Canton, Massachusetts · Saved source text
Recommendations of the Finance Committee to the Voters of Canton for the Special Town Meeting on December 12, 2018
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Source page 1
Recommendations of the Finance Committee
to the Voters of Canton, Massachusetts
2018
TOWN OF CANTON
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.
Morse Auditorium
Canton High School
900 Washington Street, Canton
Study this report and come to Special Town Meeting.
Bring this report with you.
YOUR VOTE at Special Town Meeting is important
because it establishes the priorities for our schools,
public works, public safety, town government and
future direction for our environment.
The Town, upon request, will endeavor, to the
greatest extent possible, to make available any
and all visual and audio devices and assistance for
the disabled. For more information, please call
781-821-5000.Source page 2
Special Town Meeting December 12, 2018
Town of Canton
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Norfolk, ss
To the Constables of the Town of Canton,
Greetings:
In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts you are hereby required to notify and warn the
inhabitants of the Town of Canton to meet at Morse Auditorium, on the grounds of the Canton High
School, 900 Washington Street in said town on;
WEDNESDAY, THE TWELFTH DAY
OF DECEMBER 2018
At seven-o’clock (7:00 P.M.) in the evening at which time and place the following articles are to be acted
upon:
ARTICLE 1
ADOPT THE RULES TO GOVERN SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
Article 1 To see if the town will vote to adopt certain procedures to govern the conduct of the
2018 Special Town Meeting, or to take any other action related thereto.
Board of Selectmen
MOTION 1
MOVED: That this 2018 Special Town Meeting shall meet on Wednesday,
December 12, 2018 and if necessary on Monday, December 17, 2018 in the Morse
Auditorium, on the grounds of the Canton High School until the business of this
Special Town Meeting has been concluded, each such session to begin at 7:00
o’clock P.M. and to adjourn at 11:00 o’clock P.M., or as near that hour as may be
feasible, according to the nature of the business pending at the said hour.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 6-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee recommends adoption of this motion as it formalizes
procedures that have been followed by Special Town Meetings in the past.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
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Special Town Meeting December 12, 2018
MOTION 2
MOVED: That the following individuals be granted all of the rights and
privileges of participation in this Special Town Meeting, except the right to vote,
under any article of this warrant which affects matters within their jurisdiction:
Charles Aspinwall, Town Administrator
Andrea Berardi, Deputy Director, Parks & Recreation
Paul R. DeRensis, Town Counsel
Jennifer Fischer-Mueller, Superintendent of Schools
Elizabeth Francis, Director, Parks & Recreation
Tom Houston, Professional Services Corporation, PC
Neil Joyce, Senior Project Manager, CMS (Construction Monitoring Services)
OPM for Rink (Owner’s Project Manager)
Louis Jutras, Information Systems Manager
Karen Lawlor, Administrative Assistant, Canton Planning Board
Thad Leugemors, Mitigation and Disaster Recovery Section Chief, MEMA
(Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency)
Scott Lubker, Project Manager, CMS (Construction Monitoring Services)
OPM for Rink (Owner’s Project Manager)
Brian Lynch, Facility Director
Stephen Lynch, Representative in Congress
James Murgia, Finance Director
Barry Nectow, School Business Administrator
Andrew Poliferno, Disaster Recovery Programs Coordinator, MEMA
(Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency)
Helena Rafferty, Deputy Police Chief
Tom Scarlata, Principal, Bargmann Hendrie & Archetype, Inc. (BH+A)
(Architect for Rink)
Laura Smead, Town Planner
Barbara Thissell, Town Engineer
Walter Timilty, State Senator
Michael Trotta, Superintendent of Public Works
Diane Tynan, Director of Council on Aging
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 6-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee recommends adoption of this motion as it allows key
non-resident officials and consultants to legally participate in the Special Town Meeting and it
formalizes procedures that have been followed by Special Town Meetings in the past.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
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Special Town Meeting December 12, 2018
ARTICLE 2
METROPOLIS RINK APPROPRIATION
Article 2 To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or to transfer from available
funds, or to authorize the Town Treasurer, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, to
borrow (and to issue bonds or notes therefore) any sum or sums of money, or by any
combination of these methods of financing as may be necessary or desirable, and furthermore,
any premium received by the Town upon the sale of any bonds or notes approved by this
vote, less any such premium applied to the payment of the costs of issuance of such bonds or
notes, may be applied to the payment of costs approved by this vote in accordance with
Chapter 44, Section 20 of the General Laws, thereby reducing the amount authorized to be
borrowed or to pay such costs by a like amount, thereby making available funds for the
purposes of designing, permitting, environmental cleanup, reconstructing, constructing,
repairing and equipping of the Metropolis Rink located at 2167 Washington Street, Canton, MA
02021, and to authorize the Board of Selectmen to accept and the Building Renovations
Committee to expend, any and all insurance proceeds received for such project, and to
authorize the Board of Selectmen to accept and the Building Renovations Committee to
expend, any grants, gifts, or Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursements
received therefore. Further, the Board of Selectmen shall be authorized to extend the existing
lease of the Metropolis Rink with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, set to expire
on June 30, 2030, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Board of Selectmen, or to take
any other action in relation thereto.
