Medford committee asks facilities manager for city property inventory and repair-cost assessment

The Medford City Public Works and Facilities Committee on June 3 requested a complete inventory of city-owned and city-managed properties and asked Facilities Manager Paul Riggi to prepare a report estimating the cost to restore each property to a state of good repair and the cost to maintain them thereafter.

Committee members said the document is intended to guide long-term capital planning and maintenance budgeting. Riggi said he already maintains a spreadsheet of city buildings and can post a version online within weeks, but that a system-level forecasting effort will probably require hiring outside consultants and take roughly six months.

The request traces to paper 20-4304, introduced by the council president, which directs the facilities manager to produce: (1) a complete inventory of city-owned and city-managed properties; (2) estimated costs to restore each property to a state of good repair; and (3) estimated costs to maintain each property once restored. The committee invited Riggi to present the completed report to members when the work is finished.

"I think it's important to have a document that shows, not only every building, but what the future of those buildings are in terms of what work may be needed in the buildings," Facilities Manager Paul Riggi said. He told the committee he has already started on the inventory and uses a spreadsheet that includes square footage and assessed values.

Councilors raised two central questions: how large a consultant expense the city should expect to determine system-level replacement costs, and how the city should budget for ongoing maintenance. "The catch 22 is how much are we gonna spend to see how much we have to spend?" Councilor Lozaro said. Riggi replied that most of the report is his staff time, but the system-condition work (item 2 in the request) will likely require outside firms; he cited the recent City Hall bathroom renovation as an example project that cost about $50,000 to assemble a consultant team.

Riggi said he would solicit pricing from multiple firms—he referred to the city's three available "house doctors"—and provide the committee with a cost estimate for the consultant work. He told the committee he expects to deliver a public-facing spreadsheet of properties within a couple of weeks and to return with an "estimate for the estimate" (a consultant cost estimate) in roughly one to two months; he estimated a full systems assessment could take about six months once funded.

Members and public commenters urged the committee to include nonbuilding assets in the inventory. Councilor Bares recommended coordinating with Department of Public Works and planning staff so that parks, playground structures and undeveloped city lots are included alongside buildings. Ken Krause, a Medford resident and member of the Friends of Chevalier and the Chevalier Commission capital improvements committee, said the Chevalier auditorium should be prioritized because it is an active, revenue-generating venue. "It probably gets more visitors, than any city building other than the library and perhaps city hall," Krause said, and he suggested exploring the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund systems-replacement and technical-assistance grants as possible funding sources; he noted those grant applications are generally due in January with awards the following May.

Riggi described immediate improvements already completed since he took the job, citing work on fire stations, bathrooms and preventive maintenance programs for HVAC, sprinklers and emergency generators. He said preventive maintenance reduces long-term replacement costs and that asset planning can smooth large multiyear cost spikes by spreading work across budget years. On budget guidance, Riggi offered two common approaches discussed in the meeting: allocating a percentage of assessed building value (a figure sometimes cited as 13% annually) or using a per-square-foot maintenance estimate (typical ranges mentioned were roughly $1.50 to $2.70 per square foot); Riggi cautioned cities often prefer per-square-foot formulas because a high percentage of assessed value can produce unaffordable annual budgets.

The committee directed follow-up steps: Riggi will provide his existing inventory spreadsheet to councilors within weeks, will supply a consultant-cost estimate in about one to two months, and the committee will revisit whether to fund a full systems assessment after reviewing that estimate. The committee voted to keep paper 20-4304 in committee and adjourned.

Votes at a glance: Motion to keep paper 20-4304 in committee and adjourn (mover: President Behrs; second: Councilor Lemming). Roll-call vote: President Behrs—yes; Councilor Lozaro—yes; Councilor Lemming—yes; Councilor Scarpelli—yes; Chair Callahan—yes. Tally: 5 in favor, 0 opposed; motion passed.