ORDER-2015-8 : Authorization to Bond $60,000 to Fund Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Hoover School Accelerated Repair Project

Transcript (~17 min @ 27:35)

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▶ 27:16 John N. Tramontozzi: Motion to close public participation, Mr. Chairman. Second. Very good. Seeing none, do we have a motion to close public participation by Alderman Mortimer, seconded by Alderman Lehman. On the motion, all in favor? Aye. aye any opposed public participation is now closed uh we have a couple items on the agenda this evening we'll start with uh order number 2015-8 it's an authorization to bond sixty thousand dollars to fund feasibility study and schematic design for the hoover school accelerated repair

▶ 27:51 Speaker 1: project um mr president yeah i believe ms gaffey is going to discuss this order with us uh i would

▶ 28:00 John N. Tramontozzi: suggest that we move here she comes now sir there she is welcome come on down oh great good morning

▶ 28:06 John N. Tramontozzi: we have uh this this evening miss denise gaffey the director and city planner good evening motion

▶ 28:10 Peter D. Mortimer: to suspend the rules that we may hear from ms gaffey so we have a motion to suspend the rules

▶ 28:13 John N. Tramontozzi: by alderman mortimer seconded by alderman Boisselle on the motion all in favor opposed seeing none good evening miss gaffey could you give us an ovis view of order 2015-8 of course um so as the

▶ 28:26 Denise Gaffey: alderman know the um the city was invited to participate in the accelerated repair program from the school building assistance program and we had i had come before you a couple of months ago to express our intent to apply for a project at the hoover elementary school a much needed project to repair the windows replace the windows they're all original to the building and also selective door repair as well so we had the ultimate at that time had voted on a statement of interest to submit that application and it was favorably received by the sba so now we're in the second step of that process when they they notified us that we were invited to participate they have some deadlines that we have to meet and one of them is to indicate our willingness and readiness to appropriate funds for the feasibility study so this is what the nature of the order in front of you this evening is the language that's required by the sba in order to appropriate the funding which is estimated at this time to be 60 000 that's funding for a designer to do the initial design work and a project manager which we're required to carry for this project by the SBA's guidelines so it's funding for the architect and the project manager for that first phase which is the feasibility and sort of schematic early schematic design so the dollar amount is not is anticipated you know it would be no greater than that for this for this phase it may it would more likely be a little bit less than that but we want to sure there's adequate funding in there for the phase and then as a result of that work we will find out exactly what the cost estimate and the scope of work will be and we'll be back in front of the board at that time to ask for an appropriation for the full funding for the project so um this is just the next um requirement in order to bring us to the next stage well thank

▶ 30:24 John N. Tramontozzi: you before we get into uh questions um i just want to read for the record uh part of this order there's a letter dated july 28 2014 from mr arthur j flavin jr is the treasurer collector of the city of maros who says um the letter directed to the board of alderman ladies and gentlemen please be advised that the debt service budget will remain under five percent of the general fund budget as per policy with the passage of order 2015-8 the hoover school accelerated repairs sincerely sincerely arthur jay flavin jr so in the event that that was an issue for the board um i just want to read that into the public record uh president Conn yeah um i i'm gonna

▶ 31:06 Speaker 1: support whatever we need to do to to move forward with this project which is a needed project but um how do we come up with these numbers for these amounts of money for feasibility studies you

▶ 31:23 Denise Gaffey: You know, for this one, I was a little perplexed myself, so I talked to the project manager at the SBA and asked for his advice. And they always establish a ceiling of $15,000 for the project manager. So just based on their experience, they anticipated it would cost no more than that for the project manager to help shepherd us through the first phase. And then they have as a ballpark, I think, no more than three times that amount for the architect. So it really is, I'll admit, it's a rough figure. I do want to point out that the entire amount will be subject to reimbursement, the 50% reimbursement. Should we go forward with the project after we get the feasibility study completed, we'll get reimbursed on that amount.

▶ 32:11 Speaker 1: You know, we see a lot of these. i've seen a lot of these over the years and you know i can understand large sums of money for complex projects that look like they need a lot of specs to be drawn in engineering i'm scratching my head that it's going to cost 60 million 60 60 000 to uh to design window replacement seems seems kind of excessive to me and i mean so is the state mandating that we do they give you a percentage or something in terms of not at all no um what will happen

▶ 32:45 Denise Gaffey: um after this um after the authorization is granted if it's approved by the alderman they will issue um they will um assign an architect and a project manager to us so they do they do all the vetting now themselves in order to accelerate these projects because they have the they want to get them completed by i think it's september of next year so they will select an architect and a project manager and assign them to us they've already issued rfps for architects and project managers who have gone through a pretty rigorous vetting process at the sba so these are qualified architects and they're qualified project managers but they will be assigned to us and then we negotiate with them on their the fee structure and i would agree this is a lot of a lot of money for a feasibility study i don't mean to be facetious but i'm saying like

