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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