HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINAL SC Minutes October 27_ 2020.pdf Final
MINUTES
MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
REGULAR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
OCTOBER 27, 2020 6.30 P M.
VIA REMOTE PARTICIPATION
Present.
Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary(Stow) Michael Ruderman(Arlington)
Steve Ledoux(Concord) Ford Spalding(Dover)
Jennifer Leone(Lancaster) Judith Crocker(Lexington)
Dave O'Connor(Bolton)
Absent. None,however some members had to leave and return due to scheduling conflicts
Weighted Vote• Weighted Vote present at start of meeting. 89 31%
Others Present Dr Edward Bouquillon,Dr. Robert Gerardi,Dr Amy Perreault, George Clement,
Luke McCoy, Greg Joynt and Julia Pisegna
1. CALL TO ORDER. OPEN SESSION
The Chair called the meeting to order at 6.31 p m
2. ADOPTION OF REMOTE PARTICIPATION
VOTE. To adopt remote participation by all members of the Minuteman School
Committee pursuant to and in accordance with Sections(2) and(3)of the Executive
Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law made by the Governor of
Massachusetts on March 12,2020, such adoption to be effective until said Executive
Order is rescinded or the Commonwealth's State of Emergency as referenced in said
Executive Order, is terminated,whichever happens first.
ACTION 2020#111
Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Ruderman)
To approve remote participation
VOTE. S members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present. 89 31%
Weight needed:>44 65%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining: none
Final percentage results of vote 89 31%
Final status of the vote. Unanimous
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Roll Call
Michael Ruderman (Arlington(Yes)
Dave O'Connor(Bolton)(Yes)
Steve Ledoux(Concord)(Yes)
Ford Spalding(Dover)(Yes)
Jennifer Leone(Lancaster)(Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington)(Yes)
Jeff Stulm,Vice-Chair(Needham)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary(Stow)(Yes)
Due to Mr Stulin having to leave during the meeting,he asked for vote that in the event that the
Chair and Vice-Chair are not present in the meeting,then Alice DeLuca, Secretary,will be acting
Chair pro-temp.
ACTION 2020#112
Moved(Ledoux)and seconded(Leone)
To approve Mice DeLuca as acting Chair, if necessary
VOTE. 8 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present. 89 31%
Weight needed• >44 65%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining. none
Final percentage results of vote: 89.31%
Final status of the vote: Unanimous
Roll Call.
Michael Ruderman(Arlington(Yes)
Dave O'Connor(Bolton)(Yes)
Steve Ledoux(Concord)(Yes)
Ford Spalding(Dover)(Yes)
Jennifer Leone(Lancaster)(Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington)(Yes)
Jeff Stalin,Vice-Chair(Needham)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary(Stow)(Yes)
(Ms. Nourse was not present at the time of this vote)
3. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT
1. Athletic Fields Project Budget
a. Review of bids(attachment)and project budget(Kevin Mahoney)
b. Contract Process and Milestones (Kevin Mahoney)
C. Project Construction Schedule(Luke McCoy,KBA)
d. Minuteman Town Managers Outlook from Meeting on October 21,2020(Dr.
Boaquillon)
e. Minuteman Finance Committee Recommendations(Steve Ledoux)
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Dr. Bouquillon shared the PowerPoint presentation on the athletic complex project Phase 1 update and
highlighted the master plan(full build)overview, the project scope reduction,design considerations, project
base bid scope, and project bid alternate scope of alternates no 1 through 6.
Dr. Bouquillon shared that he was pleased with the interest in the project and that eight bids were received.
The two lowest bidders,Heimlich Construction and Quirk Construction,were interviewed by representatives
of Skanska,KBA,and the School Building Committee. He highlighted the difference in the low bid of$6.4M
to the high bid of$9.4M and provided an analysis of the low bid received by Heimlich Construction, noting
that these figures do not include soft costs,fees or contingencies.
