HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-02-03-BFC-min.pdf TOWN OF LEXINGTON
AD HOC BUILDING FINANCE COMMITTEE
Minutes of Meeting February 3 1995 in Room 111 , Town Office Building,
as approved February 10 , 1995
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Peter Kelley at 8 08 a m
with the following present Committee members David Eagle, William
Kennedy , Mark Moore, and Walter Pierce and staff members Town Engineer
Francis X Fields , Director of School Building Operation John Moynihan
and Superintendent of Building Maintenance Frederick Sweet Others
attending included Acting Library Director Stella Liu and Capital
Expenditures Committee liaison Ron Grammont
Library Needs and Plans Stella Liu explained that the newly appointed
Library Director would be arriving on the job in Lexington next week
She is still completing her assignment in Lynnfield and could not attend
this meeting, however, she has been attending evening Library Trustees
meetings and is thoroughly apprised of Cary Library plans for expansion
Apropos the repair/maintenance items listed in the Archetype report for
the library, it is the opinion of the library administration that these
items should not be addressed separately but be folded into the long
range building program, plans for which the library hopes to get
underway this year A request for preliminary planning funds is
included in the Town Manager ' s budget request for FY96 The advantage to
the town under this program is that approximately 50 percent of design
and construction costs would be picked up by the state
Ms Liu told of many library needs of that should be addressed in the
{ expansion plans Among them are power supply, wiring and space
arrangement to accommodate library technology, more effective heating
and air conditioning, staff work space for children' s and reference
librarians , a new roof (emergency repairs in the last few years have
fixed leaks) , and possibly some items that were listed in the Archetype
report Presently the staff are evaluating best use of the 10 ,000
square feet of "future expansion" space that had been trimmed from the
1971 original expansion plans that were undertaken under the supervision
of the Permanent Building Committee (Ms Liu displayed a brochure
showing those envisioned plans )
When asked if the East Lexington Branch is included in the Library' s
current proposal , Ms Liu said no She noted that building, on the
register of historic landmarks , costs about $40 ,000 to run Built in
1833 and willed to the town by the Stone family with the proviso that it
be used for educational purposes only, the building presents a dilemma
for the Library If the branch were to close, it could not be reopened
without complying with current ADA regulations For better building use
the literacy program office, which is funded by a Federal grant , has
been placed there This office administers tutoring in a wide
geographic area, with most tutors supplied by Lexingtonians
Both libraries are among the oldest going library structures in the
state the main library was built in 1906 , with additions in 1955 and
1975 The latest renovation of the library was the revision of lighting
and the front lobby to accommodate the large print books (in 1987-89)
About $125 ,000 was spent , of which $25 , 000 was from the State Main
1
Ad Hoc Building Finance Committee 2/3/95 , p 2
library circulation is 50 ,000 items per month, while the branch
circulates 3, 000 Lexington's library is considered a flagship among
those of medium-sized communities , the acting director pointed out
Construction cost of the latest proposal has been roughly estimated at
$3 5 million (When asked about library operating costs, Ms Liu told
that endowment and private funding provide a high proportion ) She
reported that the new director is thoroughly experienced with the
granting process and ready to tackle the expansion
Minutes approvals VOTED for Minutes of January 12 as amended and for
January 27 with executive minutes amended The latter vote was
preceded by a discussion of committee function Agreed committee should
not "pick apart" items in the Archetype report but it should "work on
the problems" even if some of them go beyond the scope of the report ,
such as site problems Other salient comments "Make it do-able "
"Evaluate the 'must have ' lists of department heads and improve existing
space " "Safety issues must be addressed " "First review, then walk-
through "
Barn Site Problems are now being studied by the hydraulics firm of
Weston and Sampson, hired to do borings in the building footprint
exclusively (by their recommendation) Their report is expected in two
weeks , Fields reported
! The meeting adjourned at 9 17 a m until Friday, February 10 , at 8 a m
Respectfully submitted,
Erna S Greene, Secretary