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Home My WebLink About2019-01-09-CEC-min �y w-AOR yrry. Minutes of the s \�� Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting n January 9, 2019 APRIL&", II,E XI NGT.O Location and Time: Town Office Building, Parker Room; 7:45 A.M. Members Present: Charles Lamb, Chair; David Kanter, Vice-Chair & Clerk; Sandy Beebee (arrived at 7:55 A.M.); Frank Smith; and Wendy Manz Member Absent: Rod Cole Others Present: Jim Malloy, Town Manager, Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager for Finance; Jennifer Hewitt, Budget Officer; Suzie Barry, Chair, Board of Selectmen (BoS); Kathy Lenihan, School Committee; Bob Pressman, Community Preservation Committee (CPC); Sara Arnold, Recording Secretary Documents Presented: • Amended Notice of CEC Meeting, January 9, 2019 • CEC Comments for Town Manager Regarding FY2020-FY2024 Capital Improvement Programs (CIPs), 3 January 2019 • CEC Subject Areas and Liaison Assignments for Fiscal Year 2018, 29 November 2017 • Draft #3 Minutes of the CEC Meeting, December 12, 2018 Call to Order: Mr. Lamb called the meeting to order at 7:48 A.M. Discussion Regarding This Committee's Preliminary Positions on Active FY2020-FY2024 CIPs: Referring to this Committee's written comments, Mr. Malloy noted that he generally supports the comments and observations regarding the CIPs. He and Ms. Kosnoff clarified and added the following information about some of them: • #321: Center Streetscape Improvements: The increase in projected costs resulted primarily because cost estimates had not been updated over the years when the scope was being adjusted. The 75% design is expected next week, at which point costs can be scrutinized for possible savings. Ms. Manz suggested that Town Meeting should receive information about the incremental cost of choosing brick sidewalks over cement. She also noted that the CPC had taken a straw vote that did not support the use of Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding for the Center Streetscape project this year, although Town Counsel had determined that some parts of it were eligible (i.e., brick sidewalks and granite curbs). • #1044: Lexington High School Feasibility: The $350 million construction estimate is hypothetical; for comparative purposes, it was noted that the Arlington High School project is projected to be about $300 million. Dr. Julie Hackett, Superintendent, Lexington Public Schools, is preparing a Statement of Interest for submittal to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to request funding assistance for a new or renovated high school. If MSBA accepts the project, it requires that a School Building Committee be established. During Lexington's past MSBA-supported projects, the School Building Committee did not have voting authority; only the Permanent Building Committee voted on the issues. It may be advisable to change this. Page 1 of 4 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting January 9, 2019 • #1048: Community Center Campus Expansion: There are many projects in Lexington that need to be addressed, so it is understandable to postpone this one. The BoS has not taken a position on this project. • #893: Shared Expense with Minuteman Regional Vocational High School (MRVHS) for Construction of New Recreation Athletic Complex: It has been determined that an Inter-Municipal Agreement cannot be for more than 25 years; MRVHS would prefer 10 to 15 years, consistent with the projected lifetime of the athletic complex, but will accept 25 years, as preferred by Lexington. MRVHS is requesting Lexington to provide $8.0 million for the project because that is the amount MSBA will not subsidize; Lexington has not determined whether this allocation is appropriate. Most of the cost would not be CPA eligible. The Recreation Department has created a grid illustrating the current use of facilities in Lexington and the unmet needs. The grid needs some tweaking, but should provide a good basis for analyzing the value of having access to the new MRVHS athletic complex. Mr. Kanter emphasized the difference between "want" versus "need" when making such evaluations. • #327: Automatic Meter Reading System: A Return on Investment (ROI) is needed. Information received to-date indicates that the Town would only benefit financially if it is less liberal with abatements to residents who have experienced undetected leaks. The system would allow residents to closely monitor their water usage to determine whether there are leaks. Savings from other sources would be minor. • #940: Westview Cemetery Building: An Ad hoc Crematory Study Committee is looking into having a crematory at that Town cemetery. There may be a Citizen Petition on the Annual Town Meeting (ATM) Warrant to include a crematory at that