Published December 13, 2019

MELROSE — On Thursday, December 12, Mayor Paul Brodeur announced the release of the Capital Improvement Program Report, which outlines an extensive list of 66 capital investment needs across the entire city. In creating the report, the Capital Improvement Committee singled out 14 projects that they categorized as the most urgent:

• City Hall generator

• Beebe School renovations

• Central Fire Station rear apparatus floor

• Self-contained breathing apparatus

• Front-line fire apparatus

• Library renovation

• Public Safety Building

• Memorial Hall envelope repairs

• School security improvements

• Salt Shed replacement

• Middle School security

• Roof replacements – Phase I (immediate repairs)

• Melrose High School bathrooms/third floor – Phase I planning

• Lebanon/Sylvan drainage replacement

The report recommends that the Mayor’s administration develop a funding plan for these 14 projects.

“I am pleased to support the hard work of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Committee, which resulted in this comprehensive analysis of the City’s capital needs” said Mayor Brodeur. “The need to take a proactive approach to investing in city infrastructure is a theme that I highlighted throughout my campaign and I look forward to working with the City Council to identify the funds required to make these urgent investments and deliver on my promise to the community.”

Capital improvements are defined as major, non-recurring expenditures that cost $25,000 or more and have a useful life or five or more years. They are funded outside the regular operating budget through borrowing or, for large projects, a debt exclusion.

For this report, department heads were asked to identify capital projects and to project their needs out over a five-year period. “It is important to plan ahead so major expenditures can be accommodated within the city’s financial means, said Planning Director Denise Gaffey. “Furthermore, it is critical to the process to convene the committee on an annual basis to make sure the list is current, and the priorities reflect the most important needs in the community. It is a dynamic process and to be most effective we need to regularly review and prioritize existing and future needs.”

The CIP Program was first developed and implemented in fiscal year 1995 and has been successful in helping the City identify where it should allocate capital funds by prioritizing projects. Over the past 25 years, roughly 170 projects have been funded at an estimated cost of $132 million. Projects have ranged from the construction of two new elementary schools and a new middle school to funding a Council on Aging van.

The FY 2020 CIP Committee was composed of the Planning Director, City Auditor, City Treasurer, Interim Public Works Director, Energy Efficiency Manager along with City Councilor John Tramontozzi, School Committee Member Ed O’Connell and Community Representative Lisa Lewis. The Committee met several times over the past four months to interview Department Heads and discuss then rank each project.

“It was great to be a part of this comprehensive and objective process and to witness the importance that city department heads place in advocating for the community’s capital needs” stated community representative Lisa Lewis. “It is important for the public to understand the many capital needs in our City and to feel confident that the City is making the most of the taxpayers’ resources. This process reflected these objectives and I encourage City officials to support the investments that are highlighted in the CIP Report.”

The complete FY2020 CIP Report is available on the City’s website at https://www.cityofmelrose.org/office-planning-and-community-development/news/fy2020-capital-improvement-program-report