INFO-2023-6 : Status of the Melrose Public Library Construction

Transcript (~40 min @ 1:26)

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▶ 1:02 Jen Grigoraitis: now motion by unanimous consent to close public comment. Seeing no objection public comment is now closed. We have six items on our agenda tonight and just for some housekeeping purposes. We will have to gavel out of this meeting by 8:05 PM so that we can open other meetings scheduled for tonight to maintain compliance with the open meeting loss. So given that and given the fact that we have several guests attending including one remotely. I would entertain a motion to take an item out of order.

▶ 1:35 Robb Stewart: I'm sure. I'd like to make a motion to take info 2023-6 out of order.

▶ 1:42 Jen Grigoraitis: Second so we have a motion to take info 2023-6 status of the Melrose Public Library construction out of order made by counselor Stewart seconded by councilor Garipay all in favor. Aye any opposed. Okay, so that item is now before us and I know we have several guests in attendance tonight. So while they're getting seated up at the podium, I'll entertain a

▶ 2:04 Speaker 3: motion to suspend the rules motion is to spend the rules. So we

▶ 2:06 Jen Grigoraitis: have a motion to suspend the rules made by Vice Chair Migliorelli seconded by President sonella all in favor, I and so the rules are now suspended. Thank you for being here tonight. And I believe we have someone joining remotely.

▶ 2:19 Denise Gaffey: Yes, we do. We have the architect Jennifer Littlefield. I don't see her online at this time. Oh. No, there's no money. Daddy, right?

▶ 2:31 Speaker 2: She might be trying to get in. I'll keep an eye. Thank you very much. Well, we

▶ 2:38 Jen Grigoraitis: can we can proceed. Yes. And if you can just State your names for our robust viewing

▶ 2:44 Denise Gaffey: audience at home. Of course, my name is Denise Gaffey. I'm the director of planning and Community Development and I'm joined here with Linda Garner who you know as a library director and also Patrick sayada, who is with Municipal Building Consultants. He is the owners project manager for this project and hopefully we'll have the architect dialing in and her name she works with tapi Architects. She works with Charlie. Hey who I know many of you are familiar with and she's working very closely on this project. Her name is Jen litterfield Littlefield. So hopefully she can she can chime in. So we are we are very pleased to be here tonight. And thank you for the opportunity. I think I was looking in my records and it was just about a year ago that we were we were here to get the financing for this project. So a lot has happened in the past year. We've we've had many many meetings with the design team and with the Linda's Library staff and the building committee and other stakeholders, so it's been an extremely busy year. Many of you as many of you aware over the past several months Linda in her team emptied out the building and moved into the BB school. And so she's now settled in there and has been settled in there since early September and that's going really really well. So so far so good. We've also spent many months over this past year working on refining the documents to put this project out to bid and we had a pre-qualification process back in early June where we prequalified contractors, which is a requirement for a project of this of this scope. So we were really pleased we actually had a lot of interest at that time. We heard from 11 contractors who we prequalified 11 General Contractors and probably a hundred subcontractors in the different trades that we have on this project. So really great really great interest in the project fast forward several months. Put this project out to bid and we and we open biz for the project. We we did not end up getting very many bids on the project we had and I think I'll refer you to a memo that you received from the mayor from mayor Broder on Friday where he provided a bit of a summary on where we're at with construction bids. we did receive bids from two general contractors, which is you know, not very many and the one of the low bid that we received from from the general contractor was about one point almost 1.8 million dollars over estimate so that you know is Was obviously disappointing to us, but it wasn't extremely surprising. I think many of you are aware of the challenges in the construction marketplace right now you're hearing about it. It's in the media and you see it with other projects. So we we weren't terribly surprised but given the Confluence of all these conditions from supply chain issues and materials costs and a really tight labor market our bids did end up coming in high. So we got as I said we are from two bitters. We are low bid was about 1.8 million dollars over our estimate and the second low bid was another two million dollars over that so that was a pretty extreme difference in terms of the bids and as we Laid out in our in the memo despite this challenge, obviously. This is more than we were estimating. We we think we have an opportunity to we're excited actually to have an opportunity to award the contract because we can still fund the this the the difference in the cost through some grants that we got awarded one of which we're going to talk about later tonight. It's on your agenda the 500,000 Green community decarbonization Grant and also the some arpa funding that was allocated towards this project several months ago related to the HVAC and sustainability measures on the in the in the project so The the difference between that amount of additional funding and the amount of funding that we need to fill the Gap we can we can essentially borrow from the line item in Furniture fixtures and technology, which we don't have to bid until next year. So that is funding that we conservatively carry in the budget so that we you know, don't we we have it in place, but we can we're proposing to use that funding now and then we have a series of Strategies to raise the funding to to meet that Gap when we do go in bid the furniture fixtures and Technology next year. So that's kind of I will say we are we're pleased to be able to award this contract to a reputable firm castania construction who is a firm that I know Pat has worked with in his many years of experience in this field taipe is also worked with this is a project that they're very committed to and very eager to to take on and we're happy to be able to to launch the project now without any further delay. So despite the cost challenges and which you know again are kind of consistent with what we're seeing in the market I think. We feel like our best the best opportunity to his award is to award it now instead of trying to bid it again and potentially having costs come in even higher, you know, we did go through a series of exercises throughout the design process to order in order to cut whatever we could from the project. The project itself has always been a very streamlined project. There's not a lot of you know, a lot of excess in it that said we did take out a couple of items and bid those as bid alternates so that we could try to preserve the opportunity to award the project in the event the project did come in high and of course that is what happened the bid alternates. I think if you take them all together, they're another about half a million dollars and those are extras and not Essentials. They're nice things. That would be it would nice things to have in the project, but they're not essential to the project. So we're not proposing. Boarding any of those at this time, but those are some of the steps that we took during the design process and during the bidding process in order to try to make sure that we could ultimately have a project that we could that we could award. so Let's see. Do you want to add either you want to add any comments to that unless you have some questions.

