Town Meeting puts Kenney Field bathrooms on hold

Published in the October 20, 2016 edition

By BOB TUROSZ

NORTH READING — Restrooms and a new concession stand at the high school’s Arthur Kenney turf field will have to wait for at least a full construction season as town officials admitted they lacked a coherent plan and passed over the article at Town Meeting Monday night.

Speaking for the School Committee, Cliff Bowers said they were disappointed the project could not move ahead at Town Meeting because it is necessary. “The development has been a little slower than we would like and we don’t have a plan that is coherent at a price that makes sense.”

On Wednesday, Oct. 12, the Selectmen, School Committee and Finance Committees held a joint meeting to attempt to all get on the same page regarding the restroom project in order to make a recommendation at Town Meeting. (See other story, this issue). After a lengthy meeting, the Selectmen and School Committee came down in favor of a $688,000 project to build a combined restroom and concession stand facility and the Finance Committee favored a less expensive plan.

Fast forward to Monday night when the three boards met again prior to Town Meeting to try to agree on a financing plan for the project. It’s fair to say all three boards were appalled to learn the cost estimates had risen $110,000 – to $798,000 in just four days, leading to a lot of confusion. Although reluctant to put off the project for a full construction season because they know prices will be higher in 2017, board members felt they couldn’t bring the bring the project to Town Meeting at this time.

Part of the reason for the increase in price may have been that the size of the building had grown from 736 sq. feet discussed on Wednesday to 939 square feet on Monday and a vent hood for the kitchen area with fire suppression capability was added.

Architect Andrea Willett explained that additional storage and a cooking vent are expensive. She said the vent hood was added because of what the menu might entail and anything prepared in the concession stand that creates a grease vapor requires a vent hood with fire suppression, she said.

Even so, that didn’t seem to explain the entire 16 percent cost increase in the project since the previous Wednesday night, which is why the committees decided to postpone the article.

“I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this,” said Selectman Stephen O’Leary, who supported the combined restrooms and concession stand facility. “For less than 300 additional square feet of storage and $13,500 worth of venting and fire suppression, this seems like an exponential increase. I’m an advocate and even I’m having a hard time. There’s doubt as to whether the numbers work. If we’re going to propose something to Town Meeting, it has to be concrete.”

Confusion led to indecision and frustration as the three boards knew that they didn’t have a lot of time to reach a decision because Town Meeting would begin shortly.

With an air of frustration, Selectman Chairman Robert Mauceri announced the only option he could support at that point was the cheapest plan, to convert the present team room building into restrooms, for about $434,000 and do nothing about the concession stand.

“We’re going down the wrong path. We have no obligation for a concession stand and these numbers are all over the place. The only thing I can support tonight is supplying the bathrooms we need for the field and we get the job done. The concession stand can wait. It’s not the town’s responsibility for the concession stand,” Mauceri said.

But School Committee Mel Webster said this suggestion – called Option B – involves tearing up the team room building that is only two years old and the School Committee won’t support that.

O’Leary said he would not be in favor of tearing into a two–year–old building and retrofitting it for restrooms, either.

The Finance Committee favored the bathrooms–only, retrofitted into the team room building because the town’s finances going forward in fiscal 2018 look to be very tight, said Chairman Abby Hurlbut.

Selectman Mike Prisco suggested pushing the project off until June Town Meeting. “I don’t like to do this, but there’s so much new information and no consensus. If we go to Town Meeting like this, it’s not going to go over well.”

The project will be remanded to the Athletic Facilities Subcommittee for further study. There’s still about $30,000 available for engineering studies and the issue will be back before Town Meeting in June.