HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-04-21-BFC-min.pdf TOWN OF LEXINGTON
AD HOC BUILDING FINANCE COMMITTEE
Minutes of Meetina April 21 1995 in Estabrook School Library, as
approved Friday, April 28, 1995
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Kelley at 8 05 a m with all
{ committee members except Garber, Pierce and Moore present Also attend-
ing was Director of School Building Operation Moynihan, Superintendent
of Building Maintenance Fred Sweet and Ron Grammont of the Capital
Expenditures Committee and Precinct 9 Town Meeting Member Michael
Schroeder
Minutes of March 24 1995 were VOTED approved as amended While
discussing the minutes, several people noted that the library's ramp
does not meet ADA standards on more than one count The maximum
allowable grade is one inch rise in 12 inches length A double railing
is required for all grades greater than 5 percent There are other
requirements regarding maximum length before a level platform and need
for side curbing to keep a wheelchair from rolling off beneath the
rails In addition the brick surface of the library' s ramp would be
unacceptable
The chairman told of delivering the report of the committee to Town
Meeting, dated April 12 , after submitting it to the Town Manager and
Selectmen Although some conditions had changed since writing the
report , it was left as the committee approved it Especial appreciation
was expressed by Fred Sweet for the committee's recommendation that
$4,000 to $8 ,000 per year be appropriated for continuous repairs of the
town's slate roofs , rather than the many thousands more needed for
] replacement , if maintenance were lacking
FY96 Capital Proaram for Schools has been reduced to $350 ,000 for
Harrington and $150 ,000 for plans and preparations for the technology
improvements at the schools Funding source has not been determined
An overall improvement of the schools is to be recommended The School
Committee's report to Town Meeting was written as of March 31, but then
plans were scaled down
Need for electrical service upgrade in the schools was identified as
early as 1986 in the KLQ report The distribution system was listed in
Phase I , including adequate power supply going into each building
Specifications for an RFP are being drawn up based upon the Archetype
study, rather than upon the technology report
More work on program-versus-facility is needed on the high school and
Clarke Also the question as to whether a new school will be needed
must be answered in the process of finding the space for the anticipated
growth of 50 to 70 more pupils in each of the coming years Now, in the
1995-96 year the schools are operating at full capacity, even though
opening of Hastings added a 19-room capacity for 280 students Present-
ly Harrington has no music room, and small music programs operate in odd
corners in Bridge and Bowman schools Class sizes in the current year
are 22 in elementary schools , 19 in Kindergartens and 24 in secondary
schools
New School? More land for a new school exists on/alongside the Fiske
Ad Hoc Building Finance Committee Minutes 4/21/95 p 2
and Harrington sites The Fiske School , the oldest in the system, needs
about $4 5 million to be brought up to today' s standard This work,
Moynihan pointed out, would qualify only for "Category III" state
reimbursement (money to arrive in ten years) A new building responding
to increased enrollment would quality for a better rate and timing of
reimbursement - Category II five-year reimbursement Emphasized that
planning must begin now Who will provide the impetus? Committee
members stressed that the school committee must identify and define the
needs
Where is the new population coming from, committee members asked
Moynihan told that the distribution is mostly in the Estabrook, Bowman
and Bridge areas Hastings School was opened because it cost less to
open it than to build a new school To add the same capacity to the
other school would have cost at least $ 5 million more for the town
What about enlarging Fiske? Moynihan pointed out that several reports
on elementary schools have indicated that the ideal maximum number of
pupil for one administrator is 400 Some Lexington elementary schools
already have nearly 500 students Hastings will reach 400 enrollment
next year Eagle pointed out the logistics problems involved with
traffic and transportation Emphasized that the School Committee should
come out with a policy statement on school enrollments
There is extra land between Young and Laconia Streets , but the town must
acquire a land-locked parcel to complete the site (about 24 acres) ;
transportation access to the site is difficult An extra 27 acres lies
behind-beside the Harrington School playing fields Planning to meet
the anticipated needs must begin now Recommended that Superintendent
{ Jeff Young be invited to an early meeting Especially needed would be
direction regarding Fiske
Problems at Estabrook were first noted during the sitting meeting and
then seen as the committee walked through the halls used as cafeteria
since the building was first erected as the state' s first team teaching
school (not practiced now) The group saw the kitchen facility, the
gymnasium that Moynihan saw as one alternative new location for a
cafeteria, and the three temporary classrooms , which the town should be
replacing within the next four years - the limit of their billed
lifespan During the tour, Moynihan told of having the shore up support
for the temporary hallway's plywood underflooring (carpeted) When
asked what part of the temporary rooms is most likely to fail by the end
of the 10-year life expectancy, Moynihan responded the heat pump on the
roof of the modular facility The group also looked at the three new
special needs classrooms that had been added from entryway recess space
during the 1986-90 renovation program The entryway space was also seen
as possible enclosable space Moynihan described ext extensive traffic
and parking problems encountered daily at 3 15 p m and at any special
event at Estabrook as well
At the conclusion of the Estabrook tour, the meeting adjourned at 9 30
a m until Friday, April 28 at 8 00 a m at Fiske School Some commit-
tee members continued to the Westview and animal shelter buildings
Respectfully submitted, 4v Secretary to the Committee
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