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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-12-13-CCAC-minF s TOWN OF LEXINGTON Imo' Ad hoc Community Center Advisory Committee AhCCAC DATE: December 13, 2013 FROM: Michelle Ciccolo, Chair, AhCCAC TO: Lexington Board of Selectmen SUBJECT: Status Report, with recommendations regarding future phased build -out of the Lexington Community Center AhCCAC MEMBERS: Michelle Ciccolo, Chair; Linda Vine, Vice Chair; Mary Ellen Alessandro; Elizabeth Borghesani; Harry Forsdick; Laura Hussong; Florence Koplow; Leslie Zales We first presented before you on September 23, 2013. That presentation, and the subsequent one made to you on October 17, 2013, captured proposed elements of Phase 1 (the Interim Plan to occupy the primary building at 39 Marrett Road) and lead to the successful request for an appropriation at the November 4, 2013, Special Town Meeting (STM)further to fund the contracted design team (Steffian Bradley Architects (SBA) for: (1) completing the Design & Engineering (D&E) (including construction documents) for Phase 1, (2) the bidding process and the construction for Phase 1, and (3) sidewalk design and a continuation of the schematic design for Phase 2 (a further build -out of the Community Center to more -fully address the Town's needs, but with that funding primarily to provide an initial assessment of the Carriage House). Phase 1 With construction funding approved for Phase 1, the AhCCAC has continued to further refine and advance the project into the design development stage anticipating that Phase 1 will be bid in early 2014. Contained within the power point presentation are the most recent design drawings which outline programming elements including their relative location within the building. This plan retains all of the current, significant, specialized programming at the Muzzey Senior Center including, but not limited to: Fix -It Shop, the Windowpane Shop, fitness and eating areas, counseling areas, etc. There are always trade-offs when renovating an existing facility. We have taken extensive time and care to achieve the optimal balance of interests. The exciting outcome of Phase 1 is that there will be better spaces, including additional rooms to allow for increased programming opportunities. Unfortunately, the physical limitations of the existing building mean that in Phase 1 we will be unable to achieve some of our main objectives for Lexington's Community Center. Phase 1 does not address the consensus that we need: • a multi-purpose room large enough to accommodate 200-250 people in a banquet -type setting, • a commercial kitchen both to support banquet -type events and cooking -related programming, and • a facility with a high ceiling for fitness and sports activities—such as chair volley ball for seniors, Chinese ribbon dance, basketball for all ages, volleyball, indoor soccer, indoor field hockey, etc. Defining program is a delicate and complex process. The Committee continues to receive ideas, suggestions, and concepts for new and expanded, innovative and traditional programming. Some proposals are not presently offered to the community. There is great hope and enthusiasm that this site will be able to deliver exceptional quality programming for residents of all ages and abilities. However, with this opportunity for new space, comes the challenge of determining how to prioritize, fund, oversee, and manage these many community desires. It is necessary to evaluate, accept or reject, then phase-in current and innovative programming. Nonetheless, if carefully considered, the new Community Center presents a once in a generation opportunity to bring excellence in practice to our town. Lexington, through this process, could become a municipal leader in its vision for offering best -in -class quality -of -life programming for all ages. More broadly, we face many societal challenges presented from people living significantly longer, health-care costs consuming so many financial resources, and obesity, hypertension, and diabetes at unacceptable levels. Never before has integrated, whole -health, mind -body programming become such an important area of focus for all of us to attend to collectively. How or whether we choose to provide programming to address these current challenges is under consideration. Expansion Phase (Phase 2) In the Committee's quest to incorporate feedback from residents, we have promulgated a "Communications Plan," and held two evening meetings for the public. Since our October 7, 2013, presentation to the Board, the AhCCAC has met 11 times, plus attended Community Preservation Committee (CPC) meetings, Town Meeting, and individual members have reached out to groups with which they are affiliated (including Council on Aging (COA), Parent Teacher Association / Organizations PTA/O's, LeXFUN!, LexMedia, Youth Services Council, Student Health Advisory Council (SHAG), Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC), Chinese American Association of Lexington (CAAL)1, etc.). Many of our meetings have been taped and rebroadcasted by LexMedia, and distribution