Municipal Buildings Advisory Committee (MBAC)

Overview

The Municipal Buildings Advisory Committee (MBAC) is responsible for creating a plan and/or strategy for the coordination of specific investments for capital improvements and general maintenance of key Town Buildings and properties that support public services to the residents and visitors of Salem.

Meetings

• WHEN? The Municipal Buildings Advisory Committee (MBAC) meets on an as-need basis, at the request of the Chair.
  • Municipal Buildings Advisory Committee (MBAC) Calendar
• WHERE? Salem Town Hall, Knightly Room, 33 Geremonty Drive, Salem, NH 03079

The public is welcome to attend meetings!

Agendas & Minutes

Agendas are available prior to the meetings. Minutes are available following approval.

Most Recent Agenda | All Agendas, Minutes, and Videos

Members

Purpose

The MBAC will be established as an ad hoc group to review, evaluate, and make recommendations to the Town Manager and Board of Selectmen (BOS) regarding town-owned buildings listed in the charter, for the consideration of major capital improvements. The structure of the committee will be more formal than the Facility Committee (FC) and will meet regularly in preparation for the budgetary season. MBAC will be focused on development and presentation of a strategic/master plan or roadmap justifying expenditures for all buildings listed in this charter.

Background

A large portion of the inventory of Town Buildings are more than fifty years old respectively and have had significant facility related issues over the past ten years. There are several Town Buildings that lack nominal space needed for staffing and operational standards notwithstanding meeting Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance. The buildings and systems have been subject to deferred maintenance and have exceeded their useful life. Many of the finishes including walls, ceilings, and floors, are worn, and outdated creating hazards for staff. The mechanical, electrical, heating, and plumbing have had critical failures causing operational issues affecting both staff and the public.

There have been various assessments done to some of the buildings to date that have forecast major expenses moreover conclude that the Town should consider a strategic long-range plan for all buildings and properties thereof. In April of 2019, the BOS established a FC that was comprised of town wide departments heads, middle management, and a Selectmen's Representative who were tasked with establishing facility related priorities for a recommendation to the BOS to be included in the 2020 Budget. The FC concluded that a master plan should be established including procuring a consultant to help the Town move forward with a responsible proposal. A major budget allocation of $200,000 was approved for Fiscal Year 2020 to begin the process of dissecting previous reports and current information and begin master planning with a proposition that a Facilities Super Bond may be placed on a warrant in the near future.

With the advent of Covid-19 in 2020 the project including funding was placed on hold due to economic uncertainties. In May 2020, the BOS also took up additional discussion on the FC and more specifically its structure and charge all things considered. During the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget process the funding was reduced to $125,000 and subsequently approved through town vote. Two separate facility based Request for Qualifications were let in early 2021 for DPW (RFQ 2021-007) and Town Hall (RFQ 2021-011) with the latter as an Owner's Project Manager (OPM). In early August of 2021 another RFQ 2021-020 was publicly posted for selection of Architectural Services.