He continued the presentation and discussed the proposed funding plan indicating the sources of funds,
surplus of funds from the MSBA project, facilities revolving account, and the stabilization fund
The breakout of the lowest qualified bidder,which included the alternates,was reviewed, as well as the base
bid, soft costs and the industry standard of 10%contingencies,the Skanska OPM fees of$315,000 and KBA
(architects) fees of $155,000, other costs/fees associated with the Town of Lincoln and the Town of
Lexington, consulting fees, inspections, other services fees in the placeholder of approximate amount of
$141,000 for a total project cost of$5.5M, the approved amount of$5 7M and the plus side of$2.3M, and
the cost for the total of alternates 1-6 for approximately$2M more
The slide about financial benefits of phase 1 athletic fields highlighted the annual fields rental revenue from
phase 1 complete in the amount of$340,000 for year 1 (FY22)and$450,000 for year 2(FY23)onward,based
on the Ballard&King report for lighting and athletic fields Dr Bouquillon noted that the revolving account
rentals have been on hold for the past few years due to construction, the move into the new building, and
COVID-19.Also,the District has incurred approximately$75,000-$100,000 in rental fees and transportation
costs for the Minuteman athletic programs due to the construction project The fall sports are currently
cancelled, and there is a possibility of winter sports bemg cancelled as well He noted that there has been
interest in renting the gymnasium,theatre, and meeting rooms but that rentals have been put on hold due to
COVID-19 as we are erring on the side of safety and health
Dr Bouquillon reviewed the overview of the budgeted annual debt and revenue and noted that the MSBA
project capital cost to the member towns peaks next year, and the ESCO Lease payments from 16 towns
comes off the books at the end of FY25.He then reviewed the cost if the District were to borrow$2M at 1.7%
interest rate and principal of just over $200,000 per year for ten years He discussed the projection for the
facilities revolving account funds with the plan of putting aside $168,000 per year set aside from the capital
reserve account,so that when the synthetic fields need replacing in 10 or 11 years,the money will be on hand
He noted the projected payments from the rental revenues, similar to the Acton-Boxborough fields which pay
for themselves
Dr Bouquillon then reviewed the anticipated project construction schedule,beginning with the project award
date, submittals, mobilization dates, a winter shut down period, and the completion of the fields for use by
October 2021. He reported that in the event that we agree to move forward with the alternates,the bidder has
agreed to hold the prices for these alternates until mid-January,dependent on the weather and the availability
of supplies for COVID-19
Dr. Bouquillon also reminded members of the full build, phase 2, which is not included in this project but
includes the athletic building, 1,200 seat stadium bleachers, and the tennis courts and lighting. He noted that
the infrastructure is being planned for the possibility of adding these additional items at a later date
Ms Leone asked for clarification on the revenue estimates from the Ballard King Report, as they are
conservative numbers of what is possible moving forward Dr Bouquillon noted that they were not employed
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in their full consultant role, they are not local to the area, and were asked to review the District numbers
After some due diligence investigating of area facilities and the amount others were charging, and that
Minuteman is considered a municipality, as rental rates for municipalities tend to be lower than private
companies, they suggested that the district use only municipal rates, as opposed to both rates which were
originally figured into our numbers. Ms Leone noted that the Nashoba project was sold to the Town stating
that the fields would pay for themselves, there was never any kind of analysis done, and shared that she
appreciated Ballard King, as an outside source, stating this was possible
Ms. DeLuca noted that one difficulty with the Nashoba project was that they were not transparent in bringing
the information forward to the Town, and they had 60 days for a Town vote, and the Town Managers were
not involved in any discussion, and that there were a lot of negative feelings regarding the lack of notice,
(Ms. Nourse joined the meeting at 6 56 p.m.)
Mr Ruderman noted that he was in favor of the proposal, and shared that it would be helpful to have
information to provide their Town constituents relative to a market analysis for the need for these fields from
renters.He noted that the Ballard King report was great in regards to how many rentable hours per season/per
fields/per unit,but he would like to know the buyers for those hours,and shared that he would feel a lot more
comfortable discussing this with his town if he could provide identifiable entities who were interested or
provided a Memorandum of Understanding of their interest.