of information has occurred through a variety of outlets such as the COA Newsletter, Town Meeting Members Association (TMMA) list, PTA/0 school email lists, Recreation Department brochures, and elsewhere. We have two websites, the official Town site at: http://bit.ly/ld3rSIg and the volunteer -based website maintained by our member, Harry Forsdick, at: http://Iexcc.weebly.com/. All of the SBA regular meeting presentations are posted to the Town's website along with any specialized studies conducted, documentation of public comments from the evening sessions, and various spreadsheets and data. Our evening public meetings had 50-75 attendees at each. We continue to receive and distribute ideas and comments via emails and web forms. As a result of our outreach, we have established effective, ongoing, open communications with the public and achieved extensive understanding of community objectives for both Phase 1 and Phase 2. Of equal importance, to supplement community feedback, we have gathered concrete data, comparison community information, a compilation of all existing Human Services and Recreation Departments programming, and other objective criteria to guide us in our approach. We refer you to the following documents on the Town's website illustrating the depth of data utilized by this Committee to formulate its recommendations: • Comprehensive list of programming ideas (all-inclusive, capturing of ideas without regard to the Town's ability to pay or provide space for all these desires)—this is the broadest expression of the community "wish list." • Community Comparison Document prepared by SBA • Matrix of existing programming by Department • Meeting notes from public forums 'Just one interesting note about CARL, Indian Americans of Lexington (IAL), etc. As we know, our Asian population is growing at a rapid rate. Currently, the email list for CAAL is over 750 members. CAAL has just organized itself into a 501(c)(3) and created an executive board. The members currently have board meetings in people's homes but are outgrowing that. They would like to have celebrations like Chinese New Year in the Community Center as they are outgrowing the spaces currently available in our town. And this is just CARL. Similarly we know we have an IAL organization and other cultural groups. At this juncture, with the desire to advance SBA's work without disruption and to maintain our schedule to seek some level of funding for Phase 2 at the spring Town Meeting, we present this next set of recommendations to you. Our recommendations are made after careful thought and consideration to the above data and mindful of the fact that the facility must be adequately sized to handle the current and unanticipated needs of Lexington residents for the foreseeable future. Therefore, it is crucial not to under -build where we know we have real needs and to give consideration to cost limitations and other practical implications. The AhCCAC believes the following set of building recommendations is the optimum course to pursue for Phase 2 (items not listed in any order of prioritization): ✓ Full -Court Gym - Dividable and with Bleachers ✓ Emergency Generator - Sizing to Be Determined ✓ Minimal Locker/Shower Facilities (to complement fitness activities and potential emergency shelter needs) ✓ Commercial Kitchen ✓ Multi -Purpose Space - Banquet Room with Stage (dividable) to Seat 250 at Tables, 375Lecture Style ✓ Additional Access Road ✓ Heating/Ventilating/Air-Conditioning (HVAC) upgrades (not yet discussed in depth) ✓ Strength, balance, training room (primarily equipment based, for special -needs residents) ✓ Casual gathering spaces Some further notes about programming components follow. Full -Court Gym Our extensive research into the needs of Lexington residents overwhelmingly demonstrates the demand and desire for a full -court gym as part of our Community Center. Some residents may believe that the Town of Lexington has sufficient gym space. In order to respond to this argument, we have a working group examining this issue and expect it will report its findings back in due time. Nonetheless, there are several compelling reasons for including a gym in the Community Center in the anticipated expansion which we will outline below. Primarily, and most importantly, Lexington does not possess a public gym that may be used by all ages throughout the day and week. The only other public gyms in Lexington are school gyms, which are used exclusively by school-age children and thus not actually available to the public from Monday—Friday, September—June, 8AM-5PM. In addition, several of these school gyms are similarly reserved for large blocks of time during the summer to provided youth activity summer -camp programming. Therefore, these gyms remain inaccessible to the general public during the summer as well. The Hayden Recreation Centre is a private gym, requiring a separate membership, with its own restrictions and programming limitations. Hayden's popularity evidences the present demand for this type of fitness space. At this time, the Town does not offer year-round