▶ 33:34 Speaker 1: if we wanted to replace that door we'd be appropriating $30,000 for a

▶ 33:43 Speaker 8: feasibility study to appropriate well yeah that's a bit of an exaggeration

▶ 33:45 Denise Gaffey: meaning it is it is a pretty it's a big building there are a lot of windows they will have to inventory all the windows and assess the condition of all of them to determine exactly what the appropriate solution is for all the

▶ 33:59 Speaker 1: windows yeah I don't want to belabor it but it just it seemed like a lot of money for a pretty pretty straightforward simple project yes and

▶ 34:05 Denise Gaffey: this is really just it we would not be spending any more than that and it's quite likely we would spend less and then you know additional funds would just get applied to the next phase of work Thank You mr. chairman very good

▶ 34:23 Francis X. Wright Jr.: alderman right next Thank You mr. chairman Denise you answered one of my questions which is the three guys to going out to bid the MSBA is doing that they do what they've already done it they have like a they assign us one or

▶ 34:38 Denise Gaffey: they have a list they have a list and then but they make it they'll make decisions they'll sort of look at their list and distribute amongst the projects in a way that we don't unfortunately we don't I mean it's it's not a process that I favor we we did this with the science lab project and it actually worked out fine the architect was fabulous the project manager was totally competent but I do like the process of actually interviewing and selecting even if they shortlisted three firms and gave us the opportunity to interview and select I feel like there's a little more accountability yeah but it's not that

▶ 35:10 Francis X. Wright Jr.: process I suppose the flip side to that although I agree with you is perhaps we're getting the state bid list prices you know maybe they get it we're getting a cheaper rate because they're available to do a number of jobs is that something

▶ 35:28 Francis X. Wright Jr.: that I mean because I know like when it comes to just goods and services cities and towns can buy off the stateless which you get a much lower price because they're anticipating selling in a much larger quantity right yeah I'm thinking perhaps I'm hoping yeah I guess more than thinking that you might get a better rate because an architect might get four jobs as opposed to just the

▶ 35:49 Denise Gaffey: mellows window yeah and we'll certainly do we'll certainly do our due diligence diligence in terms of negotiating with them I mean this this is not a blank check and just because the funding has been approved in this amount doesn't mean that's funding we're just going to turn over to the architect we just want

▶ 36:03 Francis X. Wright Jr.: to be comfortable that we're so we do negotiate the price they give us the

▶ 36:06 Denise Gaffey: architect but we negotiate the contract contract them and the M fee yes we we

▶ 36:10 Francis X. Wright Jr.: they've stayed as approving them they're saying they have not only the they're approved so they're not the bar they're not right they're responsible and Yes. Yes. Okay. Thank you. And I assume, you know, as Alderman Kahn says, you know, it's replacing windows, and I get his point, and I agree with it. I assume there's a little bit more to it because you've got to check the status of the walls and make sure there might be other work that goes with this.

▶ 36:38 Denise Gaffey: There absolutely, there is.

▶ 36:41 Francis X. Wright Jr.: And this hopefully lowers the price of the actual project because that work has been done ahead of time.

▶ 36:46 Denise Gaffey: Because you do, that's very true. You do the due diligence. But there is a fair amount of work involved in just reporting back to the SBA and meeting all of their standards and paperwork requirements, too.

▶ 37:00 Francis X. Wright Jr.: Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

▶ 37:03 John N. Tramontozzi: You're welcome. Alderman McAtee-McAuliffe.

▶ 37:05 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: Oh, thank you. Some of my questions were also asked and answered, but I was wondering if, like, as part of this, for instance, there's those metal grates on the windows, so that would be figured in. I mean the architect and project manager would figure in the cost of removing those if they found

▶ 37:26 Speaker 9: asbestos or something like that that oh yeah would all be that all be identified and identified at

▶ 37:29 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: this point at this stage of the game yes right correct so it could be a little more involved than just like doing the windows in your house for instance um my other question is what is the reimbursement rate for this type of um accelerated repair project it'll be the same rate we've

▶ 37:45 Denise Gaffey: been receiving for the last couple of projects we've done which is roughly 50

▶ 37:53 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: point seven two I think percent and is it at all dependent on whether we choose

▶ 38:01 Denise Gaffey: a more energy efficient no they don't have any point money there's no point system no point with this program and for unfortunately okay so we would be

▶ 38:07 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: reimbursed at that rate also for the cost of whatever the feasibility study Absolutely. Yep. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

▶ 38:16 John N. Tramontozzi: Very good. Alderman Boisselle, I think, was up next.

