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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1980-02-25-BOS-min SELECTMEN'S MEETING FEBRUARY 25, 1980 ' A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, February 25, 1980 at 7 30 p m Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present MAPC/ Mrs Jacqueline Smith discussed plans offered by the Metropolitan Center Area Planning Council for technical assistance on the revitalization of Revital- central business districts One plan would be for a full revitalization ization study, such as the one done in Maynard, which would take about a one year lead-in time at an average cost of $60,000 to $100,000 with the town par- ticipating at about 20 percent This would be for design, traffic, park- ing, market analysis and strategy, as well as trying to find a form of grant The other way to go is that MAPC does offer technical assistance on smaller projects for market analysis, traffic, some questions on park- ing; this is done in-house, with no charge to the town There is a much shorter lead time and you have to send in a letter of intent to MAPC After discussion, the Board agreed that Mrs Battin is to draft a letter to MAPC for the Chairman's signature, requesting technical assist- ance in the areas of traffic,parking and market analysis for the re- vitalization of Lexington Center Legisla- As Chairman of the Hanscom Field Advisory Committee, Mrs Smith tion - said that the Board had approved the idea last fall of going forward HFAC with legislation to make HFAC a legal entity, and Senator Carol Amick had filed the bill Because of the time element involved in filing the bill, Senator Amick asked that the communities prepare what they felt would be acceptable to them and she would support it HFAC has put together a bill for the review of the Board of ,Selectmen of Bedford, Concord, Lexington_and Lincoln The bill is in three parts (1) the Preamble which sets forth the reasons for creating such a committee; (2) Composition and appointing powers, which is an attempt to give the Commission the same balance and depth as that created in the joint agreement; (3) Responsibilities, to review and give community reaction to Massport decisions on Hanscom, to provide a channel of com- munication between Massport and the communities, and any other duties assigned to it The bill will be heard by the Joint Transportation Committee on March 5, and we request approval of this Board Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the draft of the bill of the committee and to send an appropriate statement to the March 5 meeting of the Massachusetts Committee on Transportation Mr Kent agreed to alert Senator Rotondi and Representative Cole J8. Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - February 25, 1980 The School Sites Conversion Committee and Mr Fred Todd, Architect Munroe with the firm of Hammer Kiefer and Todd, Inc , met with the Board to School discuss the feasibility report for conversion of the Munroe School to human services use Chairman Miley said that we have asked representa- tives of different groups who have been interested in the Munroe School to come tonight to see if we can perhaps iron out some of the financial problems that we have been concerned about, and to find out if there is some way that this can be feasible and put in such a context that we can bring it hopefully for all to Town Meeting and feel positive about this Mrs Shunney, Chairman of the Housing Authority, Mr William Sen, Chairman of the Council on Aging, and Mr. Ballou of the Children's Center are also here Mr Busa said that he had been presented a petition from some senior citizens who were very much concerned with the Town of Lexington going for- ward with this project He did not want to give the names in order to in- sulate the citizens who had signed the petition. Chairman Miley said that Mu Tropeano,. President of the Senior Citizens, was unable to come tonight and had told her that his members were very concerned about the figure of $770,000, and Mrs Miley had assured him that she was concerned also - all were concerned about it What we are doing tonight is to try and come up with something palatable to everyone, and she had told Mr Tropeano that she would get back to him tomorrow Mr Crain and Mr Kent expressed theshr concern about a petition being presented but not filed with the Board, and if some senior citizens have legitimate concerns, they would like to know what they are and to meet with them. Mr. Hutchinson said that we have received proposals for $777,000, $620,000 and $518,000; obviously, there would have to be an estimate of architect's fees added Mr Todd said that they were asked to look at the feasibility of con- verting the Munroe School for a human service center for elderly users, and there was not a specific group pinpointed at that time. We talked to a variety of agencies and they in no way were to be final tenants; for their requirements in a general way and if it would work for small people, elderly groups We prepared, in a preliminary way, a set of plans and to have a checklist of items that would go into a conversion 1 What steps we need to take to comply with the state building code, energy, and the architectural barrier code We used those provisions of the code where we could apply them, and met with the Building Com- missioner, for tentative agreement on what could be done and what to put off Once you meet the code, we looked at some of the significant require- ments of the program and to make the building function for elderly people. On how far we were going to go, our initial assumption was not a cadillac but a Chevrolet approach, and a $770,000 cost estimate was built up item by item; $577,000 base price, contingency factor of 10 percent, 12 percent inflation figure, and another 6 percent to cover inflation between our current estimate and construction in the summer of 1980; we added 15 per- cent for contractor's overhead and profit Adding on brought it up to $771,000, approximately $37 00/sq ft It remains in our professional judgment a fair estimate of what it Would cost We were asked if any area cost could be reduced and a second memo went through with some fairly minor changes for providing less shelving in offices, in toilet areas, a lower quality of finish, eliminating some painting, scaling down components ef,,thg -kittchen, and eliminating