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Home My WebLink About1927-NTOB-rpt-signed.pdf REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON NEW TOWN OFFICE BUILDING Rt the Town Meeting held March 28, 1927, it was Voted, rThat this Committee be constituted a Building Committee and authorized and directed to procure plans, specifications and esti- mates for a new Town Office Building." In pursuance to the foregoing vote your Committee has had prepared plans and estimates of cost of a Town Office Building substantially as illustrated and described herein. It has been developed from a number of suggestions and designs as submitted to us by Messrs. Lilham, Hopkins, and Greeley (William Roger Greeley) and Mr. Willard D. Brown, whom we have employed as Associate Architects and who are acting in a similar capacity in planning the Isaac Harris Cary Memorial Building . It is apparent to every citizen that there are great possi- bilities in the generous gift to the Town, which, through the acts of the Trustees, provides, in addition to a beautiful Memorial Building, a site for a Town Office Building and room for another Municipal Building when needed. While your Committee was appointed to develop plans of an office building, it has been impossible to give this subject any consideration without quickly realizing that the appearance of these public buildings placed upon the land chosen for the Isaac Harris Cary Memorial Building will be decidedly affected by whatever use is made of the adjoining land upon each side, now privately owned. Some study was therefore given to an office building placed near Vine Brook and at the building line (20 feet back of the street line) and so designed as to be viewed as a part of the business develop- - 2 - went along Massachusetts Avenue Your Committee is unanimous, how- ever, in recommending that the proposed office building be placed as shown herein, forming part of an harmonious grouping of three buildings which when completed will form a beautiful municipal center. Location. As indicated in the sketch-plan, the proposed office building is • placed about 62 feet from Massachusetts Avenue and about 80 feet northwest of the Memorial Building, allowing for a wide lawn between and with a path and steps to the parking space in rear at a lower level. Entrance to the building is the semicircular drive leading to the Memorial Building. There is a service drive between the building and Vine Brook which provides the entrance to the Police Station and the parking area. The Proposed Building. The style of this building is the same as the Memorial Build- ing. The red brick walle and white trimmings suggest the Colonial architecture of the time of the Revolution, and the slate roof also belongs to the period, but the interior makes no pretense at being a copy of the old. Well lighted corridors are on the south side of the building with a staircase at either end. The Town Offices all open off these corridors, and are interconnecting. Ample vault space has been provided by giving each department its own fireproof vault and there is also a large storage vault in the basement. Every office is well lighted by outside windows, and heated from radiators connected with the boiler plant of the Memorial Building. All have generous pro- vision for artificial light. Offices regularly visited by the public T will have the necessary counters and grilles, and additional con- veniences for the public have been placed on each corridor. The entire lower floor and exterior walls are of fireproof construction, and, as in the Memorial Building, automatic sprinklers are placed throughout the building, thus obtaining low insurance cost. Accommodations Provided. Every office within our present building has been provided for, and so arranged, we believe, as to beat meet the public needs and at the same time secure economical operation Practically the entire lover floor has been given over to the Police Department On the street floor are offices far the Superintendent of Public Works, the Clerk of the Selectmen, and the office and hearing-room of this Board. For them there is provided a room r0 by 31, or about the size of Cary Hall in the present Town Hall Building. The Town Clerk, Treasurer, Accountant, Tax Collector, and Inspectors may also be placed on this main floor as they are the officials having the greatest number of calls from the public. The second floor provides accommodations for the Engineering Department, the Water and Sewer Department, and the Assessors . There are also two conference rooms for the use of the Town Committees, the larger room being located so as to be especially available for use by the Registrars of Voters Feeling that the fire alarm whistt•e would be totally out of place in this group of buildings, we have made no provision for it or for the tanks and machinery connected therewith. We recommend that this be handled as a separate project. A - Future Growth While ample provision has been made for the natural growth which may be expected to take place, notably in the Assessing, Engineering, and Water and Sewer Departments, it is manifestly impossible for your Committee to say how long it will be before the growth of the Town will be such as to require more space than we have provided. We have examined office buildings in other towns and cities and consulted other officials. Based upon these studies we believe it fair to assume that the proposed building will accom- modate a municipality of 30,000 inhabitants. When additional space is required, the Town will have the option of enlarging this build- ing by adding on in the rear or constructing a second building on the other side of the Memorial Building. Office Furniture. We propose to use all the existing furniture which is fit to use and the vault fixtures Addition 1 fixtures, furniture and vault equipment will be required and your Committee suggests that $5,000 be appropriated for this purpose. Grading. In the event that the Town should vote not to construct a new Office Building, the Isaac Harris Cary Trustees will carry out their original plan of building the main entrance drive and grading around the Memorial Building. If the Office Building is constructed the Trustees, with whom we have co-operated in the lay-out of the pres- mises, have offered to contrilppte the estimated cost of the work they had planned, toward the grading and landscaping of the entire lot. - 5 - i Complete plans and specifications have been prepared for grading the entire area and bids have been secured for this work. Our total estimate includes an adequate allowance for the grading adjacent to the, Office Building. Sale of Present Town Hall Property. No direct authority was given your Committee to sell the present Town Hall property but in order that full information could be given to the voters, we have advertised for bids for the purchase of the present Town Hall to be received on September 20, 1927 These bids will be submitted to the citizens at the Town Meeting on September 22, 1927. The proposal to purchase is subject to a one year lease, free of rent to the Town, so that we may, if the Town so votes, sell the property and remain in our present quarters during the construction of the Office Building. Cost. From actual bids received from a comprehensive list of contractors xe estimate the total cost 5t building, furniture, grading, bond for completion, architects ' fees and an allowance of $2500 for contingencies will be $110,000. The Town can apply toward the cost of this project the proceeds from the sale of the Present Town Hall, also the 611,000 received from the sale of the Rindge property. The appropriation of $3500 made by the Town on March 28, 1927, will also apply toward the cpet of the entire project. The balance of the money required should be provided by the issuance of Town notes or bonds. 6 _ Your committee is unanimous in its belief that the building described herein fully meets all present needs and is large enough to fulfil the requirements of the Town for years to come. Its design. and setting as a part of a municipal group will always be a source of pride and satisfaction as holding to Lexington's finest traditions. We have, therefor, requested the Selectmen to issue a Warrant for a Town Warrant to be held Thursday, September 22, 1927, in which will be embodied articles necessary to the acceptance of this report and to carry out the recommendation? of your Committee. Respectfully submitted, ‘ � Y t w 1►./ 41___ amt,e4 e (1 giQ / .%