HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-02-20-AC-min 02/20/2020 AC Minutes
Minutes
Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee (AC)
February 20, 2020
Place and Time: Cary Memorial Building, Hudson Room, 7:30 p.m.
Members Present: Glenn Parker, Chair; Sanjay Padaki, Vice-Chair; Alan Levine, Secretary;
John Bartenstein; Eric Michelson; Meg Muckenhoupt; Lily Manhua Yan; Carolyn Kosnoff,
Assistant Town Manager, Finance (non-voting, ex officio)
Member(s)Absent: Nick Nichols
Other Attendees: Marilyn Fenollosa, Chair, Community Preservation Committee (CPC)
The meeting was called to order at 7:35 p.m.
Announcements and Liaison Reports
Ms. Kosnoff reported the following:
• The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) has issued its preliminary
assessments for FY2021. Water assessments are projected to increase 8.3% and
wastewater/sewer assessments are projected to increase 5.0%, for a combined increase of
6.6%. In response to questions, she said that the Town of Bedford pays the Town of
Lexington for MWRA water supplied through Lexington in the year that it is used.
However, the MWRA assessments are based from actual water usage for the prior calendar
year, and will fluctuate from year to year depending the Town's overall usage and our share
of the overall MWRA system. Therefore, increases or decreases in water usage for a
particular calendar year will have a delayed effect on the next year's MWRA assessment.
• The FY2021 Recommended Budget and Financing Plan (Brown Book)will be available on-
line tomorrow; hard copies one week later. The Annual Town Meeting (ATM) could begin
taking positions on financial articles as early as March 23, 2020.
Mr. Michelson reported the following:
• Student applications for Minuteman Technical Vocational High School (Minuteman Tech)
indicate that the September 2020 freshman class will be filled by in-district students.
Students currently attending from out-of-district communities will be allowed to continue at
Minuteman Tech, but out-of-district towns, including Lincoln and Belmont, will need to find
an alternative for their freshmen students wanting to attend a technical high school. In
response to questions, he said that Minuteman Tech is not operated as an institution
specifically for special education. Rather, it serves both general and special education
students, and a high number of the students have Individualized Education Programs (ISPs).
There are no vocational/technical classes offered at Lexington High School.
• Minuteman National Historical Park is challenging Minuteman Tech's construction of
athletic fields for its new facility because of potential noise impacts.
2020 ATM Financial Articles and Report Planning
Ms. Fenollosa reviewed Article 10: Appropriate the FY2021 Community Preservation Committee
Operating Budget and Community Preservation Act Projects, noting that the CPC report that she
had shared with this Committee was a draft. She then provided a review of the funding requests, as
follows:
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a) Archives& Records Management/Records Conservation& Preservation: This is an on-
going project that is expected to last about four more years. Although digitization is
incorporated into the project, hard copies are being preserved, which allows this effort to be
CPA-eligible.
b) Restoration of Margaret, Lady Lexington, Painting: This portrait was painted in 1867 and
donated to Cary Memorial Building in 1928. Members of this Committee suggested that
there will be questions at the ATM about the value of this project.
c) Battle Green Master Plan, Phase 3: This project was started in 2010. This request is designed
to complete portions of the project that were previously postponed for financial reasons.
Walkways around the Battle Green will be upgraded to a single standard. This project is
different from the Battle Green Streetscape, which addresses traffic configuration.
d) Conservation Land Acquisition: It is expected that this will be indefinitely postponed
because negotiations with the heirs of the property of interest have not concluded. If it is
purchased eventually, it may require debt service. The Wright Farm, Lexington Community
Center, Cary Memorial Building renovation, and the Center Track are the other CPA
projects currently being paid with debt.
e) Daisy Wilson Meadow Preservation: The plan is to return this site into meadow and
maintain it to prevent it from becoming forest land.
f) Wright Farm Site Access Planning and Design: This project is requesting planning and
design funds for the conservation portion of this land, which includes a barn. Proposed uses
may include an education component.
g) Athletic Facility Lighting: This is a recreation project that was initially funded in 2018.
Although the bids were greater than the appropriation, the project proceeded; additional
funds are now being requested to complete it. The CPC does not like supplemental requests,
and the Town Manager and Select Board are working on a policy that would require greater
accountability going forward to avoid similar situations. Ms. Fenollosa added that there is
now a five-year recreation plan that includes a number of projects.
h) Park Improvement-Hard Court Resurfacing-Valley Tennis Courts: The courts were last
resurfaced in 2008 and need upgrading. The project includes bike racks and paving of paths
to the courts.
i) Park and Playground Improvements-Sutherland Park: Funding is being requested to replace
playground equipment with equipment that is Americans with Disabilities Act compliant
and enhances safety. The current equipment was originally installed in 2000.
j) Park Improvements-Athletic Fields-Harrington, Bowman and Franklin Field: The
Recreation Department upgrades fields throughout the Town on a rotating basis.
k) Parker Meadow Accessible Trail Construction: Parker Meadow has been identified as the
best location for Lexington's next handicapped accessible trail.
1) Lexington Housing Authority (LexHAB)-Greeley Village Community Center Preservation:
The deck and handicapped-access ramps at the community center building of Greeley
Village, a well-used component of the facility, are in poor condition and need to be replaced.
m) LexHAB-116 Vine Street Design Funds: Until recently, LexHAB was not able to address
potential affordable housing options for the previously purchased 116 Vine Street property.
Additionally, in 2009, the Town determined that it could not convert the Hosmer House into
affordable housing. There is currently discussion about moving the Hosmer House to 116
Vine Street. Costs and restrictions on how CPA funds can be used are likely to complicate
such a project, but it is anticipated that this, along with building new housing, will be
explored. Ms. Fenollosa added that, in her opinion, LexHAB will need to identify funding
sources beyond the CPA to meet the low and moderate housing needs in Lexington.
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n) CPA Debt Service: There is a chart in the draft CPC report that identifies the debt service
projects. The Town received 25% more in CPA funds from the State than estimated for
2020. It is anticipated that those funds will be used to pay off part of the debt for the center
track project.
o) Administration Budget: The CPC tries to keep a minimum of$2.0 million in reserve in the
Community Preservation Fund (CPF)to maintain flexibility for funding future CPA
projects. It is expected that the current budget will leave approximately $5.0 million in the
CPF. The potential land acquisition discussed above would require approximately $3.0
million if that purchase were to be approved.
Ms. Fenollosa added that all CPC votes on the items discussed above were 7-0, noting that none of
them was controversial.
After a brief discussion about Lexington's participation in the CPA program and about Article 10, a
motion was made and seconded to support all of the Article 10 sub-articles. The motion passed.
VOTE: 7-0
Minutes
After a brief discussion, a motion was made and seconded to approve the AC Information Meeting
Minutes, as distributed by Mr. Levine, for February 5, 2020. The motion passed. VOTE: 7-0
Future Meetings
The next AC meeting is scheduled for February 27, 2020.
The meeting adjourned at 9:12 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Sara Arnold
Approved: March 5, 2020
Exhibits
• Agenda, posted by Mr. Parker, Chair
• Town of Lexington CPC Draft Report to 2020 Annual Town Meeting and CPF Balances
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