HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-09-29-BFC-min.pdf TOWN OF LEXINGTON
AD HOC BUILDING FINANCE COMMITTEE
Minutes of Meetina September 29 1995 in Room G-3 , Town Office Build-
ing followed by a tour of the building, as approved October 20 , 1995
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Kelley at 7 40 a m with all
committee members except Jenkins present Also present was Superinten-
dent of Building Maintenance Fred Sweet and Director of School Facili-
ties , Grounds and Support Services John Moynihan, who distributed copies
of the Lexington Public Schools ' memo of September 19 , 1995 on Secondary
Renovations
Minutes of September 15 1995 were approved as submitted
Fire Headquarters , topic of a front page article in the Lexington
Minuteman, discussed briefly The committee had walked around the
outside of the building during its tour of the facility All noted
problems with the ventilation system are planned to be fixed, except for
I the outside drainage Legal problems associated with indoor air quality
will be addressed in December Town Engineer Fields noted later in the
meeting that the front yard is now pitched toward the building Some
regrading as well as possible rerouting of outside drains needs to be
done on the side and back There also are problems in the dirt floor
crawl space beneath the trucks Fields described these are "solvable"
` Policy Statement on Cary Memorial Building Kennedy agreed to augment
the statement with more detail by October 12
Policy Statement on the Police Buildina also promised October 12 by
Kelley
Accessibility report will be given second hand by Fred Sweet An
intern' s previous report (summer ' 94) was distributed to the committee
on August 23 Copies will go to committee members who did not get it
This report covered the whole town, including outdoor crosswalks , etc
It was discussed with the person in charge of each building
Schools ' Needs were outlined quickly by Moynihan by September 1998 , the
system will need 23 more classrooms in the middle and high schools
10 more in the high school
8 more at Diamond
5 more at Clarke
For the middle schools the time line is most urgent , 18 months until
September, 1997 but the high school space will most likely be needed
the following school year Sufficient space in the present middle
school buildings can be found by changes or elimination of present
programs , with the exception of four of the needed rooms at Diamond
(The school administration has had discussions with Minuteman Tech about
use of their facilities for specialized space such as industrial arts )
Also noted were problems of legal requirements for space and programming
under Chapter 766 for children with special needs
These and other current space requirements for schools explain why a
Ad Hoc Building Finance Committee Minutes 9/29/95 - Page 2
smaller number of students now requires more space than was built for
Lexington' s former peak school enrollment
Moynihan emphasized that in order to have Category II reimbursement for
addressing rising pupil population, an application must be submitted by
May 30 , 1996 Option I at Diamond - adding new space above the in-
dustrial arts area (to be connected with the second floor corridor for
elevator service) - is what he would advocate Timing is especially
tight for Diamond
To him a priority is finding the money for preliminary plans and
studies Another question that must be answered now should all the
secondary school enlargements be done now or should the job be split ,
with the high school to follow? Moynihan said he could set up a
building needs conference with the state school building board in 30
days to six weeks The committee responded with a rapid "yes" to the
latter question Moynihan said the School Committee would be answering
this question soon, probably at their next meeting on Tuesday, October
10th, to which the Building Committee is invited
VOTED to get the state to look over the total package of needs of the
middle and high schools in view of the urgency of the needs Noted that
the committee disfavors temporary and stop-gap solutions unless they are
part of a grand plan There is no leeway now A crisis is anticipated
contingent upon the School Committee' s having a plan for the high school
as part of a comprehensive plan for the secondary schools "In view of
the urgency described to us, we urge that the planning process be
started immediately "
In preparation for the next meeting, the secretary was asked to find a
copy of the earliest study of the Munroe School This is not available
in the Engineering Department
A tour of the Town Office began about 9 a m and lasted until 9 30 a m ,
following Fred Sweet ' s rapid review of the realistic and practical
adaptations recommended by Emily Silberberg in her recent tour of the
Town Office Building for ADA compliance Her formal written report is
awaited The tour emphasized basement storage area space utilization
Respectfully submitted,
Erna S Greene, Secretary
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