HomeMy Public PortalAboutCapital Planning Committee -- 2022-01-21 Minutes%, -Town of Brewster
2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631
n = Capitalplanning@brewster-ma.gov
vi Phone: (508) 896-3701
MINUTES OF CAPITAL PLANNING MEETING
DATE: January 21, 2022
TIME: 11:30 AM
PLACE: Remote Participation
Office of:
Select Board
Town Administrator
REMOTE PARTICIPANTS: Bill Schirmacher, Town Administrator Peter Lombardi, Treasurer/Collector Lisa
Vitale, Assistant Town Administrator Donna Kalinick, Cynthia Caldwell, Ross Gorman, Mimi Bernardo
Call to Order &Declaration of a Quorum, Meeting Participation Statement
Bill Schirmacher called the meeting to order at 11:31am. A_quorum was declared, and the meeting
participation was read.
Public Announcements and Comment:
None
Review Preliminary Draft FY22-26 Capital Improvement Plan:
Mr. Lombardi noted that the goal for funding the Capital Plan is that a majority of our capital requests are
typically vetted and brought to Town Meeting as a request for appropriation in the fall. The balance of the
capital requests come at the Annual Town Meeting in the Spring. Minor adjustments have been made and
additions from when the Capital Plan was adopted last winter. The largest change was the acquisition of the
Sea Camps property, with a Special Town Meeting in September for the land acquisition. Town
Administration is still meeting with a few department heads to review their operating budget and capital
requests, today's meetingis a high-level overview. In the comment's column, anything that says FTM means
the line item was already funded at the Fall Town Meeting, anything in yellow is a capital request that is
anticipated to be brought to Annual Town Meeting this Spring.
Mr. Lombardi reviewed the following departments Capital Requests highlights:
• Department of Public Works:
o Reduced drainage and road maintenance as these are recurring expenses, all that remains is
funding from free cash to do minor projects. As a result of a road condition analysis, it was
recommended that to maintain our road infrastructure we need to invest a minimum of
$750k/yr.
o Millstone Road Design &Construction moved costs out one year. Community forum will be
held in February. Waiting for Chapter 90 funding balance to grow to move forward with this
project.
o Equipment- Several pieces including the P-2 Dump Truck moved back one year.
o New request at the DPW facility is to use an existing article and re -appropriate the funds to
have one or two companies provide a site assessment ($70k).
www.brewster-ma.Bov
Capital
Planning
01.21.2022
Police Department:
Town of Brewster
2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631
Capitalplanning@brewster-ma.gov
Phone: (508) 896-3701
Office of:
Select Board
Town Administrator
o Looking to potential transition some of the vehicles to hybrid, a little more expensive but
incentives from the State are available for FY23 and beyond.
o Mobile Data Terminal replacements to be completed incrementally, about $5-$61< each,
moved up to FY23.
o Increased the dispatch consoles, looking to use cell town funds to help with costs.
• Facilities:
o Adjusted the Drummer Boy Gazebo Lighting and Shed out by one year.
o Two new requests, Town Hall window replacement and room divider between rooms A & Be
o Replacing a number of window A/C units.
• Library:
o Renovation design and construction, State grant funds are very slow for Library projects,
pushed this out by one year.
o Two new requests, exterior painting in FY23 at $40k, and replacement of elevator at $300k
slated for FY22. Proposed spending $225k from free cash and $75k from the Ladies Library
Association.
• Information Technology
o Single standing $50k line item approved at Town Meeting, historically this has been $30-$351<
annually and will be for FY23 and beyond.
• Department of Natural Resources
o Freemans Pond Culvert Wing Walls pushed out to FY23
o Wing Island Boardwalk approved for $50k in free cash for local match, received $50k grant
from DCR, have a $30k private donation through Brewster Conservation Trust
o Long Pond Boat Ramp has existing appropriation; however, we will need additional funds to
fully fund the project. We are waiting on updated costs estimates.
o Low Lying Roads project- secured regional grant funding, identified key priority locations that
need improvements, as a place holder has $100,000 in FY24.
o Wildfire Management mainly associated with the Punkhorn parklands, completed regionally in
the past. The $10k annually appropriation will help to make sure we are keeping up in this
area.
o Walkers Pond Boat Ramp project done in house with DPW, improving stormwater
management and access at this site, $50k appropriation.
• Select Board
o Outdoor hydration stations appropriation has been moved out one year to FY23, anticipated
to be funded with CPA funds.
o Integrated Water Resource Planning and Implementation to fund our consultant and technical
support for our Pleasant Bay watershed permit and general water quality initiative planning, a
free cash request of $75k to be at Town meeting this Spring.
o Septic upgrade to the golf course and the Phosphorus Treatment Pilot Program have been
moved out by one year.
