Town of Newbury
Municipal Building Committee
MINUTES
DATE: January 6, 2015 Approved as written, 3/5/2015
Present: Eric Svahn, Chair; Tracy Blais; Mike Doyle; Steve Fram; Sam Joslin; John Lucey, Jr.; Richard Ronder; Martha Taylor
Guest: Chuck Bear, Selectman
Eric Svahn, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:05 a.m.
Motion: A motion was made by S. Joslin and seconded by S. Fram to approve the meeting minutes of November 13, 2014, as written. The motion passed with five in favor (E. Svahn, T. Blais, S. Fram, J. Lucey, and S. Joslin) and three abstentions (M. Doyle, R. Ronder, and M. Taylor, who were not present at that meeting).
Motion: A motion was made by M. Doyle and seconded by J. Lucey to approve the meeting minutes of December 4, 2014, as written. The motion passed with five in favor (E. Svahn, M. Doyle, J. Lucey, R. Ronder, and M. Taylor) and three abstentions (T. Blais, S. Fram, and S. Joslin, who were not present at that meeting).
- Program: J. Lucey is in the process of reviewing the program and determining what, if any, items included in the CSS report are expendable. E. Svahn will prepare a color-coded program to help clarify and prioritize the programmatic needs.
- Budget: E. Svahn will meet with a local contractor specializing in public sector work to discuss the budget and get input on unit costs for projects similar to the Police Station/Town Hall project. He is also reviewing soft costs for design and engineering to determine the amount that should be requested at Town Meeting.
- Estimated Construction Cost: Currently E. Svahn is estimating a construction cost of $424.00 per square foot for the Police Station, due to the need for hardened construction and specialized spaces.
- Site Options and Considerations:
- Abutting Land: T. Blais has contacted the Town Hall abutter at 21 High Road to explore the possibility of acquiring his property or some amount of his land to provide more room for parking if a new building housing both Police and Town Hall is constructed on the Town Hall site. To date she has had no response and will follow up.
- Protection Fire Company #2 Land: Protection Fire Company #2 has indicated willingness to sell its vacant land with certain conditions, but no firm offer to sell has yet been made to the Town.
Motion: A motion was made by J. Lucey and seconded by T. Blais to write a letter to Protection Fire Company #2 requesting a letter from the Company no later than January 22, 2015, with its offer to sell. The motion passed unanimously.
T. Blais and E. Svahn will draft the letter.
S. Joslin noted that building a separate Police Station, as opposed to a combined Police Station/Town Hall, will add both short- and long-term cost to the project, including property acquisition, duplication of systems (e.g. two heating systems instead of one), and maintenance of two buildings instead of one.
- Preparation for Town Meeting:
a. Schedule: The Annual Town Meeting will be held on May 19. The Warrant will be finalized on April 28 and closed on May 5.
b. Budget Request: T. Blais will prepare the budget request for Town Meeting, review it with the Finance Committee, and present it to the Selectmen for approval.
a. Public Workshop: The Committee set Thursday, February 12, as the tentative date for the next public workshop, to be held in Byfield. M. Taylor will check to see if the meeting room in the Library is available that night.
b. Tax Bill Impact: Information needed for the public will include what impact the project will have on individual tax bills. T. Blais will determine this once the project budget is established.
On a motion made by E. Svahn and seconded by S. Fram, the meeting was adjourned at 8:25 a.m.
NEXT MEETING:
Monday, January 26, 2015, 7:00 a.m., Town Hall
Respectfully submitted,
Martha L. Taylor, Town Planner
MBC Secretary
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