Minutes
Quincy School Committee
Facilities, Security & Transportation Subcommittee Meeting ~ October 23, 2019
A meeting of the Facilities, Security & Transportation Subcommittee was held on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at 6:15 pm in the Coddington Building. Present were Mr. Anthony Andronico, Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mr. Doug Gutro, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mrs. Emily Lebo, and Mr. James DeAmicis, Chair. Also attending were Superintendent DeCristofaro, Deputy Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Mr. Robert Cavallo, Ms. Maura Papile, Ms. Erin Perkins, Ms. Madeline Roy, Mr. Keith Segalla; Public Buildings Commissioner Paul Hines; Quincy Education Association President Allison Cox; and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
Public Buildings Commissioner Paul Hines presented an updated on Capital Improvement Plan projects for the Quincy Public Schools. The Department has secured the services of designers and engineers to facilitate the 41 projects on the plan recently approved by the Quincy City Council. Due to the delay in securing funding until Fall 2019, school paving concerns will be addressed in Summer 2020. A comprehensive review of paving needs for School and Fire Department sites has led to prioritization and design plans have been completed so that the procurement process can be completed and contracts finalized prior to the end of the school year.
Replacement of boilers at Quincy High School has been completed and the domestic hot water boilers will be replaced over the course of the school year. At Lincoln Hancock, there is $500,000 for design to revamp the electrical and heating systems (currently heat is electric). At Broad Meadows, there is funding for design to move the utilities from the crawl space to the first floor of the building. There is $500,000 for flooring replacement at Atherton Hough, Point Webster, and other school sites. In some cases, this will address removal of asbestos floor tiles. Mechanical hood units for Atherton Hough are being replaced. At Snug Harbor, the 2nd floor rest rooms were completely gutted and rebuilt in Summer 2019. The Capital Improvement Plan has funding to renovate student rest rooms at Atherton Hough, Wollaston, and an additional set of rest rooms at Snug Harbor. At Snug Harbor, there is $100,000 for masonry repairs. At the Della Chiesa Early Childhood Center, the HVAC system and unit ventilators needs to be replaced; $200,000 for design. $50,000 for design of new electrical system for the Montclair Elementary School. The funding to complete both these projects would be in subsequent Capital Improvement Plans, along with classroom finish upgrades.
Mr. Hines said that the City of Quincy has applied for a $250,000 grant from the state to assist with elevator renovations and paving at Snug Harbor for ADA compliance.
Lockers at Wollaston will be replaced and lockers at Point Webster will be repaired or replaced through the Capital Improvement Plan. Point Webster lockers will be installed by the end of February vacation, with part of the building completed during the December vacation. There is an eight week lead time for manufacturing. The Wollaston gymnasium roof will also be replaced. At North Quincy High School, funding to replace flooring, ceiling tiles, and painting throughout the building is provided in the Capital Improvement Plan. The design of the security upgrade for the front lobby is completed along with the design for the masonry repairs needed to the outside envelope of North Quincy High School.
Shades for Quincy High School and Central Middle School will be replaced on south-facing windows as these require room darkening. The final school-related item in the Capital Improvement Plan is $130,000 for durable Custodial equipment.
Mrs. Hubley asked about a timeline for the bathroom replacement at Atherton Hough. Mr. Hines said the goal would be Summer 2020 for the 1st floor. Mrs. Hubley asked about the paving at Snug Harbor. Mr. Hines said a small area was completed in Summer 2018, but the front area of the school is the priority for redesign and repaving in Summer 2020.
Mr. Bregoli said the back parking lot/basketball court area in Snug Harbor needs to be addressed. Mr. Hines said this project will be coordinated with the Parks Department. Mr. Bregoli asked about the Quincy High School boilers and the expected life span on the boilers. Mr. Hines said these are high-efficiency boilers and have a two-year warranty with a 10-15 year life span. Mr. Bregoli asked about the revamped heating system at Lincoln Hancock. Mr. Hines said that hot water is the most likely plan and this could be a much more cost-efficient way to heat the building. There is also a geothermal well on the site, the original intention was for this to heat the pool water. The Lincoln Hancock electrical room is not code-compliant. Mr. Bregoli said that the Atlantic and Broad Meadows lockers are also in need of replacement, Mr. Hines agreed that these would be projects for future Capital Improvement Plan and he will secure cost estimates that will include refurbishing the gymnasium locker rooms at these two schools.
Mr. Hines will share the paving assessment document with School Committee.
Mr. Hines said that Mayor Koch is mindful that to keep parity at the middle school level, Atlantic and Broad Meadows need a number of upgrades. Point Webster was renovated in 1999 and South~West and Central are new buildings, while Atlantic and Broad Meadows are from the 1950s.
Mr. Bregoli asked about the chillers at North Quincy High School, the replacement is complete and will be commissioned in the spring when the weather gets warmer. Mr. Bregoli asked about the North Quincy High School Auditorium renovation. Mr. Hines confirmed that this project is still in the queue and now that the designer on call has been procured, this project should make some progress. Mr. Bregoli reminded School Committee that Mr. Hines is also ultimately responsible for all of the public buildings in Quincy.
Mr. Gutro thanked Mr. Hines for the progress on the HVAC issues at Clifford Marshall; Mr. Hines said there is still some insulation to be completed. The condensation issue was only evident in 10% of the areas as compared to past years. Mr. Gutro asked about School Committee’s role in the Capital Improvement Plan development process, School Committee is looking to have a role in the development of future lists. Mr. Gutro asked about locker requirements, there are no rules or guidelines about ratios.
Mrs. Lebo asked for clarification about the placement of lockers and Mr. Hines said he is working with Principal Barrett about appropriate placement so that lockers are placed near the students who will be using them.
Mr. Hines said that School Committee participation in the Capital Improvement Plan would be advisory as the priority list may include items that school staff or parents would not necessarily be aware of, such as masonry and boilers.
Dr. DeCristofaro said that School Improvement Plans surface the issues that principals and school staff are aware of but through their Maintenance work, Public Buildings has an awareness of the school building mechanicals that the Principals cannot.
Mrs. Lebo asked about the length of the Capital Improvement Plan funding. Mr. Hines said that it varies, can be one or two years. The goal is to go back in Spring 2020 to ask for additional funding based on the design work completed during this school year. Mrs. Lebo is looking for the flexibility to address an issue that comes up during the school year, especially if it is a safety issue. Mr. Hines said things come up, for example the Broad Meadows expenses related to flooding were paid for with funds that had been allocated for North Quincy High School in the Capital Improvement Plan.
Mr. Andronico asked about a timeline for the North Quincy High School security improvements. Mr. Hines said that the exterior design is complete; the windows and doors will be modified by the original contractor. The Building Department needed to verify the changes would still meet code, that process is completed. The interior design is being worked on currently. The goal is for the project to be completed by February vacation.
Mr. Gutro requested updates to Capital Improvement Plan to specify where costs were higher than projected or when shifts happen to address emergency issues.
Mr. Gutro made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:10 pm. Mr. Gutro seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.