Facilities Steering Committee
Public Presentation
2/3/18 9:30 am at town hall annex
Attending for the committee: Chris Conway, Karen Cruise, Steve Mirick, Larry Todd
Attending for the town: BOS member Edith Morgan, advisory committee member Judy Dino
Jones Whitsetts architects represented by Margo Jones and Kristian Whitsett
The facilities steering committee meeting was opened at 10:30 and was preceded by the tour of the buildings at 9:30.
Karen asked those in attendance to sign in, and 50 people did so. Chris described the building tour they would take with all those interested. Chris and Steve took people on an exterior and interior tour of Bagg Hall, the public safety complex, and briefly the annex.
Chris pointed out and explained in detail the many building conditions that are a concern, both for historic preservation, efficiency of use, comfort and safety. The tour took one hour, and considering the frigid temperature it was an act of heroism on the part of all.
At 10:30 the group reassembled in the annex. Karen introduced the members of the FSC and also Margo Jones and Kristian Whitsett. Karen asked that questions be held until the presentation was finished. Karen said the meeting would be recorded.
JWA prefaced their presentation by reminding people this is a broad, preliminary review and the specifics of design or cost they would present are only conceptual.
Margo commented that in her 30 years of experience working with many communities in the Commonwealth, Bagg Hall is in the top 10 of historic town halls. She also noted we are only using half the space in Bagg Hall.
Margo and Kristian took turns presenting, starting with a view of previous building studies in Princeton and then a detailed view of their pros and cons for each of the four buildings; Bagg Hall, the safety complex, the annex and the Princeton Center building.
They presented potential plans for Bagg Hall with an addition and associated floor plans. They also looked at the Princeton Center site showing a new public safety building and floor plans.
They followed this with the three phasing options, and then associated cost estimates.
Kristian gave a clear explanation of the options.and there was some information on the potential tax impact of each option.
The presentation was concluded at 11:00; there will be two more meetings with JWA and also future building tours.
The meeting was opened to questions and comments.
There was a question about which types of items were included in the cost estimates. In particular, was moving the radio tower included ? Kristian explained that site work, demolition and industry standard costs were included but the estimates didn’t get down into all the details. When asked if he thought their cost estimates were high but actuals would come in lower he said their estimates are on the high side but likely to be accurate.
There were several questions regarding grants and Larry said the committee is looking into them as the town has received grants in the past from Mass Historic. There was a question about what kinds of strings might be attached to possible grants. Jane Weisman said that the library grant (for exterior work) really slowed down the entire process because approval from the Mass Historic Commission had to be sought at many points in the project. There was also discussion about how grants would probably not cover much of the cost and thought would need to go into the decision about which ones to pursue.
Karen mentioned that the selectboard had approached Harriet Chandler to request funds for public safety and that might be one reason to do Bagg Hall first and wait on public safety. There is no way to know our likelihood of receiving any funds from the state.
There was a question about retaining the front section of the center school building and a request that JWA produce a plan with this shown.
The committee was asked if the proposed plans include space for the arts society, the historical society, and other town groups. Karen pointed out that these activities are not town sponsored and planning for space may not reflect their needs. Though there aren’t plans to provide dedicated space for these groups there are plans to include display space and flexible space that can be used by many groups.
There were questions regarding debt levels and the time frame for tax increases to support the work. There were also questions about the town’s debt schedule. John Shipman, the advisory committee chair, said he would try to make that information available.
There were many more questions and comments; the committee stated it has not come up with anything definite to bring to town meeting in May, but continued community input is very important.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:12pm
Submitted by Larry Todd, secretary
| 