Vermont Legislature SmartTranscripts:

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: And

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: welcome, folks. This is House Corrections and Institutions Committee. It is Thursday, March 19. We are going back to our spreadsheet on the capital bill to keep walking through the initial markup. We're starting on section 10, line 86. This is the Agency of Agriculture. They put out water quality grants that really help farmers comply with some agricultural regulations, but also work towards our clean water initiatives. I also want to have the committee be aware that they're requesting $1,500,000 in bonded, and there's also $11,800,000 in the general fund for the same item. So, I'm just putting that out to the committee. That was the committee's wishes. Go back to your document. This is let's get this may not be the right one.

[Unknown Committee Member]: This is line 86, correct? Yeah.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: We had testimony February 19, February 11. I don't have a lot I know.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: What can you tell us, Troy?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Significant increase in regulations on farms, cost of clean water infrastructure to achieve these regulations is all on us, state.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Remember one year we kept them because they didn't give us enough information?

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: I remember.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: They came here at the North Tower. They had plenty of information then.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Okay, it's funny.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Yeah, it's funny who might appear that some some markup might go sideways if somebody's perception.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: It's looking on their document.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: I thought they did a really good job, let's hear.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: I agree. Because they know.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: They know. They know. They're saying that they've got about 3.5 to $5,000,000 per year in projects that come in. The 1,500,000.0 would go to that. We also have $11,000,000 plus in the appropriationship. So really, it's a total of over $1,213,000,000. It's about $13,000,000 total that goes directly to farmers. So where are we with that, folks? And then if you wanna go down to lines ninety three and ninety four, again, which is VHCb. And we also are doing agricultural water quality projects there.

[Unknown Committee Member]: On '93, but not on '94.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: '93. '93 and '94 is under VHCb. So there's ag water quality grant projects there as well. VHCb works with the agency of ag, and they work with farmers. They could do maybe some smaller projects here. But the key with the HCB, they have the ability to drop down other dollars to help with the project or that the agency does not have that ability. So that's why we've carved that out for the HCB. Yep. So the Clean Water Fund Board recommends $800 for that particular piece. And that can draw down a lot more money than that. So we okay with that?

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Yep. I'm just Line line 93. Yes.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Line 93.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Looking at repo now. It's quick.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: And then for VHCb, this is also their other part, which deals with land conservation and other water quality issues. Run into the land conservation, and that was 2,000,000.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: No funds to be reverted. Just so you're all aware, 2023, so FY24, ag water quality still had 410,000 in it.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Was that for VHCb or for the agency?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: That's VHCb. We're not worried. I'm just looking at my notes. We're not worried. We didn't revert this at all. They're gonna send it, but I just I just want you to add in.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Did they give you a reason?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: I can read it. This is via email. Just wanna, providing, in summary, through appropriation for ag water quality projects, and simultaneously for housing and conservation are fully committed to projects by the board. Funds are fully encumbered and secured by grant agreements. It does not have any unencumbered funds associated with the two funds of concern. One of them is ag water quality. So they're encumbered. Okay. Thank you.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Okay. This is Pearl, right? Yes, ma'am. With all of that. Trying to find my military. I get this organized as much as. So for the military piece, the first part goes automatic I mean, we do this for maintenance within our armories. We did not take any testimony at all on this, but we also put in last year 1,300,000.0 for the Northwest Readiness Center, which is really their new armories that they build. So they kind of co locate other armories post those.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Well, that was Swanton and St. Albans consolidation, believe.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So I'd like to know how far along they are on that and how much they've expended, the 1.3. So if we could reach out to I can't remember what it be. I don't wanna go through the admin general. Maybe the admin general's office I mean, the current admin general would come in here with capital projects, so I don't know who would be there now. But I just want an update on terms of where they are in the planning and design.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Right. For this You're the same. It was a panel last time.

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: Come with three or four people. Mhmm.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: But I would like to get I'd to get an update on that. Okay. It's a. We have taken testimony on

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: I

[Unknown Committee Member]: wanted to go to. I've never been to. I had it on my notes for last year, I just didn't make.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: That surprises me. You seem like the type.

[Unknown Committee Member]: No. I'm not very well traveled.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: We've been working on this for a long time.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Been frankly happy.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: I'm biggie. This is a multi year. The hundred year anniversary is what? Is it '27 or '29? I think it's '29. It's the hundred year anniversary. That Big E.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: The '29, it says? Yeah.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So as of February 29, they had yeah. The bicentennial is '29. Between f y twenty three, 2425 bond, '26 bond, and '27 bond. They had 6,000,000. They've expended 3. And that leaves balance of 2.9, almost 3,000,000. They want to finish phase one, and then they want to do design and construction. They want to finish phase one, which is design and construction. And then they will begin design documents for phase three. They have design documents, I think, for phase two. Try to follow my notes. So it's really redoing the whole building, and they're doing roofing Mhmm. Outside work for the siding and painting and masonry. And they're saying that the exterior rest restoration will be complete except for a fifteen year old flat roof that's in the back of the

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Yep.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Yeah. Phase two, the design is starting this year. That's for mechanical and electrical. And then phase three is the rehab of the booth space and the kitchenette of restaurants.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: So where are we with this? I'm fine with it.

[Unknown Committee Member]: I wouldn't touch it.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Okay. The lab. Okay. Kate, I'm gonna put you on the spot.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Yeah. It's not.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Ag lab. This came from BGS that did this. So it would be this document here. And you got it. I got it. Mhmm. You wanna be a member of the Clint? You wanna run it?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: He'd forget Wow.

[Unknown Committee Member]: He'd forget

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: what he's doing if

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: he Uh-oh.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: You wanna run it?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: He's like, yeah, don't want to take that. I'm making more money

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: since I'm over here. I appreciate your honesty.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Absolutely. Care that's

[Unknown Committee Member]: a lot more comfortable than those on the floor.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So let's get focused on the ad lab. We had BGS in on this. 3,500,000.0. We had The chart is incorrect. Think the chart was incorrect. So we had 3,500,000 last year. I don't want do math in public.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Nothing's this year. I

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: just I wanna make sure we're still on track.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Yeah. I have a note to above signs coming on track. That wasn't in place when that came in. Bids are due in two days. What's your date on that, Troy?

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: January 19. January? The twenty ninth, I'm sorry.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: January? What did you say about a contract?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: My only notes are, do we have a signed contract?

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Well, have a note that they hope by Christmas, the whole project will be done. That's the plan.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: It's been starting construction spring.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Of this year?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Yeah, don't know about next year. Again, Scott, no.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: It would be spring of this year.

[Unknown Committee Member]: That slide, for some reason, indicates that the 1.5, two clients for '27.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So they have 5,300,000.0 today. They don't have the FY '27 bond, the FY FY '27 bonds. So they have 5,300,000.0. The RFP went out and it was 144,200. So there is a balance of about 5.1. Cole, could you just double check that we're on track? Yeah. That the 5.1 is going to complete the project?

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Just to clarify, this is the 1.5 for the '27 bond. That's where Joe said it was just a typo? Yes. Okay. I didn't understand what you said. Well, it's not the only slide, but the 1.5 that shows up there on the 27 bond, it's not supposed

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: to be.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Not there.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: It's right there. Way.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: I said, just making sure that one of the spaces that Joe said. So

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: there's 5,300,000.0 for this total project. They've expended 144. So that leaves about 5,100,000.0 money. The 144.2 went for the RFP. So I wanna make sure there's enough money there to complete the project because they wanna complete it by the end of this calendar year, which then kicks it into f y twenty seven.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Okay.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Public safety. Public safety. This is the Rutland field office. This is to move it to Clarendon. Mhmm. This is. And let me see if I could find what we have. Find a document to take. I'm looking for my document. That's not. Do see that's public safety? It's an estimated cost of 19,000,000. They said this was in March 29. This matic design is 60% complete. They did reallocate a little bit of this money, but they have a balance they've said no. We gotta go to Clarendon. Clarendon. Went there first too. Yeah. Clarendon. So they've got a balance of 3,600,000.0, which that's what we got. 3.6. It's just this isn't adding up. Right? 2,000,000 in bond and two we don't have cash for this.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: What is that? Well, it's zero here.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Look behind you.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: It says Oh,

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: yeah. A lot

[Unknown Committee Member]: of these slides are just Variations. It should say it should say

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: said bond.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: It should

[Unknown Committee Member]: say bond for '27, not cash for '26.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Bond. Yeah. '27.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Okay. I see. Excel file.

