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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-03-08-CPC-min Minutes of the Community Preservation Committee Thursday, March 8, 2018 Parker Meeting Room Town Office Building 1625 Massachusetts Avenue 3:00 PM Committee Members Present: Marilyn Fenollosa (Chair); Dick Wolk (Vice-Chair), Charles Hornig, David Horton, Joe Pato, Bob Pressman, Melinda Walker. Absent: Jeanne Krieger, Sandra Shaw Administrative Assistant: Elizabeth Mancini Other Attendees: Wendy Manz, Capital Expenditures Committee liaison to the CPC; John Livsey, Town Engineer; Bob Phelan, LexHAB; Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager for Finance. 1) Community Center Sidewalk- Mr. Livsey presented an updated proposal for the Community Center Sidewalk project. The plan will fund the installation of a new, 435' cement concrete sidewalk to connect with the existing sidewalk along the Community Center driveway. The project also includes the installation of pedestrian-level solar LED lights and handicapped-accessible ramps at the Community Center entrance on Marrett Road. The total request for sidewalk construction is $365,000. The Committee questioned if a raised crosswalk was part of the project. Mr. Pato confirmed that the Board of Selectmen did not issue a recommendation on that aspect of the proposal so it was not included in the current plan. There was also discussion about the need for a sidewalk on the property but it was acknowledged that the new sidewalk construction follows a directive from the Board of Selectmen that all municipal buildings have sidewalks for pedestrian access. After additional discussion and a motion duly made and seconded, the CPC voted (6-1) to recommend the project to Town Meeting. 2) Lowell Street/Farmview Affordable Housing Supplemental Request- Mr. Phelan presented the updated proposal for $1,400,000 to help fund the construction of two stand-alone buildings, each housing three units of affordable housing. He explained the reasons for the supplemental request, citing the new requirement that LexHAB comply with the state's public bidding laws, LexHAB's plans to purchase solar panels instead of 1 leasing them and the intent to make the middle units fully handicapped-accessible instead of just partially accessible. Increased construction costs have also elevated the project total. The CPC discussed the issues surrounding the use of Minuteman Technical High School students on the project. Ms. Fenollosa read aloud the Guidelines for Use of CPA Funding by LexHAB document and the CPC agreed that the proposed project fit within the guidelines. There was additional discussion about updating the document to better reflect current market trends. After a motion duly made and seconded, the CPC voted (7-0) to recommend the supplemental appropriation of$1,400,000 to Town Meeting. 3) FY2019 Debt Service- Ms. Kosnoff reviewed current available balances in the Community Preservation Fund (CPF) and current and future debt service totals. She recommended paying for the Lowell Street/Farmview project with cash but financing the CPA-portion of the Center Track and Field Reconstruction project. Responding to questions from the Committee about the available balances in the CPF, Ms. Kosnoff suggested that it may be beneficial to conduct an audit of the Community Preservation Fund and would obtain cost estimates. The Committee also requested that the CPC's Report to 2018 Annual Town Meeting include a table of committed debt service moving forward. After a motion duly made and seconded, the CPC voted (7-0) to approve $2,314,516 in debt service for fiscal year 2019. After a motion duly made and seconded, the CPC also voted (7-0) to approve bonding the Center Track and Field Reconstruction project in the amount of$2,289,000. 4) Conservation Land Acquisition-After a motion duly made and seconded, the CPC voted (7-0) to approve the indefinite postponement of the Conservation Land Acquisition, previously included on the warrant as a placeholder. 5) Re-Vote Center Track and Field Reconstruction Project- Due to the absence of two members, the CPC decided not to re-vote the Center Track and Field Reconstruction project and instead explain in its Report to 2018 Annual Town Meeting the reasoning for the initial 7-1-1 project vote. 6) CPC Report to 2018 Town Meeting-There was brief discussion regarding edits to the CPC's Report to 2018 Annual Town Meeting. The Committee decided to meet on March 22nd to approve the final submission. 7) Minutes-After a motion duly made and seconded, the minutes from the CPC meeting on December 21, 2017 were approved as submitted (7-0). 2 After a motion duly made and seconded, the meeting was adjourned at 4:45 PM. The following documents were submitted at the meeting: 1) Sidewalk estimates and schematics, originally submitted at Board of Selectmen Meeting, March 7, 2018. 2) Community Preservation Fund Balances 3) CPA Fund- Projected Revenues and Expenditures 4) Guidelines for Use of CPA Funding by LexHAB Respectfully submitted, Elizabeth Mancini Administrative Assistant Community Preservation Committee 3