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Home My WebLink AboutMinutes - AC - 10/19/2017 COHASSET ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES, ig October 2017 Mike Dick Meeting to consider Warrant articles for Fall 2017 Special Town Meeting Called to order at 7 PM,Town Hall Basement Meeting Room Attending for CAC: Chair Nancy Adams Roth, and Members Tanya Bodell,Paul Carlson,John Chapman, Michael Dick,Richard Fitzpatrick,Leland Jenkins, Ralph Tulio,Member Not present:Helene Lieb Minutes from 14 Sept 2017 meeting--discussion and changes Tanya Bodell recommended changes to AC discussions on Article 11,Solar Array Easement, Article 12,Drainage and Access Easement to Sandy Cove,Article 13, CPC funding for James Island. (Full details appendixed below) The Committee voted to accept the minutes as amended, 6-0-1, Paul Carlson abstained (not present at the 14 Sept 2017 meeting) Discussion of STM 2017 Warrant Articles 1) Article 5:Vote to Accept Mass General Laws, Chapter 71,Sec. 71F Representing the School Committee: -Katherine Dugan To allow the School Committee to establish a revolving account to accept tuition payments for nonresident students and state reimbursements for students who are foster care childent. Reason: a Cohasset family is sending a student with a non-resident F1 visa to Cohasset Schools and has paid a state specified tuition of$13,000. If the Town accepts the Commonwealth's law the Town will be able to set up a revolving fund to receive and use the tuition money for the School Department. If the Town doesn't accept the law,the tuition funds remain in the Town General Fund and be unallocated. Unallocated funds go to free cash. Question on how the$13,000 will be full used, answer: to cover salaries. Motion-Chapman,2nd-Fitzpatrick,PASSED 7-0 2) Article 12: Community Preservation Committee $250,000 funding to help rebuild the Sandy Beach Bath House facility Representing the CPC,Russ Bonetti,representing the Sandy Beach Association, Cary O'Donnell,Robin Lawrence,Annette Sawchuk Current building issues:plumbing,electrical,roof,holes in walls, space challenges. The rebuild will work with the existing foundation. The design adds work space, storage,handicapped access, external facing lavatories,cold food snack bar (no cooking,)weather station, surveillance camera system. Total project cost estimate-$500,000,CPC proposes to donate $250,000,Sandy Beach Association funds the remaining$250,000. Question on building in the flood plain,answer: could put in flood vents. Bonetti noted that this project has the most (public) impact in the history of the Town CPC. Motion-Bodell,2nd-Fitzpatrick,PASSED 8-0 11/13/2017 Page 1 of 4 COHASSET ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES, ig October 2017 Mike Dick 3) Article 7: Cohasset Town Hall $1.05 million request to pay for architecture and engineering plans to demolish and replace existing town hall annex and renovate the historic old town hall. Representing the Town Hall Renovation Advisory Committee (THRAC,) Mary McGoldrick,Mark Toomey,and Consultant Shane Nolan,Project Manager Mary McGoldrick reported on THRAC's activities to date-very positive meetings with all Town Boards. She described the temporary relocation plan for Town services: a) Customer facing-Treasurer,Assessors,Planning relo to the Teen Center b) Town Mgr, Clerk, Admin.and Finance relo to Wilcutt Commons,2nd Floor c) DPW relocates to the Water Department plant on Lily Pond Discussion on infrastructure: Geothermal HVAC and its feasibility and cost/benefit; space allocations, stacked bathrooms Discussion on funding: grant possibilities from the ADA, Commonwealth of Mass,Town Community Preservation Committee Discussion on timeline: if and when approved, 9 months to design,followed by call for and submission of construction bids projected in early 2019. Special Town Meeting to vote on the full construction cost projected in September 2019. Discussion on funding the$1.05 million for architecture and engineering plans. The Town will borrow the money at less than 1% interest. Interest costs are rolled into the overall project bonding. Paul Carlson noted that the Advisory Committee needs to hear from the chair of the Capital Budget Committee,Sam Wakeman,on how this project affects current and future Town borrowing/bonding;that is,the financing feasibility for this project. Discussion on changing the spending request of$1.05 million down to some lower amount to be determined. The Advisory Committee agreed to wait and see what Capital Budget Committee reports on the financing feasibility for this project. Tanya Bodell suggested that the Adv Cmte Chair,Nancy Adams Roth, ask the Town Board of Selectmen for clear direction on what the BOS needs from Capital Budget Committee. 4) Article 4:Allocation of Funds for One-Time Costs, Project#6-Water Dep't Plant Component Replacement and Maintenance,$155,000 Replace: Settler Tubes,Drain Valve Operator Filter#2,Raw Water Pump#2,Rebuild High Lift Pump Motor, #5 Representing the Water Dept,Leonora Jenkins, Commissioner Leonora Jenkins reports that the Plant Superintendent and Consultant Operator urge that the Water Dep't replace these worn out components to avoid costly plant shut downs due to a component failure 11/13/2017 Page 2 of 4 COHASSET ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES, ig October 2017 Mike Dick Nan Roth and Tanya Bodell asked for a 10-year spending plan to understand where their Water Dep't budget changes are taking place. Leonora Jenkins will send the plan. This funding request will move from Article 4 to Article 6, Capital Improvement Projects 5) Article 6: Capital Improvements Projects,SCADA Upgrade for the