indoor, programming for adults, seniors, the physically disabled, and preschoolers. Drop-in play, something that is a critical component of any plan for successful teen programming, is impossible without a gym that can be reliably scheduled by those responsible for running programs. The Community Center could fill this gap. Moreover, with Recreation Staff occupying the new Community Center, there are great efficiencies that could be offered the community with staff readily accessible, located on site, to be able to provide enhanced programming. Finally, we have discovered through our research that because of lack of space, we cannot offer a competitive youth volleyball program, nor a wrestling program. In addition, the Lexington Youth Basketball Association (LYBA) currently must deny many kids from participating in its popular basketball program because it does not have the gym space to accommodate the demand for its programs. In fact, the LYBA must rent expensive gym space in Waltham due to the inadequate space in Lexington. With this gym included in Phase 2, we envision enhanced programming for activities such as: • Physical fitness for stay-at-home parents and caregivers during the school day, • Better senior programming with more classes geared to active seniors, • Specialized programs for seniors and others with physical disabilities, • Movement, dance, and play for preschoolers during the day, and more, • Lunch-hour programming for workers in Town, • An indoor walking track for residents to use during cold and inclement weather conditions, and • A voter polling place for 1-2 precincts in Town Locker Rooms We also are recommending a small section of locker rooms adjacent to the gym. We envision a smaller - scale locker -room design in order to accommodate residents or Town employees with tight schedules, during the work day. We also think the showers are an important component to respond to the occasional accidents that can occur in any public space when many people congregate. Multi -Purpose Room This Committee's Phase 2 recommendation also includes what is being called a multi-purpose banquet room that would seat 250 people at tables with a commercial kitchen. Before getting into this discussion further, we note that the present Muzzey Senior Center currently seats 80 in a banquet -style setting and is quite crowded. Lexington's new Community Center facility at Marrett Road will not be able to conduct certain programming with the level of desired participation rates we have today until the building is expanded. The Phase 1 Community Center will only be able to seat 80 at tables, and the room itself is L- shaped with obstructed sight lines, making it feel like two separate areas. A dinner event with speakers or presentations will be difficult to manage, because it will be impossible to find a place where all participants can see and hear adequately. In this type of space it will be harder in which to "squeeze" extra participants. Thus, speaking events with presenters will need to be smaller, and serve fewer people, until such time as the multi-purpose room can be built. Moreover, we also note that in this regard, the dining facility at the Muzzey Senior Center does not presently serve all of the need we have. Events are crowded in that dining facility, and participation has to be limited due to the inadequate size of the present dining area. Charlotte Rodgers, Lexington's Human Services Director, reports that there are waiting lists for certain key events, especially holiday meals, and residents do have to be turned away. The new Community Center will be presented with the same situation. It is important to remember that 80 is an inadequate number today for today's Seniors population alone but that population is growing in total numbers and the Center will need to be able to serve all ages in the community. This reality argues for a much larger multi-purpose room in the new facility. Although some residents may wonder if the gym and multi-purpose banquet room could be combined, our research demonstrates the unworkability of this scenario. The day-to-day fit -up and function of a multi- purpose banquet room is distinctly different from a gym. A versatile multipurpose room includes: • An acoustical system conducive to good sound quality, • Integrated speakers and cameras, • Multimedia display systems, • Food serving and clean up readily accessible, and • A bright and airy space to convey a welcoming environment. The room would be used for community events, festivals, community conversations, training rooms, regional meetings, large lectures, large public meetings needing tables for conversational purposes, programs at which food will be served, and for conferences, etc. A gym, by necessity, has to have high ceilings, few to no windows (unless located out of the way to prevent breakage), bleachers, lines on the floor, retractable basketball nets, etc. These elements in a gym, in conjunction with the corresponding tables and chairs in a multipurpose room, are not easily reconfigured to allow seamless programming throughout the day. At the very