[Unknown Committee Member]: It's I mean, it seems to have it's just like every other but there's there to see if we're paying attention.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: We didn't have any cash on this, but I can see.

[Unknown Committee Member]: No. But we do have 27 bonds listed at zero.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Right. So the Williston facility went ahead of this one.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Yep.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So that's why now we do wanna and then the Shaftsbury, there's still we put in money previously in Shaftsbury in the past sometimes. So right now, for Shaftsbury

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: It's only planned for that, right?

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Yeah, they're gonna start planning and do a land search. That's what it's for.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: For land search and to figure out what we're doing. So it's kind of all in the same region. So what are we doing with Clarendon? Are we comfortable with the current amounts? Yes. We've chatting, Mary. Okay. Then let's jump to the special teams. Urban Search and Risk. This is half 1,000,000 cash. Mhmm. They're looking at possibly using the old Williston Police Barracks.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Mhmm.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: And they might also look at another site because the barracks, the Williston Barracks may not be large enough. It holds the swift water rescue. It pulls cold storage for boats and snowmobile. It has a hazmat.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Again, it's many millions of dollars worth of equipment that we wanna protect.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So they have 250,000 cash. And then in FY twenty five

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: They got another $8.50.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: They got another $8.50. So we're at 1,100,000.0.

[Unknown Committee Member]: If I recall correctly, there's some question as to what might happen with traffic patterns at the old Wilson. They're waiting on whether

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: or not that light's going on. And

[Unknown Committee Member]: so I don't know what the timing of that is.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So what is the 1,400,000 going to get us?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: It's either design docks or to purchase land,

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: depending on Well, they may use the Williston.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: And that would be done for design docks.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: I would like to know a little bit more about this in terms of what's the 1.4 gonna get us. Okay. That's not gonna come back. It's alright. And also for John, we need some language. Previous bills, we gave the authority to sell the Williston Free Sparits.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: We need

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: take that away, and we might need language to allow them to purchase land for this particular project. So I just want an update on this. And around rounded circles on this one. So we're gonna go out, lease land, and then we'll go out, find someplace else. And now we've come full circle and went back to the real estate and accept the authority to sell it. So we need to go back to previous bills, take care of that. I'm going to give authority to just plan for this.

[Unknown Committee Member]: We have an unfortunate site to use as a storage facility.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: They currently are.

[Unknown Committee Member]: I understand that, but it's

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: They would renovate it.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Higher and better use for that property.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Williston didn't want it.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Williston didn't want it. We looked at that two years ago, gave him the first option, first right of refusal.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: In our community center? We

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: gave him the first right of refusal.

[Unknown Committee Member]: And I recall him being in here last year.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: And we've also thought that was prime property to sell.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Well, then

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: things change on the state level and say, Ah, we own this, and we're looking for another building for the special teams. Let's see if we can use current property that we already own.

[Unknown Committee Member]: It's married to that, too. But it's unfortunate to say the use of the storage facility.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: It's prime development agenda. Right. The state shows me. But on the other hand, we've got the building state land. We use it.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: I understand that. The other concern, obviously, is the small town itself. Which they testified to.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Just send to. It's

[Unknown Committee Member]: gonna be I'm not trying to pick the logic. That's all they called.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: But I just want more information. Call.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: I call you mister Booth, Toll Booth. Toll Booth. Booth. Toll

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Toll

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Oh, all right. Okay. Not a problem.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: The what? Booth. The Toll veterans home. Veterans gonna be on.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Okay. Let's shift gears under The the vets

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: veterans home.

[Unknown Committee Member]: I wanna hear about the garden.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Veterans home is on line 54 And 55. We have our document as well. Good Steve. Morning,

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: I

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: hope we have Greg with us as well. And I know Melissa was not able to come in at short notice, and we apologize. We're doing markup of the capital bill, which is we're going through line item by line item of all the projects statewide that are requesting dollars. And just want a little further up, more update in terms of all your moving pieces for BetSong. We had your document that was submitted to us the January. And we're going through that. And you've got you just have so much moving pieces here with previous appropriations. And we just wanted an update on where you are with all of this. It's all it is. You've got furnishings going on. You've got heat pumps, boiler project, elevator, washer dryer, the laundry room, a wing, and then now you've got the sewer pipe replacement. Generate.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Yep. That's

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: generator. That would be with yeah. That's right. The generator. '23.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Okay. But they've been waiting to possibly switch to a whole house generator or a similar cost.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: You need more information on the generator. That was April what?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: 04/2005. FY '20

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: from from is that calendar '23 or fiscal? That's fiscal.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Calendar '23, FY '24.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: FY '24.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Can I ask you the

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: date again, Troy? That's our repo subcommittee. Well, thank you. Good question for you.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: It seems like none of that

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: That's why we're at it, because it's in previous capital bills. Gotcha. That's what's hard with some of this because it's in previous capital bills. And then it just kind of year over year, it does kind of you don't want to lose track. So I don't know who goes first, Steve or Craig.

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Well, I think we'll tag team it. I'm Steve McLafferty. I'm the finance here at the Vermont Veterans Home. And I'll let Greg introduce himself.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Hey.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Good morning all. I'm Greg Cruzan. I'm the environmental services director here at the Vermont Veterans Home.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: And there was a question from one of our committee members about why is some of this money not showing up. So, let me, for folks who are taking notes, FY24 we put in a total of about $5,900,000 for different projects. Part of it was just regular maintenance. There was 4,500,000.0 for the emergency generator and boiler replacement. Elevator upgrade of 1,000,000. And then furnishings and security systems for $230,000 That was in FY24. FY25, we did not put anything in. FY26, we put in the air handlers and we put in the expansion of the laundry facility. And then, we also freed up some money from B and C wings and put that towards the A wing for that. So, that's where we are with all the moving pieces. So, we just want to know where you are now in terms of these different pieces. So let me start first. I'm on this sheet for folks. Maybe we can put this up. And this will help you both, Greg and Steve. That's what we're looking at here. We're gonna put that up on our script. Okay. Can you see that, folks? Steven Yes. So let's start at the top with resident furnishings. So we have put in 230,000 previously in resident furnishings. So we have what I have for notes. You in January, as of January, the January, you had spent about 96,000 and then you were ordering the wardrobes and the 133,000 was gonna pay for the remainder of that. Is that still on track?

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yes

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: and no.

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yes. I thought I had unmuted. Yes. We ordered they've come in I believe the, furniture is coming in mid to late May, Greg?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: That's correct. Yeah. It's it is ordered, and we're just waiting for delivery.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: And the the $1.33, does that cover it?

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yep. That'll take care of that'll bring the balance down to zero.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Okay. Mhmm. Well, that one's easy.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yes.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Keep it let's keep it going.

