During calendar year 2007 the Building Services Department has continued its goal of providing maintenance and repair to the Town's buildings. Many operational repairs and improvements were made as part of routine preventative maintenance. Information regarding some of the larger projects as well as some of the capital projects that were accomplished are as follows.
Town Hall Complex - The War Memorial/Flag pole was given a facelift with the installation of up lighting for the flag pole and new plantings. Thanks go to the Belmont Garden Club for donating the plants and their time to improve the plantings.
The planting bed on the Concord Ave. side of the Homer Municipal Building was completely re-designed and replanted. This project included moving the up lighting back away from curb to prevent cars from bumping into the fixtures, removing construction debris from the beds, and replanting with more maintenance friendly plants along with the necessary loam and mulch. Thanks go to Joy Bittner of the Belmont Garden Club for her assistance.
In conjunction with the Disability Access Commission and the Town Hall Complex Building Committee, a plan was developed and approved for the installation of TTY (hearing impaired) phones in the Homer Municipal Building, Town Hall, and the Police Station. This plan also includes new processes to make emergency calls to all Town 24 hour departments and operations including Public Works, Light Department, etc.
Town Hall - In conjunction with the Belmont Drama Club the department is working to install a lighting system for the Auditorium stage. An architect has been retained to design the structures necessary to hang the lights. The funding for this project is coming from the Belmont Drama Club.
Drainage issues in the drive lane in front of the Town Hall are being addressed with the hiring of a landscape architect and the assistance of the Department of Public Works. A drain will be installed over Memorial Day Weekend 2008.
The two main doors were removed on August 14th and were re-installed the last week in December and became fully functional January 2nd. The doors were in dire need of repair and turned out to be in much worse shape than originally estimated. The doors have been worked on several different times, but they really need specialized professional care. The Town Hall Complex Building Committee funded the repair to the amount of $16,562.00. Thanks to the Historic District Commission, for their advice in the selection of a professional door restoration vendor.
At the request of the Board of Selectmen a projector was installed in the Board of Selectmen's Chamber. This will allow Town committees as well as the public a better way to view multimedia.
Belmont Police Station - the Board of Selectmen appointed a feasibility study committee in July and an architect was recommended and approved by the Board of Selectmen in September. Interviews of key personnel have been conducted and site review in now underway. A final report is scheduled to be submitted to the Board of Selectmen early in 2008.
Homer Municipal Building - A new HVAC unit was installed to assist in cooling the data room. The original 2 ton unit was replaced with a 6 ton unit after heat loads for the server and telephone equipment were determined. The new unit came at the cost of $19,000.
The department hired a DDC control vendor to assist in diagnosing the many HVAC control issues the building has experienced. After their initial investigation into the system they determined that the controls that were originally installed as well as the systems programming was done incorrectly. This work is being completed for $22,350. More mechanical work is required to get the HVAC system working correctly. This work is being planned for the 2009 fiscal year after more consultation with our mechanical consultant. This should result in greater comfort in the building and some energy savings.
The stairwell appeal to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has been denied. The decision will require the installation of fire gates at the first floor level of both the main stairwell and the fire exit stairwell. The variance for the stair risers has been approved on the condition of some remedial work laid out by our architectural consultant.
Roof and Envelope Program - the department continued this program for 2007. After consultation from our roof and envelope architect, the Police Station and the Town Yard garage and sign shop roofs were fully or partially re-roofed. The roof repair began in October and was nearly completed by late December. Some additional work is required for the Police Department main entrance involve gutter replacement and fascia board replacement.
The department also assisted the American Red Cross on two separate occasions in hosting a blood drive in the Homer Municipal Building Gallery. The department also assisted in coordinating the FOX25 Zip Trip that came to Belmont. Thanks to all that made that televised event a huge success.
All interior and exterior windows were cleaned at the Town Hall, Homer Building, Police Station and both fire stations. In some cases this was the first time in 10 years that they had been cleaned.
Senior Center - The department reviewed plans of the building and submitted suggestion to the Senior Center Building Committee.
Respectfully submitted,
Wm. Kevin Looney, Manager
| 
