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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-12-11-REC-min Town of Lexington Recreation Committee Frederick DeAngelis, Chairman Tel: (781) 698-4800 Christian Boutwell, Vice Chair Fax: (781) 861-2747 Carl Fantasia Claire Sheth Renen Bassik Weiwei Li Recreation Committee Minutes of Meeting December 11, 2024 A virtual meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, December 11, 2024 at 8:00pm via Zoom. Members Present: Rick DeAngelis, Christian Boutwell, Renen Bassik, Carl Fantasia, Weiwei Li, and Claire Sheth Staff Present: Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, Christine Dean, Community Center Director, Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager for Finance, and Dave Pinsonneault, DPW Director Others Present: Cindy Arens (7 Kitson Park Drive, Lexington), Rod Cole (Capital Expenditures Committee liaison), Doreen Karoll (76 Bloomfield Street, Lexington), Ali Lynch (10 Bloomfield Street, Lexington), Kim McCormick (29 Maple Street, Lexington), Janna Mendonca (1 John Wilson Lane, Lexington), Sanjay Padaki (Appropriation Committee liaison), Steve Parus (19 Ledgelawn Avenue, Lexington), Lisah Rhodes (482 Marrett Road, Lexington), P.K. Shiu (1024 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington), and Tom Shiple (18 Phinney Road, Lexington) 1. FY2026 Capital Improvements Projects & Community Preservation Funding Requests Christian Boutwell, Vice Chair of the Recreation Committee, stated that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Committee’s application to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) for CPA funds for the three capital improvement projects proposed for FY26: (1) End-of- life replacement of the playing surface at Lincoln #3, (2) End-of-life replacement of the Center Playground, and (3) Construction of new athletic fields next to the Harrington School Mr. Boutwell informed the Committee that this year, the CPC received requests totaling more than the amount available in CPA funds. The CPC has been discussing three different proposals on how to allocate the funds. The proposals were submitted by Mr. Boutwell, Jeanne Krieger, and Mark Sandeen. The CPC proposal worksheets that were reviewed during the meeting are attached to the meeting minutes. Mr. Boutwell explained that CPA funds are separated into five silos: (1) Open Space Reserve, (2) Historic Resources Reserve, (3) Community Housing Reserve, (4) Unbudgeted Reserves, and (5) Undesignated Fund Balance. The percentage of funding in each silo is set by the CPA statute and the CPC likes to carry forward a balance of $1.5 million each year. The projects submitted by the Recreation Committee come out of the Unbudgeted Reserves silo. Mr. Boutwell added that the CPA involves two-part funding. The first part is a community has to agree to enter into the CPA and set the CPA surcharge. The second part is the State has a percentage match of the amount that a community, in this case Lexington, puts into the fund. Included in this year’s CPA requests 2 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 are $494,140 from the Lexington Housing Assistance Board (LexHAB), $3,000,000 from the Affordable Housing Trust (AHT), $1,490,000 for the Center Playground replacement, $860,000 (plus $1,089,000 from the general fund) for the end-of-life replacement at Lincoln #3, and $4,180,000 (plus $2,000,000 from the general fund) for the construction of new athletic fields at Harrington. For the Unbudgeted Reserves silo, there is approximately $3 million in excess requests. Mr. Boutwell then provided an overview of the three alternative proposals that had been submitted by CPC members. In the Boutwell proposal, the AHT would receive $2.2 million in Unbudgeted Reserves and a total of $2,540,054, which is 85% of the $3 million request. For Recreation projects, the Center Playground and Lincoln #3 end-of-life replacements would be fully funded and the CPA request for Harrington would be reduced to $1,610,000, which is 39% of the initial $4,180,000 request. In the Krieger proposal, the AHT would receive a total of $2.7 million, which is 90% of the $3 million request. For Recreation projects, the Center Playground and Lincoln #3 end-of-life replacements would be fully funded and the CPA request for Harrington would be reduced to $1,497,904, which is 36% of the initial $4,180,000 request. Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager for Finance, stated that the AHT could request from the general fund, but it is unlikely that general fund requests will be put forward and presented to Annual Town Meeting in the spring. Ms. Kosnoff added that the Enterprise Fund is an available funding source for the proposed Recreation Capital improvement projects. In the Sandeen proposal, the AHT and Lincoln #3 requests would be fully funded, the CPA request for Harrington would be reduced to $2,687,904, which is 64% of the initial $4,180,000 request, and no CPA funding would go towards the proposed Center Playground replacement project. Mr. Boutwell indicated that CPC members have shown more support to fully fund the AHT request while looking for ways to reduce funding for Recreation projects. He asked the Committee to either reaffirm or change what the Recreation FY26 capital project requests will be. Claire Sheth asked if Mr. Sandeen included rationale for why he was not in favor with supporting the Center Playground replacement project and Mr. Boutwell replied by saying that members on the CPC have questions about the need to replace the Center Playground. Internal reports completed by staff who are Certified Playground Safety Inspectors (CPSI) and an external audit have identified deficits at the Center Playground in recent years due to its age and deterioration of the equipment. Mr. Sandeen is in favor of the Harrington project moving forward. The estimate for the Harrington project includes $6.18 million in construction funding which is based on a concept design from the 2021-2022 Town of Lexington Comprehensive Study of Athletic & Outdoor Recreation Facilities. In this concept, the scope call for the construction of two full-size, multi-purpose synthetic turf fields with lights. While this is the initial concept, the design phase will look at the various playing surfaces (natural grass, synthetic turf, hybrid) in terms of playability, use, sustainability, and health and wellness. The design funding for Harrington was approved at the 2024 Special Town Meeting in November. The design is scheduled to be finalized over the next several months and be presented at the 2025 Annual Town Meeting in the spring. Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, added that the field study revealed that deficits exist with the current amount of rectangle fields in Lexington and the Harrington project would provide the greatest return in the total number of hours gained. The Department of Public Facilities (DPF) is moving forward with a funding request for the demolition of the Lexington Public Schools central administrative building. Ms. Battite informed the Committee that the department will be returning approximately $508,000 back to the CPC from past capital improvement projects and she has been in contact with staff from the Finance Department about the accounting for this transaction. The overhead for the Recreation Enterprise Fund is approximately $1.2 million each year and the department will be losing revenue over the next six years due to the LHS building project. Ms. Battite urged 3 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 the Committee to consider how much or how little it would like to spend out of the Recreation Enterprise Fund each year. Ms. Sheth asked Committee members to think about the return based on allocations given the Committee manages our capital project in a fiscally responsible manner. Rick DeAngelis, Chair of the Recreation Committee, thought it would be important to designate the return of $508,000 to be applied toward future Recreation projects. Ms. Kosnoff said that returned funds cannot be reallocated within the same fiscal year and that it would become part of the fund balance. Renen Bassik asked if the estimate for the Lincoln #3 project could be reduced. Ms. Battite reminded the Committee that this project is for a complete reconstruction of the field and it would be best to budget as if everything located under the playing surface will need to be replaced. Ms. Sheth noted that the Recreation CPA requests are relatively light going forward in future years and the Committee is in a position to advocate for a higher percentage since Recreation is being asked to solve a problem that we are not making or creating. The AHT will be requesting $3 million a year for the next five years. At the same time, Recreation is being tasked to replace something when the fields are displaced at the Center Recreation Complex and are making our decisions out of necessity in a quantifiable way. Mr. DeAngelis said that this approach speaks to fairness and equity which cannot result in only one area being reduced. Mr. Boutwell said he would be most comfortable going back to the CPC with a new voted-on opinion by the Committee with what our requests are and indicate what the preferences are for the three Recreation CPA requests. When asked whether any of the projects could be completed in phases, it was noted that there will continue to be CPA request in future years and the Committee could be facing the same dilemma next year. Mr. DeAngelis stated that the best solution is a well- thought out compromise where nobody gets everything and nobody gets nothing. Mr. Boutwell noted the desire to accelerate projects to complete them before the LHS project begins. Ms. Battite acknowledged that the Harrington project aligns with the LPS central admin project and the goal is to complete it before December 2026 when the Center Recreation Complex is impacted. Ms. Battite added that the infrastructure across Town departments has similar end-of- life and the planning has been done this way on purpose in a thoughtful and collaborative manner. Mr. DeAngelis stated that the Committee has given up a lot with the LHS project and wondered if now would be a time to take a stand. Ms. Sheth reiterated that not completing these projects will impact the entire community. Mr. Boutwell reviewed the various options on how the Committee could proceed. Mr. DeAngelis said that since the obligation of the Committee is to maintain existing assets, he felt they have no choice but to complete the Harrington project to continue the existing level of service. Ms. Battite admitted that the CPC is struggling as a committee since they are not used to saying no to groups. Ms. Battite recommended that the Recreation Committee stays true to its charge and while it has been asked to prioritize the projects, all projects are a priority and equally important. Alternative funding options will continue to be explored. The CPC is looking to take the final vote before the end of the year and is scheduled to meet on Thursday, December 12th and Thursday, December 19th. Mr. Boutwell concluded the conversation by stating that he will provided the CPC will an overview of the discussion and the issues that the Recreation Committee are wrestling with. The Committee will make its final decision at the December 18, 2024 meeting and he will request that the final CPC vote be taken at the CPC meeting on December 19, 2024. The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, December 18th at 7:00pm. The December 11th, 2024 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 9:51pm. 4 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation The following documents distributed at the meeting are attached:  Community Preservation Committee (CPC) Proposal Worksheets