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yes.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Heat pumps, that is the heat pumps would be is that the air handler?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yeah. That's what Melissa was calling them. It was air handlers with their heat pumps. They're the module units that go in each space of the floor mounted units, the water to air systems. So

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: we put in 710,000. So where are you right now? We had a testimony we had that you were 67, 65% complete. And then the heat pumps was hopefully be in March. So

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yep. So just to touch base on that, we had a few issues with some of the units after being installed. And we called in the manufacturer, Climate Master. They sent reps down to test the units and the units that aren't installed yet. And there's a lot of quality control issues with them. So there we're still in talks on if they're gonna recall these and replace them. So we're on hold right now on moving forward on that project instead of installing them and having them fail. We found multiple units that weren't charged, had leaks, controller issues. Our our HVAC technician had replaced one unit three times. So we we've decided that we definitely needed to call in before we we waste any more time installing these.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So the company that you worked with, are they covering the costs at all of the repairs to these units or even willing to put in new ones at no So

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: what they did was they asked us to try to calculate the amount of lost time and parts for installing these, especially the ones that have failed that have been installed. And we're working through that process right now and they'll reimburse us for that time.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So how many heat pumps or modular? How many were you looking at?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: There's a total, I think, of 50 I don't have that right on hand. It was like 56 or 53 units that we purchased. And I believe there's maybe 20 of them that have been installed out of that before we found issues. So they they came and they looked at all the ones, even the packaged ones and ran tests on those and found there's several of them that have have some issues. So instead of running through and finishing up installing, they wanna see if they can they can make it right and either pull these units and replace them with with different ones.

[Unknown Committee Member]: If

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: so what I have that to date, at the January, out of the 710,000, you had expended 446,000. So there was about 200,000 plus left. If they all fail, What's your plan for moving forward? If they all fail, I'm hoping we get our money back. We should.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: I I think this company is really wanting to keep the reputation. I I don't know if you all have heard about the LG systems that were recalled throughout the whole state. Yeah. So there so we don't have any of those in this building. But this is kind of falling under that same recall process. So they they have to make it right. You know, we have units that aren't even installed yet, still packaged. And if it comes down to it, if there's a certain percentage that are bad, they're gonna have to replace all of them with brand new ones.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Okay, that's good. So, we expanded Like the other note I had, you're getting the other heat pumps. Heat pumps would be coming in in March. So with the 50 plus heat pumps, that's what you were planning to do, 50 of them? Were you planning to do more than the 53, 56?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: The first the first phase, I think we got a total of, like, 83 in the whole building, but the the the remaining ones work, you know, so we're not we're not changing those out until, you know, later on if needed. I mean, they're all working and functioning properly.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So the remaining ones that are working are those on top of the 20 that have been installed? They were installed before another company or another brand or part of the same project?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: So so the ones that have been installed were out of that original purchase, the $50.53, 56 per order. So the those twenties the 20 of them have been installed and a few of them have been pulled out because they failed.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: But you said there's 83. So I'm trying to

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: get Right. So so just to just to circle back on that, 80 there's, like, 83, 88 in the whole entire building.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Mhmm.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: The one the the remaining ones work and they have been updated over the last few years. So we don't have to replace those right away. We're just replacing the ones that were r '22, which is the old refrigerant that we can't buy anymore. Ones that have completely failed and are are not working at all. Yeah. So we're upgrading at the same time to the new refrigerant to meet EPA standards.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Mhmm.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: And, you know, they're they're aging out. A lot of these are over fifteen years old and that's usually the max age on these type of systems. So

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: basically, have you used up the full seven ten or are you still No.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: We still haven't used up the full seven ten. That last number that I gave you, the 46, that that's where we are up to date right now.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So we're kind of on hold on this whole thing just waiting to see how it's gonna be resolved with the company. Correct. Mhmm. And that you're made whole again.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Mhmm.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yeah. I I don't wanna waste any more resources having equipment put in that's gonna fail. They have to be pulled back out.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Right. Mhmm. Let's move to the boiler project. And the boiler we had and the generator. It was both the boiler and the generator. We have put in 4,400,000.0, in f y twenty four.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: K. So that that pro that project, we had our pre bid meeting and it is in design. We we have this was all through BGS also. We did our pre bid meeting and now it's in we've hired a contractor for design. So it's in design right now. We're hoping that maybe this summer, we'll be able to start moving forward with all this equipment and install.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So is the 4.5 gonna get you there?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: I think how did you have the numbers of how that was split? Because I think the generators had one cost out of that. It was, like, 2,000,000 or something like that. I I don't really remember. I don't have that in front of me. But I think that I think that generator number was a little inflated.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So what is so the 4,500,000.0 was for both the boiler and the generator. Mhmm. So how much are you anticipating You're in design right now. So you had some ballpark figure in terms of what the boiler would cost. So what is that number?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: So I haven't gotten the design back yet with the number call out, but I'm pretty sure we're gonna be using a majority of that 4.4 on both of these projects together.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So what's going on with the generator?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: So we have we have two of them that are one's extremely old. It's failing. It's leaking fuel and oil, which is the one that runs our boiler room. So we're just limping by with that antique out there, if you might as well say. It's functional, but we have to watch it every single day. There's another there's a propane driven generator out there that is older. It's it's getting to its end of life that was gonna be replaced. There's another diesel one that's out there that's getting towards end of life also. So either they were gonna design for one larger unit to cover the two of them where there's a seventy seventy thousand kw and a one fifty and put it in as one generator for to cover those two with, like, a 250,000 or 250 kw unit or, you know, whatever way they design it to to be able to be functional. One unit we we have is fairly new. That's the one that's over on a wing. So that's gonna that that would be staying in kind. But the other three generators are the ones that are gonna be renovated and upgraded.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Between the boiler and those and three generators or two generators, whatever you may do, Is the 4,500,000.0 gonna get you there?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: That should. I I don't see it going over that. Because the boilers what we're doing is we're gonna change from diesel to propane. Uh-huh. And the boilers are gonna go on each to cover each wing separately. Right now, we're pretty much handling the whole building with geothermal and and all that. So we're gonna try to separate it out so we have backup if needed. You know, where it's all separated out. If if there's catastrophic failure, the whole building's not going out. It'll be individual wing.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Any questions? And now the washer dryer. We spent a lot of time on this last last week last year. Feels like last week. And we put in 340,000. It's also for the laundry room too. The washer dryer replacement as well as the laundry room. And I know that there's been a lot of work being put into this. So where are we? And is the $3.40 gonna cover everything?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: So the washer and dryer purchases were that was a separate number a while back. We have four new washers installed. We have three new dryers installed. We're waiting on the fourth dryer to come in on the thirty first of this month. So then we'll be all good with equipment. We just had our pre bid meeting for the laundry extension. So either we're we're either going one way or the other, either building a building off of East Wing for laundry complete, you know, at one ground level. But the other other thought we had was using the a wing dining hall. That's a big that's a big room in there that is not gonna come down when when we demo out the building that was supposed to be designed for a theater and a chapel area, which taking the cost down off a wing build and having our laundry room over there will save a ton of money on the build. Plus also, it should get us where we need to be with this $3.40 to do a renovation over there using a space that we already have. So at the end of the day, we may actually not use all the money if we use a wing dining hall for our renovations and putting it over there versus building a new addition, taking more time, using more resources to to build that. We did have we did have a design back, but I'll have to defer back to Steve on that. I I I have to call the the design company because I think I think he was a 133,000 or something that they wanted for designing the new laundry room, which is that's outrageous.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So to put the laundry room where the a wing for their dining area, is that close by to the washer dryers? Or is that on the other end of the facility?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: So actually it's only probably about 150 feet away from where I want to put an addition. It's still centrally located in the facility where it's Ground Level. It's not on the 2nd Floor with ramps. And like in the past, discussion we had with the proposal on the laundry room build. What we have right now is a deteriorating laundry room on the 2nd Floor. There's ramps. We have a an aging workforce and it's it's we're I'm trying to avoid a workers' comp claim or multiple claims because, you know, they're they're wearing down. Our equipment is wearing down, our carts and everything pushing them up and down up there. So if they get this room centrally located in a more habitable space is gonna be, you know, tenfold better than what they have. But having it on a wing, it's I think it's gonna suit the same purpose as building another addition and it'd be less money to to just renovate that area as we already have a space that has sprinkler systems in in, you know, water and Yeah. Sewer underneath

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So we allowed you last year, we took some money from B And C Wing and we put in 1,500,000.0 for design and construction of the A Wing. So we need an update on where you are there, but with moving the laundry room, the part part of A Wing kinda helps spread the money between what was left of the $3.40 after you bought the washer and dryer. So you can combine that money with the 1,500,000.0 that we've put aside for a wing. Correct?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: That would be a Melissa question. I don't know what she did with the a wing stuff. I know we had design that we had to pay for, and we pulled I think she pulled the money from b and c to pay for those designs. I'm Right. I I can't speak for her.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: No. You that's that's way above. We did that for you last year. So we moved money from b and c over to a wing, and it was 1,500,000.0.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Correct.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: And that's for design and construction. I don't know if the 1,500,000.0 is gonna get you all through construction.