cemetery. It would be for a new building and is expected to be broadly written so that it could include funding for a building that includes a crematory. This Committee held that construction of the Westview Cemetery building—which is currently designed to address long-time-needed significant improvements for the operation and maintenance of that cemetery—should not be delayed by efforts to include a crematory, which could be built separately if deemed an important addition. • #967: Police Outdoor/Indoor Firing Range—Hartwell Avenue: The conceptual design needs "fine-tuning". Mr. Kanter expressed strong support for having this project move forward, stressing the need for this project to have a schematic design as, while the Feasibility Study did conclude that such a Range was feasible at the Town's Hartwell Avenue site, it did not include sufficient detail on such a Range. He believes a schematic design is needed now in order to begin the outreach for participatory funding (e.g., area towns whose police departments require the training the Range would allow, State and Federal grants, etc.) • #1013: Outdoor Pickleball Court Construction: Current tennis courts can be striped to also function as pickleball courts. Pickleball has become popular with those over age 65. Mr. Kanter expressed concern that the availability of tennis courts, for example, would be sacrificed for the new sport and justification for that has not been provided. And, as with #1014: Cricket Field Construction, he said the CIP does not address the larger funding that would be required to construct a field if a new site were to be needed. Page 2 of 4 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting January 9, 2019 Additional comments by Mr. Malloy and Ms. Kosnoff included, but were not restricted to, the following: • A 20-year financial plan is being built that can then be used for evaluating different funding models. Completion is targeted for January 28tH • The CIPs should include inflation-related increases, and efforts are needed to ensure they are incorporated. • The State match for CPA funding has been decreasing, which is problematic. Ms. Barry noted that there may be a Citizen Petition to decrease the percentage the Town is allowed to tax for CPA projects. If this were supported by Town Meeting, it would then go to a town-wide referendum. Preparation for the 2019 ATM: Ms. Barry reported that the 2019 ATM warrant is expected to include 10 Citizen Petitions plus a proposal regarding zoning at 183 Bedford Street. She plans to forward information related to these petitions and the BoS' schedule for discussing them. It was noted that not all of them would have financial implications that relate to capital projects. Ms. Barry reported that the Financial Summits III and IV are scheduled for January 31St and February 13th, respectively. Mr. Malloy reported that the Sustainability Committee and Permanent Building Committee have submitted two divergent proposals regarding a Sustainable Building Policy, and he is working to develop a blended alternative. Because of the potential financial impacts, he will share the result with this Committee for comment. Mr. Malloy reported that he wanted this year's CIP process generally to proceed as in the past, but in the future, he would like to have departments rank their CIPs based on a variety of factors to help prioritize them. This triggered discussion about the need for better CIP software. Minutes: Mr. Kanter proposed an amendment to the Draft #3 Minutes for the December 12, 2018, CEC meeting. A Motion was made and seconded to approve that Draft #3, as amended. Vote: 5-0. FY2019 Assignments of Liaisons for Departments and to Town Committees, Commissions, and Boards: It was agreed that the FY2018 assignments would remain the same in FY2019, although it was noted that the Center Streetscape Committee is no longer meeting and may have been dissolved. A Motion was made and seconded to include the following ad hoc committees and associated committee members on the list of assignments: • Ad hoc Special Permit Residential Development Zoning Bylaw Committee: Ms. Manz • School Master Planning Advisory Committee: Ms. Beebee • Ad hoc Crematory Study Committee: Ms. Beebee Vote: 5-0. Member Concerns: The next meeting is on January 16th when there will be a presentation on the Automatic Meter Reading proposal. January 23rd and January 30th have been Page 3 of 4 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting January 9, 2019 identified for discussing the sustainability proposals, but if there is going to be a merged proposal it may not be necessary to meet on the 30tH Adjourn: A Motion was made and seconded at 9:04 A.M. to adjourn. Vote: 5-0. These Minutes were approved by the CEC at its meeting on January 23, 2019. Page 4 of 4