7/25/2019 CPC Simes House budget objections
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January 12, 2016
Melissa Arrighi, Town ManagerBoard of SelectmenBuilding
Committee
e! "lans for Simes #ouse
$ear Melissa!
The Community "reser%ation Committee feels that o&tion A
isdramatically di'erent from what was originally recommended to
TownMeeting under Art 16A( The Committee %oted on January 11thto
urge
the Town Manager, Board of Selectmen and the Building
Committeenot to su&&ort o&tion A at this time( The
Committee )elie%es it is&remature to mo%e forward with
*&tion A(
Below are our concerns with Option A(
The Simes #ouse must )e self+sustaining( By not )uilding a
itchen,which can su&&ort functions, we undermine the income
ca&a)ilities ofthe )uilding(
educing s-uare footage reduces the real estate &otential of
the
&ro&erty( .ess s-uare footage means less income( The
Committee isnot su&&orti%e of s&ending /,200,000(00 on
reno%ations to a )uildingthat could )e a nancial )urden to maintain
and o&erate(
The historical and architectural integrity of the )uilding will
)ecom&romised( By not )uilding the addition for the ele%ator
and stairsyou would need to demolish the )ac of the )uilding to
accommodatemo%ing the ele%ator and stairs into the )uilding( This
would createmore historical destruction than &reser%ation(
C"A Article 16A, which was recommended to all Town Meeting )y
the
C"C, is not re3ected in o&tion A( The changes are so
di'erent from theC"C recommendation, it undermines the committee4s
original Article(5t also undermines the C"A Statute4s re-uirement
that only the C"C canmae recommendations to Town Meeting for C"A
e&enditures( TheC"C maes these recommendation though it4s
a&&lication &rocesswhich is an additional re-uirement
under the C"A Statute(Our suggested solutions!
7/25/2019 CPC Simes House budget objections
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The C"C at this time is &ro&osing to re%isit the
original cost estimate,which was &re&ared for all Town
Meeting 7the "M e&ort8( The&ur&ose is to re+estimate
the &ro9ect )y remo%ing as much as can )eremo%ed( This eercise
needs to )e &re&ared in writing( :e are calling
this o&tion B(
*ur ho&e is that the woring grou& can im&ro%e
o&tion A and &roducean u&dated cost estimate on
o&tion B( The C"C is willing to utili;e itadministration fund
for this inde&endent eamination of cost( :ith allthe
information a%aila)le we as a community can mae a
)etterdecision(
Sincerely,
Community "reser%ation CommitteeBill