Water Plant Representing the Water Dept,Leonora Jenkins,Commissioner Leonora Jenkins reports that the SCADA upgrade is necessary to change the system from a costly Comcast wired data communications system to a less costly Town maintained wireless data communications system. Cost savings estimated at$10,000 per year.The SCADA upgrade will provide remote camera surveillance currently only possible with a wireless sytem. Discussion on SCADA data protocol and systems process. Chris Senior,Town Manager,will provide an explanatory memo to be written by Brian Joyce,Town Engineer.John Chapman suggests the AC revisit this question alongside the Capital Budget Committee. VOTES on these two Water Dep't spending requests are TBD Special Appearance from Chris Senior Chris Senior introduced the Towns new Finance Director,Don Piat Resumed discussion of STM 2017 Warrant Articles The Committee reported its votes or voted on these articles: Article 1:Amendments to Fiscal 2018 Operating Budget APPROVED 8 -0 Article 3:Stabilization Funds APPROVED 8 -0 Article 4:Projects 1 -5: Allocation of Funds for One-Time Costs APPROVED 8-0 Article 5: Mass Gen'l Laws Chapter 71,Section 71F APPROVED 7-0 Article 6: Capital Improvement Projects VOTE TBD Discussion on$100,000 Town funding for Cunningham Bridge Continued with concern for future Town financial obligations to maintain bridge railings Discussion of$50,000 funding for a consultant on Electronic Document Management for digitization project of the Towns records Discussion of$225,000 funding for Water Dep't SCADA Systems plus another$155,000 for Water Plant component replacement and maintenance Article 7: Cohasset Town Hall VOTE TBD More discussion to come. AC waiting for financial feasibility opinion from Capital Budget Committee Article 8: Borrowing for Road Betterment Projects for Private Ways APPROVED 8 - 0 Article 9:Application of Bond Premium APPROVED 8 -0 Article 10:Grant of Easements for a Solar Array VOTE TBD The AC wants to see the final amended wording of the Article before voting Article 11: Drainage and Access Easement to Sandy Cove off Atlantic Avenue VOTE TBD The AC wants to see the details that support this article 11/13/2017 Page 3 of 4 COHASSET ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES, ig October 2017 Mike Dick Article 12: Community Preservation Committee Projects Sandy Beach Bath House funding, $250,000 APPROVED 8 -0 General Discussion on Advisory Committee work in progress Nan Roth recommends 2 more meetings to complete Advisory Committee voting on four articles: 6, 7, 10,11 prior to STM on 4 December 2017. Nan recommended that the AC meet with the Capital Budget Committee for one meeting to discuss future capital spending. Additionally, the AC is concerned that the Town Hall Renovation be considered in light of funding needs for roofs for 3 schools, the Cohasset Library, and the Public Safety Building replacement. Chris Senior will send the AC a spreadsheet with debt roll-off changes MEETING ADJOURNED at 10 PM. APPENDIX Discussion on changing the minutes from 14 Sept 2017 meeting Article 11 Discussion—Granting of Easements for Solar Array, Chris provided a background of this article. This was brought to light when National Grid asked for a permanent easement on 2 to 3 poles feeding the array. Chris response to National Grid that the BOS will be the governing body to grant such easement. However, the BOS is currently not empowered to do so. Hence, the purpose for this article to be voted by the town residence. National Grid proceeded with the completion of the Solar Array project with the thought of receiving the easement at a later date. The current National Grid contract is 20 years with the option to buy after 5 years. Tanya B. requested a revision to the wording of the article not to grant any perpetual or permanent easements fearing potential loss of future revenue should ownership be transferred from National Grid to a new owner. Chris has no problem removing the phrase "... perpetual and..."from the first sentence and add "... for the benefit of the town."On the last sentence. Tanya B. further recommends the verbiage to read: "to grant easement only for the life of the array for the benefit of the town". Nan and Rich F. would like to see the revised article prior to voting. Chris will revise. CHANGES: National Grid is providing the Interconnection. Palmer Capital is the developer and current owner of the solar energy array and is leasing the land. The current National Grid[STRIKE "National Grid" and replace with "lease and power purchase"] contract is 20 years with the option to buy after 5 years. Tanya B. requested a revision to the wording of the article not to grant any perpetual or permanent easements fearing potential loss of future revenue should[ADD: "Should there be a bankruptcy and"] ownership be transferred from National Grid[STRIKE: "from National Grid"] to a new owner Article 12 —Drainage and Access Easement to Sandy Cove off Chris to provide the committee with more verbiage and information regarding this article. There [THE] article currently has too many blank fields. Additionally, the committee request additional background on the re-channeling of drainage pipe. Chris mentioned this article would only allow BOS to accept easements. There are no monetary requests on this article. Article 13 Discussion—CPC—James Island Another $1.4 from J. Steinmetz in exchange for carving % acres of easement next to his residential property. QUERY. Isn't this a tax deductible donation from Steinmetz with money contributed to be in exchange for the 314 acres of easement? MINUTES FOOTER: Change September 12, to September 14, 2017 11/13/2017 Page 4 of 4