[Unknown Committee Member]: But Oh, no. No. No.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: BGS BGS just sent us a new updated price for that construction and it has gone way up. It was like 47,000,000 now or 48,000,000. It's it's an insane amount of money. And then the longer we wait, the price is gonna go up higher with inflation and material costs.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Big bags. Okay. Moving the laundry room there isn't gonna help with the overall cost of redoing eight way.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Well, it'll take down quite a bit of expense, not having to do a a theater in there and a chapel and so on So and we're eliminating square footage.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So was that included in the original estimate that you just mentioned for AWING at the 40 plus? That was the theater and

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: If yes. If we go by if we go by their design right now, yeah, it it's included. The the theater and the chapel is included in that design. If we take that out, we might save a million or so. Mhmm.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: How many beds are we looking at for eight wing? And this would be the memory care. Right?

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Correct. If receive 30 or 31 beds?

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: 40,000,000, 45 and going up?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: But it is the case that the feds are picking up a large portion of it.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Right. How much could yeah. I forgot about that. How much would the feds pick up?

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Looking at let's say if the price was 49,000,000, the Fed would be paying almost 32 and the state would be picking up the other 17,000,000.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Are you

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Go ahead.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Anticipate has this been approved on the federal list yet?

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: It has not. It's not even on the federal list yet.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: This

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: is a quite a ways off. So we gave you money to do design work. Is the design documents gonna still be updated by the time we get on the list and know that we've been approved? Need the, for the feds also to approve the project, do they need to have the design documents?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Oh, they wanna see what they're paying for. Yes. Yeah. So

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So you need to do the design documents. So you need to submit to the feds in order to be approved or not to be on the list.

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yes.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: We have a full set of designs right now. I have this huge role in my office with full design. And what we've been trying to do is go through with BGS to try to cut certain things to lower the cost. So just to give you an idea, like they had in the design, full wooden staircases that go to the maintenance service area in the attic space. We cut maybe 30 or 40,000 off of that by putting in steel ship ladder style maintenance staircases. So we're able to cut costs in little ways from what they what they designed the latest and greatest. So we're still trying to cut that down to what we really need, not not the latest and greatest, best design. They basically designed Disneyland out there in lighter terms. And there's things that we don't need So in

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: of the 1,500,000.0 that we put for design for A Wing, do you know how much of that's been expended?

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yes, just a little bit over $769,000

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: About half has been expended? Yes. And you're still refining those design documents?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yes. We are. And

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: when are you anticipating submitting application to the feds?

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Oh, that's gonna be a Melissa. Yep. Yeah. Because we need, once we have the design, then it would go out for, an estimate or BGS could give the estimate for the cost that then we could submit to the feds, to the VA capital. And then it would be probably a couple of years, I would think, based upon historical when it would rise onto the list for the VA. And as we've done in the past with these VA projects, we would submit and then at a later point when we receive the monies from the VA, we would be returning the funds to the state of that 65%. We've I think our mold remediation years ago, we did.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: So.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So you spent half of the 1,500,000.0. Mhmm. And you're still refining the document. You're still sort of refining those design documents, and then we don't know when that's gonna be submitted to the feds to see if they approve, and then it could be a two year process before it gets approved. And then by that point, you may have to update the designs.

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yeah. Like I mentioned, like, Melissa had also said, we, prefer all set and ready to go. We'll go forward to get the construction project going. And then when the VA approves, we refund the money back to the state of that 65.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Are there times when we've gone ahead with the construction project and the feds have not approved that project and then we're left holding a whole bag?

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: I can't think of, since I've been here, where has that happened. There may be a time delay, but nothing, you know, nothing where they just flat out said no. It just has to go through, you know, the federal, the VA process where there's like one point, some odd billion dollars of projects and they only fund, 200,000,000.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Yeah.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Are we running into snags in finishing up the design or is it just the normal time it's taken to get there?

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: What was that again about the design? Yeah.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: I mean, is this the normal time that you would expect it to take to get this design done, are we running into problems?

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: I don't know if we're running into problems. I'm I I would defer that to, BGS, you know, for the design work.

[Unknown Committee Member]: K.

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yeah. Unless if you know something, Greg.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Well, it just just with my experience dealing with engineers and architects and all that, it does it does take time. I mean, you a project of this size is it does take time. You know, it could be years before they everything's finalized. But I think we're in a good place. We have a a nice design set, and now we just have to take away things that we don't really need. You know? So, you know, it I think it's on track when it comes down to it.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: It was designed for Cadillac and you really only need a Chevy.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Right.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: I mean, I hate to use those old analogies. The vehicles are so different now.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: You gotta be realistic. Mean, yeah.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Everybody needs a GMC.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Right.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Is You need more in a Subaru. And

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: this is something that Greg had just mentioned, I'll say, using the A wing, dining hall for laundry, received, yesterday, a laundry design fee. This was, you know, for the for the project itself to to build something. The design fee was a $136,250. And they, BGS, was estimating a construction cost of a million dollars for the laundry.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Yep. Yeah. Cost has gone up between concrete and lumber.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yeah. I think it's I think it's something's funny there. I don't see two walls and a roof costed that much.

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yep. So

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So it that's

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: that's why we looked at or Greg, a couple months ago looked at the A Wing dining hall and to to use that, save money on the A Wing project itself and then save money for laundry.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So I have a question about using the dining hall space. You're dealing with a memory care unit. Are you planning another dining hall in that unit for those folks so that you don't have to move them to another dining hall, which is really disruptive for folks with memory issues?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yeah. They're in the design, there is a dining hall. That's Okay. That that existing dining hall was going to be used for a theater

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Okay.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: And a chapel. So it was not even going to be used as a dining hall.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Okay. Mhmm. Okay. So this is all evolving. Elevated. Right. I'll get back. I forgot about that. So this is all evolving. We'll deal with it more next year. We'll have more information, and, hopefully, the heat pump situation can get straightened out. And, hopefully, you'll have new boiler system and maybe a generator. So I did go over the elevator project. So the elevator project, we had put in million dollars in FY twenty four. And where are we with that?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: So we held we held a pre bid meeting a couple months ago. Nobody showed up. Then we just held another pre bid meeting. We had one contractor show up. So for the design itself, BGS decided to just let the company that's designing the boilers do the design design work. And then they're just still sorting out, you know, the estimates that are coming in for the rehab for the the two elevator shafts. So it that's in progress. But just by seeing some of the the estimates that have come back, we should be well within or under the renovation costs that was allowed.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: The 1,000,000.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Oh yeah. They I mean, some of these estimates only came in on they're under 400,000 for both of them.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: It's a pleasant surprise.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: And how many elevators? You only need two?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: We have two. We have one that goes from basement and it's based on a a personnel elevator. We can't we can't put a pallet or anything in there. The doorway is too small. So it goes from basement to 1st Floor and then up to 2nd Floor finance admin. Then we have a service elevator that only goes from 1st Floor to basement and that's a larger service elevator, like 4,500 pound capacity.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So when you said 400, is that 400 for both of them or 400 each?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Surprisingly enough, it was 400,000 for both of them.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Are you sure on that price?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: It's they've came back with because the the mechanisms inside are still in really good shape. All the it's basically just a renovation of all electronics, the pumps, the inside of the the the car renovations. And they said everything else is is serviceable. It's it's really not worn out.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: There's a few

