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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCIP Comm. 05/25/2021Capital Improvements Committee Minutes March 25, 2021 Present: Scott Feely and Sara Walsh, Finance Committee. Joseph Cerretani and Sharon Friedman, Planning Board. Mike Trowbridge and Frank DelVecchio, Select Board. Lauren Scher and Kiera O'N9EttwKf mmittee. Evan Epstein, Municipal Building Committee. All members were present v1004ilytli(ORRar Evia GoToWebinar. 2021 SEP I b A 10 34 Ms. Sharon Friedman were not present at the start of the meeting, but arrived at 6:OOPM. ` ANSFIELD Also Present: Kevin Dumas, Town Manager; Barry LaCasse, Assistant Town Managt1/r16r1. ,ir%q r�Shaun Burke, Town Planner; Joel Brandwine, Airport Commission; Matt Caron, Gale Associates (Airport); Mitch Bregnard, Parks & Recreation; Teresa Murphy, Superintendent; Ed Donoghue, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations; Kurt Gaffney, Water Department; Mike Ahern, Public Buildings; Mark Cook, Highway Operations; Lee Azinheira, DPW. Joseph Sollecito, Electric Department Director; Ron Sellon, Chief of Police; Sherri Gurnon, Recreation; and Craig Miller of Waterfield Design. Chairman Feely called the meeting to order at 5:OOPM. Mr. LaCasse provided a synopsis of the meetings that took place prior to this meeting. He stated that the first meeting was in January where he provided a general overview and then Department heads were invited to this meeting to provide some additional information based on questions from the committee. He stated that he prepared updated spreadsheets to include Electric and Airport capital requests. He noted that these documents are also available on the Town's website. Mr. LaCasse then stated that the specific departments that were asked to come to the meeting tonight were Airport, Police, School, DPW, Recreation and Electric. DPW Mr. Azinheira, DPW Director began the discussion with the Road Program request stating that the town's streets had a rating score of 70 prior to 2014 and are now at a score of 77 on a scale from 0-100 and he provided an update on the miles of road paved and those that have been chip sealed. Mr. Feely asked if there was a target score and Mr. Azinheira responded that the goal would be to have an average score in the low 80's. Mr. Feely noted that he believed overall the Town was still in the red and Mr. Azinheira responded that they are always fighting against deterioration. Mr. DelVecchio stated that the Road Program is one of the best programs the Town has and it is worthwhile to move the request forward. Mr. Trowbridge commented that there were a lot of subdivisions built in the mid 1980's and early 1990's that will need repairs and repaving. Mr. Cerretani, Ms. Walsh, and Ms. Scher did not have any comments, but stated that they agreed with the road program. Mr. Epstein had no comments. Mr. Azinheira then stated that the second CIP request for DPW was the fence for the Town Hall which will be 885 feet in total length. Mr. Trowbridge said that $100,000 sounded like a lot of money to replace a fence. Mr. Ahern responded that he received two quotes that were $5,000 apart from one another and added that the fence is a heavy-duty commercial grade vinyl fencing which costs over $100 per foot. Mr. Trowbridge asked if that is at prevailing wage and Mr. Ahern responded yes. POLICE Police Chief Ron Sellon started by stating that his department had three vehicles that need to be replaced along with twenty-five tasers. He added that the cost to maintain the 2015 vehicle is starting to become very costly. Mr. Feely asked if this would be a big help and get the department back on track and Chief Sellon responded that it would. Mr. Feely stated that we do need to be responsible and the maintenance of cars can become a waste and a liability. Ms. Walsh asked what percentage of the fleet will need to be replaced and Chief Sellon responded four out of the fifteen vehicles. Ms. Walsh then asked if the plan would be to replace about the same number next year and Chief Sellon responded yes and that it would depend on wear and tear. Mr. Epstein asked what is the expected life on the tasers was and Chief Sellon responded that the tasers tend to last a little longer than five years. Mr. Epstein asked if the twenty-five tasers would be swapped out entirely and Chief Sellon responded that these twenty-five were to replace all of the patrolmen's tasers. Mr. Epstein asked if they were used frequently and Chief Sellon responded there are four qualifications or trainings throughout the year and each officer is asked to test theirs at the start of every shift because they are like an electronic device and may not be working properly. School Department Ms. Teresa Murphy, Superintendent started out by saying that they were not sent any questions and would be presenting each proposal. Ed Donoghue, Assistant Superintendent then went through the individual requests. The first was the replacement of a sixteen -year -old plow truck that would be replaced with a three-quarter ton plow truck at a cost of $50,000. The second request was for the replacement of two 2010 mini special education buses that each have 120,000 miles on them. The cost is estimated at $70,000 per bus and the old buses will be sold for approximately $2,000 or will donated to the Mansfield Emergency Management Services. Ms. Scher asked why the Schools did not lease the vans which was a question at the last committee meeting and Mr. Donoghue responded that they do lease a couple of buses that go out of town to Marlborough and Watertown to transport students, but it is very costly. He stated it costs approximately $400-$500 per day when a third party is used. Mr. Donoghue continued with the third CIP request which was for unit ventilators and noted the importance of fresh air in the classrooms especially with the pandemic. Ms. Scher added that the schools had done an extensive audit and recently when there were a lot of upgrades completed