Back to Capital Outlay Committee Minutes
Attending: Chairman Ray Eisenbies, Ron Kirven, Lucy Hancock, Jonathan Asher and Andy Mooradian (both representing the Advisory Committee), Ted Alexiades (Town Accountant)
Guests: Mark Duff and Bob Olsson (Fire Department); Dorothy Galo, David Killory, and Joseph Andrews (School Department); Chrisanne Gregoire and Esther Healey (School Committee); Dennis Freeman (Advisory Committee)
Ray Eisenbies called the meeting to order at 7:02 PM in the 3rd floor East Hearing Room.
Capital Budget Request – Fire Department
Chief Mark Duff and Deputy Chief Bob Olsson presented the proposed capital outlay requests for the next six years. The first priority on the 2011 vehicle schedule is the new utility truck (#48) that will be used for brushwork and emergency management and also will serve as a snowplow. The plan is to keep the old utility truck (#49) and convert it to a permanent brush unit. The second priority is a replacement for the Deputy Chief’s car. This vehicle will last another year, but then it will be on the 2012 list. The boat is a placeholder and can be deferred to a future year. Mark and Bob will determine which other vehicles can be deferred in the next few years. They now have a 40-year vehicle replacement schedule that includes all twelve to fourteen moving vehicles in the department.
The station repair / replacement schedule lists every item in the three stations that will cost over $5,000 to repair or replace in the next 40 years. This is a work in progress and is to be used for planning purposes. The real estate project schedule for 2011-2016 includes hydrant and hose replacement in every year. The Town has over 800 hydrants and adds ten to fifteen new hydrants per year. About 550 of the 800 belong to the Town, and the rest are privately owned. The life span of a hydrant is between 50 and 75 years. The Town has 25-30 Ludlow hydrants, and they have a shorter life span than hydrants from other manufacturers. The total cost to replace one hydrant is $3,000 - $3,500 (equipment and labor). The 2011 capital list contains $32,000 for hydrant and hose replacement. The plan is to hire private contractors to do the hydrant installation, but Mark will talk to Randy Sylvester about using DPW staff.
Other items on the 2011 capital list include interior and exterior painting at stations #2 and #3. The commercial price to do the exterior work is at least $12,000. Mark will investigate using prison inmates to do the painting in order to save expenses. Fire Department personnel can do some of the interior painting, but not all of it.
The 2011 list also includes turnout gear, SAED units, and heating systems. The plan is to purchase nine sets of turnout gear each year, but this gear was not purchased last year, so Mark is requesting eighteen sets this year. This important safety gear is used a lot and has a life expectancy of five to seven years. Mark will look at the current gear again and confirm that he needs eighteen sets now. The SAED units are semi-automatic defibrillators. The Fire Department currently has six of them, and they are reaching the end of their useful life. Mark would like to replace between one and three of them this year. The heating systems in stations #2 and #3 are working on a wing and a prayer, and one of them will fail soon. Replacement systems will cost $70,000 each. Mark can defer one of these until next year.
All three stations have oil-fired furnaces, but Mark is thinking about converting stations #2 and #3 to natural gas. He also is considering power co-generation and will speak with National Grid about this idea. He plans to keep oil-fired heat at station #1 (Central) because this building has to be available 24x7, but he is investigating an auxiliary gas heater for all but the very coldest days.
The 2012 list includes twelve lead EKG monitors (defibrillators). Mark can reduce the request to two or three in 2012, but these are mandatory purchases.
The Fire Department is moving to the UHF radio frequency. This is the same frequency used by the Police Department, the Light Department, and other departments. Almost all the other fire departments in Plymouth County are UHF. This conversion is being funded with FY09 Capital Outlay money. By waiting until now to go to UHF, the department will be able to take advantage of new technology that will improve the transmission.