▶ 10:07 Speaker 4: I mean, it's a very turbulent time in the marketplace. So I would only speculate that if we had three or four of a bids, they would be probably positioned between a little bit that we have in the higher big. I don't see a number coming in below that and again, like I said, it's a turbulent time and whenever there's a turbulent time the numbers and the number of bidders go down. It's similar to the the middle school project that we did here that was a period of time. That was very turbulent. The legislation had just changed. Contractors are very confused. They were two bids on the on the middle school project in the same situation. So I would say that the number we have in front of us is as good as we're going to get in the current market that exists that the turbulence that's ongoing and we have a decent contractor and I think we're ready to move forward.

▶ 10:58 Jen Grigoraitis: Thank you. Are there questions from either of the makers of the order?

▶ 11:02 Speaker 1: counselor Garrett

▶ 11:05 Mark Garipay: Thank you all for being here. I think we all fully understand that. Where we are with the cost is Project is no one's fault. It's well, we're all living in today's world. But I do have a number of questions is Mr. Della Russo going to be here tonight because some of them are

▶ 11:25 Denise Gaffey: Exactly. Sure. I thought he might be here but no, okay. I'm afraid not.

▶ 11:30 Mark Garipay: Hopefully we can get some answers on those.

▶ 11:37 Mark Garipay: Miscaffing on on your August 15th memo that you had sent to council Stuart and I you had mention that the scope in the value of the engineered project. We removed some items materials for less costly products or products that were widely available. What was changed to remove from the project that was presented back a year ago for those type of materials. I mean we have different type of grades. Did we go from like grade A to a grade C or

▶ 12:10 Denise Gaffey: I want to think of any other I mean

▶ 12:14 Speaker 4: there was the the slight rule for me. There was yeah, there was originally some talk about using the slate roof attended it being a couple of about 250,000 on top. So that was adjusted down to shingles. It looks similar to sleep, but they're not asleep. They're they're 30 years shingle. But again, like I said, it eliminated a substantial cost to the project there were several things like that other things in the in some of the very systems. But again, like I said, I don't have a list with me but there are a number of items that the architect they considered and they were some adjustments made.