Dr. Bouquillon noted that information was included on an excel spreadsheet that was shared, and he noted
that on one of the tabs, it indicates previous renters and the extensive list of those who expressed interest in
renting
Mr Spalding noted that there were extensive conversations with people from Arlington,Lexington and other
communities in the area. Mr Spalding recommended sending the spreadsheet to all members,if it is available.
Dr. Bouquillon noted that some time ago there was interest in a public/private partnership for these facilities,
and that there were several user group meetings held with approximately 8 to 15 entities participating in these
user groups These users were part of the design process for the kinds of fields they needed,all of which was
included in the full build, and the reduced scope includes the core resources that were being requested, such
as synthetic fields,multi-purpose fields, and lights.
Mr. Ruderman shared that he reviewed the excel spreadsheet referenced by Dr. Bouquillon and it dates back
to 2017. Dr Bouquillon shared it had not been updated since then as tall the fields were lost in 2017-2018
due to the building of the new school. He requested questions about the contracting process and there were
none.
Mr. Ledoux shared that the Minuteman Finance Subcommittee voted to support the base bid which we have
the funds for,The bond issue language is not in front of us tonight He noted that the sense of the Committee
is that it makes perfect sense to move forward with the $1 9M due to very low interest rates and timing is
very good.
The Finance Committee recognized that the borrowing is more of a political issue, rather than a financial
issue and noted the importance of continued dialogue with our Town Managers and Selectmen to keep them
informed as they have 60 days to call a Town Meeting if they so desire Due to the uncertainty around
potential revenues from the fields, they have asked staff for a worse-case analysis of what borrowing $2M
means for each of the communities on an annual basis. Mr. Ledoux said that the bottom line is that the
members of the Finance Subcommittee feel it makes sense but reiterated the need for continued dialogue with
member towns
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Mr. Spalding noted that the School Building Committee also met earlier today,and had the same presentation
and discussion, with nine members attending The Committee voted unanimously and enthusiastically to
move forward with the base bid There was also a discussion about the alternates, and shared that the
following motion was approved
That the School Buildmg Committee is in favor of including, as soon as possible, the add alternates
to our financial plan
Two items the Building Committee discussed were the following concerns 1) that the low bidder
holds his price Mr Spalding noted that we know that will be in place until the January time-frame
which does not give us a lot time;and 2) the interest rates are low, and it would be great to preserve
those kind of rates. He noted that due to the economic uncertainty that surrounds the market and
what may take place after the election, he suggested we move as quickly as we can to make a
decision,preferably in the next 2 weeks,and suggested members reach out to their communities for
support.
He noted a comment from one member of the School Building Committee- Without the lights, the
numbers are pretty good With the lights,the numbers are probably guaranteed He felt that was the
sense of the Building Committee.
Mr. Stulin shared that the argument is reasonably quite simple -the cost of the lights brings in more money
than the costs of lights, and suggested that be put on paper and shared with everybody, as it would be a no-
brainer if the evidence is there,and this is not a problem for him.
Dr Bouquillon shared that the Town Managers were very supportive of moving forward with all the
alternates,especially with the current interest rates,and another comment received was that you have to finish
what you started because in five year it will be more expensive Both Lexington and Arlington agreed that it
made sense to move forward. We do need to provide them with more details, along with the Regional
Agreement, and explain the process as some towns have Town Meetings scheduled in the next few weeks
and months and that would provide an opportunity to get support without the need of holding a special Town
Meeting. Dr Bouquillon also noted that if one town says no,then we are done.
Ms. DeLuca shared that it would he helpful to have a calendar which includes certain borrowing information,
as well as how the 60-day notice works,because it may not be possible to add things at this point to the Town
Meeting agenda, and she feels it would be better to lay all that information out,rather than the Towns having
to figure it out.
Ms Leone agrees that laying out the information relative to the interest rate and borrowing and what that will
mean for each individual community, all of which will help when she talks to both the Lancaster Finance
Committee and the Board of Selectmen, and that Finance Committee will need to find the money for it, and
shared that she would appreciate the numbers before her discussions with these groups.
