HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-02-09-PBC-min.pdf TOWN OF LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS
PERMANENT BUILDING COMMITTEE
Minutes of Wednesday February 9 2000 meeting in the Fiske School, as approved May 24, 2000.
The meeting began at about 7.47 p.m. with PBC members Himmel, Johnson, Kennedy Poinelli and
Touart present. Chairman Kelley arrived at 8.30 p.m. School Committee member Barrie Peltz also
attended, and Director of School Building Operation John Moynihan appeared briefly, as he was
meeting in the next room with the elementary school planning task force.
Materials distributed included the last published plans for the Fiske School before suspension of the
Design Development phase. The Fiske school D D process had never been completed because the
committee did not believe the school duitable for renovation. Some sheets on costs of renovation
versus new school were partially distributed but there were not enough of them to go around. In
addition Kelley arrived with full sized rolls of plans for the renovation of Cary Memorial Building -
subject of the meeting Wednesday February 16.
Discussion of proposed renovation nlans revealed that none of the existing classrooms except for
the proposed four new Kindergarten rooms in a northward extension of the early grades wing and
the art room(now Kindergarten) would be over 1000 square feet. If the proposed renovation plan
were to be carried out the auditorium/gym would remain undersized. The only other additional
space would be enlarged cafeteria and SPED areas. It was also pointed out that the entire building
envelope would need to be rebuilt, as exterior bricks were broken and sliding off the foundation.
All windows, doors and lintels would need replacement or rebuilding. Current estimates are for
1997 construction costs and do not include project (soft) costs. A new building and demolition of
the old building would be reimbursable. A new school on the site would provide swing space for
the entire system's elementary schools during the approximately eight years duration of the project
(counting two summers and a school year for each school). Ms Peltz expressed doubt that all
elementary schools could be done in one project. It was also noted that costs for portable class
rooms are not reimbursable. Each portable room would cost about $800,000 plus cost of moving.
One drawback of a new school on the same site would be loss of the playing field, though a hybrid
plan was suggested that would involve only partial sacrifice of the play fields. One further point:
the Fiske school is both the oldest and in the worst shape of the elementary schools.
VOTED five to one to convey to the Elementary School Task Force that the PBC recommends
replacing the Fiske building with a new school.
Meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. until Saturday,February 12 at 8 a.m. at Cary Memorial Library
Respectfully submitted, N� e���Z, Erna S. Greene, Secretary
After adjournment Paul Hamburger of the Task Force asked the committee if they would
recommend replacing the Harrington School, to which remaining PBC members responded that
replacement of that school was never under consideration.