NEWTON MUNICIPAL COMPLEX
MEETING MINUTES
October 21, 2013
In attendance, in alphabetical order: Leonard Beauvais, Jim Doggett-Chairman, Roger Hamel, Bill Landry-Vice Chairman, Trisha McCarthy, John Meserve, Mike Pivero, Dale Putnam, Jim Ryan, Joe Simone, Larry Streeter, Jim White, and Nancy Wrigley.
Mary Allen, Bradley Cardoso, Robert Donovan Jr., Larry Foote, Frank Gibbs, Bill Ingalls, Ron Saunders, and Charles Melvin were not in attendance.
I Call Meeting to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm.
II Acceptance of Minutes: Mr. Landry made a motion to accept the minutes as written; second by Roger Hamel. 12 in favor; 1 abstention.
III Subcommittee Reports: Reports from the Subcommittees were reviewed in this order – Library, Fire Department, and Town Hall.
Library – Dale Putnam, Larry Foote, Nancy Wrigley, John Meserve, Frank Gibbs
Fire Department - Charles Melvin, Sr., Trisha McCarthy, Leonard Beauvais, John Ryan, Jim White, Bill Ingalls
Town Hall – Ron Saunders, Joe Simone, Bill Landry, Roger Hamel, Jim Doggett
Library Subcommittee – Mr. Putnam reported the subcommittee had met twice, on September 30 and October 17. At the October meeting, they discussed the environmental Study for 8 Merrimac Road and copied the Secretary for the file.
Mr. Meserve had arranged for Eric Paulson of Sheerr McCrystal Palson Architecture to look at the 8 Merrimac Road building and possibly provide the committee with a conceptual plan and prices for various phases. Mr. Paulson would also look to see if the proposed vacated buildings could be repurposed, or should be sold to raise money for any new construction. Mr. Paulson will meet with the committee at 1pm on Oct. 29th.
The subcommittee had concerns if the space required by library was more than the space available in the existing building at the Merrimac Road site. In addition to the library utilizing the building, there was a plan to add a large room that would serve as a public meeting room/emergency shelter/ warming center. Again it was reiterated to qualify as an approved warming center there needed to be A/C and a generator, and to qualify as an emergency shelter it would need to have shower/bath-room facilities.
The committee discussed the potential of removing the existing building as it appeared it was not structurally sound to add a second floor, and building a new structure. They also had concerns about soil contamination from previous activities at the site and where to place a septic system,
as the building presently has none.
Adequate parking for all the departments slated to be housed at the site was also discussed, as well resident traffic that could be an issue with emergency vehicles entering and leaving the site. It was ascertained that 50-75 parking spaces could be needed if the site was turned into a Safety Complex with several departments housed at the same location.
Mr. Doggett suggested they could look into the possibility of creating a new driveway at the rear of the existing building for access for the fire department/EOC. It would need to be checked if there was enough space between the existing building and the property line for this to be a viable alternative.
Fire Department – Mrs. McCarthy reported the subcommittee had met on October 20 and toured the fire house, making observations along the way.
Many deficiencies were identified including: lack of a place to clean up; no laundry facility to clean gear; space is shared with EOC making for a very crowded situation; only 4 cots available for the many personnel on duty during emergencies (some have to sleep on the floor and even in the cabs of the trucks); EOC radio and phones are in the same room as personnel trying to sleep, making it difficult to get the proper rest.
There are space issues are all through the fire house:
- when a truck is in Bay 1, bathroom door hits truck
- cannot remove gear in bathroom as it is too small
- 2” clearance of light bar on tanker to garage door opener (snow and ice need to be removed from
top of the tanker and/or tires partially deflated to make truck lower)
- Not enough gear hooks; tight space between trucks and hooks
- No place to drain hoses
- Tanker is 2” from oil tank when parked inside
- No storage space for chemicals and foam
- Low headroom on stairwell
- Not ADA compliant for public building
- Equipment stored outside which should be inside the building – no room
- Emergency trailer used for storage for lack of space in building
- EMD/Fire Chief vehicle stored outside – difficult for use in winter
After the in-depth review by the subcommittee, it appeared there was no need for the Fire Chief to present a separate report as previously listed on the agenda as all the items had been addressed.
