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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-08-09-BFC-min.pdf TOWN OF LEXINGTON AD HOC BUILDING FINANCE COMMITTEE Minutes of Meeting August 9 1995 meeting at Diamond Middle School teachers ' room, as approved August 16 and corrected August 23, 1995 The meeting was called to order at 7 40 a m by Chairman Kelley, with all committee members except Pierce and Eagle present Director of School Building Operation Moynihan and Town Engineer Fields also attended Minutes of the July 26 1995 meeting were approved as submitted Plans for Committee Report to Selectmen were discussed in light of Chairman Kelley's recent conversation with Leo McSweeney, Chairman of the Board of Selectmen The committee responded favorably to Jenkins ' recommendation that each building be commented on from both the commit- tee's inspection tours and the Archetype report Garber added that a report of this sort could not be reached until the end of September Committee agreed that more homework is needed before a plan of action can be put together Envisioned are a series of working meetings in September to shape a report containing facts and committee recommenda- tions to be presented to the Selectmen in October Buildings yet to be inspected by the committee are the School Admini- stration White House and the East Lexington Fire Station and Branch Library Chairman Kelley offered to organize lists of individual buildings from the Archetype report , starting with a quick or crisis list of greatest priority for attention Schedule for the remainder of the summer will be two Wednesday mornings , August 16 and 23 at the School Administration Building The first of these will include a tour of the three buildings listed above and the second will be a working meeting In September, meetings will revert to early Friday mornings , with dates to be set later School Facility needs It is forecast that elementary enrollments will be holding steady while secondary schools will see increases Space shortage at the high school will rise to ten classrooms and two science rooms in the next three years Moynihan is now reviewing program requirements with school principals All teachers are already sharing workspace and rooms Capital expenditures for increased enrollments would be eligible for 59 percent state school building assistance for expenditures and interest on bonds as well , to begin returning to the town at least three years after completion of the project Diamond Tour Before the committee departed to look at the building, Moynihan outlined the main problems at Diamond now The floor tiles in the second floor hallways are bubbling up along with the original flooring because the mastic under the lower layer has given way New floor tiles have been acquired, but maintenance budgets of the past two years have not supported the high expenditure to strip the failing floor layers and lay the new tiles down properly In addition, the old flooring presents an asbestos abatement problem The library that was constructed in 1989 already is too small The most major concern, however, is the need for six to eight additional class- Ad Hoc Building Finance Committee Minutes 8/9/95 - Page 2 rooms to accommodate increased enrollments in the next few years Starting in the year 1996-97 , total combined middle school enrollment will increase by about 200 more students each year At Clarke five extra rooms can be carved from the large Resource Center on the third level so that the school will be able to hold about 900 pupils At Diamond other solutions such as consolidation of shop and home economics rooms as well as portable classrooms are being looked at Among the other building limitations that will be encountered in expanding or improving Diamond are old electrical service equipment and wiring and a heating plant with very little expansion capability as well as some asbestos in the boiler room Although portable classrooms are self-contained, including utilities, the need for restroom facilities nearby must be considered in planning for their use ADA compliance at Diamond is not quite complete Only reasonable accommodation is required To complete ADA specifications such as magnetic hold-backs for doors would cost about $60 ,000 About $50 ,000 would be required to correct the upstairs hall floor On the committee's tour the floor problem did not seem obvious, but Moynihan pointed out that the floor is a maintenance problem Water cannot be used in cleaning as it causes bubbling up, winter snowmelt tracked in by students will do the same Also noted on the tour The kitchen and its equipment need renovation This kitchen cooks meals for Diamond, Fiske and Estabrook schools \ The formal meeting ended about 8 30 a m with a tour of Diamond and the committee departed to see the Fire Station and DPW Barn at 8 55 a m Respectfully submitted, I �✓gJ�c.IL2il�-�—. Erna S Greene, Secretary to the Committee {