HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-06-05-CEC-min Minutes of the
Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC)
Amended Remote-Participation Meeting
apR"'g' June 5, 2024
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Location and Time: All-Remote Virtual (Zoom) Meeting; 7:30 P.M.
Members Present: Charles Lamb, Chair; Lisah Rhodes, Vice-Chair, David Kanter, Clerk;
Sandy Beebee (joined at 7:37 P.M.); Michael Boudett; Rod Cole
Members Absent: None
Others Present: Carolyn J. Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager for Finance
Documents Presented:
• Notice of CEC Meeting, June 5, 2024
• Review New Lexington High School (NLHS) Status & Funding & the Lowell Street
Parcel 68-44 Request for Proposal (RFP)
• Draft Minutes of the CEC Meeting, April 23, 2024
Call to Order: Mr. Lamb called this Committee's all-remote meeting to order at 8:00 A.M., As
the Committee members and the others joining this meeting had been previously advised of
the special conditions of this meeting, he passed on repeating them (i.e., the authority to not
require a physical presence of a quorum and other selected terms under the Open Meeting
Law had, by legislation on March 29, 2023, Governor Healey signed into law a supplemental
budget bill which, among other things, extends the temporary provisions pertaining to the
Open Meeting Law to March 31, 2025, pursuant to Chapter 22 of the Acts of 2023")
Mr. Lamb made a Roll Call of the Committee Members and 5 members reported as present.
Mr. Lamb initiated the discussion of the proposed 4 funding options for the NLHS using the:
Capital Stabilization Fund (CSF). He called upon each of the Committee members to provide
their opinions. After all the members completed their discussion, it was agreed the preferred
funding approach was Level Payment as presented at the summit for the CSF.
Mr. Lamb then asked Ms. Kosnoff for her comments on this matter. She said that she agrees
with Mr. Cole that this project is distinctly different than the usual projects addressed by the
Town: It dwarfs all the other projects combined, and if the Town is going to be successful
moving forward, it will have to really minimize the impact of the people voting on this project.
Therefore, she feels the "Level Payment" option is the way to go if we're going to "sell" this
project. She agreed with Ms. Beebee about not taking the funding out of the taxpayer
hands. She noted that none of these options are set in stone; it's possible there will be some
variation with combinations of this. She expects to be modeling this project for a long period
of time and hopes that some aspects will be stabilized.
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Continued Minutes of the
Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC)
Amended Remote-Participation Meeting
June 5, 2024
Mr. Lamb then raised the fact about taxpayer equity and that the taxpayers have been for 12
years funding the CSF. And with regard to the new Harrington fields, he asked Ms. Kosnoff
about how they will be funded. She hopes they can be within levy and also Community
Preservation Act funds.
There was a CEC discussion regarding the broad range of physical and functional
alternatives in the designs and scopes related to NLHS costs and interactions with what the
Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) will fund. It was ultimately agreed that any
CEC position would be deferred until the later development of the projects alternatives.
The CEC then turned its attention to the Lowell Street Parcel 68-44 RFP. There were many
aspects in that large document where stipulated characteristics of the deliverable were the
less demanding "want" or "should" rather than the "need" and "shall". It was agreed that the
Chair would just advise the Select Board of this Committee's such findings and typos.
Approve CEC Minutes
Mr. Kanter Moved approval of the April 23, 2024, CEC Minutes; Ms. Beebee Seconded.
Roll—Call Vote: 6-0
Adjourn: Mr. Lamb called for a CEC Motion to adjourn. Mr. Kanter made it and Ms. Beebee
Seconded at 8:30 P.M. to adjourn. Roll-Call Vote: 6-0
This Minutes was approved by the CEC at its meeting on July 24, 2024.
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