Capital Budget Request – School Department
Chrisanne Gregoire, David Killory, and Joe Andrews presented the proposed capital outlay requests for 2011. The total amounts to $496,560 versus the projected amount of over $5 million for 2012. The focus over the next two or three years will be the Middle School. With the exception of some roof repairs and locker replacements, the HMS work has been deferred until 2012. This includes complete replacement of the roof. The School Committee is still pursuing MSBA money for HMS and is hoping that the Statement of Interest will keep Hingham in the running for state funds. Comprehensive repairs at the school will cost much more than $5 million.
The High School field project is an ongoing concern. Replacement of the stadium bleachers is a big-ticket item for 2013, but, if the football field is relocated, then the project will be much bigger. The final decision on the Ward Street field(s) will impact the next steps at the High School.
The HHS foreign language lab upgrade is the big item ($55,000) for 2011. The workstations are two years old and are okay, but the system is very unreliable, and a software solution is needed. This is not a crisis situation yet, as the lab has twenty-nine functional workstations, and there are rarely that many students in the lab. The other High School item slated for 2011 is painting and installation of locking systems for the lockers in the old section of the building. This amounts to $23,250. HMS roof repairs in 2011 will buy another year or two before replacement and will cost $25,000. Funds from FY10 will fund part or all of this repair work. The roof has several serious leaks, but fortunately there is no structural damage. There is a need for 100 new lockers at HMS at a cost of $15,000. Over the next two years, the HMS school population is expected to increase by about ninety students, and that is assuming no growth in number of students in town. Repairs at South School amount to $25,000. This is a placeholder and is the beginning of a multi-year program of repairs at the school.
The 2011 list includes $40,000 for the Depot property. Improvements are planned for the Gatehouse, the parking lot, and Building #179. The Gatehouse is flexible use space. Warehouse #12 has been declared unsafe and will be earmarked as surplus storage. The TRACES Program (vocational training) that is located there probably will move to Building #179. Students may be able to help with the rehab of #179. The School Committee would like to improve the appearance of this building and develop a plan to use it more. The town garage is in the Depot. The School Department runs the central fueling station there and does not charge other departments for its use. The garage houses the school buses and provides central storage. The 1058th Unit of the National Guard also stores vehicles and equipment on the property. The Light Department may work a deal with the School Department in order to use part of the town garage.
School system-wide needs for 2011 include two vehicles, three photocopiers, classroom equipment, and technology items. The total amount is $313,310. The vehicles are a school van replacement and a utility truck. The School Department uses a couple of private transportation companies but prefers to own and operate its vehicles. Photocopiers will be purchased this time around, but school personnel will investigate leasing vs. buying in the future. Regarding technology, the move is on from Macs to PCs due to service mechanics and ease of management. The plan is to standardize on the IBM / Dell platform throughout the town.
The Hingham Education Foundation has funded Smart Boards and helped with emergency purchases, but it does not serve as a major funding source. The HEF mini-grant program will change to grants for teams instead of individuals.
Other Business
The COC approved the 12/3/2009 meeting minutes and approved the 1/13/2010 meeting minutes as amended.
Ted will speak with Town Webmaster Steve Becker about a COC web page and a generic COC email address. The web page should not include any personal email addresses.
There are two components of the original Cable Television Advisory Committee request that remain open. These components appear to be related to public access. The COC is waiting for the Board of Selectmen and the Advisory Committee to determine the direction on public access. This is a policy decision that does not belong to the COC.
The COC settled on the six criteria that will be used to evaluate candidates for capital outlay recommendation. In order to be eligible for capital funding, an item must meet at least one of the following criteria:
1. If lack of the particular capital item puts citizen safety at risk
2. If the capital item is broken
3. If the capital item is still functional but repairs are required which would cost 25% or more of the new-purchase price
4. If the capital item is core to the department’s mission, i.e., the department cannot function without it
5. If the capital item is substantially over its originally-projected life and its failure would jeopardize performance of the department’s core mission
6. If the cost of the capital item can be recovered in three years or less
Meeting one or more of these criteria does not guarantee approval of funding.
The COC will include its motto and evaluation criteria on the COC page in the Warrant.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:05 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Lucy Hancock, Secretary