Town Hall Subcommittee – The group reviewed the needs assessments received from the various departments presently in Town Hall and discussed a possible town hall reconfiguration, moving the town hall above the police station, and a new town hall at 8 Merrimac Road.
A projected floor plan for revised configuration of both floors of the present Town Hall building was supplied to the members, as well as a list of current vs. proposed square footage and pros and cons for the proposed changes.
Mr. Hamel went over the floor plans for the reconfiguration of the Town Hall space. On the first floor, pertinent functions that work together were kept in the same area for more functionality (Town Administrator, Selectmen’s Office, Bookkeeper, Treasurer/Payroll).
The second floor meeting room would be converted to office space housing the Town Clerk/Tax Collector, Building Department and Planning Board offices, and a small meeting area. A new meeting hall would be constructed at the 8 Merrimac Road site.
Some possible downsides of the Town Hall site were also reviewed:
- The sprinkler system would need to be hooked up
- An analysis would need to be done to see if the 2nd floor was structurally sound enough to bear the weight of new walls and associated office equipment. This analysis would also need to be done if the Library was to move into the space.
Moving the meeting hall to the 8 Merrimac Road also had its cons:
- All the cable equipment would need to be moved from Town Hall to the new location and hooked up.
- As discussed before, there were conditions that had to be met if the public meeting room was to also serve as an emergency shelter/warming center. To qualify as an approved warming center there needed to be A/C and a generator, and to qualify as an emergency shelter it would need to have shower/bathroom facilities. There was discussion if shower facilities across the driveway in the Police Department could be utilized.
The committee discussed the necessity of not losing the present Town Hall building for historical purposes, as such should be utilized in some way no matter what was finally decided upon.
Other scenarios were discussed, such as building a new Fire House at 8 Merrimac or constructing a new building at the present Fire House site for a new library. The small size of that lot and lack adequate parking was touched upon.
It was also discussed that presently the Police Department has a S/B generator, but if the Town Hall functions were to be moved to 8 Merrimac Rd., a new generator that would support the entire site would need to be installed.
The group discussed contacting either LGC of MRI for direction for a 20-year growth plan, and would like some entity to view the existing buildings various town functions are now housed in, and offer suggestions as to what is the best way to move forward – either reconfiguring for a new purpose or selling and using the money towards new buildings/reconfiguration.
Everyone agreed an unbiased look at the potential of the changes, taking out the emotional aspect, would be a great benefit. It would also be helpful with an outside entities’ view to see if the suggestions the committee makes are even viable.
The consensus was that the committee would need at least $20,000 to have a professional assessment of the buildings/uses. As there are no existing funds for architectural/engineering review, the committee discussed viable ways to come up with funds. Mr. Doggett will approach the Planning Board for support. The Selectmen could be approached to give the committee a budget or they could create a Capital Reserve Fund. There was also the possibility of qualifying for some type of grant.
The submittal of a warrant article was also discussed and the fact of the short timeframe in which to submit was a concern. Committee members were charged to come up with some verbiage for a warrant article for the next meeting, as it would need to be submitted soon after to meet the deadline.
IV Other: It was ascertained that all preliminary working plans should be labeled “DRAFT” so they would not be confused as already approved.
The question was again asked about members missing meetings. There were some members
who had not attended yet, and several others that have missed 2 or more meetings in a row. Mr. Doggett will contact those members and inquire if they are still interested, and if not they will be removed from the roster. It is very important as non-attendance has a large effect on quorum numbers.
Mr. Doggett noted that for the next meeting, agenda items would include nailing down warrant article language, findings regarding funding, and subcommittee reports.
VIII Adjourn: Mr. Doggett asked for a motion to adjourn.
MOTION: Mr. Hamel MOVED to adjourn; Mrs. McCarthy seconded.
Chairman Doggett adjourned the meeting at 8:45 pm.
Date of the next meeting: Monday, November 18 - 7:00 pm Town Hall Meeting Room
Respectfully Submitted,
Barbara White
Barbara White
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