Back to Capital Outlay Committee Minutes
Minutes of the Town of Hingham
Capital Outlay Committee Meeting
1/5/2011 at Town Office Building
Attending: Chairman Ray Eisenbies, Libby Claypoole, Lucy Hancock, Ron Kirven and Tom Pyles (both representing the Advisory Committee), Sue Nickerson (Interim Town Accountant)
Ray Eisenbies called the meeting to order at 6:58 PM in the 3rd floor East Hearing Room.
South Shore Country Club
General Manager Jay McGrail presented the five-year capital plan for the South Shore Country Club. He continues to focus on improving the golf course and facilities. The next major improvement will be a new golf course maintenance facility to house all maintenance equipment and the golf cart fleet. Jay currently favors an expansion off the pool area rather than a new building. In any case, this project is under consideration and will not start until 2013-2014. Jay has estimated the cost to be approximately $750k, and he has budgeted $100k per year starting in FY 2013. The next big ticket item is the dredging of the ponds used for irrigation, projected for FY 2016 at a cost of $100k.
For FY 2012, planned capital expenditures include an HVAC unit replacement ($20k), cart path replacement ($10k), phragmites removal from the driving range ($20k), culvert removal ($10k), and fairway drainage ($30k). Note that the first two items may be delayed beyond FY 2012. The culvert and drainage items are multi-year projects and are already permitted with the Conservation Commission.
Regarding the vehicle schedule, Jay plans to purchase four or five new walking greens mowers at a total cost of $32,000 in FY 2012. In subsequent years, he will need to replace triplex riding mowers, a rough mower, utility vehicles, and a fairway mower. Jay also plans to buy another fleet of golf carts (sixty) in 2012. The cost will be $200k and will be financed over five years. Golf cart revenue will offset the purchase. The SSCC will own the carts when financing is complete and may sell them back to the source (Club Car) since they have a ten-year life. Twenty existing golf carts (out of eighty) will be retained and upgraded as part of the purchase agreement.
Jay reported that the indoor golf simulator is a big hit with patrons. The SSCC has a 50/50 revenue deal with the provider of the simulator equipment, and the deal is for three years. The ROI is excellent. The primary cost ($30k) was the conversion of the old storage area. Golfers book tee times, belong to leagues, and use their own clubs, just like outdoor golf. A sports bar called "The Tour" brings in additional revenue.
SSCC capital purchases are self-funded. The plan is to build up a reserve in the Country Club enterprise fund and to reinvest in the facility. Annually, about $150,000 of revenue can be earmarked for capital.
School Department
Members of the School Department and the School Committee presented the five-year capital plan for the schools. Attendees included Superintendent Dorothy Galo, retiring Business Manager David Killory, new Business Manager John Ferris, Athletic Director Margaret Conaty, Manager of Technology Services Joe Andrews, Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Paul Field, and School Committee members Esther Healey, Caryl Falvey, and Andy Shafter.
David Killory provided a 2011 project update. The School Department has spent nearly all of the $321k allocated for FY 2011. The Technology Department spent only 75.6% of its $150k allocation.
Dorothy Galo provided an update on plans for the Hingham Middle School. The goal is to meet with the MSBA sometime in January in order to discuss enrollment, current problems, and possible solutions. The School Department is considering various levels of renovation of the existing school as well as the idea of a new school. The state is still offering 40% reimbursement for qualified school building projects. The School Department may propose a Town Meeting warrant article to fund a feasibility study. No money will be spent on HMS until project status is determined. Thus there are no capital projects proposed for HMS in FY 2012. The operating budget, however, does contain two new teachers.
David Killory and John Ferris presented the FY 2012 capital budget proposal. The School Department is taking a year off from elementary school projects, so the placeholders in last year's budget have been removed. The FY 2012 budget amounts to $999,727 and contains projects for the high school and the depot, as well as system-wide items:
• Painting of the old high school lockers ($15k)
• Reconstruction of high school track ($615k)
• Replacement of the gasoline fuel pump at the Depot ($13k)
• Replacement of Depot Gate House windows, exterior doors, etc. ($15k)
• Replacement of Depot garage building doors ($10.4k)
• Depot Building 179 improvements ($80k)
• Technology ($150k) – Moving to one computing platform (IBM / HP not Apple / Mac).
• Classroom Equipment ($46,327)
• Photocopiers ($24k) – Buy not lease for now; copiers have five to six-year life.
• Maintenance truck chassis ($31k) – New body being installed on old chassis this year.
The plan is to move the Traces shop program from Building 12 in the Depot to Building 179. Twenty percent of Building 179 will be used for Traces. The rest of the building is fully utilized for maintenance shops and storage. Building 12 is unsafe and is a liability, and it probably will be razed.
The high school track is part of a comprehensive field upgrade plan. There are over 200 students in the track & field program, and the community uses this facility, too. The track will stay where it is and be completely refurbished. The expansion to eight lanes will allow multi-school track meets. It is possible that funding will be accomplished via a private / public partnership. This may be a "bondable" project with a thirty-year life. In this case, it may be a warrant article instead of a capital request.
The big items in the five-year capital plan are the high school field upgrade and the boiler replacement. The total cost of the field upgrade is projected to be approximately $2.5m. The components do not include turf, lights, or a concession stand. No pieces of the project will require a 2/3 vote at Town Meeting. The School Department is looking for some private funding, especially for the "extra" items that are not considered mandatory. Replacement of the high school boilers is a placeholder for FY 2013 and will cost between $80k and $160k.
Other Business
COC members approved the minutes from the 12/9/2010 meeting with minor changes. They also approved the minutes from the 12/23/2010 meeting with minor changes.
Libby Claypoole has been appointed to fill the COC vacancy created when Ron Kirven was appointed to the Advisory Committee. Ron has been designated as one of the two AdCom representatives to the COC.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:35 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Lucy Hancock, Secretary