and added that the schools currently have safe air. Mr. Cerretani asked if they were all up to any new specifications that may have changed due to COVID and Mr. Donoghue stated that they were. Ms. Walsh asked if there is an opportunity to use federal funding and Mr. Donoghue replied that they did use the Cares Act in the fall for ventilation but the next funding would be used for education for the students. Mr. LaCasse added that there is some flexibility for free cash and have not received guidance yet from the state or feds on what this next round of funding can be used for. Mr. Donoghue then stated that the next CIP request was for LED Lighting replacement for some of the old lighting and noted that the schools continue to upgrade lighting in some areas that have not been completed yet. Mr. Donoghue lastly stated that the fifth CIP request was for paving and concrete. He stated that sidewalks need to be replaced in front of the high school and middle school. He also added that the west parking lot would need new asphalt in two to three years. Mr. Feely asked what the maintenance schedule looks like and Mr. Donoghue replied that they will do seal coating until it gets to the point of repaving. Parks and Recreation- (Plymouth Street Playground) Ms. Sherri Gurnon, Director of Parks & Recreation started the discussion by providing the history of the playground at Plymouth Street. Ms. Gurnon stated that it was a sparsely constructed over 25 years ago and was now obsolete and remains outside of ADA compliance. Ms. Gurnon went on to saythat CIP started talking about the replacement of this equipment in 2015 with a budget of $100,000 and was later broken out into two phases which totaled $256,000. She added that although it has remained one of the Parks & Recreation's top priorities, the project was put off due to spending limitations. In August of 2019, discussions of replacement of the playground resumed and Waterfield Design Group was brought on board to help with the planning. The original quote was $874,000 and after revisions to the plan the project cost was reduced to $707,000 and in the last discussion and revisions, during November of 2020, the quote was brought down to $599,000. She stated that the major difference in the increased cost was largely due to the laws requiring an ADA compliant surface, which were not in place at the time of the original quote. She stated that today the Plymouth Street Recreation Area is the home to Mansfield Youth Soccer, which serves approximately 700 participants in the Fall, and another 700 in the spring and various other recreational needs throughout the year. Mr. Epstein asked what changed to reduce the costs from these three versions of the project and Ms. Gurnon responded that they saw it was too expensive to entertain so they scaled back bytaking out some equipment and reducing it down to its current footprint instead of expanding the area into part of the wooded area next to its current space. Sharon Friedman joined the meeting at 6:OOPM. Mr. DelVecchio stated that he would like to hear more from the Recreation Commission because the cost is high and wondered if it was the best option and best space for the project since there was not a neighborhood nearby. Mr. Mitch Bregnard said that he has been on the Commission for a while and that area is used every night of the week and many kids are using the playground while siblings are playing soccer. Mr. Trowbridge asked if the grant being considered for Harry Chase Place could be eligible for the Plymouth Street playground as well. Mr. Dumas answered that the PARC grant was for towns to use for areas that on the transit line. The Harry Chase Place is located on the transit line but that same opportunity is not available for Plymouth Street. Mr. Trowbridge stated that he was concerned with the cost. Mr. Craig Miller of Waterfield Design was then asked to provide more details on the proposed playground. Mr. Miller started out by saying that the costs are escalating as of late with the high price of materials especially with the ADA rubber surfacing that is required and covers about two thirds of the playground space. He then added that the playground equipment is much more elaborate than playgrounds built twenty years ago. Mr. Miller displayed his designs stating that there are two separate areas, one area is for 2-5-year-old children and the other for 5-12-year-old children with a paved walkway in between and then showed images of each of the pieces of equipment. Ms. O'Neil wanted to confirm that the playground will be for both age groups and Mr. Miller replied it was. Mr. Cerratani noted that it may be abetter safer place for the playground if it was closer to the Snack Shack. Ms. Walsh agreed with Mr. Cerretani on the safety perspective and stated that currently it is not safe and should be torn down. Ms. Scher said that she felt that it has been in bad shape for many years and asked if there could there be other fun things that could go there without the major cost that would be complimentary. Mr. Miller said that they are working in various places with the town and would be glad to create enough variety so that the playground is servicing different groups across the community. Mr. Feely questioned whether the potential spending is getting ahead of any decision making yet and Mr. Dumas responded that he wanted to know the direction from the committee to know if he should continue to pursue this project. Mr. Feely asked each committee member if they were in support and the consensus was positive to move the project forward and noted that there would be a more robust discussion with the Select Board and Finance Committee. Mr. Epstein left the meeting at 6:20PM. Harry Chase Place Jr. Park Mr. Dumas started by stating that this project is eligible for a $400,000 grant and that is why this was added to this year's CIP plan. Mr. Dumas then asked Mr. Miller to present the plan. Mr. Miller presented the various phases of the project of making use