▶ 12:49 Mark Garipay: with any of these adjustments

▶ 12:53 Speaker 4: will it increase? The future cost of Maintenance to the to the to the building when it's completed is the life of the material less than if we went with that different different quality actually every every efforts been made to make sure that the the maintenance and the Energy Efficiency. I mean, this is all done under sustainability categories It's All Leads It's All Leads approved this Netgear Net Zero. National Grid items built into it and from the standpoint of Maintenance and ease of operations, all of those things are still intact in a state of the app. Okay.

▶ 13:38 Mark Garipay: What's the timeline for this project? If the contractor the 60 contracts 16 months from the time from the time we signed the contract? Okay, so we're still on the two year almost the two year. We're still

▶ 13:52 Denise Gaffey: anticipating about March of 2024.

▶ 13:57 Mark Garipay: The mayor mentioned in his letter. He's reserving more APA money for a potential cost overruns of the library. Do we know what dollar amount has been set aside of our money for this?

▶ 14:11 Denise Gaffey: Well, I I don't want to totally speak for him. But I know that we we are already starting to identify other some other funding opportunities. So I we're hopeful that that amount will be probably no more than two to three hundred thousand dollars.

▶ 14:30 Mark Garipay: So we have right as we stand now, we are

▶ 14:34 Speaker 2: just reserving placeholder. I think he's being I think he's being conservative to yes.

▶ 14:41 Paul Brodeur: somewhat short answer is we've been very conservative with our money the worst case scenario. for this contract barring the totally unforeseen is exposure of 800,000. We certainly don't hope to use even close to that face mostly on the strategies miscape is already outlined, but we would Reserve that to make sure that if anything. Any one of these things? Does not work we would stop that cushion, so we would not have to come back to Council of the tax base for additional resources.

▶ 15:26 Mark Garipay: So how much well while you hear Mr. May how much money have we set aside of Opera money for the library in the schools? It looks like now it's 500,000. It's going to be about roughly 1.3 for the library and the schools another one one point five dependent. It gets

▶ 15:42 Paul Brodeur: a little bit confusing because we are doing some arpa Investments that will appear as DPW Investments, but are actually Investments in physical infrastructure in the schools and that those that's just kind of the pastor that money goes through DPW so as an example the elevator project at the high school. will show up as a as a DPW Opera request, but the benefit will be to the to the high school.

▶ 16:19 Mark Garipay: Okay, but I yeah, I think with the schools we gave 800, And fy22 and then the 775 to balance the FYI 22 budget. So we're about 1.5 just in Lost Revenue number one through another one three for the library and then we have all the other other Capital Improvement projects, okay. What? Concerns me a little bit. Is the construction contingency when we looked at the budget that was? that was given to us back in July and well actually October 4th of 21 who was based on a cost estimate of Back in July 21st to 21 was an eight percent contingency of one one point two four million dollars. And now we have a contingency that was presented to us of 800,000. Why is the the project went up? Why the contingency go down?

▶ 17:18 Denise Gaffey: Well, we love trying to understand that I know well, we would love to carry a higher contingency. We are just trying to be I guess careful and not not hold too much funding back. So, you know, we have we can move forward with this project. I mean, I you know, we're trying to be mindful of the overall budget. It is something we are going to have to obviously be very be very careful about I mean 5% contingency is a decent contingency. It's 800 I think set at 850,000. I think we feel pretty confident, you know, obviously we'd love

▶ 17:57 Speaker 4: to have more the the 5% contingency in this project is should be ampled for the contingency. Mspa on school projects. If you're doing a renovation job, they'll reimburse you up to 2% on our renovation job and one percent for a new job. They think that's adequate we don't think that's adequate but I think in this case here around 5% should be fine. That's okay.

▶ 18:24 Denise Gaffey: I think they just to clarify on that. I think we also expect. Most of the issues that we would spend our contingency with on would come up earlier early in the project, especially with a renovation where there will be some unforeseen conditions behind walls or below ground that we couldn't anticipate.

▶ 18:41 Mark Garipay: What concerns me here and I there's a lot of unknowns. I understand and I mean, I appreciate it all the work that everyone's done to try to. We got a large round Pig. We're trying to squeeze into a small round hole with this budget and we're concerns me is we're really moving money around. like the furniture Is there will this project be coming back in front of the council for more funding do you think down?

