Municipal Building Committee - Malden River Works – Aug 6, 2026

Municipal Building Committee: Malden River Works Salt Shed & Boathouse Agenda

August 6, 2026 12PM Virtual Teams Meeting

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NzI3MTc1ZjYtNmUxMi00ZjFjLTg1MGItOThhNmZlYjkzY2Ew%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%224a074cd1-7906-46af-b38f-90cd429d7f1b%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22651237f4-9307-4b52-8dcf-3f04c3fa328b%22%7d

Chair Nelson Miller called the meeting to order at 12:03PM.

Roll Call

• Deborah Burke - Absent
• Peg Crowe - Absent
• Amanda Linehan - Present
• Nelson Miller - Present
• Paul Myers - Present
• Eric Rubin - Absent
• Stephen Winslow - Present

Committee to Approve Minutes

Committee to approve the 6/25/26 and 7/9/26 meeting minutes.

• Amanda motioned to approve the minutes; Steve seconded the motion. The Committee voted unanimously to approve the minutes.

Malden River Works Salt Shed & Boathouse Project Updates

Updates regarding project financing.

• Nelson explained that he spoke with Ron Hogan, who is in conversation with the Mayor’s Office about project financing. They’re working on a way to fill the funding gap.

Committee to discuss and vote on cost-saving project choices, including about the following:

• Boat house MC cable option
• Nelson talked to Malden’s wiring inspectors about this
• They said that the use of this building does not require conduit; it can be conventional wiring
• Whether to include boat house storage racks in the bid
• Sam (designLAB) reiterated that either way, Malden could get the same product. It’s just a matter of whether we treat the racks as a building element vs. furniture. We could buy the racks direct from the vendor, which would allow the City to avoid paying a contractor’s markup.
• Marie (Landing Studio, sub to designLAB) noted that the current design plans for more racks than what the high school team needs, but the same amount as existed in the previous “tent” boathouse.
• Amanda noted that we should be assuming high-capacity storage needs/considering room to grow.
• Group agreed that either way, the boat racks will be needed immediately upon completion of construction.
• Steve motioned to bid the storage racks as a deduct alternate. Amanda seconded this. The group voted unanimously in favor of this approach.
• Salt shed as a deduct alternate
• The group felt that taking this approach would fundamentally alter the bid, and noted that Malden really needs a salt shed.
• Steve motioned that the salt shed be included in the base bid, not as a deduct alternate. Amanda seconded this. The group voted unanimously in favor of this approach.
• Boathouse siding options (see attached email for details)
• Sam clarified that the decision point here is whether to use aluminum or wood siding in the area where the coach’s office and bathrooms will be. The remainder of the boathouse is already planned as wood siding. Sam recommended that Malden choose to do all wood siding everywhere, as it will look cleaner, be easier to maintain (the maintenance is more gradual over time), and saves a little money. Sam noted that the insulation will remain the same.
• Steve motioned to accept Sam’s recommendation and use all wood siding for the boathouse. Amanda seconded this. The group voted unanimously in favor of this approach.
• Boathouse corrugated metal roof
• Steve asked about how corrugated metal roof ages over time, to which Sam responded that it performs similarly to a standing seam metal roof (which is the alternative option here).
• Sam noted that the advantage of a seam roof is that it’s more aesthetic and slightly more leak proof. However, he noted that for our boathouse, the roof is “low slope” so it won’t be as visible to park goers, and the building is “open air” so leaks are less of a concern. The corrugated metal, by contrast, is about $50,000 cheaper, still reliable, and simpler. Both options can be factory coated and the same color choices are available.
• Nelson noted that leaks do not concern him here, and ice dams will not be an issue with the corrugated metal roof.
• Steve suggested that we could bid the seam roof but put a substitution for corrugated metal as a deduct alternate. Sam reminded the group that for alternates, we would need to determine the priority order and accept alternates in that order (i.e., you can’t just pick and choose the alternates you want).
• Steve motioned to move forward with the corrugated metal roof with the caveat that the committee would like to choose the roof color/finish to control for aesthetics. Amanda seconded this. The group voted unanimously in favor of this approach.
• Boathouse storefront window system
• Sam reminded the group that the choice here is a “stick built” storefront window system vs. a mulled window system where the glass comes already built into the frames. His recommendation was to keep the “stick built” storefront window system because the savings aren’t that great.
• Nelson shared that in previous conversations, Eric Rubin was in favor of keeping the “stick built” system, too, for maintenance reasons, as it’s easier to replace the glass if it breaks.
• Steve motioned to keep the “stick built” storefront window system. Amanda seconded this. The group voted unanimously in favor of this approach.

Invoice Approval

• There were no new invoices to approve. Sam noted that there was no need for a July invoice, so the next one will be for August services.

New Business

• Sam noted that with the decisions made today, his team is ready to move into Construction Drawings (CDs). They should be done by September 18.
• Sam will send a template for Division 0 documents and his team’s Division 1 documents for review.
• The group decided to arrange a virtual meeting with the high school coaches and Gentle Giant to confirm the number and type of boats that need to be accommodated in the boathouse. Amanda noted that the group should also ask these stakeholders about their interest in/goals for future expansion, so that the committee could keep this in mind as they make decisions. Bekah McPheeters will help to schedule this meeting.
• The next committee meeting is scheduled for September 3 at 12PM.

Adjournment

• Steve motioned to adjourn. Amanda seconded this. The group voted unanimously to adjourn at 12:56.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact Maria Luise, ADA Compliance Coordinator at mluise@cityofmalden.org or 781-397-7000 Ext. 2005

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