Amesbury Elementary School Building Committee

Amesbury Elementary School Building Committee (AESBC) Meeting Minutes Date: March 26, 2020 Location: Virtual Meeting Time: 6:00 PM Next Meeting: 4/23/2020 at 6:00PM Attendees: Name Present Name Present SBC – Voting Members SBC – Non Voting Members Kassandra Gove, Mayor/Chair  Christine Chabot Paul Fahey, Chief of Staff  Monique Griffin Peter Hoyt, School Committee  Lauri McAllister Jared Fulgoni, Superintendent  Bruce McBrien  Matt Bennett, Facilities Director Brendon Sullivan Angel Wills, CFO  NV5 (OPM) Shannon Nolan, AES Principal  Tim Dorman  Lynn Catarius, Director, Student Services  Mike Ulichney  Nick Wheeler, City Council  DiNisco Design (Architect) Joseph Spencer Donna DiNisco  Joan Liporto, Director of Finance & Ops  Vivian Low  Caulen Finch  1. Call to Order o Kassandra Gove, Mayor of Amesbury, called the Amesbury Elementary School Building Committee (AESBC) Meeting to order at 6:02 PM. o Mayor Gove provided a statement regarding the ‘Executive Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law G.L. c.30A, §20’ signed on March 12, 2020 which allows for the meeting to be held online and broadcast by ACTV Channel 18. 2. Approval of Meeting Minutes o NV5 distributed the AESBC Meeting Minutes from the prior meeting held on February 6, 2020 as part of the meeting packet. o Vote: Motion by Peter Hoyt to approve the February 6, 2020 AESBC Meeting Minutes. The motion was seconded by Jared Fulgoni. Following a roll call vote, all members were in favor, however Nick Wheeler had lost connection to the videoconference and did not vote. o Upon reconnecting to the videoconference, Nick Wheeler proposed two revisions be made to the approved meeting minutes, requiring a vote to reconsider the previous motion. 70 FARGO STREET, SUITE 800 | BOSTON, MA 02210 | WWW.NV5.COM | OFFICE 617.345.9885 | FAX 617.345.4226 PROGRAM MANAGEMENT - CONSTRUCTION QUALITY ASSURANCE - INFRASTRUCTURE - ENERGY - ENVIRONMENTAL  Page 2 of 5 o Vote: Motion made by Mayor Gove to reconsider the previous vote approving the February 6, 2020 AESBC Meeting Minutes. The motion was seconded by Jared Fulgoni and following a roll call vote, passed unanimously. o Vote: Motion made by Nick Wheeler to amend the February 6, 2020 AESBC Meeting Minutes as follows:  Agenda Item #2, Approval of Meeting Minutes: Replace “New members not present at the previous meeting abstained from the vote.”, with “Peter Hoyt voted in favor and all other members abstained from voting as the newly appointed members were not present at the December 19, 2019 meeting.”  Agenda Item No. 3, Approval of Invoices: Replace “Nick Wheeler recused himself due to his spouse’s employment with NV5.”, with “Nick Wheeler recused himself due to his spouse’s previous employment with NV5, which ended on January 31, 2020.” The motion was seconded by Jared Fulgoni and following a roll call vote, passed unanimously. o Vote: Motion made by Peter Hoyt to approve the February 6, 2020 AESBC Meeting Minutes as amended under the previous motion. The motion was seconded by Jared Fulgoni and following a roll call vote, passed unanimously. 3. Appointment of New Voting Members o Christine Dixon, City Clerk, lead the voting members through the recital of the Appointment Oath. All voting members present at the meeting raised their right hand and repeated the oath over video conference. o The voting members were advised to complete and return an original copy of the form that was sent to them by email, prior to the meeting, directly to the City Clerk’s office. 4. Approval of Invoices o The following invoices were submitted for approval:  NV5 Invoice #155909 - $45,000 (OPM DD Services February 2020)  DiNisco Design Invoice #9249 - $87,000.00 (Designer DD Services February 2020)  DiNisco Design Invoice #9253 - $1,320.00 (LEED Registration Fees)  DiNisco Design Invoice #9251 - $24,179.49 (Additional Borings & Analysis)  DiNisco Design Invoice #9250 - $22,570.11 (Soil Testing and Stormwater Report)  DiNisco Design Invoice #9252 - $2,037.75 (Traffic Consulting Services) o Vote: Motion made by Paul Fahey to approve the invoices totaling $182,107.35. The motion was seconded by Peter Hoyt and following a roll call vote, passed unanimously.  Page 3 of 5 5. Design Update o DiNisco presented an update on the design progress in the Construction Documents phase. Key items discussed include the following:  The Conservation Commission and Planning Board Notice of Intent and Site Plan review hearings have begun and are currently in the peer review process. The intent is to receive the peer review comments and respond in advance of the next hearing dates, which may need to be continued depending on how quickly peer reviews proceed.  The design team met with the Energy Committee on March 4th to discuss goals of reducing reliance on fossil fuels, building envelope design and HVAC equipment/efficiency. It was noted that the amount of glass is driven in part by the desire to have natural light in classrooms. The question also came up regarding setting the building up to be all electric in the future. It was discussed that the kitchen could be designed for electric appliances instead of gas, which would generally be cost neutral. It was agreed that input should be obtained from the food service vendor for consideration.  Working group meetings were held regarding classroom and school technology, as well as technology equipment. It was noted that all classrooms will have mobile interactive flat panel screens; small classrooms and SLP spaces will have a wall mounted interactive screen. Slide mounts were requested to accommodate smaller children. It was also requested that younger students have iPads rather than Chrome Books.  DiNisco presented several lobby Feature Wall Options. The options had various levels of interactive components and flexibility considerations. Peter Hoyt asked if there is a way to incorporate historical figures into the panels/bubbles shown in options 6 and 8; Bruce McBrien added these bubbles could be backlit when a student presses a button. Bruce McBrien has scheduled a working session to gather input from a focus group of AES Principal and teachers and will provide additional feedback.  