▶ 19:08 Denise Gaffey: That's right. Yeah, so I think we're trying to assure you that that would that we're not going to do that. I mean it is true to where the contract we're using the money that's been budgeted right? There's been 21 million dollars authorized for the project that line item for furniture fixtures and technology is money that we've just put over here but it's still part of the same budget. We haven't spent it and we haven't procurity yet. We don't have to procure furniture and Technology until much closer to opening the building. That's very typical so we know I mean we're very very transparent about this. We are borrowing against those items and then our fundraising in you know other plan is to is to plant that back-fill that money again, when we when you know, when we get closer to procuring those items, I guess

▶ 19:59 Speaker 5: we'll take it. I think it's important to keep in mind. that

▶ 20:04 Paul Brodeur: not going forward with the project which isn't going to happen. But you know, the Delta isn't this or zero because of the nature and the age of the building. Unless we don't want to have a Prelude to what is coming up next quite frankly around the public safety buildings. There is a significant amount of money that needs to go into the libraries the kind of the financial point. I think the fundamental Financial question is obviously we need good management and we need to hit our targets but it's that without doing what we're describing the state contribution goes to zero. And the you know, if if we aren't here talking about a 20 million dollar over on we would obviously having a very different conversation, but this plan is designed to to manage and mitigate the risk as much as possible.

▶ 20:59 Speaker 4: and

▶ 21:02 Mark Garipay: As a financial stewards of of the city money. I think it's plan our staff to pass these questions. Oh, yeah. We have a lot of a lot of projects coming down the road. I think

▶ 21:14 Speaker 5: the Capital One Steward of the city believe it capital Improvement

▶ 21:16 Mark Garipay: plan with over 100 million worth of projects and I want to make sure that we're doing everything possible that down the road. We're not going to come with another, you know million and a half two million, which could be used. Especially in light of everything. We just experienced in the last two weeks. So At this moment they have no more questions, though.

▶ 21:41 Jen Grigoraitis: That's counselor counselor Stewart, and then I have Vice chairmanly Riley and counselor Karm chadian Q. Thank you.

▶ 21:48 Robb Stewart: Thank you all for being here tonight. I appreciate it. A lot of questions that I had have been somewhat answered. But I may want to dive into just a little bit just

▶ 21:59 Speaker 5: To start with are we currently undercut we

▶ 22:01 Robb Stewart: executed the contractor. Are we negotiating that?

▶ 22:05 Denise Gaffey: where we have attract in front of the city's Lister just for fun. So it's in legal review. Okay, we've gotten all the documents from the contractor that you typically wait to get like the bonds and insurance and that kind of stuff. So to clarify

▶ 22:20 Paul Brodeur: this interesting point that I've learned on on another project.

▶ 22:29 Speaker 5: The way public bidding law works. You essentially can't negotiate you put out your bid, you know private summer. It's and then you pick from amongst.

▶ 22:41 Paul Brodeur: Those choices so we we are not in a position with any significant. Capital RFP we all right this came this this You know who can do better or what if you shave off a little bit here, that's kind of our job on the front end is to say what we want to buy and then it's on them. to meet those requirements we can't really in this there's some downside to that right you would love to be able to say

▶ 23:12 Speaker 5: All right. Well, what if you

▶ 23:15 Paul Brodeur: you know, you absorbed all the energy costs not relevant to the to this but there's a little bit less control than being able to negotiate once the bids are in.

▶ 23:26 Robb Stewart: Well, there are times. I wish it work like that in my industry. What kind of contract is it is a cost plus six phase a

▶ 23:35 Denise Gaffey: straightfix cost. It's a lump sum. So that's the other beauty of this of this contract quite frankly is There, you know, this is the price that they Bid And there's no they can't come back and ask for more money. It is like a fixed fee for the duration of the contract.

▶ 23:54 Speaker 6: It's good news.

