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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-04-01 ad Hoc - Municipal Building Committee Minutes MINUTES` Ad Hoc Municipal Building Committee Meeting April 1, 2010 ` 3 2 The meeting convened at 7:30 PM in the Conference Room, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, Massachusetts. Present were Chairman and School Committee member David Michaud, Selectman Rick Schubert, Finance Committee member George Hines, Library Board member Vicki Yablonsky, resident Kathleen Dugan and Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner. Also present were Mary DeLai and Joe Huggins, Facilities Department of the Reading Public Schools and audience member Andrew Grimes. There was a motion by Chairman David Michaud to approve the Minutes of 3/9/2010, seconded by Rick Schubert. Minutes approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Chairman David Michaud began by reviewing the purpose of the committee to Mary DeLai and Joe Huggins, and expressed that the committee wanted to get an overview and understanding of the school facilities departments planning and procedures. Mary DeLai and Joe Huggins then reviewed the building maintenance programs, capital planning and building conditions for the buildings that they are in charge of. Building Maintenance The presentation consisted of a review of the work order process through School Dude software including the following: • Who may request work orders - there is a gate keeper in each building that have access to submit orders • How they are prioritized first priority is for health and safety, then to mechanical failure then to other critical events and on to non-critical events. • How the information is relayed to the appropriate parties - Joe Huggins and 2 others in the facilities receive the work orders and assign them to the appropriate parties, calling in predetermined vendors if necessary. • When work orders are deferred - most often cosmetic requests such as paint, carpet, ceiling tile etc. Equipment requests such as HVAC will usually be addressed promptly. • Equipment Preventative Maintenance Schedules - All equipment is tagged and loaded into the software and work orders are auto-generated from the software based on a predetermined maintenance schedule. • Critical Alarm System Certain critical equipment such as refrigeration are on an alarm system in which the facilities department gets instant notification when there is an abnormality and a work order is auto-generated. Chairman David Michaud asked about the security and backup of the School Dude system and we were informed by Mary DeLai that there are multiple back up sites nationwide to ensure the security and availability of the data in the event of an emergency. Building Conditions/Functional Issues Joe Huggins expressed that the Reading buildings are generally in very good condition with few exceptions. There have been many recent upgrades done and they have been well maintained. There has been energy saving measures put in place that save a great deal of money and much of that savings they try to dedicate to putting additional energy saving measures in the buildings. Mary DeLai expressed that there is no formal condition rating system but that the mission is to maintain 21St century schools, libraries, and public buildings. Some concerns are:. • Killam School will need a roof estimated within the next 3 years. There are space use issues, including a very small main office. Renovating would open up new issues, such as handicap accessibility, which would change the building culture - but would coincide with the 21St century school mission. • Birch Meadow - work has been done but not fully renovated. Needs additional millwork and other repairs. • We spoke of the need to standardize as much as possible to make repair and maintenance easier. Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner also commented that there has been a dedication to properly maintaining the buildings since recent upgrades to prevent more costly repairs and replacements down the line. We discussed the DPW responsibilities vs. the school facilities - there are not clearly defined lines, but Joe Huggins and Peter Hechenbleikner informed the committee of the fantastic relationship between the two departments, which leads to advanced communications and superior end results. Capital Planning Mary DeLai reviewed the considerations for addressing buildings and equipment into the capital planning process, revealing the following process. 1. Condition is assessed; the facility meets with department heads to discuss needs and wish list. 2. Fire/Life/Safety gets prioritized first 3. Energy Savings efforts and conservation 4. Improvement of Work Environment All equipment is placed in the capital plan based on end of useful life. The equipment is then addressed at the time of aging to review whether or not a new purchase should be deferred. Repair and maintenance information can be accessed through School Dude to review the history of the equipment to assist in the decision making process. Chairman David Michaud asked if there things that are not addressed in the capital plan that may come as a surprise down the line. • Windows are not in the capital plan with the exception of some scheduling in the library and town hall to be done over time. Mary DeLai suggested that it may be easier and cheaper to bid them out all at once. Mary DeLai estimated the cost of replacement at $400K per school and $150K for Town Hall. It is FINCOM policy that things of this nature are done under a special request for funding, not capital planning. • Furnishings are not in the capital plan. Some furnishings are 25 years old. Furnishings sometimes get replaced during renovations. • Renovations are not in the capital plan except for cold storage (vehicle maintenance) at the DPW garage. Vicki Yablonsky asked about building envelope issues that may create many more minor problems that need to be addressed, such as aging windows, water leaks, drainage etc. Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner, recognizing that the library renovation done years ago was value engineered to $ l M, reiterated the commitment to spend the money necessary to build the projects right and maintain them appropriately to prevent such issues. The Library may be a more isolated issue in relation to the other buildings in town in part due to its age. Chairman David Michaud thanked Mary and Joe, and expressed that we would reconnect with them as necessary while assessing the situation as a whole. The committee next discussed a change in the scheduling for upcoming meetings as there has been interest in the Oakland Road properties. The committee is to meet with Carl McFadden on April 15th to discuss his interest in the property. Correspondence: A resignation letter from former committee member Jeff Struble was acknowledged. Additionally, a memo from Chairman David Michaud regarding conflict of interest was revisited. There were no concerns or objections from the committee with regards to David Michaud remaining as chair of the committee. A list of Town Owned properties was distributed, as well as the capital plan for 2010- 2020, the Library Building Assessment dated 9/15/2008, the DPW Operational, Organizational and Management Review dated 4/29/2008 and the RMLD Optimization Study of Fleet Maintenance Activities dated 12/2000. On motion by Rick Schubert and seconded by Vicki Yablonsky, the meeting was adjourned at 9:00 PM on a vote of 5-0-0. Respectfully Submitted Secretary