Existing Downstream Flooding on Lindbergh Ave: It was noted that concern was raised by public comments at the Planning Board meeting regarding an existing flooding issue on Lindbergh Ave. The project is designed to meet and exceed the stormwater management regulations, mitigating any increase to off site peak flow rates and volumes. The issue was reviewed by the Amesbury DPW and it was determined that added detention on the AES/Cashman Site would have a negligible improvement on the existing flooding as it is a very small component of the overall watershed area. The issue appears to be driven by insufficient culver capacity downstream. Mayor Gove is continuing to review the culver capacity issue with the DPW.  The gap in sidewalk along Lion’s Mouth Road was also discussed. NV5 noted that while the cost is a concern, as this has not been planned for in the budget, the bigger issue is the potential schedule impact if its inclusion delays the permitting process. However, as long as the Planning Board will not hold up Site Plan Review, then it could follow a separate design and permitting track. The order of magnitude cost for design, permitting and construction for the sidewalk of $130k was presented. It was noted that a separate permit filing is driving the design fee. Nick Wheeler asked for clarification on why a 350’ stretch of sidewalk would be so costly. DiNisco and NV5 explained the work would include a 4ft sidewalk separated from the road by a grass strip, tree removal, curb cuts  Page 4 of 5 and excavation, allowance for police details, construction contingency, relocation of utility poles and a potential retaining wall. It was noted that the DPW may be able to complete the project separately using internal resources. The Committee was generally in favor of pursuing this approach and agreed that Mayor Gove will discuss with DPW.  Vivian presented an update on Woodson Farm Fields: The project is being undertaken by DPW and they have advised that they are in the ANRAD process which is dependent on growing season to confirm wetland delineating which is expected in the later April or early May timeframe. They expect to proceed with the design once the ANRAD is complete and the AES design team will coordinate connection points. The currently anticipated connection point north of the wetland was reviewed. There was a question regarding why the sidewalk that had been shown along the western side of the building is no longer included in the scope. DiNisco noted that it had been there for van drop-off, but it was determined that will not occur. It would not have provided access to the fields due to the steep grade. Instead, the access would be via the ramp/sidewalk on the other side of the building. Concern was raised that even though the crossing location is outside the wetland area, it is still often wet. This will be reviewed as the designs are coordinated.  An overview of the 3/24/2020 Working Group meeting was discussed, which included evacuation/construction logistics, fire alarm and fire protection systems, hardware, access control and security. The Police and Fire Chiefs and school administration all participated in this discussion and provided valuable input. The phasing plans were reviewed which include an initial phase for the early site enabling package, which has shifted into the fall under the current schedule. Provisions will be included in the contract documents to ensure Cashman is not impacted during the fence installation. It was noted that this will have the benefit of allowing the ballfields to remain in use through the summer season. The site work proposed around the Cashman school will be phased to happen during the summer 2021, so the building should not be planned to be used for summer school during that summer.  DiNisco presented updated perspective views and floorplans and noted further development of materials and floor plans to ensure constructability. The configuration of the project areas was revised as well as the stair access from the second floor to the roof. 6. Schedule Summary o NV5 reviewed the overall project schedule, noting that the early bid package start is now pushed into fall 2020 due to the permitting process expected to take longer than anticipated, but that it does not impact the overall schedule at this point. However, any further delay in the early bid package would begin to risk impacting the overall schedule. o The 60% CD Phase meeting schedule was also presented, highlighting upcoming Working Group meetings, Planning Board and Conservation meetings, cost estimating and culminating in the 60% CD submission to the MSBA scheduled for June 15, 2020. o Peter Hoyt asked Mayor Gove if all AESBC meetings going forward will be at 6:00 PM. Mayor Gove confirmed the consensus is to stick with 6:00 PM  Page 5 of 5 o DiNisco noted the continued Planning Board and Conservation Commission hearings are coming up, and it would be beneficial to have AESBC members in attendance to show project support and help respond to questions if needed. Mayor Gove noted that she will be attending and also summarized other initiatives being taken to communicate information to the public, including posting project materials on the City’s website. 7. Proposed Next Meeting Date o The next meeting of the AESBC will be on April 23, 2020 based on the general goal of holding monthly meetings on the 4th Thursday of each month. All AESBC meetings will now occur at 6:00 PM. 8. Other Business o Peter Hoyt asked Mayor Gove if her intention is to speak with the DPW about the sidewalk extension in the near future. Mayor Gove confirmed this is her intention. 9. Adjournment o Vote: Motion made by Nick Wheeler to adjourn the meeting at 7:57 PM. The motion was seconded by Paul Fahey and following a roll call vote, it passed unanimously. -End of Minutes- These meeting minutes were prepared by NV5. Please notify NV5 within 48 hours of receipt of this document regarding any required corrections or clarifications.