▶ 23:57 Robb Stewart: And just just so I have the numbers straight I went through so we bonded 10.8 million. We got 8.2 from the grant. We got 500,000 from the decarbonization these generals two million from the trust fund. Potentially another $200,000 from the trust fund that's up in the air and 500,000 from arpa though. I think that's everything right because that comes out to 22.2. Or 22 depending on the additional library and so it's either 650 or 850. So those um, I'm on with those numbers that makes sense and and you're looking to Again, pull from the Furnishings finishes and equipment. Oh that 1.28 million. So you'll draw from that. So you'll still have a 500,000. budget if you will for that area, but then you have 16 to 20 months to go and find the extra 850,000 now you you talked about fundraising but there are other funding opportunities. Can you speak a little bit about what your ideas are? Or is it I know there's you mentioned grants. Yeah, I

▶ 25:12 Denise Gaffey: mean this was mentioned I think in the memo that there's a donor has offered $100,000 to to the fundraising committee if they can match that so they're about to launch a campaign to do that. I think they're going to be successful. And so that was the that's 200,000 dollars. You alluded to the the trustees and they are meeting on Wednesday night offer and to contribute another 200,000. But I know from Linda has talked to all of them and they're in full support of that. So we anticipate that funding also coming to fruition. So that's about half of the shortfall right there. Um, obviously we're you know, the mayor's holding on to arpa funds and you know, we are also working with National Grid we expect to get some incentive funding back above and beyond the green community's Grant. So we you know, we anticipate that coming in. So we feel like we have a pretty good plan.

▶ 26:07 Paul Brodeur: It's something that's letting me it was in the memo but is absolutely a less secure. opportunity but myself and members of the other 12 the other 11 communities talk communities not exactly in the same. Places us because a little bit further along in the process have spoken to House and Senate majority majority leadership about because the economic development bill is still out there and because the state starts to do a essentially a year-end close the books budget that there are a couple of legislative opportunities what some folks refer to as a pothole account which would be a limited bucket of money to help those 12 communities. Going to get get to the Finish Line because a lot of them without that without that support with the Fairly dramatic change in Market circumstances. Could be viewed as a discreet month and a fair thing to do particularly because of the the nature of the timeline of the development of these projects. Y'all know this started 2016-2017 in a radically different Marketplace and the school building assistant, excuse me that analogies right the mass, Florida Library commissioners. Can't give us or anyone more money. It's kind of set in stone. It's a capital Bond piece. So that revenue is set the legislature can essentially do whatever they want. It's gonna be a lot of competing interest for that money. So I wouldn't want to say we're going to get it not by any stretch, but there is a constellation of people there that seem like they are interested in making something happen along this lines. I would treat that really as found money in terms of our in terms of our planning but I don't think it is Pie in the Sky to expect

▶ 28:08 Robb Stewart: something might happen Okay helpful the one source of funny that he did not hear and I just want to confirm is we're not planning on any additional bonding. Is that the true statement? Okay, great.

▶ 28:23 Speaker 6: And let's see.

▶ 28:29 Robb Stewart: Oh the So the Alternatives that were pulled Mr. Patrick, and I'm sorry, I didn't catch your last name. They were actually three items of significance in there right? There is the asphalt there's the generator and the lightning protection. question on the generator was that really is that something that's kind of in this I think more from his Gardener. Is that really important? Is there anything that you absolutely need electricity for preservation documents for something, you know air? Or whatever. Is that something that is of concern.

▶ 29:04 Speaker 5: The generator was designed. The idea was it would not have been a whole building. It would have been the community meeting room space the elevator and the bathrooms. So the idea was that if there was a power outage and members of the community needed to come in and just be in that space that that would be A nice thing to have but it was not particularly Library service Centric.

▶ 29:35 Robb Stewart: Any safety risks? I'm sorry. Any safety risks that we should be concerned? Without the generator like also an elevator is out or anything. You saw

▶ 29:44 Speaker 4: the life safety. No, he's not.

▶ 29:48 Speaker 6: Okay.

▶ 29:50 Robb Stewart: and on the lightning protection, you can see why you can maybe take a pass on it you have is that gonna impact any insurance or anything?

▶ 30:02 Speaker 2: I don't think it was. Well, I think there's

▶ 30:04 Speaker 4: any Impact Insurance. Yeah, okay.

▶ 30:08 Robb Stewart: All right. Well, I'm I'm good. I'm sure thank you very much. I appreciate your your patience.

▶ 30:14 Speaker 1: Vice chairman Migliorelli

▶ 30:16 Speaker 3: and chair which is telling that there are several of us who have the same questions and concerns I think.

