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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-11-08-CPC-min Minutes of the Community Preservation Committee Monday, November 8, 2010 3:00 pm Room 207 Town Offices Present: Board Members: Wendy Manz,Chair; Marilyn Fenollosa, Vice-Chair; Joel Adler, Norman Cohen, Jeanne Krieger, Leo McSweeney, Sandy Shaw, Betsey Weiss and Dick Wolk. Administrative Assistant : Nathalie Rice Also in attendance was David Kanter, member of the Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) and Bob Pressman, a Town resident. The meeting was called to order at 3:03 pm by Ms. Manz. th 1.Approval of Minutes – Minutes from the meeting of October 25 were approved as amended. 2.Police Station Renovation and Add-on Design and Engineering – Pat Goddard, Director of Facilities, Mark Barrett, Project Manager and Police Chief, Mark Corr met with the Committee to discuss the Police Station Renovation Project, which is in its preliminary design stage. Chief Corr explained that the project is driven by the space needs of the Police Station, and that a number of alternatives were under consideration, some of which might obviate the need for an application to the CPC. He said the architectural firm of Donham and Sweeney, Inc, which was hired last year to perform a Space Needs Study, has determined that the Police Station needs between 28,000 and 28,500 square feet. The building is presently 13,000 square feet. Chief Corr reviewed the past upgrades to the building and stressed the fact that improvements in 1970 and 1994 did not directly address space issues. One of the alternatives for the renovation involved an addition to the Station which would extend into the parking lot and necessitate the use of some of the “green space” to the east of the White House for replacement parking. Mr. Adler questioned whether the project funded last fiscal year ($31,700) to upgrade the ventilation system in the lower level of the Police Station had been completed. Mr. Goddard replied that the project was in the design phase, but that the actual work had not yet started. There was considerable discussion of the possibility of combining the Police and Fire Stations on one site, but Chief Corr noted that the present Fire Stations were very strategically located to meet the fire safety needs of Town residences. Any relocation of a fire 1 house, he explained, would affect department response time and consequently insurance rates for houses at greater distance from the stations. Chief Corr explained the timetable for the Police Station renovation, noting that the design phase is approximately 90% complete. He felt the Needs Study would be completed in the upcoming 3-4 weeks, but felt the project had little likelihood of coming to Town Meeting this spring. There was a discussion of the inclusion of a firing range as part of the proposal. Chief Corr explained that there is a great deal of local interest in developing a new firing range, but that the process is problematic, including factors such as the availability of outdoor space and lead remediation. There is presently no plan to put a firing range in a renovated or new facility despite the need for it. Ms. Fenollosa asked the Chief if there were any state grants available to fund the renovation, to which the Chief replied that grants for construction of municipal fire and police facilities have been severely cut, particularly since th September 11 when public safety funds have been redirected toward terrorism protection. Ms. Weiss then noted that the loss of Elaine Sterzin, the former Town grant writer, a few years ago has impacted the Town’s grants. Mr. Goddard added a summary comment, explaining that the Selectmen would be evaluating a number of school facilities projects, and that after such analysis, the priority of the Police Station Renovation Project would be better understood. 3.Busa Farm Land Use – Mr. Adler made a request to the Committee that it write the Busa Farm Land Use Committee and recommend that three of the four uses be considered for the parcel. Ms. Manz responded to this request, stating that she would be very uncomfortable with such a statement, since the CPC was not a governing body, nor an administrative body like the Selectmen, and that the CPC vote to recommend funding the land purchase had specifically provided for single or multiple uses. The Committee continued this discussion later in the meeting, with Ms Shaw noting the frustration of the Recreation Committee at the divergence of the CPC vote from the original proposal for the property. A discussion ensued in which the CPC and a member of the audience, Mr. Bob Pressman, questioned the process by which a land use plan would be approved by the Town. Mr. Cohen responded that the Busa Farm Land Use Committee would make a recommendation to the Selectmen, who would then decide on the use or uses for the property. If the uses included proposals which would need funding, such as community housing, it would be likely that the advocates for that use would seek CPA funds. The CPC would then make a recommendation to Town Meeting, which would vote to approve or disapprove such funding. Though Town Meeting would make the decision on funding, Mr. Cohen said 2 it would be the Selectmen, not Town Meeting, who would select the final plan for the Busa Farm. 4.Cary Memorial Building Upgrades – Mr. Pat Goddard and Mr. Mark Barrett presented this project for consideration. Mr. Goddard explained that the renovation of certain aspects of the Cary Memorial Building were in the early planning stages, and that a series of public meetings had been held to elicit public comment. He noted that an upcoming meeting for this purpose th was due to be held on the 18 of this month. The renovations in Phase I projected for FY 2013 include the installation of a lift to the Bird Room, the conversion of the steam heating system to forced hot water, and the improvement of lighting in the Hall. These and other improvements were estimated at $1,000,000. Phase II, to be undertaken in FY 2014 at a cost of an estimated $875,000, included the replacement of the brick sidewalks, accessibility improvements and the replacement of furniture. Mr. Goddard made it clear that the improvements in the request to the CPC were to enhance the existing space, not to convert Cary Hall to a formal performance center. Mr. Kanter suggested that when the project does get underway, that the accessibility projects be moved forward to Phase I to better align with the improvements to the Town Office Building. Ms. Manz thanked Mr. Goddard and Mr. Barrett for coming in early with this project and informing the CPC of the project during its design and public comment stage. 