least, each time the room would be repurposed for a new activity, there would be added costs related to cleanup, setup, breakdown and cleanup again. There are also the additional logistical challenges of setting up for a large banquet while juggling around mid-day gym programming which would result in down-time when the space could not be programmed while these transitions occurred. A gym is used for active recreation and is designed with this in mind. A banquet room is designed for active social interaction, and the ability to make, serve, and consume food is a primary social activity We projected our need for this room size based on the demand expressed in our Recreation and Human Services existing programming data, the limited community questionnaire, and additional public input at evening sessions. We then compared our concept to communities with comparable socio-economic conditions and population size to see what those communities presently offer their residents. For instance, Natick, a community with nearly the same population, has a multi-purpose room that accommodates 250 people at a sit-down function with tables. It also has a gym separate from its multi-purpose room in its Community Center. Six of the twelve comparable communities had multi-purpose rooms in their community or senior centers with function rooms that exceeded 2,000 square feet in size. Natick's multi-purpose room is 3,026 square feet. Some of the demands for facility space in Lexington expressed at our forums, suggest a need for a large multi-purpose room to accommodate as many as 300-500 people at a sit-down banquet type event. We are not recommending anything this large because we do not wish to over -build for the outlier events and believe that with both a gym and multi-purpose room provided, the Town's largest events can overflow into the gym, on occasion. Although not optimal from an acoustical, aesthetic, and multimedia perspective, we believe that a newly constructed gym would satisfy occasional demand for events requiring seating for more than 250 people; the gym could accommodate these larger events or the Town can outsource this space need to area hotels. Based on our research, however, we do recommend that the multi-purpose room, for a community the size of Lexington, should be able to seat at least250 people at tables. This size should be adequate for the foreseeable future provided our population doesn't grow beyond reasonable expectations. We are also recommending that we maintain flexibility for both the multi-purpose room and the gym by providing movable partition dividers so that smaller activities can be handled simultaneously when the full room is not in demand. We think this is an important way for us to enable as much programming as the community desires, without having to over -build and have specialized rooms for different programs. Events that can occur in a multi-purpose room have participation rates that range in size depending on the activity. Fitness, dance, and other movement activities take up larger areas while seating in rows take up smaller areas, but accommodate more people. Based on the public feedback received at our evening forums, we had multiple requests for room sizes ranging from 100-500 participants. Similarly, we have regular, ongoing, existing, Human Services, Recreation, and other Town programming (meetings, trainings, public forums, gatherings) that needs space for large activities accommodating 50-100 people. For this reason, we felt it important to recommend a sufficiently large enough room to be able to divide it with a movable partition curtain so that multiple events could occur simultaneously. Requests for 100 people were frequent enough when existing programming and desired programming are combined that it is likely the new Center, if optimally configured, will need to have multiple rooms that can handle 100 simultaneously. Trainings, small fitness, forums, lectures, medium-sized meals, and more, all need to be able to occur at the same time overlapping with one another throughout the day. Although the new Community Center in Phase 1 will have many programmable spaces, most of the rooms are of small to moderate size (for fewer than 30 people) and all but the basement fitness room and the limited dining area will serve fewer than 80 people. This makes the large multi-purpose room all the more important. Commercial Kitchen Such a kitchen was an essential component included on all the Community Center Task Force programming lists and elsewhere. This feature is so clearly essential to a Community Center that all parties weighing in have agreed that it is regrettable that we cannot provide this feature in Phase 1. Right now, all food served at the Muzzey Senior Center has to be catered or brought in from outside. It is far more cost and logistically efficient to have in-house capacity. Doing so supports additional programming desired by the community. The nutritional component of the senior programming, provided by State and Federal funds is likely to continue and there is a strong argument that more nutritional programming