Dr Bouquillon will provide that information to members. Ms. Nourse asked for any additional questions or
comments There were none. Dr.Bouquillon noted that if any member would like him,Mr Mahoney,or Mr.
Gerardi to attend their meeting,please let him know
Ms.Crocker inquired about the timing deadline for when members should approach their Finance Committees
and Dr.Bouquillon said the sooner the better.Mr. Spalding noted that the District needs to get the information
to us that we all need,and that this discussions needs to be done within the next two weeks in order to preserve
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the add alternate pricing and the interest rates,and noted the need for a possible additional School Committee
meetmg
Mr. Stulin left for another meeting after making the following motion.
ACTION 2020#113
Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Leone),
To approve the award of the contract to Heimlich Landscaping and Construction
Corporation for the construction of the base bid of the Athletic Fields Project in the
submitted contract amount of$4,444,000,with the parties' contract to reserve an
option to the District in its sole and exclusive discretion,to include up to 6 proposed
alternates as described in,and at the pnces indicated in,the bid proposal of
Heimlich Landscaping and Construction Corporation,at an additional aggregate cost
to the District if all alternates are utilized of up to$2,161,600 00, provided that the
utilization of and funding for any such alternate shall be contingent upon subsequent
School Committee approval in accord with the regional agreement.
VOTE: 8 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present. 91 32%
Weight needed'>45 66%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining:
Final percentage results of vote: 91.32%
Final status of the vote: Unanimous
Roll Call:
Pam Nourse,Chair(Acton)(Yes)
Michael Ruderman(Arlington)(Yes)
Dave O'Connor(Bolton)(Yes)
Steve Ledoux(Concord)(Yes)
Ford Spalding(Dover)(Yes)
Jennifer Leone(Lancaster)(Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca(Stow)(Yes)
(Mr. Stulrn was not present at the time of this vote)
Ms.Nourse thanked all that were involved with this project
4. SECRETARY'S REPORT,Alice DeLuca
Ms.DeLuca noted that although one document in the packet referred to 2 sets of minutes,
that there is only one set of minutes being considered.
a Approval of Draft Minutes of October 13.2020
VOTE To approve the draft minutes of October 13,2020, as presented
ACTION 2020#114
Moved(Leone)and seconded(Crocker),
To approve the draft minutes of October 13, 2020, as amended
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VOTE. 8 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present: 91.32%
Weight needed: >45.66%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining:
Final percentage results of vote: 91.32%
Final status of the vote. Unanimous
Roll Call:
Pam Nourse,Chair(Acton)(Yes)
Michael Ruderman(Arlington)(Yes)
Dave O'Connor(Bolton)(Yes)
Steve Ledoux(Concord)(Yes)
Ford Spalding(Dover)(Yes)
Jennifer Leone(Lancaster)(Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca(Stow)(Yes)
(Mr. Stulin was not present at the time of this vote.)
5 EXECUTIVE SESSION
VOTE: To enter Executive Session as follows and not return to Open Session:
1) To conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with nonunion
personnel or to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with
nonunion personnel, namely the Superintendent-Director, Dr. Edward Bouquillon
Ms.Nourse noted that for Executive Session School Committee members will attend.
The committee would not be returning to open session following the executive sessions and
the meeting will be held on an additional Zoom meeting call. A separate zoom link was sent
to committee members by Ms Pisegna.
Ms. Leone read the entire text of the motion.
ACTION 2020#115
Moved(Leone)and seconded(O'Connor),
To enter into Executive Session and not return to Open Session,
VOTE. 8 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present: 91.32%
Weight needed:>45.66%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining.
Final percentage results of vote 91.32%
Final status of the vote. Unanimous
Roll Call.
Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton)(Yes)
Michael Ruderman(Arlington)(Yes)
Dave O'Connor(Bolton)(Yes)
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Steve Ledoux(Concord)(Yes)
Ford Spalding(Dover)(Yes)
Jennifer Leone(Lancaster)(Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca(Stow)(Yes)
(Mr Stulin was not present at the time of this vote.)
Respectfully submitted,
Julia Pisegna Alice DeLuca
District Assistant Secretary
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