air conditioning. This resulted in the $620,000 estimate or approximately $29 00/sq ft 115 Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - February 25, 1980 Mr Todd said that in our letter of February 12, we took a different approach as to what it would cost to do the minimum and still bring the building up to the code We would do only the basics and let the tenants assume the cost for carpets, etc Looking at the minimum, we came up with an estimate of $25 00/sq ft with a base price of $386,000, 10 percent contingency fee, 6 percent inflation, 15 percent contractor overhead and profit; $518,000 Mr Kent questioned whether a potential trade-off in rents existed, and Mr Hutchinson said that it depends on who goes in there. He had deducted the rental of the Church of Our Redeemer for the Council on Aging and there is an estimate of $20,000 for the Minuteman Home Care We have not developed numbers on the idea of marketing the office space Rev Shirley Goodwin, Minuteman Home Care, said that they had moved into the Grey Nuns and have a two year lease, and they will be looking for another place As a member of the Council on Aging, we went to the Church of Our Redeemer because we had to prove a need for a senior center Why do we have to prove a need? Mr Crain asked for the approximate evaluation of the number of people who could be serviced at the lower level? He felt it should be used as a social center and to have a hot meal Mr Todd said that the CoA had talked about 50 to 60 people, and they could be handled comfortably Mr Busa said that the people who aren't going to use it are concerned about the cost What would it cost to put it into usable service? Mr Todd said that you could move them in and use it not painted and not carpeted The number is between $500,000 and the first number of $700,000 Mrs Battin spoke to the need for a senior center At the Church, they have a variety of programs and they need a larger place She asked if the range of proposals had been given to the Council on Aging? Mr Sen said that they hadn't had a chance to see them, and we have definitely outgrown the Church He discussed meals and said that a caterer could bring in meals Mrs Miley said, then, theta is no need to worry about the kitchen Mr Kent recommended that a formal, written report be given to the Board in order to exercise the kind of judgment we have to make and the kind of selling that we are going to have to do if the Tann Meeting is to be persuaded to do this job The Board agreed with Mr Hutchinson's recommendation to charge the Council on Aging, working with the Senior Center Site Committee, to address the existing programatical needs for the people to be served and the proposed groups to be served; to address it as it relates to the study of the Munroe School specifically, and to advise the Board of some of the data that they did look at schools other schools Also, informa- tion about addressing the school program and how does that fit in with the idea of meals? And looking to the plans for the future This re- port is to be discussed at the March 10 meeting of the Board of Selectmen. ig'i Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - February 25, 1980 Messrs Casendino Powers, O'Driscoll of Clark Associates met with the Parker Board to discuss the Parker School Members of the School Sites Conversion School Committee and Mrs Shunney, Housing Authority Chairman, were also present Mr Casendino said that they had met with the Planning Board, Housing Authority, and with the community, and they have modified the building in terms of the addition Looking back into the unit mix, they are still all 2 bedroom-1 bath units; we have widened the entrance to 30 feet The primary change was in the roof line The units were not changed within the structure but the Building Commissioner wanted modified stairs, and we agreed We are very concerned with the minimal number of doors for maximum security We want single level living. The oldest building has two units at the lower level and storage in the old storage room The new addition will have its own entrance system off the rear parking lot The addition will have 5 units on a floor, and we still have 18 units in the existing structure and 10 in the addition We meet the zoning re- quirements We have had a traffic consultant look at traffic conditions and we will get his report. The Housing Authority looked at the units and they are in agreement with the 2-bedroom units and they wanted them scattered through the building rather than totally in one block, and we agreed There are legal questions whether they can accept the transfer of the units Mrs Shunney asked if they are going to be sold or given to the Housing Authority? Mr Hutchinson said that they will be given to the town Mrs Shunney said that they do have the opportunity to possibly serve a different group of people; there is no legal question on this Mr Smith, SSCC, said that Clark will have to go for variances and will need an access easement Mr Hutchinson said to make sure there is a deed restriction which leaves the abutting land effectively as open space and to have a walking ease- ment for people to get across Mr Kent asked if there is anything they are doing that will raise the structure beyond the height of the existing level? Mr. Casendino said that the new structure would be no higher than the exist- ing structure There will be a price range of $60,000 to $80,000 for the seven units Chairman Miley thanked Clark Associates for meeting with the Board and they retired from the meeting Chairman Miley read an application for a Common Victualler license Common Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to issue a Common Victualler Victualler license to Damon Enterprises, Inc d b a Bel Canto Restaurant, License 1715 Massachusetts Avenue, formerly the Minuteman Restaurant, with hours of operation on Sunday-Thursday 6 00 a m to 10 00 p.m , Friday-Saturday 6 00 a.m to 11 00 p m. License is issued subject to a final inspection of the Health Director Mr Hutchinson recommended approval of the request of the Lions Club July 4th to conduct the Annual July 4th Carnival on Sunday, June 29, through Lions Club Saturday, July 6, on the portion of the Center Playground that was Carnival utilized last year, subject to coordination with the Police, Fire, DPW, and the Manager's Office Mr Kent asked that it be reviewed with the