HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-02-08-AC-minFebruary 8, 2010
Minutes
Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee
February 8, 2010
Place and time: Town Office Building, Room 207, 7:30 p.m.
Members present: Alan Levine (Chair), Glenn Parker (Vice - Chair), John Bartenstein
(Vice Chair and Secretary), Rick Eurich, Mollie Garberg, Susan McLeish, Eric
Michelson, Joe Pato, Rob Addelson (ex officio, non - voting)
Also present: Charles Lamb, Capital Expenditures Committee; Joel Adler, Community
Preservation Committee; Micah Niemy, Budget Officer
The meeting was called to order at 7:32 p.m.
1. Capital Budget Issues. Charles Lamb of the Capital Expenditures Committee
briefed this Committee on the major issues relating to proposed capital expenditures on
the warrant for the upcoming Annual Town Meeting.
The first items discussed were school - related. The School Department's request
for approximately $1.7M for design and engineering for a high school renovation project
has been deferred until the fall as there has not been a positive response by the
Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to the Statement of Interest submitted
last fall. Proposals for renovation projects at Bridge and Bowman are moving forward.
There is an $80,000 request from Minuteman Career and Technical High School for a
feasibility study. This expenditure, as well as project funding, requires the approval of all
sixteen member towns. Charles anticipated that it would be difficult to obtain the
necessary approval for the implementation funding from all member towns if, as now
appears likely, it would require a debt exclusion in each of those towns.
Charles then discussed projects for which funding will be sought under the
Community Preservation Act ( "CPA"). The largest is the proposed renovation of the
Town Office Building at a total cost of approximately $1.9 million. The main purpose of
the proposed renovation is to reconfigure space in the building to accommodate current
needs following the departure of the Engineering Department to the new DPW facility,
but significant work would also have to be done to bring the facility up to current
building code requirements, such as installing handicapped - accessible bathroom
facilities. Town staff and the Town's architectural consultants made a presentation on
this project to the Community Preservation Committee ( "CPC ") last Thursday and also
provided a tour of the facility. The CPC will not vote on the project until it receives more
final plans.
Charles Lamb and Joel Adler also brought the Committee up to date on the latest
discussion of potential land acquisitions, including the Goldinger property, which abuts
the recently purchased Busa Farm, and the Cotton Farm property, which is being sought
as conservation land. In the course of that discussion, Charles mentioned that there is
still an outstanding bond authorization for $3 million for land acquisition that was
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February 8, 2010
approved by Town Meeting in 1998. There was discussion whether action should be
taken to rescind that authorization given the considerable passage of time and change of
circumstances, including the adoption of the CPA.
The Committee then engaged in a quick run- through of the remaining capital
items contained on the warrant, and Mr. Lamb and Mr. Adler answered questions.
2. Report on Special Funds. To help prepare for write -ups on Warrant Articles
7, 20, 21 and 22 in the Committee's report to the annual town meeting, Rob Addelson
made a presentation on the status of the Town's revolving funds, specified stabilization
funds and continuing balance accounts, with accompanying spreadsheets.
3. Warrant Article Run - Through. To determine potential information needs
for future discussions on articles in the Warrant, the Committee engaged in a quick run -
through of remaining financial articles that are likely to be covered in its report to the
annual town meeting but, due to the lateness of the hour, deferred covering a few articles
to the next meeting.
4. Miscellaneous. The committee discussed the visitor participation protocol as
most recently drafted by Joe Pato and voted unanimously to accept it. With respect to the
Munroe School property, Glenn Parker made a brief report on information he had
gathered from other towns that have leased town -owned buildings for use as community
arts centers at low cost to local organizations with a requirement to maintain the
buildings. There was also a brief discussion of meeting management issues.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:53 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
John Bartenstein
Approved August 9, 2010
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