HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-01-27-BFC-min.pdf TOWN OF LEXINGTON
AD HOC BUILDING FINANCE COMMITTEE
Minutes of Meetina January 27 1995 in Room 111 , Town Office Building,
as approved February 3, 1995
The meeting was called to order by Town Engineer Francis X Fields at
8 05 a m with the following present Committee members David Eagle,
Gilbert Garber, Donald Jenkins, William Kennedy, and Walter Pierce and
staff members Fields , Director of School Building Operation John
Moynihan and Superintendent of Building Maintenance Frederick Sweet
Others attending included DPW/Engineering Director Richard Spiers , Fire
Chief John Bergeron and Capital Expenditures Committee liaison Ron
Grammont Committee Chairman Peter Kelley arrived shortly after the
meeting began
Public Works Barn on Bedford Street history was described briefly by
Director Spiers The building began as a wooden car barn with entrances
front and back for street cars Additions were added to the right and
left and entrance bays changed to the side
(Luckily, a mid-1994 fire began in a section of roof over a newer
addition, rather than in the oldest wooden roof and it occurred just as
workers arrived and observed the smoke Fire Chief Bergeron noted that
the sprinkler system in the building is just under the roof and was not
activated and would not be until a roof fire did considerable damage
All vehicles were removed quickly and escaped injury )
A new building to replace the old wooden structure had first been
planned in the ' 60s, concept drawings were prepared along with cost
estimates in 1990 for a prefab steel building on a slab Updating this
estimate, adding costs for clerk-of-the works and contingency would
bring the cost up to about $2 46 million This would be a "no frills"
building, Fields pointed out Included would be a second story over the
front section that would include classrooms for training The building
would house DPW trucks and equipment (presently an extremely tight
squeeze requiring extreme care to avoid hitting frequent posts) In
order to construct the new building from the ground up, the existing old
wooden car barn would have to be demolished completely first
The barn, when rebuilt would house about 20 ,000 square feet of space and
take an estimated 9 to 12 months to complete A request for
appropriation of $160 ,000 to prepare construction plans and
specifications will be proposed to the 1995 Town Meeting for FY96 It
was noted that the Archetype study of existing town buildings
renovations would cost estimates were close to the anticipated cost of
old building replacement Fields pointed out that the old car barn
suffered weakening of its structure with each addition as well as post-
bumping and general wear and tear
Dave Eagle emphasized that the town must pay attention to State
Department of Environmental Protection regulation 21E process requiring
removal/treatment of hazardous materials in the soils beneath and
surrounding the building Some of $21 million state funding might be
available for cleanup but only for petroleum products Cost of 21E
process could amount to anywhere from $6, 000 to $20 ,000 and would delay
construction (The town voluntarily went through this cleanup
Ad Hoc Building Finance Committee 1/27/95 , p 2
regulatory process at the North Lexington Pumping Station ) Eagle told
that high water table would mean less depth of borings and clay, rather
than sandy soils would limit spreading of contamination
At the end of the discussion the certainty of this project ' s go-ahead
was doubted, as Town Manager had eliminated new construction until a
total capital package could be assembled
Fire Station renovations and improvement plans had been worked on with
the Permanent Building Committee and fire staff and also had been
factored into the Archetype report The main problem presently is water
in the building Roof slate replacement is now costing $2 ,000 per year
Among other needs more storage, adjustment of facilities for female
staff , ADA compliance, boiler replacement , sprinklers , and more adequate
electric service and distribution Bids are going out for amelioration
of diesel fumes Hopefully this will also improve the carbon monoxide
level , which one day last summer reached six times the maximum safety
level Other needs that would be addressed in an envisioned 6,000
square foot addition would be a medical cleanup area, waiting area,
better record storage, voting machine storage, a training and community
meeting room, underground propane tank replacement , fire equipment
cleanup area, new generator and grease traps in the equipment area
Aside from a few heating improvements, little has been done to the Fire
Station since it was originally built in 1948
The East Lexington Fire Station, built in 1950 , is in good condition and
needs no work at this time
In discussion of the main fire station problems , Eagle emphasized that
the brook flowing between the station and the liquor store (North
Lexington Brook, that also flows around the Public Works yard) needs to
be cleaned and that alone would solve most of the water backup going
into the Fire Station This project is probably also on hold Jenkins
asked what are the most immediate needs Answer electric system and
boiler replacement Other questions on proposed Fire Station additions
concerned access between second floor areas in the front and rear
sections and whether central air conditioning would be added
Next meetina was scheduled for Friday February 3 , and the Library plans
for facilities revisions will be discussed with Interim Library Director
Stella Liu Executive Session was agreed upon to discuss mode of
committee operation and handling of minutes (Staff members left)
Adjourned altogether at 10 07 a m
Respectfully submitted,
Erna S Greene, Secretary