Town of Newbury
Public Safety Complex Committee
~ MINUTES ~
DATE: February 26, 2014 Approved as written, 3/13/2014
Present: Martha Taylor, Chair; Tracy Blais; Keith Grant; John Lucey, Jr.; Eric Svahn; Martha Taylor; Curtis Walton
Absent: Sam Joslin, Rob Serino
Guests: Tom Denman
Martha Taylor, Chair, called the meeting to order at 8:26 a.m.
GOAL AND PHASES OF THE PROJECT
GOAL: To design and build a public safety complex for the Town of Newbury that will house the Newbury Police Department, Newbury Fire/Protection 2 and Emergency Management with space and resources to accommodate both agencies’ needs for the next 50 years while renovating the existing Town Hall building to better accommodate Town Hall services.
1. Deficiency Report
2. Site Feasibility Report
3. Design Phase
4. Construction & Renovation Phases
MEETING MINUTES
Motion: A motion was made by J. Lucey and seconded by K. Grant to approve the minutes of December 18, 2013 as written. The motion passed with five in favor (Grant, Lucey, Svahn, Taylor, and Walton) and one abstention (Blais, who was not present at that meeting).
A motion was made by T. Blais and seconded by K. Grant to approve the minutes of January 8, 2014 as written. The motion passed with five in favor (Blais, Grant, Svahn, Taylor, and Walton) and one abstention (Lucey, who was not present at that meeting).
A motion was made by J. Lucey and seconded by T. Blais to approve the minutes of January 15, 2014 as written. The motion passed with four in favor (Blais, Grant, Lucey, and Taylor) and two abstentions (Svahn and Walton, who were not present at that meeting).
BOARD OF FIRE ENGINEERS/FIRE COMPANY CONCERNS
- M. Taylor attended the Board of Fire Engineers meeting in Byfield on January 23; the Engineers raised no concerns or questions regarding the project.
OLD BUSINESS / PENDING ACTION ITEMS
- Negotiations: T. Blais reported that three negotiating sessions had been held, the last one with Patrick Whitney representing Protection Fire Company #2 in lieu of Tom Denman, who was out of town. The Town has put an offer on the table; the next step will be a Fire Company vote to accept it or turn it down.
T. Denman said that he would like to have as much of the Fire Company membership as possible represented for the vote, either in person or by absentee ballot. A regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 3, but in order to give people sufficient time to review the language of the offer that has been drafted by Town Counsel and to return their ballots, he may call a Special Meeting for the following Thursday or Monday evening. Two concerns that have been voiced by the Fire Company are the ability to maintain its private ambulance service and potential liability for site clean-up if any issues are discovered during the 21E Environmental Assessment.
T. Blais clarified that the 21E will not proceed until after the closing. Prior to closing, Protection #2 must vote to accept the Town’s offer, Town Meeting must vote to appropriate the funds and put the project on the ballot for the next Town election, and the voters must approve the project at the polls – the closing will not happen unless everything is in the affirmative.
It was agreed that the PSCC will attend the Fire Company meeting on March 3 to present the project and answer any questions.
2. Public Outreach: The Committee discussed producing a video tour of the Police Station. T. Blais reported that the editor of The Daily News has approved a series on the history of the fire and police facilities.
NEW BUSINESS
- Presentation to Finance Committee/Capital Planning Committee: The Committee reviewed questions which came up during the presentation to the Finance Committee/Capital Planning Committee, including the relationship of the Town Hall improvements to the Public Safety Complex and how this project compares to similar projects in other communities.
On a motion made by J. Lucey and seconded by E. Svahn, the meeting was adjourned at 9:30.
NEXT MEETING:
March 3, 2014, 7:00 p.m., Fire Hall
with Protection Fire Company #2
Respectfully submitted,
Martha L. Taylor
Town Planner
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