for all ages should be incorporated into the Center. The Kids Cooking Green program is one such program which needs more space. Moreover, with large events serving 250+ people, it would be cost prohibitive to cater such activities; a commercial kitchen provides flexibility in food service. Some fun ideas proposed that become viable once a commercial kitchen is on line are • Cookie baking for the Troops overseas, • Pie baking for festivals, • Processing and preserving the harvest from Town farms/farm-to-table activities, and • Other community / kitchen gardens related activities, etc. The social component of food cannot be underestimated, and many programs designed to increase socialization, reduce isolation, and improve health will be enhanced by the ability to connect with food. Food that is cooked from scratch is more appealing and encourages greater participation. Emergency Generator The emergency generator is a component we recommend to protect the building systems and keep essential functions intact during storms or other emergencies. With the significant investment the Town will have made in this building upon fit -up, we do not want to see pipes freeze up or other systems damaged should the facility loose main power. Public Safety Officials have provided feedback that this site is not optimal for an overnight shelter facility because more functional shelter facilities are already available at the High School, which is also more centrally located. Thus, we are only recommending a modestly sized generator, not one suited to prepare the site to be a full-service shelter. However, we note that adding a generator could also allow the public to use this site as a day -time shelter for warming, cooling, and essential electronics charging during power outages. Enhanced Teen Programming Enhanced Teen Programming is another important component for Phase 2 because we believe we are currently not adequately serving this age -group. Programs for teens could be developed and run in a new gym. A gym is a critical component of any successful teen program, and we feel this is yet another compelling reason to have a gym. In addition, some have expressed a desire for a stand-alone, separate space for a teen hang-out. Over the coming months, we intend to spend more time evaluating specialized programming needs for specific age groups and constituencies such as the disabled, multi -cultural groups, pre-school and others perhaps not adequately served with community programming today. While we note that the few towns with successful teen programming took many years to plan for, arrange, and create the teen buy -in that makes that success possible, we have just begun the process for Lexington's teens. We intend to continue our serious and committed study of how to best serve this age group. Carriage House This has not yet had time to evaluate the condition of the Carriage House on the Community Center site. SBA is focusing its considerable efforts to provide bid -drawings for Phase 1 and to support this Committee's needs in sketching out a concept for Phase 2. As the November 2013 Special Town Meeting appropriated funds for an initial investigation of the Carriage House by SBA, we fully expect to have programming recommendations for this building in a later report. At this juncture, this Committee does not favor any scheme that requires removal of the Carriage House because of its historical significance and the likelihood that demolition of the structure would either be forbidden due to the Mass Historical Commissions jurisdiction over changes to this property, or unduly complex from a regulatory perspective given that Lexington has a demolition delay by-law that would apply in this instance. Programming for this structure, in the future, may take on several forms and could go in a number of different directions from using it as storage to a full renovation for active programming, depending upon the costs and complexity of renovation and the understood needs of the community as our work continues. We believe that fit -up and/or renovations of the Carriage House would likely be costs that are CPA eligible because of the historic nature of this building and a general understanding that renovations required for the adaptive reuse of historic structures are eligible costs. Secondary Access Road A secondary access road is included in Phase 2 because Lexington Fine Chief Wilson has affirmed this will be a requirement once the building is expanded. Design for this road needs to proceed concurrently to enable seamless coordination among plans for building placement, loading docks, building -access points, and parking. Parking and Circulation This Committee is concerned that the expanded facility may trigger the need for more parking than is presently provided. Therefore, we ask the Board, through its Chair, to assist by engaging a parking -and - circulation consultant to help the Town properly size the parking provisions. We want to be mindful of minimizing impervious site coverage, include best practices in storm -water run-off for environmental reasons, but not