FINAL MINUTES
SENIOR CENTER BUILDING COMMITTEE
Meeting #6, December, 8, 2003
Present:
Karen Pressey – Chair, Neil Hegarty –Vice Chair, Walter Guertin – Treasurer, Lynne Doblin – Secretary, Penny Schafer, Phyl Solomon, Paul Maney, Patricia Brusch and Monique van Beek – Clerk (Recording).
Absent:
Susan Burgess, Rob Jones, Mary Ann Johnson and Nava Niv-Vogel.
Agenda:
Approval of previous minutes
Review of proposals
Determination of interview procedures and requirements
Scheduling of interviews
Karen Pressey called the meeting to order just after 7:00pm in the Selectman’s room at the Belmont Town Hall. Two citizens were present and introduced themselves at the request of the Chair.
Approval of Minutes
Minutes of the October 20, 2003 meeting were reviewed and unanimously approved. The Clerk was requested to submit approved minutes to Town staff for posting on the Town’s website.
Review of proposals
Ms. Pressey summarized the response to the Committee’s RFP. Forty-three people requested copies of the RFP, and 15 submissions were made on time. Two were submitted after the deadline and were therefore disqualified. Copies of the 15 proposals were distributed to the members of the Committee for consideration prior to tonight’s meeting. Ms. Pressey indicated that the group’s task was to select three or more finalists who would then be asked to come before the Committee for interviews in January 2004. The finalists would be ranked by the Committee and the top candidate would then enter into negotiations over the fee. If a fee could not be agreed upon, the Committee would then negotiate with its second choice, and so on.
The following firms submitted qualified proposals:
BH + A
Catlin & Associates
Court Street Architect
CSS Architect
DiMella, Shaffer
DiNisco Design Partnership
Gannet Flemming
Gorman, Richmond Architects
Graham/Meus
Kang Associates
Lamoureaux, Pagano
Office of Allen Lieb Architect
Robert Olson
Office of Michael Rosenfeld
Strekalovsky, Hoit, Raymond
The Chair suggested that each Committee member list their top 5 or 6 firms in a round robin to test the level of agreement. This process was followed and allowed several proposals to be eliminated for lack of support. Some Committee members had additional information on applicants which they shared for the group’s consideration. After extensive discussions and deliberations, the Committee finally agreed to ask the following seven firms to come in for an interview:
BH + A
Catlin & Associates
DiMella, Shaffer
DiNisco Design Partnership
Kang Associates
Rosenfeld
Strekalovsky, Hoit, Raymond
Committee Preparation for the Interviews
Paul Maney stated that the architect had to provide for the needs of the client, but the client must be sure what they want. He suggested that the better prepared the Committee is in its expectations, the better its decision would be. He expressed concerns about the as-yet undetermined use of the second floor of the building, stating that a 2-story building and a 1-story building are two completely different buildings, with different implications for sustainability and a whole host of other issues. He felt the Committee must be prepared for what he considered to be a very real possibility that the building would be reduced to a single story building. The committee should not have to start over if that happens as it very well may.
Ms. Pressey affirmed his concerns and noted that she had requested clarification from the Selectmen on this, only to have the issue remanded by the BOS to the Committee. Ms. Pressey stated that she has long felt that what makes the most sense for the second story is a branch library, but that is not currently on the table. Pat Brush raised the issue of whether the inclusion of a basement is the responsibility of the Committee, and noted that many issues would be left to the Committee to decide.
Lynne Doblin observed that whatever individual Committee members might think about the likelihood or desirability of a second story, the Committee’s mandate was and continues to be to design a Senior Center with a second story shell.
Determination of interview procedures and requirements
After thorough discussions by the committee Ms. Pressey confirmed the following guidelines for the interviews of the chosen candidates:
Candidates have to address the needs and criteria of the Belmont Senior Center (BSC) based on information supplied to them from prior studies.
A senior center with a second level with undetermined future use as well as a single story building has to be provided for.
Cost determination for sustainable design, including construction and maintenance of same, must be provided.
All participants working on the proposed project must be included in their presentation, as well as their consultants. Financial statements also have to be supplied if not already supplied with original proposal.
Strict adherence to the timeframes given for presentations.
Ms. Pressey confirmed the following process to be followed for the interviews:
20 minutes uninterrupted presentation by the candidate company
40 minutes for questions posed by committee to candidate.
20 minutes for final questions and comments by candidates.
Ms. Pressey asked Pat Brusch to provide a set of questions to launch discussions for interview questions. These questions would be supplied to all Committee members for comments and additions. Ms Pressey would then collate final questions for the interview sessions.
Scheduling of Interviews
The Committee decided on the following dates and times for interviews of the seven finalists:
6 January 2004 – 4pm to 10pm ( 3 interviews)
8 January 2004 – 6pm to 10pm (2 interviews)
13 January 2004- 5pm to ? (2 interviews and discussion)
Candidate interviews would be conducted in a reverse alphabetical order, subject to change based on scheduling conflicts. Strict adherence to timeframes set for the interviews will be required. Jane Fitzgerald should be contacted if the candidates have problems with the scheduled dates and times.
Ms. Pressey adjourned the meeting at 9:15pm.
Respectfully Submitted_________________________________
Lynne Doblin
Secretary
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