A Closer Look at Warrant Article 17: Town Garage Debt Exclusion Bond

Article 17 as it is Presented in the Warrant Report: "Motion is the Town appropriates sum of $10 million to be used with funds already appropriated, said sum shall be raised by borrowing, for the purpose of construction, equipping, furnishing and landscaping a new public works facility, including the cost of demolishing the existing town garage, and to authorize the Treasurer/Collector, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, to borrow in accordance with provisions of Paragraphs (3) and/or (3A) and/or (3B), Section 7, G.L. Chapter 44 or any other enabling statute, and to authorize the Board of Selectmen to apply for grants from Federal and/or State governments and/or private parties and to enter into contracts with designers, consultants and contractors to accomplish said purposes, provided that all appropriations authorized under the article be contingent upon approval of a so-called Proposition 2 ½ debt exclusion, in accordance with Chapter 59, Section 21C of the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, or do so act anything in relation thereto.”

Article 17 Passes Town Meeting:

Article 17, The debt exclusion bond for $10 million to build a new town garage complex , was the first of the three “controversial articles” to be discussed, chosen randomly by way of a lottery selection at 8:12 p.m. Public Works Superintendent Kenneth Feeney provided the forum with a 20-minute Powerpoint presentation on the condition of the current Town Garage, illustrating points in favor of a new facility.

At the conclusion of Feeney’s presentation, the forum was invited to ask questions about the article, which several residents did, voicing concern over the total cost of the project and if the building being proposed was the most cost effective for the town of Medfield.

The proposal also received mixed reaction from the Board of Selectmen as selectmen chair Osler “Pete” Peterson said the board had three separate views on the proposal.

“The selectmen unfortunately have three minds on this,” Peterson said. “There is no question that the Town Garage is in need of a replacement, it is in abysmal condition and the people who work there deserve better.”

Peterson questioned whether the process taken in choosing the proposed building was the right one and raised concern that the information being presented was new and to many being heard for the first time.

“The issue for me is more of a process issue in terms of the way that this information has been presented to the town,” Peterson said. “My process issue is that we are getting details of this project [Monday] and we are getting a lot of figures. We don’t have those figures in writing, in front of us … I think that this process should have happened with this information provided to the town ahead of time so the town could have had a discussion amongst itself as to whether this is the project that we want. It is very difficult to pick apart al the details at a Town Meeting like this.”

Selectman Ann Thompson said she saw “both sides” of the argument and could not decide which stance she would favor.

“I have to agree with what Pete said but on the other hand I talked to Mark [Fisher] at our meeting before this and understand what he said,” Thompson said. “We definitely need a new building, there is no question in my mind, but I do know so many foreclosures going on and people having trouble paying their regular bills. As much as I appreciate the Highway Department and everything they do, I am not sure I can vote for it. Unless, one of you guys can convince me one way or the other, I’m still in the middle, I can see both sides of this one.”

Selectman Mark Fisher took Thompson’s request and explained why he was in favor of the proposal.

“The permanent building committee has been working on the garage for quite a few years here and I have gone to most of their meetings and they have discussed many of the things [that have been questioned],” Fisher said. “I feel very comfortable that they have gone through that process and the folks on the committee are all experts in the fields and all work in trades. As far as timing goes, yes, the economy is not very good right now and we all understand that a lot of folks are really hurting here but understand that even if you approve the building [Monday], it is not going to have an impact on anyone’s taxes for at least a year, maybe two years because as Ken explained as far as the timing, it has got to go out to bid and then the construction would not begin until next spring, we have to borrow the money and then the payments will start. There’s quite a bit of time delay here before it will have an impact on your taxes. We would hope that the economy and everyone feeling better about their financial situation in two years from now.”

Fisher further discussed the timing of this project, as other buildings throughout town will need to be replaced in the coming years.

“There are other buildings that we have to keep on track and looking at in town,” Fisher said. “The police and fire station are going to have to be addressed at some point in the fairly near future and it’s important to us to keep on track and keep working on continually upgrading the town’s infrastructures so we don’t have things pile up and you get hit with a tremendous tax burden at once. We ran into this problem when we ended up doing the library and the Town Hall at the same time and then right after, the schools came. You have to have a commitment to keep plugging away and moving forward.”

Town Administrator Mike Sullivan said he knows it is time to replace the Town Garage because it has been in Medfield as long as he has – which has been 36 years of service, making Sullivan the longest serving town administrator in the state, according to Peterson.

“It is a good time to do it,” Sullivan said. “Low interest rates, low construction costs and the town’s position to handle its debt [make this a good time for this project]. We are rapidly facing a time of increased material costs and if you don’t think Japan is going to affect us in terms of steel and concrete look at what happened with China. Japan is going to need all the steel and concrete it can get.”

After all arguments were heard, the majority of the forum was in favor of the plan and voted to pass the override at Town Meeting with a 2/3 majority vote by show of hands after McDermott could not determine the outcome verbally.

FAQ About the Proposed Public Works Facility:

• Q: Why is the building masonry not metal? A: A metal building has long-term maintenance problems. In particular, heavy machinery can damage panels. The architectural firm evaluated both metal (with partial knee wall masonry) and masonry. They found 100 percent masonry added at most a 2 percent increase.
• Q: Why has the building been sited at the current location? A: All available locations have been evaluated and found not to be suitable. 
• Q: Why are there so many doors? A: The garage has 18 parking bays, one truck by and three mechanics' bays with two truck lifts. This equals a total of 22 bays for 40 pieces of 40 major equipment. The bays are designed so the equipment can drive in and then out without backing up. The operators will not have to jockey the equipment in a central corridor and we do not have to heat this central corridor. This minimizes damages and increases safety. 
• Q: Instead of having a heated space, what about just a covered space with block heaters? A: Block heaters are fine for the diesel engines but they do not warm the air brakes, hydraulics or melt the snow from the machinery. Block heaters draw 1,500 watts, so if all trucks were supplied with block heaters, the garage would be drawing 60,000 watts of electricity per hour. 
• Q: What about high humidity conditions in the bays during the winter? A: The bays are provided with heat exchangers and fresh air makes up units which will prevent the high humidity conditions. 
• Q: What will this cost an average home owner? A: If approved, construction would begin in March 2012, would be finished by December 2012, and would cost the average homeowner $225.76 a year in additional taxes.  “The average cost of a house in Medfield, according to the Assessor’s office, is $564,400,” said Town Administrator Michael Sullivan. “The first full year of the debt service on a $10 million bond issue for the town garage is estimated at $900,000 ($500,000 principal and $400,000 interest).  This would result in a 40-cent increase in the tax rate which would amount to an increase of $225.76 on the average home."
• Q: Besides the highway department, who else will use the building? A: The police and fire departments will use the building for backup radio equipment, school department maintenance staff will have an office, storage and bays; the sewer, cemetery and landfill departments will have offices and storage; there will be storage for plans from the building department, and a central computer server room for the town. 
• Q: What happens if we don't do anything? A: Sooner rather than later the existing garage will cease to be functional. When this happens, the town will have to scramble to quickly bid and build a new garage. Chances are we will be in a more expensive construction and interest rate environment. 

With the Article 17 override being passed at Town Meeting, the Board of Selectmen called for a May 23 Special Election for residents to vote “Yes” or “No” on these two questions in a paper ballot election. The deadline for registering to vote for the May 23 election is on Tuesday, May 3. Town Hall offices will be open until 8 p.m. on May 3 for residents to register.