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: few upgrades that meet code, but that stuff is in those bids.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So, much of the 1,000,000 has already been expended?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Right now, we spent anything unless BGS has some costs in there, but on our end, we have nothing.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: You think 500 would carry you through?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Just looking at their bids, I mean, it was surprising to me. Elevators are very expensive, but if they were to pull them all out and redo everything, then yes, I could see that going over to where we originally had monies allotted for. But seeing their costs come back for renovations, it it's surprising.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Greg, how long did they say that the systems within these elevators will last? Is it better to just redo the whole thing now and have it move for the long haul or to, you know, put these in and and have the old equipment in it even though they're still able to be in use?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: So, when they did their inspections, our elevators are piston driven. They're not cable driven. So, cables, there's no cables. They're all piston driven that are buried beneath the surface and they drive upward and retract. All they do is have to replace some seals. The cylinders look really good. The pumps, obviously the pumps in the operation system has to be updated But that was all included in this. I was astonished when I saw the prices. But like the rail system that runs it up and down, all in great shape, no rust, no deterioration. I mean, we don't have serious heavy use. You know, it's just, you know, bringing it bringing equipment downstairs and back up. The other elevator in our that runs the three floors, you know, that only gets personnel use.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: We'll take the win.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Oh, yeah. I like that, the numbers.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Better than 47,000,000.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Okay. Anything else on these outstanding projects? So

[Unknown Committee Member]: Sounds like we're getting married to you.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Let's go to the sewer project. And have you I know there's half 1,000,000 put in cash for FY '27. Mhmm. You're prioritizing this for your biggest unit because this feeds your biggest unit, and it's most at risk.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Correct.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: You hope to do it during the summer and fall. And have you applied for federal dollars for this yet?

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: I'll default to, that's Melissa's intention is to apply for a VA grant to help cover 65% of the cost.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: So I just wanna add, what you see in the picture there, that just reoccurred again. Just had a company come in and have to flush it again. This time it was actually less expensive because we bored a hole through our foundation so they can get their suction and their jitter into the building. And it was not that big of a mess this time.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So there's half 1,000,000 you've asked for $7.50 as the estimated cost. Is that the total project cost or is that after we receive federal money?

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: I believe that's the total project cost.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Okay. Got some thoughts. Shawn?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: I'm taking back that question.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: James?

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: So if if the project cost is estimated at $7.50, why is the request for 500? And where's the other $2.50 coming from?

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: The administration only put in 500.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Well, I

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: get that part.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: But I mean, the $2.50 is gonna be coming from somewhere or you can't finish it. I didn't know if they knew the answer to that. They don't. Don't

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: know. Well,

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: I think I think what we need to do is really focus on c wing first because that is our very problematic area. Then we can move to the other wings that aren't, you know, causing us big problems right now. But eventually, it all has to get done. And, you know, when we we asked for seven fifty, that would have been for the whole project.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Okay. So, the steps.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: That would be the whole project of b and c wing.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: And a little under d wing too. So basically, all the all the main sewer lines in the facility.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Okay.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Excluding a wing.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: So it's

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: not an all or

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: North North is in good shape.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: So It's not an all

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: or nothing thing is what so it's it's the piece by piece.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yeah. Yeah.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Thank thank you.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Questions? So you got in the elevator, you got half 1,000,000 that you may not need. Right?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Correct.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: And then you got a half 1,000,000 that the governor put in for the sewer pipe. Right? So we could move that half million from elevator to this and beef you up to $2.50 so that you have $7.50 for this. The other option that we could do is leave 1,000,000 in for your elevator, have this project be $2.50, and allow you to move money between those two projects. Does that keep

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: That sounds like a good idea. Just like you allowed us between the the heat pump and the laundry. So whatever's left over from the heat pump systems will go to towards the laundry. Right. So so at the end of the day, you know, the the books will balance out. We if we through the heat pump system and the laundry, we may be giving you back money that could be utilized somewhere else, I guess. So

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: what we would end up doing in our spreadsheet, and we need language, is you could do it a variety of ways, but maybe the cleanest way, I don't know. You keep the million for the elevator. That's bonded dollars. We add we zero out the half million in cash, and we increase bonding, if we can, by 250,000. So you end up for the elevator project and you end up for the sewer project. 1,250,000.00. Committee follow. Then you're moving $2.50 to bonded because the original 1,000,000 is in bonded in f y twenty four. Mhmm. So we have to make sure we have enough in the bonded box to pick up that $2.50. And then there's 500,000 in cash that's freed up. Does that make sense to folks?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Yes. It does.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Does that make sense to you, John?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Putting the 500 k cash and adding bonded $2.50.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Yeah, the language to move money between the elevator project that was in FY24. There's a million in bonded dollars there. So, the elevator, anticipating is 400,000. So instead of pulling half 1,000,000 and move it out, we allow them to use the balance of the elevator project to help with the sewer project.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Yep. Okay.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So it makes you the goal is to make you whole on the sewer project at 750,000 and also to make sure you've got enough there for the elevator. But you got another 100,000 that you could put towards the elevator because right now you're saying it's 400,000 for those two elevators. So it's a little flexibility, a little buffer there. Yep. Does that work? I hope.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Sounds good at least. Yes,

[Unknown Committee Member]: to the extent that the elevator comes in at 400, which is gonna work perfectly. Like that part?

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Well, even if it doesn't, since we have, they've asked for 500 and we're baking it so there's $7.50, there's still $3.50 a plate.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Anything else you folks want to share with us? Do I dare ask?

[Unknown Committee Member]: Oh, now that you mentioned.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Has been very, very helpful. We don't want to cut you too short, but we want to make sure you have flexibility.

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: We thank you for that. Last week we had both licensing and protection in here, excuse me, licensing protection for our annual survey and the VA and for our survey. As a result of that, we have to replace our sprinkler heads, all of them in the building, because they are, most of them have reached its, their useful life. Am I using the right terminology, Greg?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yeah. They have a they have a a useful life of fifty years, and there's one wing that is at forty nine years in couple months. So they definitely need to be changed. That's C Wing and B Wing and then East East Hallway. Those are all at at end of life. They're between 48 and and the 50 marker.

[Unknown Committee Member]: What is

[Unknown Committee Member]: thing we're not sprinkling

[Unknown Committee Member]: What is the price tag?

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: I was just gonna say, I've that's

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: not the whole room.

[Unknown Committee Member]: What is the price tag?

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Did you hear that Greg? We're asking what what would it be?

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: What's the price?

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Yeah. What's the anticipated cost of that? Okay. Do you know?

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: I I I know I know nothing. I'll defer to Greg, but I'm gonna presume somewhere between 150 and 250,000.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: That's correct. So on the high side, 250,000.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: And this

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: was last week. So nothing nothing really been done.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: The other things that are included in just it's not as simple as changing sprinkler heads out. We have to drain the system, we have to change the sprinkler heads, and then we have expired antifreeze in the line that has to be updated. So we're gonna do glycol in the system which has a longer expiration date. So, putting this all in the system, it might be a 150,000 to 200,000 for sprinkler heads to be replaced but we also have, you know, x amount of dollars to redo all the glycol in the bill in that the sections. Yeah.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So are you under a deadline from the regular regulators to get this done?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Pretty much before the next survey next year.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: When's the survey next year?

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Anytime after January 1.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Exactly. We never know when they're gonna pop in.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Okay. And then in FY24, we put in for that's home maintenance, 260,000. Do you know anything about that or did that just go to BGS?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: I was not here the full year of '24. So I came in mid year, so I don't Steve would have

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: I to think, yeah, I'm gonna default to that it went to BGS for our behalf.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Was there any way BGS can track that February?

