Article 13 - Fire Headquarters Replacement

Barry Orenstein, Deputy Moderator presiding.
Article 13 is now open.
ARTICLE 13 — APPROPRIATE FOR 45 BEDFORD STREET/FIRE STATION REPLACEMENT To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate a sum of money for the design and construction of a new Fire Headquarters, located at 45 Bedford Street, including the payment of costs of demolition, architectural and engineering services, original equipment, furnishings, landscaping, paving and other site and traffic improvements incidental or related to such construction; determine whether the money shall be provided by the tax levy, by transfer from available funds, by borrowing or by any combination of these methods; or act in any other manner in relation thereto. (Inserted by the Board of Selectmen)

The funds requested by this Article will used be for the design and construction of a new Fire Headquarters. A debt exclusion for this project was approved by the voters in December 2017.

MOTION That $18,820,700 be appropriated for design and construction of a new Fire Headquarters Station, located at 45 Bedford Street, including the costs of demolition, architectural and engineering services, original equipment, furnishings, landscaping, paving, and other site and traffic improvements incidental or related to such construction, and that to meet this appropriation the Treasurer, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, is authorized to borrow $18,820,700 under M.G.L. Chapter 44, Section 7, or any other enabling authority. Any premium received by the Town upon the sale of any bonds or notes approved by this vote, less any such premium applied to the payment of the costs of issuance of such bonds or notes, may be applied to the payment of costs approved by this vote in accordance with Chapter 44, Section 20 of the General Laws, thereby reducing the amount authorized to be borrowed to pay such costs by a like amount.

The Presentation is HERE

RECOMMENDATIONS
BOS: 
AC: Unanimously in Support
CEC: Unanimously Supports

Question Mic: TMM/P5 Trade wars between US & China, where China provides most of our solar panels?
A: Solar is not part of this project.

Question Mic: TMM/P6 Concerned with expanding footprint of building instead of adding a third floor. Would appreciate an explanation
A: The reason is because the current apparatus bays don't support current equipment.
Q: Has the Historic District Commission restricted you?
A: No.

VOTE of TOWN MEETING (2/3 majority)
YES: 143
NO: 0
ABSTAIN: 2
MOTION CARRIES

The Meeting is now open on Article 14.

Lexington: Join me in voting YES

I'll be voting YES tomorrow (December 4th) in support of a new Fire Station Headquarters, Hastings Elementary School, and Lexington Children's Place preschool. I hope you will join me.

• It is well past time to replace the Fire Station Headquarters, built when Harry S. Truman was president (1947). Our modern fire equipment is too heavy for the fire station floor (something akin to the family game, Jenga, provides support under the floor and prevents its collapse). Our first responders need this modern equipment and spaces to train and optimally meet the emergency needs of our community.

• Dwight D. Eisenhower was president when the Hastings Elementary School was built (1955). Repair is no longer an option. The Town will be reimbursed $16.5 million dollars to replace it, if the debt exclusion vote passes. If we vote no, we jeopardize this reimbursement and also miss the opportunity to expand capacity at the elementary level (by 9 classrooms at this location). It is time to replace.

• The Lexington Children's Place is a state-mandated program of the Lexington Public Schools that supports preschool children with special needs (ages 2.9 - 5) in an inclusive, least restrictive learning environment. Currently, it's operating near capacity in spaces separated by 600' and two parking lots. If we fail to unify this program and create new capacity, we will soon be forced to send our youngest, most vulnerable students out of district. Some of the placements can cost as much as $100,000 or more per student per year. If passed, this project will also help to alleviate our capacity issue at Harrington Elementary School, by opening up 4 additional classrooms there once the LCP is relocated to its new home.

The Town Manager's and Board of Selectman's goal is to minimize, as much as possible, the residential tax implications of completing these three projects. Their plan is to limit increases to an average increase of 0.5% over what is allowed by Proposition 2 1/2, or an average increase of 3% per year, total; not over and above a more "standard" annual increase of 2.5%. For a median-value home of $831,000, this would translate to a peak increase of $418 for these projects in 2024.

Lexington's paid professionals and volunteer boards and committees continually monitor the Town's capital assets with respect to the condition of our buildings and the evolving needs of the community. Together, these three projects represent the next phase of Lexington's comprehensive capital plan. With our school population growing at a rate of 2.5% per year, capital projects that increase our capacity have become a priority for the communitry. A new Hastings and free-standing LCP meaningfully address this need, yielding 11-13 additional classrooms. Both the Fire Station and Hastings are failing structurally. They need to be replaced.

You may have heard that we can do this work without taking on additional debt, that we can achieve these projects within the limitations of proposition 2 1/2. We cannot. All of the proposals forwarded by the opposition to this debt exclusion have been duly considered and either implemented to the degree that our Town could support, or rejected outright by the elected officials, volunteers, and staff who have been involved with the Town’s master planning efforts for the past decade. Attempting to pay for these projects within the levy will come at the sacrifice of other town services and programs and dramatically reduce the scope of these projects and their potential benefits, if they happen at all. Read this to more fully understand the flaws in the opposing side's arguments. More info is here.

I hope you're convinced of the merits of these projects and will make the commitment to vote to support them tomorrow, Monday, December 4th. We need at least 5,000 votes to see them funded. Please make sure yours is one of them.