5.East Lexington Fire Equipment Doors Replacement - Mr. Goddard went on to explain a third facilities project, the replacement of the front doors to the East Lexington Fire Station. He noted that there is presently approximately two and a half inches of clearance for the engines, and that when backing into the garage, the firefighters have to fold in the mirrors on their trucks. He said the project included two phases, a $10,000 architectural phase, and a follow- up of $50,000 worth of renovation work. He said an architect was needed to design the changes to the building in order to comply with the recommendations of the HDC. Mr. Wolk questioned whether the East Lexington Fire Station would remain open in the near future, noting he remembered when it was closed due to budget constraints. Mr. Goddard responded that this question was more political in nature, and that he could not comment on the likelihood of the station closing. Ms. Fenollosa asked if the floor of the station had the same stability problems as the Fire Headquarters, to which Mr. Goddard responded that it did not, since the floor of the East Lexington Station was constructed on slab, and did not have a basement as did the Headquarters. Mr. Kanter noted that it would be the CEC’s recommendation that the project be completed in one funding round, and not be phased into a design phase and construction phase. (The project is presently written as one project.) 3 6.Cotton Farm $500,000 state Self- Help grant process -Ms. Manz raised the topic of state Self-Help grant so Ms. Weiss would have an opportunity to note the Cotton Farm grant process in the CPC record. Ms Weiss said that she spoke to Stuart Saginor of the Community Preservation Coalition last April and he told her about the $500,000 state Self- Help grant and gave her Ceila Reichel’s contact information from the Dept. of EOEEA at the State House. Ms. Weiss brought the Self- Help grant to the Town’s attention in mid-May and encouraged the Town to apply. The Dept. of Conservation filled out a th successful application by the July 15 deadline and after hearing that the Town was awarded $500,000 at the end of October for the Cotton Farm acquisition, Ms. Weiss said that she thanked Mr. Saginor and Ms. Reichel by phone and email. Mr. Adler commented that Ms. Weiss deserved considerable credit, and members agreed, giving Ms. Weiss a round of applause. Ms Manz also expressed her thanks. Ms Fenollosa suggested writing formal thank you notes to Mr. Saginor and Ms. Reichel. 7.Needs Assessment – The Committee briefly discussed the Needs Assessment Report. Mr. Wolk reported that he had requested the Conservation Department to provide him with some updated numbers, and Mr. McSweeney said he would get updated figures from the Housing Authority. Ms. Manz encouraged the timely receipt of these updates and said she would like to have the report ready for the Public Hearing in December. 8.CPA Signs – Ms. Shaw stated that she had no further information on the proposed signs, and that the Committee should not expect a full scale mock- up, since it would cost as much as one of the signs. 9.Town Counsel’s Opinion on Use of Administrative Funds and Agricultural Restrictions – The CPC noted the receipt of a memo from Town Manager, Carl Valente in response to two questions that arose at the October 13th CPC meeting. In his memo, Mr. Valente forwarded Town Counsel’s opinion that Administrative funds cannot be used for the payment of additional legal and other expenses incurred on the Busa and Cotton Farm properties. The second opinion addressed by Town Counsel stated that an agricultural or open space restriction placed upon land at the Busa Farm, prevented the land from subsequently being used for other CPA purposes such as community housing. A strict Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) would limit the use of the land to agricultural purposes, while a conservation restriction would limit the uses to open space purposes, including farming or active and passive recreation. 4 10.Leary Planning Funds – Mr. Aaron Henry, Senior Town Planner met with the CPC to request $30,000 in planning funds to design and formalize a development proposal for the community housing portion of the Leary property. He reported on the progress of the Ad Hoc Leary Property Community Housing Task Force, on which CPC members Ms. Fenollosa, Ms. Manz and Ms. Weiss sit. (Ms Fenollosa has since resigned, since there is no longer a historic preservation component.) He updated the CPC on the status of the Leary farmhouse, which has been evaluated by Salemi Associates for its structural integrity and renovation requirements. He noted that while the initial evaluation seemed to indicate it would be costly to preserve the structure for community housing, a subsequent estimate from Landmark Services (a contractor specializing in restoration) suggested that the cost would be reasonable if averaged with the cost of constructing additional new units. The Leary Task Force voted to recommend to the Selectmen that CPA funds be sought for the design of the affordable housing project and also to stabilize the house while a decision was pending on its use. However, Mr. st Cohen explained that at their November 1 meeting the Selectmen voted to apply to the CPC only for project design funds. A motion from one Selectman and to seek design stabilization funds from the CPC failed for want of a second. The proposal, which was initially drafted with a request for approximately $41,330 was therefore reduced to $30,000. Ms. Weiss gave the CPC some additional background on this matter, and st voiced her concern that the Selectmen had made their decision on Nov. 1 since the CPC application was due, however prior to neighborhood input which will occur on Nov. 16th. She said she hoped for a reconsideration of the decision. The CPC briefly discussed the issue, and returned to the discussion of the proposal from Mr. Henry for the $30,000 in planning funds. There was general support of the need for planning monies to enable the Leary Task Force to conduct the necessary planning studies for the affordable housing component. Mr. Kanter expressed his opinion that such funds were appropriate to come from the CPC Administrative budget if needed. thndth Future meetings were scheduled for Mondays, the 15, the 22 and December 6 all to be held at 3:00 in Room 207. The date for the Public Hearing on the CPC’s Needs th Assessment and pending project applications was set for December 7 at 6:30 pm in Cary Hall. The meeting was adjourned at 4:47 pm. Two documents were reviewed or presented at the CPC meeting; (1)An application for the Leary Planning funds, compiled by Mr. Aaron Henry, undated. This document is on file with the CPC. 5 (2)A memo from Carl Valente, Town Manager, dated October 26, 2010, to Wendy Manz, Chairwoman, Community Preservation Committee. This document is on file with the CPC. Respectfully submitted, Nathalie Rice Administrative Assistant Community Preservation Committee 6