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Send send an email to our contact up there and ask to ask them and get back to you.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Is there any way with those heat pumps? You've still expended. How much money of the heat pumps have you expended? You've expended 46,000. 446,000 out of 710. And that that purchased all the air handlers that you needed? And he comes

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yeah. We have all we have all the equipment here.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Would there be any would there be

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: any in house we were doing in house installation because we have an HVAC technician here on on-site. So he was installing them. The other cost that was out of it was CTC controller company. They came in and had to rewire, but that's pretty much all been completed for the wiring aspect of things. We just have to install the rest of them.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So did was that included in the 446 that's already been expended?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Majority of the controller work? Yes. There might be there might be a little bit that they have to do, but it's not gonna be, you know, a $100,000 worth.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Now if we pulled a 100,000 from the air handlers, you'd still be covered from the $7.10? If we pulled a 100,000

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: from that?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Well, we were we were anticipating to float that to laundry if whatever was left over.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: I was thinking about float now.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: It was the original agreement. So

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Yeah. I'm just wondering if we float that to oh, god. The sprinklers. You're anticipating about what? $2.50 for the sprinklers?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yeah. I would say $2.50 or under.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Let us do some thinking. I don't know where the committee is, but I think they would wanna think about this.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Mhmm.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Am right?

[Unknown Committee Member]: I wouldn't want to cut them short because they seem to be managing what we give them very well. Give is the wrong word. I'd actually get a no.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: And then the 1.5 that we moved for the design documents for A, that's still cover that's more than how much of those design documents start to cost for a a wing?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: So, I think you I think we we spoke about 769,000 already spent.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Yes. Right. It's had three. Yep. I

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: mean, a 100,000 out of that, I I don't see that being a problem.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So a 100 so we did

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: because originally that 1.5 was for b And c wing renovations. And sprinklers would have been done, ceilings would have been done, windows, things like that out of that.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So we could use the balance of that design project, the 1.5 to your sprinklers.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: That sounds fair. But I would definitely have to consult with Melissa to find out if there was anything else

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: because that was added to

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: I don't really have anything to do with the money wise and the applications or grants on that end.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So the elevator we can use, I mean, maybe it's more complicated than moving money. But the first step was half of the elevators and $2.50 for sewer project. Now the other piece is 1,500,000.0 for design documents for A Wing that they think you're not gonna use all of it. And if you can put half 1,000,000 of that or whatever towards your sprinkler system.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Mhmm.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: That sound fair?

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yeah. That sounds fair. Yes.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: It's getting complicated. That's all I know. It's really getting complicated. I don't know if there's easier ways of doing this.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: We have an extremely old building here that's just always needing work.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: I know. But the sprinkler system, you really need to get that done.

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Right. Oh, yeah.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Sprinkler and sewer. One on top and one underneath. And laundry in the middle.

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yes.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: And then we may all end up in the memory chair. I'm not going to ask, is there anything else? I'm sorry I

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: didn't That was the last one from last week. We emailed Melissa, just ask, you know, we're going to, is it okay to mention and she said, you know, please go ahead.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So John, you got our drill, right? Moving money?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: 1.5, balance of the 1.5 available to Sprinklr's.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Yeah, we'll have to work with Scott. Thank you. Else from the committee? I'm not going to ask you to on Zoom. Anything else from the committee?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Nope.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: I want to thank both of you for being willing to come in on such short notice. We are starting the markup kind of late in the session. But I'm glad that you had time to weigh in. And we're trying to help you out as best we can within money that we have.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Yeah. So

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: stay posted, Melissa. Stay in contact with Mary. Mary can stay in contact with you.

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yep.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Let you know where we end up.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: In charge. Yep.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Here we go. Thank

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: you. We appreciate it so much.

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Thank you for your time, and mister Myers said to say hi.

[Unknown Committee Member]: There you go, Steve.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Yes. Thank you very much. I appreciate this.

[Steve McLafferty (Finance, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Really appreciate it.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Thank you, gentlemen.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Thank you. Nice job.

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: Bye. Have a good afternoon.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Yeah. Oh, I'm moving money around.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Okay.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Well, that was very helpful. Moving money around. I hope I can remember what I proposed.

[Unknown Committee Member]: They're all fungible. It's a good time.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: See how you move money around?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Mhmm.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: It really gets a little scary. And that will change in a month.

[Unknown Committee Member]: The only thing I should have said is when we said, if they replace the heat pumps, we should have said we want brand new ones, not ones that failed already.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: That's a shame.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Yeah. It's like

[Unknown Committee Member]: he he used the word if they can and it's like, no. They should. They should be brand new when working, you know, right off the bat.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: She's not talking over.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Oh, that was the other one I did.

[Unknown Committee Member]: I couldn't think how it's going, but I shouldn't ask that question because then it does. She's

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: for sprinklers that lose 1,000,000 for design documents. Well, folks are comfortable with moving all this money around?

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Yes. Yes.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Scott, because some of this is moving from cash to bonds. And I wonder if there's an easier way to do it.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: How you explained it was pretty slumpback.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Yeah. I'm just So the source system is cash. So we can use cash for the sprinkler. Then

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: No, cash was going to come out of that 1.5 for the sprinkler. The mean

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: For the wing, A wing.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Yeah.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: That's cash. For the a wing was cash.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Oh, it was. Okay. Per month. Okay.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So the sprinkler is coming out of that. So that's cash. And then the sewer is coming out of the elevator. And the elevator was a million Right.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Well, that's a long issue. We don't like the idea of the

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: a visual of the sewer coming out of the

[Unknown Committee Member]: sewer coming out of

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: the that stuff.

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: The I

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: gotta make sure I got

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: the That's you need there. Yeah.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Let me see. Because sometimes sometimes Yeah. Oh, this is reallocation. Hang on, folks. I'm not sure. So we didn't divide it up that way back then. So the elevator was bonded dollars. So in order to use the elevator and the sewer, the elevator, How much left do we have in the elevator? Half 1,000,000, right? We have half 1,000,000 left in the elevators. So we're moving 500,000 from cash to the elevator. They have moved money between the two projects. Were we gonna add $2.50 to that? We were gonna add $2.50.

[Unknown Committee Member]: We were gonna gonna were

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So it's 1.25. We gotta remember that because we're freeing up half 1,000,000 in cash, but we're putting $2.50 additional on bonded. So let's keep going. Let's go work till twelve. Really wanna get through this. Really? You are.

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: And

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: then John is gone, but

[Unknown Committee Member]: On section 14?

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Yeah. Did

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: you share it?

[Unknown Committee Member]: Yes.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Know I can't share it.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Got it all figured out.

[Unknown Committee Member]: No. No. I just got it in the conclusion.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So for the judiciary, Woodstock, backup, but done Essex. What I followed up with Eric Poisson and 500,000 for the addition for their water piece. Just talking about Newport. Where was the It was for their because remember the town water couldn't hold on? So they needed the water system so they could split their sprinkler system. And they wanted to make sure that that half million stayed in there. And I got a notice, I believe it was last week, from Terry. It is 500,000. I just wanna double check. And remember we talked about putting a fence around that with a letter of intent?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: We're going to suggest clean water pump, too.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: That was for Guildhall.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Oh, you're right.

[Unknown Committee Member]: I misunderstood. I thought you were talking about Gina Goulson.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So she submitted to me at the February, Carrie Corzon, documentation for the work at the Essex County Courthouse confirms that the initial project cost estimate of $500,000 is accurate. So one thing we talked about in January to allow them to make sure that the 500,000 stays in there and is not subject to change as it works through the process. We thought of doing a letter of intent from both committees to the judiciary. And BGS isn't involved in any of this. Right? To the judiciary, assuring them that that half million will be there at the end of the session. I have an agreement with Senate institutions. I will circle back. But I had that initial agreement with the Senate institution at the beginning of the session when they first talked about it, because they were really worried that if they have to wait till May when we finish all of our work, they might lose the contract with the builder, the construction company that they're working with. So if we do a letter of intent from both committees, both committees have made an agreement. We're not touching this half as it goes through the process. We'll be on board with

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: that. Ma'am. I

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: will reach out to the chair of institutions and work with John and have that letter of intent drafted on behalf of both committees. So I'll get that done by next week. So let's keep going. I just got a text from a speaker wondering if we need to work this afternoon. I was I

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: think so.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: I would like that flexibility.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Yeah, we need it.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: She wants to know how much time. I have another chair who needs time as well.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Two hours.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: I'm trying to coordinate.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Opening offer.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: What's on well, we got some bills up. Conference committee report's up today. Do you know that?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: I did not know that.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: You gotta look at notice. Gotta look at notice. Conference committee report is due.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: They will.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Your bill is due. Third reading is due. So it depends when all that comes up. Wanna do it at the beginning or end?