\f��\\`a� ws9 ' Office of:
'°®wry of Brewster Select Board
2 r B 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631 Town Administrator
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o Millstone Road Housing- received bids in December, the Affordable Housing Trust is going
through the review process of the one eligible bid that was submitted.
o Sea Camps acquisition- issued $20M in long term debt (30years) for the Bay property, Town
meeting appropriated $1.75M in free cash to the acquisition costs of the Long Pond Property.
■ Pledges from Brewster Conservation Trust and Mass Audubon of $3.25M to be paid
out over the next 3-5 years for the Long Pond acquisition. This is factored into the
Capital Plan.
■ Anticipates having to cover another $650k in short-term borrowing for the balance of
the Long Pond acquisition costs. Water Commission contributed $250k to the initial
acquisition costs and has pledged another $100k over the next three fiscal years.
o In FY23 we have a $75k placeholder, plan on applying for a state grant to help with technical
support and planning work done by the consultants.
o Four new projects: Interim public beach access at the Bay property, Drummer Boy Park
Master plan (about $50k) has a 2 -phase recommendation (upgrading drainage and parking,
sidewalk access and looking at existing structure adjacent to the playground to either
repurpose or rebuild). We have costs estimates and entered placeholders, phase 1 planned
for FY23, phase 2 in FY24.
• School Projects
o Highschool renovation project- looking for an update when the debt will come online, expect
FY23 to have an increase in short-term debt, long-term debt most likely will be issued in FY24.
• Building Department
o Moved both capital requests out by one year.
• Recreation Department
o Three projects have been pushed out by a year or two, the Drummer Boy Park playground
upgrades for phase 2 is budgeted at $500k in FY22
• Fire Department
o SCBA breathing apparatus able to secure significant grant funding to cover a majority of the
costs.
• Water Department
o Construction Account -historically this has been a single line item, plan on changing this to
have three separate articles starting this spring to have a facilities article, construction article
and water meters.
o Land Acquisition — approved a $250k in water retained earning to cover part of the Long Pond
acquisition. Water Commission pledged another $100k towards those costs over the next
three fiscal years. Earmarked $70k/year around their well fields and conservation areas in
case land acquisitions become possible.
o New request for HVAC replacement at the wells and treatment facilities for $190k, hoping
that we will be able to secure grant funding for 90% of the costs.
o Vehicles —two pickup trucks, costs have changed slightly. One for the Superintendent and one
for the new assistant superintendent that is due to be hired.
Town of Brewster
2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631
Capita 1planning@brewster-ma.gov
Phone: (508)896-3701
Office of:
Select Board
Town Administrator
o Complete minor renovations for the tanks, this brings the costs signcantly by almost 50%,
then a full comprehensive renovation of the tanks.
• Golf Department
o Capital Plan is still a work in progress. Looking to transition to an enterprise fund in FY23.
Mr. Lombardi stated that what we have tried to do is to identify on the order of $1.75M in capital
expenditures from free cash, our major funding source, this year is an all-time high as proposed right now at
a little over $3.3M. Certified free cash this year was at $4.5M which was a record high. This is consistent with
what we have done in the past and what we are planning on doing, about $1.6M in total. Town meeting also
appropriated $250k in free cash to cover the unknown operating expenses at the Sea Camps during the
transition. If all the projects we have outlined for this Spring using Free cash actually move forward, at total
of about $658k, then we will dip below the $1M balance for closing out the FY for our free cash. This is a little
lower than what we have done in the past, and what that the Select Board policy is, in terms of year end
close out balances. Noting that with this in mind and based on the fact that there are several remaining
questions that could increase amounts, we are going to have to talk through moving one or two of these out
from this Spring to next Fall. For FY23 we are about $200k below our target number for free cash
appropriations, we have -some capacity next year to move some things without necessarily creating a domino
effect. Mr. Lombardi observed the following two things:
o In FY24 Free cash is up over $2.2M, we won't be able to accommodate and will have to move
items out a year or two to build a sustainable plan
o In FY26, we are under $1M, though a lot can happen between now and then
Mr. Lombardi expressed that with the issuance of the debt we have maintained our bond rating and our Free
Cash balances are still very healthy. It is important that we don't draw down our free cash.
Matters Not Reasonable Anticipated by the Chair:
None
Next Meetings: January 27 and February 3, 2022
Adiournment
Ross Gorman moved to adjourn at 12:49pm. Cindy Caldwell second. All in favor.
Respectfully submitted by Erika Mawn, Executive Assistant
Accompanying Documents: Town of Brewster Draft FY2022-FY2026 CIP Five Year Plan