The Public Facilities Committee met on Wednesday, May 13. See the video. Budget materials can be found on the City’s website.
Department of Public Buildings (report)
Commissioner of Public Buildings Alex Valcarce presented the department’s budget. He reviewed major capital projects: the Lincoln-Eliot School is open and in the closeout process; the Cooper Center is packed daily and in the closeout process; Countryside School is under construction, on time and on budget, with the City’s first geothermal system installed; Franklin School is on track and will open after February school vacation. Budget changes include the departure of former Commissioner Josh Morse (now Chief Operating Officer), the elimination of one Project Manager position, increased water and sewer costs for schools, additional City Hall maintenance expenses, additional part-time sustainability work, and Cooper Center custodial services now funded for a full year.
Councilors asked about the Walker Center properties (under department care primarily to prevent deterioration, with minimal heating, inspection, and occasional mowing costs); building insurance (covered under the Comptroller’s budget; projects insured through contractor’s builder’s risk insurance during construction); revolving funds and Green Communities grants (Newton was among the first certified green communities; COO Morse explained the $150,000 annual grant vs. $500,000 decarbonization grant tradeoff, noting the City pursued the larger grant); the former children’s library in Newton Corner (currently occupied by Engineering Inspectors, externally renovated a year ago); and how rent revenue from city buildings is used (covers custodial care, repair, and maintenance, with branch libraries serving multiple purposes including police training, wood shop, polling locations, and city events).
Councilors also asked about accessibility in playground projects (the department includes the City’s ADA Coordinator and sometimes the Commission on Disability chair in working groups, with a focus on universally accessible and inclusive design beyond ADA compliance); sustainability in new schools including gender-inclusive bathrooms (buildings are designed with flexibility for future policy changes; the School Department would need to work with the School Committee to implement changes); and how the Lessons Learned document is used (shared with architects, consultants and staff at the start of each project to create dialogue and make adjustments).
A straw vote to accept the Department of Public Buildings’ Budget of $7,150,836, the supplemental CIP, and the CIP, passed unanimously.
Present: Councilors Kalis (Chair), Albright, Gordon, Dahmubed, Grossman, Kelley, and Leary. Absent: Councilor Getz. Also present: Councilors Block, Krintzman, Farrell, Malakie, and Roche.
City staff: Alex Valcarce, Commissioner of Public Buildings; Josh Morse, Chief Operating Officer.