STM 2016-5, Article 2: Land Purchase - 171-173 Bedford Street

Article 2: Land Purchase - 171-173 Bedford Street
MOTION: That (a) the Selectmen be authorized to purchase, take by eminent domain or otherwise acquire for municipal or school purposes, any fee, easement, or other interest in all or any part of land known as 171-173 Bedford Street and shown as Lot 76 on Assessors’ Property Map 64, now or formerly owned by the Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, on such terms and conditions as the Selectmen may determine, and to conduct all necessary site surveys, environmental assessments and to incur legal and closing costs in connection therewith; that $4,443,000 be appropriated for such land acquisition and related costs, including, but not limited to, an architectural and engineering study of the site for use by the Fire Department, and that to raise such amount, the Treasurer, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, is authorized to borrow $4,443,000 under M.G.L. Chapter 44, Section 7, as amended, or pursuant to any other enabling authority; and (b) that the Selectmen be authorized to lease a portion of said land to Liberty Mutual Insurance Company or an affiliated entity thereof, subject to terms acceptable to the Selectmen. Any premium received by the Town upon the sale of any bonds or notes approved by this vote, less the cost of preparing, issuing and marketing them, and any accrued interest received upon the delivery of such bonds or notes, may be applied to the payment of project costs approved by this vote, thereby reducing the amount authorized to be borrowed to pay such costs by a like amount.

MOTION is Moved by Suzie Barry, Selectmen Chair and gives a brief description and explanation. BoS is in unanimous support of the project.
Ms. Barry asks that the Town Manager be recognized.
Town Manager Carl Valente is recognized.
Town Members will hear three reports - followed by financing plan from Rob Addleson
Proposed uses of the parcel:

• temporary swing space during renovations of fire HQ;
• temporary swing space during renovations of police HQ;
• new location of police HQ;
• if not, future municipal/school uses

$4,443,000 total purchase price:

• $4.3 million for property
• $35,000 for Legal
• $85,000 for Designer for Traffic Study (adjustments for temporary basis of fire)
• $15,000 for land survey
• $8,000 any environmental analysis that may be necessary

Financing Plan for the next five years may require a debt exclusion override for fire, police, Hastings Elementary School projects:

• March 2016 Modeling: Mitigating the tax increase for average residential taxpayer
• September 2016 Modeling: Increase for average residential taxpayer, with 173 Bedford Street and increase in Capital stability Fund, virtually unchanged.

Town Manager introduces Assistant Town Manager; Rob presents: 

Factors in Managing Debt and Taxpayer Impact:

• Existing Debt Service is Decreasing
• Prospective $23,000,000 in Capital Stabilization Fund
• Low Interest Rate Environment
• Manage Debt Service and Taxpayer Mitigation to Lessen Spikes in Property Tax Bills

Existing and Proposed Excluded Debt Service - All Projects

[insert photo]

Tax Bill for Home of Median Value ($786,000) - All Projects

[insert photo]

TMod recognizes Chief Wilson, Fire.

Chief Wilson presents slides on challenges of present condition of current fire station, built in 1947. Time to replace.

For the recomendation of CEC: Chair Hai - CEC supports 4-1

AC Chair Parker: AC supports 8-0

School Committee Chair Hurley: SC supports 5-0

Town Mod opens for Questions from Town Meeting Members (TMM)

TMM McKenna, Pct 6: Q for Mr. Addelson. $21Million available for mitigation - what percent of that for mitigation?

Addelson: $23Million; 100%

McKenna: Other projects, anticipated part of this proposal; any funding for the Visitor Center project; if so how much?

Addelson: No, Visitor Center is not included.

TMM LaPointe, Pct 2: Financial Q. Pelham Project $8M still being carried. Can we get an update?

Valente: We are still negotiating. Still w/in the $8M appropriation last spring

TMM Adler, Pct 1: I see a critical need for the fire station project; price is reasonable. However, I was surprised at the assessment process is accepted by the DoR. $1.9M means we're paying 2.6x the assessed value. DoR process for commercial projects not producing realistic results

TMM Afshartous, Pct 2: Is there enough parking space for the space where we're building for next 10-20 years?

Pat Goddard, Director of Public Facilities: If the site is constrained, do we have enough space to build a modern station. We have a study that looked at this. We're looking at a two-story building. The study is not the design. We'll be working with the Fire dept to optimize the site

TMM Williams, Pct 5: What impact with the vote of the Minuteman School on the tax.

Valente: MM school will be part of our Town's assessment to MM - peaks at about 3 years, we can accommodate within our annual budget

TMM Kluchman: When both CE and increases in tax, it will be useful to express in $100,000 increments.

TMM Heinrich, Pct3:  Pelham School - if correct, there is no funding for renovations if we buy that school?

Valente: that is correct

TMM Michelson, Pct 5: Fire project - any guess or estimate for temporary renovations

Valente: Nothing until we go forward with an engineer. In our Modeling, we're carrying a million dollars.

TMM: will we need a garage on that property?

Valente: we will probably have temporary structures, more sophisticated than a tent...with heat.

Town Mod: Article 2 - requires a 2/3 vote to pass:

Yes - 134

No - 3

abstain - 4

The MOTION carries