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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-03-30 Finance Committee Minutes di Finance Committee Meeting Minutes of March 30, 2026 I IIIIiY)loll`ii�Ei@tl} �}pIt 1}i'I}y, (IIII II Illt'lll�ll I i ,i Call To Order: Chair Regina Kean called the open meeting to order at 7:01 PM in the Community Room at the Senior Center located at 481 Sutton Street. Present: Chair Regina Kean, Vice Chair Denevan O'Connell, Christine Allen, Jeanne Irwin, Eva Pastor, Nancy Sarro, Keith Chaney, Michellle Nadeau, and Jennifer Watson. JOINT MEETING between Select Board, Finance Committee, School Committee, and Kittredge School Building Committee NEW BUSINESS Presentation from Kittredge School Building Committee Laura Bates discussed a few housekeeping items. Ms. Bates discussed the presentation agenda. Ms. Bates discussed the partnership with the MSBA. Pamela Lathrop stated the main building being over 70 years old has surpassed its useful life and the modular addition is not a permanent solution to the 21 st century school building. Ms. Lathrop discussed some of the challenges they faced with the existing facilities. Ms. Lathrop discussed the education priorities that will be provided through the new Kittredge elementary school. Phil Palumbo, director of Collier and owner project manager, discussed the project schedule. Mr. Palumbo discussed where the project has been, where they currently are, and where they are going if the project is approved at Town Meeting. Mr. Palumbo stated if approved at Town Meeting, they will move into MSBA module six detailed design, which will be about another 12 months of getting the drawings and specs to bid ready. Mr. Palumbo stated they would hit the construction phase around September of 2027, which will take about 24 months. Mr. Palumbo stated to save some time and money during the construction phase, they plan to do an early bid package for the abatement and demo of the existing building. Jeffrey Burchard, president of Machado Silvetti and architect for the project, discussed the building and site design. Mr. Burchard stated elementary schools are not the same from one district to another, and they take into account the specific needs and demands of the community. Mr. Burchard discussed the things that need to be taken into account. Mr. Burchard stated this school is purpose designed for this site, for this community, and for the education mission of the North Andover School District. Mr. Burchard discussed the site plan. Mr. Burchard discussed the location of the parking lot. Mr. Burchard discussed the pick up and drop off circulation. Mr. Burchard stated the passenger pick up and drop off is separate from the bus pick up and drop off. Mr. Burchard discussed the floor plans. Mr. Burchard stated the stage will sit directly between the cafeteria and the gymnasium so it can function in both directions. Mr. Burchard stated due to the site being sloped, they ended up with a lower level instead of a second level. Mr. Burchard stated both levels actually open directly to the exterior. Mr. Burchard stated there are 15 classrooms overall. Mr. Burchard displayed an aerial view of the new Kittredge School building. Mr. Burchard discussed what they had done with the massing of the building, the size, and its appearance. Mr. Burchard displayed the main entrance and the main level corridor of the new building. Mr. Burchard displayed the lower level corridor. Mr. Palumbo discussed the project costs. Mr. Palumbo stated the local share is approximately 63.4% of total money spent and the remaining would be the MSBA share of 36.6%. Mr. Palumbo discussed a new construction costs chart that the MSBA has created. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed the funding for this project. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated this project was part of Facilities Master Plan 2. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated they do anticipate they will need debt, but they will not need a debt exclusion. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated they do have levy capacity available that would fund this project due to the personal property taxes of Amazon. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated this would be a 30 di Finance Committee Meeting Minutes of March 30, 2026 I IIIIiY)loll`ii�Ei@tl} �}pIt 1}i'I}y, (IIII II Illt'lll�ll I i ,i year bond with an approximate interest rate of 4%. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated based on this analysis, this will not impact the average taxpayer. Public input/questions regarding the proposed Kittredge School Mr. Chaney asked if the MSBA money is capped at$29 million or is it a percentage of the total cost. Mr. Palumbo stated it is capped at$29 million. Mr. Chaney asked if in the event that they are over budget, do they have something in place or have they had that conversation yet. Mr. Palumbo stated no, they are entering into a project scope and budget agreement with the MSBA, and this is the deal with any MSBA project. Ms. Nadeau asked what escalation formula they have used moving forward based on the chart they displayed. Mr. Palumbo stated with the construction budget right now, they are carrying right around $4 million in escalation. Ms. Nadeau asked if new schools have to meet certain energy efficiencies. Mr. Palumbo stated yes, they have to meet the updated energy code. Ms. Watson asked what will the capacity of the new school bring the Town elementary capacity and how does that compare to the projected enrollment. Ms. Lathrop stated it increases what they have had currently in terms of enrollment. Ms. Lathrop stated it does give them more capacity within the schools. Mr. Palumbo stated the 335 student enrollment is the number that is linked to the project's agreement with the MSBA. Ms. Allen asked what is the enrollment or capacity in the other four schools. Ms. Lathrop stated she does not have those numbers in front of her. Ms. Allen asked which one of the other elementary schools would be closest in size to this new school. Ms. Lathrop stated Atkinson or Thompson. Ms. Kean asked if it is a full size gymnasium. Ms. Lathrop stated yes. Mr. Roache, from the Select Board, asked what the maximum height of the retaining wall would be. Mr. Burchard stated about 12ft. Mr. Roache asked about the height of the buildings. Mr. Burchard stated it is about 25ft tall on the south side where the gym would be. Mr. Burchard stated the building on the north side becomes two stories. Mr. Burchard stated no one will see the roof from the road or the houses. Mr. Roache asked if the bus drop off lane is going to be restricted to buses only. Mr. Burchard stated yes. Ms. Cormier, from the School Committee, asked what is the planned lifespan of this building. Mr. Palumbo stated as part of the MSBA agreement, it needs to last 50 years plus. Ms. Smedile, from the Select Board, asked if the MSBA still held to the artistic flare in school buildings. Mr. Palumbo stated the MSBA is not going to have much to say about the exterior aesthetics. Mr. Burchard stated there is a lot of room to go in the design process. Mr. Brown, from the School Committee, asked if part of the selection of the orientation of the building was taking into account better lighting. Mr. Burchard stated yes. Mr. Burchard discussed the number of skylights within the building. di Finance Committee Meeting Minutes of March 30, 2026 I IIIIiY)loll`ii�Ei@tl} �}pIt 1}i'I}y, (IIII II Illt'lll�ll I i ,i Ms. Irwin asked about the main entrance way being a flat top. Mr. Burchard stated it would be sloped. Ms. Irwin asked if the top would be translucent. Mr. Burchard stated they are unsure of what it will be made of. Ms. Irwin asked if the$964 per square feet is specifically for elementary schools. Mr. Palumbo stated the bigger the building the lower the cost per square foot due to the economy of scale. Ms. Irwin asked if they were plotted on the displayed chart around high schools or elementary schools. Mr. Palumbo stated they are right around elementary schools. Mr. Chaney asked during deconstruction, do they have a waste management plan in place where they are taking advantage of recycling. Mr. Palumbo stated they will. Ms. Nadeau asked where the costs were for outfitting the school. Mr. Palumbo stated within the $79.8 million. Ms. Phillips, from the Select Board, asked with this increased capacity, does that open the door to some redistricting around Town. Ms. Lathrop stated potentially. Ms. Irwin asked if the start times for the schools are staggered so they are not coming in at the same time as the middle school. Ms. Lathrop stated the hope is this traffic pattern will bring traffic in and out opposed to jamming up Main Street. Ms. Cormier asked if there will be a stop sign or blinking light for the traffic pattern where parents are exiting. Mr. Burchard stated it will be a stop sign, and they will be conducting a traffic study at the intersection. Ms. Kean asked if the bus entrance is a new cut. Mr. Burchard stated it is a reconfiguration of that cut. Ms. Irwin asked if there had been soil testing. Mr. Burchard stated yes. Gail Henny of 134 Rosemont Drive asked if there will be a dedicated walkway in the parking lot where traffic is and will they need to have personnel there or a crossing guard. Ms. Lathrop stated that would be teacher duty. Mr. Burchard stated there is not a designated walkway in this diagram, but they can look at the striping pattern. Ms. Henny asked about the discrepancy regarding the budget for the building being $79.8 million within the April newsletter and the maximum reimbursement