▶ 30:29 Leila Migliorelli: I'm of the mind that obviously we know there's an eight million dollar Grant. This project is going to move forward needs to move forward. But I do share concerns about the fact that the city is now running with like it appears like a narrower margin of available funding as we go on so looking at the art, but we had received it was last week list of all Opera committed funds. There's not that much wiggle room in terms of things. We're going to go over so I just wanted to point that out and then perhaps there needs to be a second. Look at the council does not approve our best spending but with FY 24 and 25 budgets or projections for how our prayers being used. You may need to I would suggest we look at whether certain things can happen. That's not so much for this project for the city's finances overall. I think similarly with you know, free cash being mindful of that. You I think this project is an important one. It may mean that other things can't happen. And I think we should maybe be prepared for that. I share concerns that the contingency is too low. It's you know, 4.8% I think it would feel more comfortable to have six or seven. I know that that's the money that you have, but I I don't see how Given this environment that we're gonna need all if not a little bit more for the project. So given that that's going to impact other things on the artballist on the free cash list and I think we just need to be mindful of that as we get other requests for funding since bonding is not part of this just one quick little minor question on the Library Grant or fundraising effort you said that they're willing the is that the library trustees it's willing to match under thousand or no.

▶ 32:25 Speaker 5: There's a private donor who is putting forward the hundred thousand and the friends of the Melrose Public Library are raising those matching

▶ 32:35 Leila Migliorelli: funds. Okay, and do you have A sense from them about whether they have the resources or prospects in place to match with that 100,000. Is there do they feel really good

▶ 32:48 Speaker 5: about getting to that 100,000 they feel optimistically get

▶ 32:50 Leila Migliorelli: there? Yeah. Okay. I know in the working in fundraising myself that this you know, this economic environment impacts that as well too and then 100,000 is a ambitious goal. So it's nice

▶ 33:03 Denise Gaffey: having that match on the table. I think that yeah, right exactly

▶ 33:06 Leila Migliorelli: 100% that that's helpful. That's it for my questions right now. Thank you.

▶ 33:12 Jen Grigoraitis: Thank you counselor. Karmjady.

▶ 33:14 Manjula Karamcheti: Well, I also had a lot of the same questions but my city councilor colleagues have done a beautiful job on asking them. So I want to go in a different direction for a minute. I wanted to say congratulations on getting two bids. I think what we have learned from other projects in the city that at this in this volatile Market. It's actually very difficult to get bids. So I think that must be also a reflection on the work that you did to put put the bids together. So appreciate that and I also appreciate what you shared in terms of figuring out how to keep the class of this renovation as close to the budget even with you know, the times that we're in right now and I know that a lot of projects have gone millions and millions of dollars over budget in terms of what was it originally anticipated. So it seems like you've done a lot of work to figure that out. And I appreciate your your attention to that. One of the things that I heard you say was we got a decent contractor and I was wondering I think that was said over there. And so I guess I was interested in what other projects I'm not sure. I'm pronouncing it right because Stanga castania kastanga has completed so that we might know what a finished product might look like. I'd be interested just if you have that information and if you don't have it now, that's fine. But a follow-up would be great sure. We need to know other projects. Because the thought bubble in my head was sort of quality verse quantity. So we want to stay within the budget. Of course, I a hundred percent believe that as a steward of the city's money, but I also we want to Quality building that stands the test of time. We were already putting so much money into this project. So I was curious about you said that we are keeping the needs but getting rid of a lot of the nice to have so I'm just curious again for examples of what is no longer a part of the library renovation.

▶ 35:31 Denise Gaffey: So I just want to to your first point. Oh just want to clarify that, you know, we did pre-qualify this contractor. We went through a very rigorous pre-qualification process. Their qualifications are solid. They're they're good. They're good contractor, you know these this these are public bid projects, so You know, they they they're this is the world that they live in we're very comfortable, you know, they're comfortable working with public projects and we have good experience and really great team that has a lot of experience working with with contractors in this realm. So we're very comfortable and very confident with them and they're as I said at the very beginning, I mean, they're really excited about this project. They're very committed to it. They've sent us they're assurances. We've seen the resume of the Personnel that they're putting on this project. These are really solid solid contractors. So I want you I just want to assure you of that. Thank you. I appreciate that. Okay, and then in terms of I think you were asking about things again about the nice cities or I mean, we we again we haven't taken much out of this project there was not a lot to take out of the project, you know, we did pull out those items. We've already talked about a couple of times now the alternates like the Slate which would have been a really nice thing to do.