of the existing green space and to create a destination as part of Phase I. The larger footprint was turning the parking lot to additional green space and created a special ambiance with a fountain or water object in the center and then using an old-time railroad station canopy and an Old Colony railroad map displaying the history on a panel and in the middle would be picnic tables underneath the canopy in the shaded area. It creates history and draws attention and would have the feel of a public garden. Mr. Feely asked if there were any questions. Mr. DelVecchio commented that it would be a nice addition to the Town and was in favor. Ms. O'Neil asked if the grant is covering the first piece orthe bigger piece and Mr. Dumas answered that the grant is for the entire project. He added that the project was expected to be an item for a future year however the PARC grant opportunity changed the timing. He stated that if the grant is not awarded than the project would not go forward. Ms. Friedman stated she was concerned that this item was being rushed due to the grant, but wanted other committees to be aware so they were not caught off guard. Mr. Feely stated that he felt CIP needed to put this item forward to present at the April 215t Select Board meeting. Mr. Dumas responded that other committees like the Downtown Committee who were in support. AIRPORT Mr. Joel Brandwine, Chair of the Airport Commission and Mr. Matt Caron, Gale Associates were present. Mr. Brandwine started out by saying that he met with Mr. Dumas, Mr. LaCasse and Mr. DelVecchio at the airport to show them many of the issues that exist at the airport are related to maintenance. Mr. Brandwine explained that most items are handed through the Airport Improvement Projects (AIP) where the FAA pays for ninety percent and the remaining ten percent is split between the local airport and Mass DOT and this covers almost all of the smaller projects. The larger projects such as the runway expansion is going to cost $500-$600k which the airport does not have in retained earnings. He stated that the runway and taxiway is about ten years past its use of life as well as repairs to lighting that are needed. Mr. Brandwine said that there was a chance that the airport will be coming to the Town for funding. Mr. Feely asked if the airport did not have enough funding to do the things that needed to be done and Mr. Brandwine replied that we have been financially stable for the past few years. Mr. Brandwine explained that they receive about $185,000 per year and spend approximately $165,000 per year leaving $20,000 as retained earnings. Mr. Brandwine went on to say that The Cares Act and stimulus have helped the airport and the FAA has picked up 100% for the past two fiscal years of the local airports share. He then stated that the hangers were built before 1980 and will need to be rebuilt because maintenance has been deferred for many years and are the main source of revenue. Mr. Cerratani left the meeting at 6:54PM. Mr. Feely stated that it is his understanding that unless you are in good working order the FAA will not give funding and Mr. Brandwine replied that was true and the FAA is mandating that the airport must comply and stated that currently the airport is moving forward with clearing trees in the winter of 2021 and 2022. Mr. DelVecchio said that Mr. Dumas and Mr. LaCasse suggested the airport maintenance should be included in the capital plan because it is part of the town. Mr. Trowbridge stated that the Airport is part of the town and should be a part of CIP. Mr. Dumas left the meeting at 7:01PM. Mr. Feely commented that committees in Town should have the knowledge of where all of the funds are being used. Ms. Walsh agreed that it should be under CIP and that she would like to understand more. Ms. Scher said that she appreciated hearing about the Airport. Mr. Feely also said that he appreciates the effort that goes in to this and thanked Mr. Brandwine for attending the meeting. ELECTRIC Mr. Joe Sollecito, Director of Mansfield Electric was present and started out by saying that he has thirty-four project items on the list which will cost approximately $3.9 million. He stated that the storage building they are proposing to build will cost $1.2 million that will be used for storage of equipment of vehicles, transformers and cable wheels to keep them out of the environment. Mr. Sollecito stated that the "blankets' on the list are items that will need to be replaced throughout the year such as poles and transformers and will be roughly $600,000 for these items. Mr. Sollecito explained some upgrades that they complete throughout the year and upgrades to meters to have wireless readings. Mr. Feely said that it sounds like there has been a delay in getting vehicles and Mr. Sollecito replied yes, the pandemic has had some delays and both trucks that were ordered and should be delivered in July 2021. Mr. Sollecito lastly described the street lighting replacement project. Ms. Walsh left the meeting at 7:12PM. ljiN r l 4 ` a This item was not done in the order of which it was posted on the agenda and done last. Motion: To approve the prior minutes of June 13, 2019, September 30, 2020, October 8, 2020 and January 27, 2021. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Roll call vote: DelVecchio - Yes, Trowbridge - Yes, O'Neil - Yes, Friedman - Yes, Scher - Yes, Feeley - Yes Passed 6-0 Motion: To recommend the CIP to the Finance Committee and the Select Board. (Friedman/O'Neil) Roll Call Vote: DelVecchio - Yes, Trowbridge - Yes, O'Neil - Yes, Friedman - Yes, Scher - Yes, Feeley - Yes PASSES 6-0 Mr. Feely noted that the project of Harry Chase Place would be on the condition of the PARC grant being received to offset the cost. There were no items. Motion: To adjourn the CIP Meeting at 7:14PM on March 25, 2021. (Trowbridge/DelVecchio) Roll Call Vote: DelVecchio - Yes, Trowbridge - Yes, O'Neil - Yes, Friedman - Yes, Scher - Yes, Feeley - Yes Passed 6-0 Minutes prepared by Carrie Champagne