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Home My WebLink About2020-11-19-CEC-min JS�®pN�N Minutes of the �3 Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting November 19, 2020 \ V APAIL 19 \..GEXI NGTQ Location and Time: Remote Meeting; 8:00 A.M. Members Present (remote participation): Charles Lamb, Chair; David Kanter, Vice-Chair & Clerk; Sandy Beebee; Rod Cole; Wendy Manz, and Frank Smith Members Absent: None Others Present (remote participation): Staff: Recreation and Community Programs (Recreations Melissa Battite, Director; Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation; Christine Dean, Community Center Director; Planning Office (Planning) Sheila Page, Assistant Planning Director; Land Use. Health and Development(Land Used Carol Kowalski, Assistant Town Manager for Development; Conservation: Karen Mullins, Director; Amber Carr, Conservation Stewardship Program Coordinator; Economic Development: Sandhya Iyer, Director; Department of Public Works: David Pinsonnault, Director; Chris Filadoro, Public Grounds Superintendent/Tree Warden; Finance Department: Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager for Finance; Jennifer Hewitt, Budget Officer; Sara Arnold, Recording Secretary; Members of other Committees: Christian Boutwell, Recreation Committee; Sara Cuthbertson, School Committee (SC) liaison; Scott Bokun, SC liaison; Glenn Parker, Chair, Appropriation Committee (AC) liaison Documents Presented: • Notice of CEC Meeting, November 19, 2020 • FY2022-FY2026 Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs) for Recreation, Conservation, Land Use, and Planning • Recreation's Responses to CEC Questions Provided Regarding Recreation's CIPs (Recreation Q&A) • Conservation's Responses to CEC Questions Provided Regarding Conservation's CIPs (Conservation Q&A) • Land Use Questions Provided by CEC Regarding Land Use CIPs (Land Use Q&A) • Planning's Responses to CEC Questions Provided Regarding Planning's CIPs (Planning Q&A) • CIP #LU-22-1 : Parking Lot Consolidation and Repaving, 11A9/20 • Pine Meadows Equipment List, 2020 • Draft #3 of CEC Meeting Minutes, November 13, 2020 Call to Order Mr. Lamb called this Remote (Virtual) Meeting, which had been posted as such, to order at 8:01 A.M. He reported that the requirement to have a physical presence of a quorum had been suspended in an Executive Order by Massachusetts Governor Charles D. Baker, on March 12, 2020, after having proclaimed, on March 10, 2020, a STATE OF EMERGENCY in the Commonwealth due to the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus, known as "COVID-19". Page 1 of 3 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting November 19, 2020 Mr. Lamb further reported that the documents for this meeting, which had been provided electronically to the Committee and would be available upon request, were those listed as Documents Presented. Any votes during this meeting would be taken by a roll call. This meeting is being recorded to assist in preparing Minutes, and those recordings would be deleted once the Minutes were approved. Mr. Lamb took a roll-call vote and confirmed that all six Committee members were remotely participating. Review of the FY2022-FY2026 CIPs for Recreation, Planning, Land Use, Health and Development, Conservation, and Economic Development Mr. Lamb asked Ms. Beebee, this Committee's liaison to Recreation & Community Programs, to lead the discussion of their CIPs with that staff. Ms. Beebee expressed appreciation for the responses included in the Recreation Q&A and suggested going through the responses sequentially to allow further discussion. Additional comments by staff included the following: • There will be a review to ensure cost projections in the Recreation CIPs reflect then-year dollars, and if not, an explanation will be included. • To Be Determined (TBD), is used sparingly in the CIPs as a placeholder when little information is available to project costs. • There has never been a shortfall in the Recreation Enterprise Fund since it was started in 1993, until this fiscal year. • The Pine Meadows Golf Course usually closes the weekend after Thanksgiving. • Recreation generated the request for the Pine Meadows Club House Renovation and is coordinating with the Department of Public Facilities. Cost estimates in previous years had been incorporated as placeholders and turned out to be too low; therefore, there is a significant increase in the FY2022-FY2026 CIP cost estimate as compared to a year ago. Additional text will be incorporated to further explain the cost-estimation process. • A landscape architect is used to help identify the best synthetic turf for the expected use and location. The manufacturer's data are initially used to predict life-span estimates for the turf, and these are then adjusted according to site conditions and specific-use patterns. Annual inspections and experience with the different kinds of synthetic turf influence the maintenance schedule. An athletic feasibility study is expected to identify mechanisms that will maximize use and ameliorate deterioration. Because of an aggressive maintenance schedule, there have been no warrantee issues even though Lexington's use may go beyond that recommended by the manufacturer. • The Town Manager is creating a Town-wide prioritization system for capital projects, which have been separated from capital programs in the budget process. There has been no discussion about the timing for expanding the Lexington Community Center (LexCC), although a LexCC expansion has been identified in Recreation's Needs Assessment. This project would require debt-exclusion funding. Although the Select Board has decided that a new Police Headquarters facility will not be brought to the 2021 Annual Town Meeting, that facility and a new high school have been identified as important needs which would likely have a higher priority than a LexCC expansion. Page 2 of 3 Minutes of the Lexington Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) Meeting November 19, 2020 Both would need debt-exclusion funding. The LexCC could incorporate a public/private funding partnership. Mr. Lamb asked Ms. Manz, this Committee's liaison to Planning, Land Use, Health and Development, Conservation, and Economic Development. to lead the discussion of their CIPs with that staff. Ms. Manz expressed appreciation for the responses included in the Planning and Conservation Q&As and suggested going through the responses to allow further discussion. Additional comments by staff included the following: • The quote for updating the Hartwell Avenue Transportation Management Overlay District plan came in at $113,000; the update was completed in October 2020. • Plans for Hartwell Avenue and Wood Street crosswalks include a pedestrian refuge in the middle of Hartwell Avenue. • Traffic calming is the most effective way to reduce vehicular speeds. • Hartwell Avenue is the only overlay district that has a traffic-mitigation plan. • To-date, there have been no conversations with the owners of privately-owned parking areas in Lexington center that could be consolidated for greater utility, as identified in center-streetscape recommendations. A study indicated that such consolidation would cost approximately $1.6 million. Discussion with the relevant parties is critical before determining whether to move this project forward. • The Land Acquisition CIP is a placeholder for an unexpected opportunity to purchase land. • A landscape architect is sometimes used as a project manager. Approval of Minutes A Motion was made and seconded to approve the Draft #3 CEC Meeting Minutes, November 13, 2020, with the edits recommended by Mr. Kanter. Roll-Call Vote: 6-0 Member Concerns and Liaison Reports Mr. Smith reported on having attended the second meeting of the Town Manager's Financial Working Group. At this point, information gathering continues. Mr. Parker reported that the AC would be meeting this evening to discuss the proposed additional capabilities in the Minuteman Regional Technical High School (Minuteman) athletic complex which has been approved by the Minuteman School Committee. Those capabilities would be achieved by funding add-alternates in the selected bid for that project— with the added costs to be distributed to the Minuteman members. Adjourn A Motion was made and seconded at 9:22 A.M. to adjourn. Roll-Call Vote: 6-0 This Minutes was approved by the CEC at its meeting on December 3, 2020. Page 3 of 3