Recreation Committee and if there are any problems, they should come back to the Board Mr Hutchinson agreed, and added that he would be reviewing the requested dates 114 Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - February 25, 1980 July 4th Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re- Lions Club quest of the Lions Club to conduct the July 4th carnival on June 29 Carnival through July 6, 1980 at the portion of the Center Playground which was used last year, subject to the dates being reviewed by the Town Manager and with the coordination of the appropriate town agencies Gypsy Mr Hutchinson recommended that the letter from Mrs Eva Gordon re- Moths garding the sypsy moth problem be referred to the Conservation Commission Chairman Miley reminded the Board that the Pest Control Advisory Committee was asked to look into the mosquito issue and then to look into the gypsy moths We can ask the Conservation Commission to work with the committee on the gypsy moths and have a progress report by April 1 The Board agreed Solid Mr Hutehinson informed the Board that he had been meeting with the Waste Solid Waste Committee and they will meet with the Board to review the Committee report LEXPRESS Mr Fred Rosenberg and Mrs Sally Castleman of the Transportation Bus Advisory Committee met with the Board to discuss LEXPRESS Mr Rosenberg said that the committee would like to go out to contract before Town Meet- ing and there would have to be an escalation cost He was not recommending a change in the fare structure at this time. Mr Crain recommended that the Board address subsidization and determine whether it is appropriate to put it on the tax rate; in his opinion, it is appropriate because we do it on other programs Mr Hutchinson said that we are carrying $100,000 right now Mr Rosenberg said they would come back to the Board, and retired from the meeting Transfer- Mr Hutchinson requested a transfer of $20,000 to the Road Machinery Account account to buy gasoline for DPW vehicles We budgeted last year for 94 cents #5450 a gallon and currently we are at $1 05 a gallon, and we will wind up spending $30,000 We have requests for $70,000 for the Library, DPW, costs for legal fees on the Snyder case, and it is his intention to meet with the Appropria- tion Committee regarding this We have the right to go to Town Meeting under Article 3 with supplementary requests for the current fiscal year We are preparing a revised estimate for F Y 81 fuel costs Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request approval of the Appropriation Committee for the transfer from the Reserve Fund to Account #5450-Road Machinery to buy gasoline for DPW vehicles Mr Hutchinson said that the Board should be aware of proposed legisla- tion to allow towns the capability to commit their free cash, if they have it available, to offset some of these deficits He would pursue that with our legislators Energy Mr Buse submitted a list of projected energy costs prepared by the Budget Energy Committee and recommended that $20,702 be included in the budget; among the items are, $11,702 for insulation of buildings; $5,000 for repairs to the Central Fire Station; $1,000 for fans and screens or plastic shades at the Library We will have a pay-back on insulation of from one to four years depending on which building it is There is the necessity to improve and gt= Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - February 25, 1980 repair the Central Fire Station and $5,000 is a conservative figure for the program they feel would be cost effective and an immediate pay-back on the consumption of energy The Energy Committee has recommended door closers for the East Lexington Fire Station Also, the purchase and installation of three fans at the Library; with the greenhouse effect on the southwest side of the main Library because of all the windows, the air-conditioning during the summertime is $3,000/month, and the committee felt there should be some screening or plastic shades there The committee has found problems as some employees are not taking energy conservation very seriously, and the committee would like to create some sort of program or a tracking system where a person responsible for the building will know whether they are conserving or increasing their fuel costs Jim Scanlon is coming up with a program to be put into a computer system either at the High School or someplace else, to tell you whether you are saving day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month; it would be very inexpensive but very cost effective Mr Hutchinson said that the department heads have taken seriously the issue of energy of conservation and our fuel figures have dramatically shown a reduction, particularly in this complex and at the Fire Department by upgrading some of the material there As part of an overall process, Mr Hutchinson said that he would file an amended report using this data. We would like to look at some of the items to see if there is duplication A number of things authorized last year have been implemented and some are being initiated now Department heads did propose energy items, such as the fuel system at Public Works, and the Fire Department has had storm windows installed Chairman Miley reported on a meeting she had attended on Saturday, Middlesex which was the annual budget meeting of the County Commissioner's people County and the Budget Committee of the Middlesex County Advisory Board One Budget item that came up was on 24 people who are listed under the highway de- partment, salaries being $300,000, but no one could figure out where those people were; they thought the Commissioners had them in their office, and the representatives of the Commissioners office said that they were not in their office So, nobody knows where the $300,000 is going or who the people are Mrs Miley was concerned about this and plans to attend the hearings on March 12 at the Committee on Counties on their budget Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call vote -oMrs Miley, Mr Buse, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain - to go into executive session for the purpose of discussing a real estate matter, with no intention of resuming the open meeting After discussion, it was voted to go out of executive session Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 10 25 p m A true record, Attest Executive Clerk, Selectmen I VOID I I