The purpose of the Permanent Building Committee is to provide a resource for, and to give advice to, all building committees. In addition, the Permanent Building Committee oversees all building projects with a projected cost of $50,000 or greater, and reviews all building projects with a projected cost of under $50,000.
The Permanent Building Committee has been involved in the following projects during 2007.
Joel Mooney, Karen Pressey, and Pat Brusch continue to serve on the Wellington Building Committee. The 7 year moratorium on school building projects ended on July 1, 2007 and the Town of Belmont submitted both the Welllington School and the Belmont High School to the Mass. School Building Authority (MSBA) as projects ready to receive approval for reimbursement. The MSBA received 426 project requests and so required each community to prioritize projects, indicating that they would consider only one project per town in the first round of funding.
The Belmont School Committee submitted Wellington School as the number one project and, as of now, the MSBA and Town of Belmont are actively working through the new MSBA process. It is hoped that this project will be before the voters for a debt exclusion vote in 2008.
Bob McLaughlin, Bill Shea, and Bill Lovallo continue to work on the completed Fire Station project. There are some punch list items that remain, and the building committee is hoping to be finished with this project in the very near future.
Karen Pressey and Rob Jones continue to serve on the Senior Center Building Committee. The project went out to bid in the fall of 2007 and the Building Committee awarded the contract to Groom Construction. Construction on this long-awaited facility is expected to begin in the spring of 2008 with completion in late spring 2009.
Stephen Sala consulted with the building departments of both the School Dept. and the Town on several roof, building envelope, and window projects.
Stephen Sala is working with the Library Trustees on a project which will renovate the circulation area in the main library. It is anticipated that this work will be done in spring 2008.
Karen Pressey continued her work on the Cemetery Building Committee which completed its work in the fall 2007.
Pat Brusch is working with the Town Administrator and Building Committee Counsel to resolve certain issues resulting from the Town Hall Complex project.
Bill Lovallo and Pat Brusch represent the Permanent Building Committee on the Police Station Feasibility Study Committee. This committee is advisory to the Board of Selectmen and is looking at how to handle the building need of the Police Department. It is anticipated that this study will be complete in the spring of 2008.
The Permanent Building Committee welcomed Bill Lovallo as a member of this group in June 2007. We would also like to thank Rob Jones for his many years of service on this committee.
Respectfully submitted,
Patricia Brusch, Chairman
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