Board of Selectmen for the Capital Planning Committee
MOVED: That the Town Treasurer, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen,
be authorized to borrow Seven Million Eight Hundred Thousand Dollars ($7,800,000)
and that any premium received by the Town upon the sale of said bonds or notes,
less any such premium applied to the payment of the costs of issuance of such bonds
or notes, be applied to the payment of costs approved by this vote in accordance
with Chapter 44, Section 20 of the General Laws, thereby reducing the amount
borrowed or to pay such costs by a like amount, thereby making available funds for
the purposes of designing, permitting, environmental cleanup, reconstructing,
constructing, repairing and equipping of the Metropolis Rink located at 2167
Washington Street, Canton, MA 02021, and that the Board of Selectmen be
authorized to accept and the Building Renovations Committee expend, any and all
insurance proceeds received for such project, and that the Board of Selectmen be
authorized to accept and the Building Renovations Committee expend, any grants,
gifts, or Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursements received,
and that the Board of Selectmen be authorized to extend the existing lease of the
Metropolis Rink with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, set to expire
on June 30, 2030, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Board of Selectmen.
FINANCE COMMITTEE VOTE: 6-0-0
DISCUSSION: The Finance Committee voted unanimously to approve $7.8 million to
reconstruct and renovate the Metropolis Rink.
The state-owned and town-leased and operated Metropolis Rink partially collapsed on
February 28, 2015, and thereafter closed indefinitely. Following this unexpected event, there
was a long process of negotiation with state officials and considerable study to determine a
wise course of action. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)
that oversees state owned ice rinks has chosen not to fund this project but has allowed the
town of Canton to proceed on its own. Due to this long but necessary process, time is now of
the essence to proceed with this project in order to maximize the availability of additional
insurance funds that expire on February 28, 2019.
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Special Town Meeting December 12, 2018
Study has shown that the current building, which was severely damaged by the partial
structural failure, also has many code and safety deficiencies and its mechanical systems are
either too old to efficiently rehabilitate or have been damaged by the long-term exposure to
the unheated conditions that followed the incident. The project would selectively demolish and
rebuild the rink area of the building while retaining the foundation and the connected concrete
service wings that house offices, restrooms, locker rooms, and other support spaces, which
will be upgraded and renovated during the project. The rink must be rebuilt on-site and, due
to site limitations, must use the same footprint as the existing 1971 structure.
The proposed reconstruction and renovation project at Metropolis Rink has a total estimated
cost of $10.3 million which would be paid from multiple sources. The structure was insured
when it collapsed and the town retains $2,000,000 in insurance funds that cannot be used for
any other municipal purpose other than rebuilding the rink; in the event the Town does not
approve re-building costs, these funds will be given to the state, as it owns the rink.
The Town also received a $500,000 insurance payment for the loss of income that resulted
from the rink’s post-collapse closure, which could be put to the project. Should the town
proceed on the project prior to the end of February 2019, an additional $2 million may become
available from the insurance company that includes $1,000,000 in the form of funds held back
by the insurance company pending a decision on whether to proceed with the rink project and
another $1,000,000 to complete necessary code upgrades to the facility.
In addition, as the rink collapse was related to a storm event that was considered a weather
emergency, the town could be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
funding, which appears attainable at this time. If FEMA determines that the costs to repair the
rink exceed 50% of the costs to replace the rink, FEMA will fund 75% of the replacement costs
(approximately $4 million) not covered by insurance proceeds.
Should the special town meeting approve the project for $7.8 million, which includes
approximately 10% contingency funds, the actual cost to the town would depend upon the
availability of FEMA funding. Should FEMA not approve funding, the cost to the town would be
approximately $5.8 million which would likely require a debt exclusion override. However, if
FEMA does approve funding, the cost to the town would likely be approximately $1.5 million
(25% of the total), which could be paid from the rink enterprise fund’s future revenue stream.
While the current lease that both requires the town to maintain the rink and requires the state
to allow the rink to operate currently expires in 2030, the DCR appears willing to extend the
term of that lease by more than twenty years (through July 1, 2051), which will make a town
investment in the rink more stable. As the land and building are state-owned, no other
municipal uses for the site are possible.
At the Finance Committee’s meeting on October 23rd, representatives from Canton Youth
Hockey made it clear that a town-operated rink is still needed. This project is a unique
opportunity for the Town of Canton to reestablish and operate a public rink for a greatly
reduced construction cost to the Town than would otherwise be possible while providing an
affordable public skating option to residents, Canton Public Schools and local organizations.
APPROVED__________DISAPPROVED__________
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Special Town Meeting December 12, 2018
NOTES:
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Special Town Meeting December 12, 2018
NOTES:
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PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT NO. 20
CANTON, MA
FINANCE COMMITTEE
TOWN HALL
801 WASHINGTON STREET
CANTON, MA 02021
CAR-RT SORT
RESIDENT
CANTON, MA 02021