three feet to the west, setting the
eastern wall paralleling the r/w back five feet between bays, lowering
and changing the roof line of the tower corner, and landscape planting
insets opposite each of the side entrances to the Douglass building
Architectural Plans are fairly well firmed up on the interior A few
changes have been made in the shape of the children's room and other
areas Design of handicap access ramps is still not set When query if
wheelchair lift would do at one of the entrances , Lucker and Mahoney
responded that the library's enormous visitor volume could not be
accommodated by anything less than ramps at both Mass Avenue and
parking lot entrances
Sample ceramic "red slate" roof shingle-tiles were shown These were
proposed as the architects ' less costly answer to the Historic District
Commission's anticipated slate roof requirement
Meeting adjourned at 9 05 p m
Respectfully submitted, ! ' yw Secretary