▶ 36:50 Speaker 5: Probably one of the bigger ones. Yeah, it would it would have been nice upgrade. We don't have slate right now. So we're not actually downgrading from that but we've been a lovely thing to have but

▶ 37:03 Denise Gaffey: not essential the original building when it was built. But as the you know, the historic building we're talking about the historic building right now the original piece of the building that but that would have had a you know, an authentic sleep roof on it. So that would have been a nice amenity. It doesn't detract from anything that goes on inside the Library anything that anyone is going to experience.

▶ 37:26 Manjula Karamcheti: All right, and then I mean it's already been mentioned, but just the creek being creative and resilient about funding sources outside of the city, which I know you will be. So just want to encourage that as well.

▶ 37:40 Jen Grigoraitis: That's it. Thank you any other counselors for the first time.

▶ 37:44 Speaker 4: Councilor just just a couple more questions.

▶ 37:50 Mark Garipay: Just to continue and I'm going back to the contingency because it's really bothering me the small amount. In the contract as to contingency specifically state for unforeseen reasons, or does it also allow for the the contract at a come back if raw materials increase no, or

▶ 38:08 Denise Gaffey: is it just no. No, they don't acted they own everything in the specifications. They own the project. They own everything they've bid on so the contingency is truly there for things that are that are unforeseen structural whatever conditions right?

▶ 38:27 Mark Garipay: And I should know this based on last week's how much how much Opera money do we have? Not not allocated right now Mr. Mayor. Do you know? No, that's okay. There's several answers to

▶ 38:37 Paul Brodeur: that which sounds horrible but there's money we've already spent it's kind of three buckets money. We've already spent like the school the school school operating there are things that we Plan to spend it on but the money is still. Sitting there still a little a little bit of flexibility there. And then there is the completely uncommitted piece. We can update on that with some with a great deal specific. I think we're doing that.

▶ 39:09 Speaker 5: Related this week that don't open that will be pushing that

▶ 39:14 Mark Garipay: Who will manage this project for the city will be your office

▶ 39:19 Denise Gaffey: from the Staffing? So yes, I'm working closely with Linda obviously. But yeah, we're managing the you know, all the contractual arrangements and the financing and things of that nature. Obviously Pat is our owners project manager. So he works for the city on behalf of this project. He will also have a we will have a clerk of the works who's there every day during construction actually starting. I think this week Saturday so soon he will be he will have a trailer on the site and he will be the cities eyes and ears. Every day, he will be interacting with the neighbors when they have concerns or you know issues that might come up so we have we have a good team in place.

▶ 40:01 Mark Garipay: And then going back to the trustees. They've been very generous with the two million and the in the 200,000. Hopefully this week will the do you think if we run into a situation they may be any appetite to go back to them for more if this tends to go over I guess.

▶ 40:24 Speaker 5: I can't speak for them. But I think they are very very committed to this project. They have as you know, they have funds that are expendable and funds that are not Expendable. So I certain point it becomes. How much are we talking and what is their capacity, but I know that they are very committed to seeing this project to fruition. Thank you.

▶ 40:48 Jen Grigoraitis: What is the will of this committee?

▶ 40:53 Speaker 6: Ventura to make a motion to places on fire

▶ 40:56 Jen Grigoraitis: Second, so we have a motion to place on file made by counselor Stewart seconded by councilor Garipay all in favor. Hi any opposed so that's placed on file? Thank you all for being here with us this evening. We appreciate your time. Thank you. We will move right along in our agenda back to the top order 2023 - 17 appointment of Michael Berry 910 Main Street to the Melrose Housing Authority for a one-year term said term to expire on the first Monday of March of 2023, and I know Mr. Berries here tonight. Thank you for your patience if you want to join Mr. Mayor Broder at the podium.