for the MSBA being $28.7 million yet they are looking for a bond for the full cost of construction. Mr. Palumbo stated the MSBA requires the total project budget number to be on the Town Meeting article, but MSBA will reimburse in real time through the course of the project. Lucius Michel of 93 Pleasant Street asked if they could talk a bit more about what a design contingency is and how it works. Mr. Palumbo stated they have completed what is called schematic design. Mr. Palumbo stated it is phase one of a three phase design process. Mr. Palumbo stated there are a lot of design elements that are not on the plans or in the specs that the cost estimators are creating a cost estimate off of. Mr. Palumbo stated due to that, they carry a design contingency at the different earlier points in design to ensure they are capturing dollar-wise unknowns. Mr. Palumbo stated as they advance in design, that design contingency gets less. Mr. Michel asked if the design contingency is there to cushion against price overruns. Mr. Palumbo stated no, they have a separate line item for that. Mr. Michel asked if prices do increase, is there a point where they make decisions about what to include or exclude from the original plan. Mr. Palumbo stated yes. di Finance Committee Meeting Minutes of March 30, 2026 I IIIIiY)loll`ii�Ei@tl} �}pIt 1}i'I}y, (IIII II Illt'lll�ll I i ,i Mr. Michel asked if that is the case, does the group come back to talk about the decisions being made and what might be being cut. Mr. Palumbo stated yes. Stanley Limpert of 43 Stonecleave Road asked if the building committee gave any thought to the reuse of the existing gymnasium. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated yes, part of the capital improvement plan includes moving that gymnasium to the DPW site to be used for cold storage for the Fire Department and DPW. Mr. Limpert asked if they will have the budget to be able to provide teachers for this new school. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated Facilities Master Plan 2 did include funding for enhanced staff, and they will have to look at what the schools decide to have as part of their strategic plan as they move forward. Ms. Lathrop stated they are a proponent of asking for an override for FY28 in order to provide extra staffing for this school. Michael Lenihan of 58 Osgood Street expressed an idea that was generated from the Historic District meeting regarding a bell from the Merrimack school at the DPW and integrating that into the Kittredge design. Kim Ramos of 40 Court Street asked what the entry way would be for children that walk to school. Mr. Burchard explained how the walkers would enter the parking lot on both sides. Mr. Burchard stated there will be a new crosswalk near the entrance way where the flashing light is now. Ms. Ramos asked if that will need to be redone or will they use the existing one. Mr. Burchard stated that it will be reconfigured with this project. Ms. Ramos asked how the staff would be able to drive in and avoid the line of parents. Ms. Lathrop stated staff are required to come to work a half hour before the students. Ms. Ramos asked if this will be called the Kittredge School or is there something else on the table. Ms. Lathrop stated her expectation would be that it is called the Kittredge School. Stanley Limpert of 43 Stonecleave Road asked if the buses come from Chickering Road and do not go out on Chickering Road. Mr. Burchard stated yes. Gerald Brecher of 488 Pleasant Street expressed his support for the new Kittredge School and emphasized giving children a sense of what quality design and beauty can look like when they approach their school. Diane Huster of 279 Winter Street asked where the elevator will be in the school. Mr. Burchard stated it will be right near the entrance door. Bradford Wakeman of 140 Academy Road stated that he hopes they continue to consider the ancillary structures. ADJOURNMENT -School Committee MOTION: Mr. Brown made a MOTION, seconded by Ms. Koenig to adjourn the School Committee meeting at 8:04PM. Motion approved 3-0. ADJOURNMENT - Kittredge School Building Committee MOTION: Mr. O'Connell made a MOTION, seconded by Mr. Brown to adjourn the Kittredge School Building Committee meeting at 8:04PM. Motion approved 6-0. di Finance Committee Meeting Minutes of March 30, 2026 I IIIIiY)loll`ii�Ei@tl} �}pIt 1}i'I}y, (IIII II Illt'lll�ll I i ,i ADJOURNMENT -Select Board MOTION: Mr. Roache made a MOTION, seconded by Ms. Smedile to adjourn the Select Board meeting at 8:04PM. Motion approved 5-0. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Mr. O'Connell made a MOTION, seconded by Ms. Nadeau to adjourn the Finance Committee meeting at 8:04PM. Motion approved 9-0. Respectfully submitted. Nicole Civitarese Executive Assistant Documents used at meeting Presentation