[Unknown Committee Member]: We know Get dues.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: It's almost immediate.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: You're almost immediate?

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Yeah. I've also got judicial retention right until then. So, yeah, I'll be down to the wire.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Yeah. But third reading comes up first. I haven't looked at notice.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Is it I don't know when conference committee is up.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: But It's on notice yesterday.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Once we get into today's actions, then I think Conor is first.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Then we have third reading with Gina first.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Yeah, that's what I'm saying. We get to today's camp. I'm not anticipating third reading is going to be a problem. I'm not anticipating third reading is going to

[Unknown Committee Member]: be a problem.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: No, but we need to be there on the floor. Need to be there on

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: the floor. So I would say once our business is done, we can get off the floor. And I I would predict our business will be done by 02:30. I I just don't know when James is up.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Unless we At the We have one third reading, but I think it's

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: the bills for today. The Senate bill is

[Unknown Committee Member]: Third reading is likely rolled out.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: The committee of conference report is at the other Yeah. Very nice. No. Heard that.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: The end of the day.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Oh, Litigiary. No. Why? Arts and opportunity.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: I say one of two.

[Unknown Committee Member]: I'm not doing I'm just I could be very smart.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: And then you got third readings. Are there any amendments to those There's some agreements.

[Unknown Committee Member]: I was I don't see any. That would be great.

[Unknown Committee Member]: What I've heard.

[Unknown Committee Member]: I've heard this too, but it only takes one maverick and three people to stand up and

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: I will stand up. Sorry. I always stand up. They wanna fuck. Gonna fuck.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: You're after a couple. Seconds. Instead of his

[Unknown Committee Member]: Preference. This is not a curve.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Think it's just a shot. Not a

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: So we could

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: come off the floor.

[Unknown Committee Member]: You ever seen somebody ask for

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: We could come off the floor after two ninety four is done. Just just. And people think for two hours?

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Probably.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Paraquat. Where's paraquat?

[Unknown Committee Member]: Paraquat's down here that and I have a lot

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: of my peeks who are asking me to avoid, you know, against that.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: We could get much done in an hour?

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Not really. Sure.

[Unknown Committee Member]: But We could try

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: We don't have any we should the question is, folks, we don't have any dollars really left. Right. So we need to get another spreadsheet unless we wanna start up and finish. What I would do, there may be some changes that we wanna make based on testimony yesterday. I would say give us an hour because we're gonna have to have a new spreadsheet made, and we gotta get Scott to do it. And Scott be here this afternoon with us? He could be. I would say an hour after we finish with h two ninety four because I don't we can't really come off the floor unless folks wanna take from 12:30 to one

[Unknown Committee Member]: I gotta be at the senate at one to read 06:35 to nine, but not for long.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So let's do for an hour. Okay. I would say after h two ninety four, because we've got recidivism, financial traction for healthcare, opioid abatement special fund, herbicide, mental health support, and substance disorder prevention Abuse. People's miscellaneous public utilities. And then we've got our conference committee report.

[Unknown Committee Member]: I I I read through all those, and there are no, like, split committee votes.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: You never know. So you never know what's going to happen on the floor.

[Unknown Committee Member]: I understand that, but I need to.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: An hour after we finish H-two 94?

[Unknown Committee Member]: Sure. I rolled it through the garage.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Oh, that

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: It's not work. Okay. Let's quickly get through here. Desks of Quartz. We've got Memorial Valley, 190. They didn't say anything about the backup on that one, power backup. I'm assuming that's done. White River Courthouse, This is they're moved they've already moved back in, I believe, finally.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: And

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: this is for increased cost because of the embankment behind there for flooding.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Right.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: And

[Unknown Committee Member]: They already spent 13,000,000.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: So

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: It's in the project. They went out to bid. The cost has increased. Mhmm. And it is so they this is cash. Mhmm. On the list, it says bond, but it's cash. Right? No.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: It says it's bonded.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: That's cash, 1.6.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Yeah. It shows that in my spreadsheet, too.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: It's cash. Cash. So they have 1.1 total in bonds. And then because of previous And then it's 1.6 in cash, not bond. In addition, it's a lot of point.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: That's expensive riffraff. Riffraff.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: I understand. And the court's already been open. Was he the building there or not? They went out to bid and the cost increased, so they took the money for the embankment in the project. So this is back because I had to take some money for the embankment project. Has this project is the embankment project already gone through, or they're going to do it?

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: It is a late basis. Can Yeah.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: No. Joe

[Unknown Committee Member]: is here. He was they have to do it. It has to they have not started it yet.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Because what happened is, what my notes is is the construction cost of the renovations in the building increased. So they pulled money from this particular piece of the project, and then we're backfilling. K. So it may not be the full 1.6 for the refrac because they had a total project cost that included this, but they pulled the money because it was an increase in the actual renovations of the building. Yep. Because it's over $6,000,000. I think it's about 8,000,000 total renovations of that building, White River. Probably, it's more than 6. I think it's around 8. Mhmm. 8? We put in 6.9 total, but there was previous there's 8,000,000 total that we put in, but I think there was also more money in previous bills, but I'm not sure. It was a big project in there. So we okay with the 1.6?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Yes. Yes. Yeah. New

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: port. I have a lot of questions about this new port thing. Yep. I really do. Have we reallocated anything for Newport? Because we've put money in there forever, haven't we? We put half 1,000,000 in bonds in '22, half 1,000,000 plus in bonds in 'twenty three, seven fifty bonds in 'twenty four, half 1,000,000 cash, 'twenty five. And that was all to go towards possible purchase of property and starting design documents. That's what that was all to go to.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Can't find land.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: They know where they wanted to put it, but ours that we did not wanna do it. Have we reallocated? It would be the '22 and '23. Maybe not the '23, but did we do any reallocations of that half million at all before? That would have been bonds. I don't see it in this bill. Do you folks on the repo know anything about this?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: That has not come on something.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Does check my structure. But I don't

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: think it can read out anywhere. Is this was cash or Are you talking cash It's or

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: 'twenty 2 bond. So that would have been up, right?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Hold on just a second.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: It's two years?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Between two and three. Anything over 5 is shall

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: We may have left it in there thinking we're still working on

[Unknown Committee Member]: the project because that would have been up. Court. So this was

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: hold on. Have a note. 25. I'm looking at that $5.25.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Well, there's half

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Spended by July 2026. That's on that $5.25.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So that was for f y '23 bond, but you don't have anything for the f y '22 bond? What was your question?

[Unknown Committee Member]: I just have a note that they were giving back 750 k and keeping $3.50 k for design of the 1.1 bill. I wrote that down. I that's my note from what Joe said, and that was in January. That was January 28 because

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: I've seen anything in reality. Right. So that's why I'm thinking then the

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: On that $7.50, f y twenty four also, expended by July 26. Still looking for that Pep Boy '22.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So can BGS help us and see if any of this money got

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: I do not believe so. Mean confeditor. And part of our prior testimony on this was based on our strategy of trying to prioritize this project to moving it forward this year, so keeping the funding that we had available, again, in in the hopes that we're able to move forward with a viable site and really get the thing done.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: We reallocated 750,000 from Barrie to go towards the Newport thing. That's what that is about. Okay. And keep 350,000 in Barry. It's the Barry Courthouse. Because Newport so And did you say that they reallocated that five twenty foot? No. We're hanging on to all of that, right?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: I'm saying notes from BGS on the 05/25 and the $7.50 are to be expended by July 26. The 500 the f y 22 is not showing on I don't know where it is, but it's not showing up as to be reviewed in repo notes. It's not with any of the 2022 stuff.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So we got a lot of money tied up here. We've got 1,700,000.0 plus for f y '27 bond that's being requested and another 750,000 cash for this project for a total of 4.6. And we've been looking at this for how many years? Six? Five? It's gonna be five years. At least from '22. So it would be the session of '21. Mhmm. And we we've been looking we don't wanna stop this project, but you need land. And you gotta you may have to purchase it. Yes. And we've given you the authority to purchase. Shawn.