short-change the facility in such a way that discourages people from using it due to lack of parking. One current concept is that an access road would be constructed and, if needed later, turned into a one-way circulation pattern with parking along one side, yielding approximately 30 additional parking spaces. This has to be studied further. Private Funding Opportunities Finally with regard to the Phase 2 elements, there are some features under discussion that we would like to have, but which we know should probably not be included in the absence of private, outside funding from donors or grants. These items we have reserved on our "wish" list and they continue to be included in our architectural "kit of parts" so listed on various SBA documents as we do not want to lose sight of where these features might go. However, they are not being recommended at this time for Town funding. Primarily, at this time, these items include: • A greenhouse for gardening and other therapeutic programming, • Playground equipment (for indoors and/or outdoors), and • Other features which it is too premature to address. Programming & Collaborating with the Board, Town Staff, and Other Committees As this process unfolds, the AhCCAC is keenly aware that community expectations for our new facility are high. As evidenced in the comprehensive list of programming ideas posted on the Town's website our committee is cognizant of the fact that much work still remains to help refine and advance new programming concepts. It will be essential to be mindful of cost implications in creating new programs and to seek ways to collaborate with other groups to minimize budgetary impacts. Creative financing through grants, specialized fee structures, and other opportunities should all be explored. We also hope to collaborate further with the Board and many other Town staff, committees, and commissions to ensure their ideas are heard and advanced, if appropriate. Toward that end, we ask the Board to assist us in setting the correct level of expectations and making introductions, where appropriate, so we can further collaborate with other Town committees and departments. Cost Estimate & Request The Phase 2 Program we are recommending is based on a methodical process and better responds to the service needs of the community than the Cecil Group's earlier preliminary concept. This more extensive program is, however, more expensive than anticipated in the Cecil Group report. Costs, at this juncture, are projected to be in the vicinity of $8-9 million. That range is inclusive of all of the components we have discussed here, but do not contain the estimated cost of the required HVAC upgrades as those costs are dependent on known an approved scope of Phase 2 as the upgrades would be sized to optimize the conditioning of the air for both Phases 1 & 2. We recognize this is significantly higher than anticipated under the Cecil Group's early conceptual figures. Moreover, these are extremely preliminary cost projections based strictly on industry standard per -square foot cost estimates. This all-inclusive project has not yet been reviewed by an external cost estimator. As part of SBA's scope of work, more -detailed cost estimates are required to be prepared in conjunction with its expansion -project report due in January. We have asked SBA to include cost escalators in its professional cost estimating, where appropriate, to enable the committee to consider various scenarios for the sequential execution of the Phase 2 Program. The SBA detailed cost estimates, done by a cost sub -consulting expert, will have a higher degree of validity. This Committee appreciates that a vital element of any Phase 2 Program is understanding to what extent elements are eligible for funding under the Community Preservation Act. To that end, we will be discussing that matter with the CPC at the next possible opportunity and appreciate that the CPC's decision may well depend on an opinion from Town Counsel. We also recognize that any proposed changes to the building and site will require approval by the State pursuant to the Historic Preservation Restriction on the property. For the purposes of timing, we are asking the Board to allow this costing process to move forward, with all of the components we have sketched out for you above, so that more precise figures can be obtained before making decisions on what, if anything, you and the CPC might recommend to the 2014 Annual Town Meeting. It is important to have this detailed cost analysis and to allow the Committee to review these figures. Once available, the figures will allow the AhCCAC to formulate recommendations to the Board regarding whether Phase 2 should be executed all at once or separated into smaller, sequential, expansion projects. 8 Board of Selection Actions Requested (1) Accept this AhCCAC Status Report, dated December 13, 2013; (2) Recommend further cost estimating be prepared by SBA; and (3)Direct the AhCCAC to report back to the Board in January on any further recommendations (e.g., how to execute Phase 2) and cost information it might have on the project.