▶ 38:19 Robert A. Boisselle: What is the duty of the project manager? I mean, you're looking at windows. I mean, I can see more of a construction engineer when you remove windows, you have the surrounding structure and so forth that you have to worry about, making sure you have the correct thickness. But what's the, what are the duties of the project manager for this such a small job? I mean I can see building if you're rehabbing the entire building and so forth that's a different story but what what is he going to be doing so the

▶ 38:50 Denise Gaffey: project manager is a requirement that is an SBA requirement for all their projects so it's not an option and the project manager is sort of the interface between the architect in this case it's an architect the contractor and the SBA so they're sort of working on our behalf always looking out for our best interest they are they're experts in construction so they understand if an architect is proposing a couple of different options they'll you know they weigh in on what the bit you know what what the best option is for us they're

▶ 39:30 Robert A. Boisselle: experts at the bidding process and so is the project manager basically is going to be a civil engineer or construction engineer project managers are oftentimes

▶ 39:35 Denise Gaffey: engineers by background or they're there or they've been the contracting construction industry by background they have to be certified right okay all

▶ 39:44 Robert A. Boisselle: right thank you very much thank you Mr. Chairman very good all of them in the

▶ 39:49 Scott M. Forbes: Forbes yes thank you for being here tonight now you said these windows are the original windows correct they are okay I did a little online research today because I didn't know how old the Hoover School actually was school was built in 1967 so we'll talk about windows that are 57 years old and they obviously are beyond their shelf life so I'm looking at the big picture and all this and just say that the $60,000 appropriation for the studies or whatever schematics need to be drawn up I do believe that it is the necessary steps that we need to take to secure our funding and also represents an effort from the city to reinvest in our facility and give the faculty at the Hoover School a better facility to teach our kids I'm kind of looking at that angle with the big picture so i'm glad we're we're we're pushing through with this and i i do support

▶ 40:38 Speaker 4: this order uh thank you mr chairman very good you're welcome alderman bird thank you mr chairman

▶ 40:41 Jaclyn L. Bird: and thank you miss gaffey um and thanks very much for your work on this as a parent of two kids at the hoover i feel like i spend 90 of my life at the hoover school and we i had asked about those windows a lot um we talked before that hoover is the only school that has those grates on the the windows type of thing just in case people are watching tonight and wondering why Hoover's windows are getting attention maybe before in other schools can you talk a little bit about the time frame with the SBA sort of once we get this step if this step goes through this evening in our next full board meeting what happens next and when can we anticipate that the project would

▶ 41:23 Denise Gaffey: actually be unfolding if we were okay so after I notify them of the the funding authorization they'll present it to their board I think they're planning on an October board meeting for this project in October or November at the latest so then it would be voted on on the by the full board and and then actually let me let me back up a little bit I think yeah it'll be voted on in by October and they'll assign us the the architect and the project manager to move forward but the plan at the moment and I think it's completely feasible is to do the construction in the summer of next year so we will be working over the winter on the design and seeking the approvals that we need and then doing the bidding in the late winter early spring so that we can meet that target

▶ 42:14 Jaclyn L. Bird: great thank you and just one other question and this might be beyond the scope of what your particular assignment is with this project but as we enter another school year with the grades on the windows is that a discussion that comes up at all as far as public safety with those windows and I mean I know we know that sometimes the concern was yeah about vandalism and that sort of thing because of the way Hoover is right or secluded yeah yeah we believe that's

▶ 42:36 Denise Gaffey: that's probably the theory behind why they were originally installed but that's certainly first and foremost in the superintendent's mind is the public public safety or the safety concern with those greats so I think that's you know obviously we're gonna be looking for a solution to both of those concerns as part of this feasibility study you know we are still concerned about the fact that the building is some in a somewhat remote location so what can we do to protect against future vandalism sure and how can we best design these windows to provide you know the safety for the students which in the faculty which is

▶ 43:14 Jaclyn L. Bird: the biggest concern and my understanding was that because of the the age of the windows that it was actually not feasible to take the grades off in the meantime is that correct like for it let's say for this upcoming school year and maybe I'm I don't know where I got that so yeah right that there was an idea that they actually couldn't I believe I was told this up at the school that they couldn't get the grades off in the meantime I do think that was looked

▶ 43:35 Denise Gaffey: at I think that the facilities department did look at that and came to that conclusion it might cause more damage it might do more more damage exactly so at this point especially considering how fortunate we are to be in this position it would just make sense to just you know plow ahead with

▶ 43:52 Jaclyn L. Bird: this schedule okay excellent thank you very much thank you mr chairman very good you're welcome

▶ 43:55 John N. Tramontozzi: any further discussion seeing none is there a motion on the floor motion to recommend second you have a motion to recommend by alderman forbes seconded by alderman mortimer thank you um and no further discussion on the vote all in favor aye aye any opposed seeing none that um it will be recommended to the full board for uh for passage thank you that's great thank you very much thank

▶ 44:17 Speaker 6: Thank you.

▶ 44:18 John N. Tramontozzi: The second order on the agenda is order 2015-2. The petition to the great and general court to pass a special act to authorize the placement on the official ballot to be used in the city of Meadows at the biennial state election to be held in November 2014. Two questions relative to the licensing of providers of alcoholic beverages in the city of Meadows as supported herein offered by the Mayor Robert J. Dolan. Mr. President?