[Unknown Committee Member]: But, Emily, I remember when Joe was here giving us testimony that he was also considering because the land sitch is not working out very well. Is to well, was to put an elevator on the outside of the existing courthouse to make it ADA compatible.

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: So a option would be lacking other options, looking at renovations of the existing facility. However, we believe in our evaluation that that is going to be a more difficult and costlier approach that doesn't meet programming needs of judiciary for a number of reasons like security concerns for their parking access, etcetera. And that's why we've been on the path and continue to be on the path of trying to find an alternative site for new construction. So again, I think I had given testimony with Joe on this and said, we are looking at a few options trying to be located in the downtown area as we are now because we think that that best serves the community for having accessibility to the courthouse right in downtown. There's a limited number of sites, of course. But the

[Unknown Committee Member]: gates behind right next to it too, or that big pit or whatever the hell it's called, right?

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: It is. That's a riskyership. So again, we are still working on that approach. We've been working closely with city of Newport as they are initiating a downtown redevelopment initiative and looking at a potential tip. So we still are in partnership with them. We do not have a specific site identified at this particular time, but our path is to prioritize this project as much as possible. We are working on trying to move forward with a site in downtown and lacking an option in downtown will expand our search again. That is the thing that we've done previously. And again, we just don't want to go too far outside of downtown if we can avoid that. So we're still really in the same place that we were the last time we gave testimony on this. But again, that's our approach and priority is still trying to buy a parcel of change. And we think we can.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Good. Yeah. We're folks. 4,600,000.0. It's sitting there.

[Unknown Committee Member]: In bonded or cash? Both. Both.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Both. It's right up there.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Mhmm. Both.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Both. So you just gotta add all that up. Right? Yep. It's challenging. So it's not okay. So $1.1.2 in cash.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Yeah. But that is cash from f y twenty five.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Mhmm.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: And then you got cash in f y twenty seven. Yeah.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: So there's $1,200,000.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: And we haven't put anything in last year because except for No, we didn't put anything in last year, FY '26, because we were hoping to have this resolved. So we're not in any different place now than we were last year at this time.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Not any difference since you worked since '22.

[Unknown Committee Member]: No, they're having a hard time finding land. That's the thing.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Don't know what to do with this.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: I I want Well,

[Unknown Committee Member]: it doesn't seem like anything's gonna happen anytime soon.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: It's tough one. If take the money away, then you gotta find it again.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Well, I'll see. But you don't

[Greg Cruzan (Environmental Services Director, Vermont Veterans Home)]: take it all away,

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: but you can just take

[Unknown Committee Member]: some of it away.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: But can't do any design documents until you know where you're going.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Right. That's the problem.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: You can't put any design documents until you know where you're going to put it.

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: You can do some work, but really, right, the cycle influence. Cycle influence.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: And you're still going to have $4,000,000 in there, close to 4,000,000 in there. So take $7.15 cash in for now.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Take $7.50 cash out.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Yeah. For this year.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Leave the 1.7 bond.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Sure. Leave the bonded money. You're at 3 point the cash.

[Unknown Committee Member]: That's fair.

[Unknown Committee Member]: I don't know. It's just an idea. I'm not saying we have to do it, but I'm just saying if

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: 3.8.

[Unknown Committee Member]: And if it comes up to life next year, then you find the money, give it back to

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: them so they can move forward.

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: I will say our request and recommendation is that we have funds because we're, again, really trying to prioritize moving forward. However, don't currently have a site. I'm just being candid about where we're at. Are trying to, again, have the funds available so that we are in a good position to move forward. So that was our strategy and approach again, looking at Berry and here is trying to put our eggs more in one basket for prioritization. But again, just to share, we do not have a sight at

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: this point. We don't want to cut you short, but we also there's 4,600,000.0 that's sitting there. If we could pull $7.50, then you're down to 3.8. Ish. 3.9 and

[Unknown Committee Member]: But okay. I just have a quick question for Emily then. But okay. So let's say we take 715 cash out of there. Right? And you're looking at 3.8. Can you still move ahead with does it let's say this let's say this summer you find land or the pit opens up or whatever. Can you move ahead with design with the money you have, 3.8

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Yeah. Million

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: I mean, it ultimately depends on how much you pay for the property.

[Unknown Committee Member]: I see. You want that cash, do you want money in there to buy that property?

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Well, yeah. Yeah. But we don't know what the cost is.

[Unknown Committee Member]: It would

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: be to buy a property and start to to sign.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Okay. So

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: ultimately, it just depends on what we pay.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Troy?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: What was the most recent ask from the owner? There was a request. We've made the offer.

[Unknown Committee Member]: For the pit?

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: For the pit? So

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: yes, prior to my time with BGS, we were trying to purchase the pit. There have been a few appraisals done, some by the state, some by the city. And at the time, the asking price was higher than what our appraised value showed. I want to say the asking price was closer to $2,000,000

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: I've got to say I

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: wasn't here, I don't know exactly. But I want to say at the time, it was about two

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: months. Right. That's what I'm saying.

[Unknown Committee Member]: So there's a private person who owns it?

[Unknown Committee Member]: Yeah.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: No, it was the Receivership. The PATH?

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: It's a federal receiver.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: It's a federal was part of the Ponzi screen.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: That's right. That was the whole Oh, right. That was gonna be that big medical facility. That's right.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: That's right. Part of the Ponzi scheme. So it's in receivership, and it's been there a long time. That's

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: right. They knocked it down for that day.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: I guess what we were hoping to use was the pit. But the city of Newport has different plants that they use.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Well, they probably want housing in there.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: For economic development.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Sure. Combo. Which we could all work together on that.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So let's we wanna pencil in that we take the $7.50 cash out. Mhmm.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Don't Penciling.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: I mean, we wanna prioritize this. There's just no doubt about it. We need to get it done. We've been trying working on this since the session of '21.

[Unknown Committee Member]: Mhmm.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: I'm just wondering if too we could look at if there is I got some thoughts. Thoughts for some language. Let me talk to you. I got some thoughts for maybe just back up. Yep.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: It's noted. Talk to Emily.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Get something going that's not going

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: not Right. Two minutes to twelve.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: And then the rest is dry hydrants. We've done this every year. And then historical society, the actual estimate was five sixty six thousand hundred and twenty four. And that was control units replacement. Again, it's dealing with moisture. And this is our state library. There are people on that.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Yep. Thank you. Not allowed.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Okey dokey. It's not enough.

[Unknown Committee Member]: It's not enough. So

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: we're let me see here what we got. Okay, so the speaker says that works. So, we finish, in a chair, you're to have 10 things going through your brain at the same time. You know that? You guys are so lucky. You only have five things going through your brain.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: I will say I have five and a half things.

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: So you've got to be ready for your conference committee report.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So we'll be back after Conor finishes. Let's hope you're not thrilled.

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: Got a nice, long floor report.

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Ready to go. Let's

[Rep. James Gregoire (Vice Chair)]: hear you.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So we will come back here after we finish H two ninety four on the floor for probably an hour because I wanna go back to the top of the spreadsheet because we may be changing things. Mhmm. I'm gonna sit down with Scott to go through what we just did. I can remember it. Maybe one or two of you want to hang out just in case. And then once we come back for an hour and go through the spreadsheet a little bit, that gives Scott the time to redo a spreadsheet. And then we've got to look at the language at the back of the bill for that. Okay? You guys?

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: Alright. Easy. Orange in your floor.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: So I gotta look. Oh, there you go. Okay. So let's take

[Emily (Department of Buildings & General Services representative)]: a break.

[Rep. Alice M. Emmons (Chair)]: Let's come

[Rep. Troy Headrick (Ranking Member)]: back.