I'm a little confused about the argument that after hours use of the school requires the cost of a custodian as a reason to build a Community Center. Surely many many years of a custodian salary are far less than a new building. And if the Community Center is going to be a gathering place it has to be open, and if it's open it pretty much needs to be staffed.
It may well be that we need a Community Center, but surely the cost of a school custodian is not the reason. Margaret On Tue, Nov 15, 2022 at 8:53 AM Barbara Low <barbara_...@hotmail.com> wrote: > The school cannot be used during the school day, and to use after hours > requires the cost of a custodian. The current facilities are inadequate and > have been for a long time. Further delay will probably increase the cost of > a new building. The time to act is now. > > Sent from my T-Mobile 5G Device > Get Outlook for Android <https://aka.ms/AAb9ysg> > ------------------------------ > *From:* Lincoln <lincoln-boun...@lincolntalk.org> on behalf of Sarah > Marcotte <sgmarco...@gmail.com> > *Sent:* Tuesday, November 15, 2022 7:03:01 AM > *To:* John F. Carr <voxsciuro...@gmail.com> > *Cc:* lincoln@lincolntalk.org <lincoln@lincolntalk.org> > *Subject:* Re: [LincolnTalk] Community Center Building Committee- Why > Build A New Community Center? > > While I understand that the Community Center project has been developing > for years, I think it is especially "tone deaf" to bring it up now with the > increased costs of everything with winter closing in. > > Let's please hold off on the Community Center for this fiscal year and > wait to see how the spaces at the new school buildings can be used. > > Sincerely, > Sarah Marcotte > > On Mon, Nov 14, 2022 at 12:33 PM John F. Carr <voxsciuro...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > Before dreaming about a ride service you should study ADA regulations, > and the Rehabilitation Act and any comparable state laws. Some of > these are enforced by private lawsuits and winning plaintiffs get > attorney's fees. > > You can't just stuff old people in any old car as a town service. You > probably need a wheelchair lift which means a bigger vehicle. If > Lincoln accepted federal funds it might also need to provide > paratransit services. A decade or two ago the MBTA was paying about > $80 per ride to a private contractor to move disabled people who lived > within 1/4 of a bus route and couldn't or wouldn't take a bus. > > And if you're going to have a shuttle, why not take them to Waltham to > go shopping? If I couldn't drive I'd like a ride to Market Basket or > Star Market. Ask where people want to go, not where you want people > to go. > > Also ask whether this is to be an occasional thing or a service people > would depend on. A reliable service costs more. Maybe there's a > private company that will offer a quote. I don't think Lincoln town > government has what it takes. > > John Carr > > On Sat, Nov 12, 2022 at 2:13 PM Lynne Smith <ly...@smith.net> wrote: > > > > > > Thank you, Seth. You have written another thoughtful analysis. > > > > I’d like to add to this discussion a possible solution to the parking > problem at Bemis Hall. I don’t want to give in to parking lots as the only > fix. I hope we can explore further the idea of a small (electric) van or > car that would run on schedules timed for Events at Bemis Hall. People > could park at pierce House, Hartwell pods, or even the Mall and get rides > to Bemis. Perhaps some of us could form a study group to cost out such a > service. > > > > I am more than willing to spend money to do a gut renovation of Bemis as > we did for Town Offices. Seeing these beautiful old buildings repurposed > for modern usage seems like a Lincoln value. > > > > Any thoughts? > > > > > > Lynne Smith > > 5 Tabor Hill Road > > Lincoln, MA 01773 > > 781-258-1175 > > Sent from my iPhone > > > > On 12 Nov 2022, at 9:02 a.m., Seth Rosen <rosen...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > Hi Krystal - > > > > Thanks for sharing these thoughts, and for the work the committee has > done over the years on this issue. I recognize it's a volunteer endeavor, > and genuinely appreciate that. > > > > What I'm struggling with - and what I think many other folks are > struggling with as well - is that we haven’t seen any alternatives that > take into account any existing fiscal constraints. No one has provided a > substantive response to the specific concerns I raised previously. > > > > Basically I said “guys I don’t think we can afford a $25m+ community > center and here’s exactly why, in detail” and the response thus far has > been “we’ve wanted it for ten years, we’ve studied it, and it’s the only > solution. It will be great for the community.” > > > > Look - a $25M+ community center sounds amazing, and candidly I’d love to > use it. But I also recognize that; > > > > (a) we can't afford it without raising taxes by a lot, > > (b) it costs a lot more to build and finance then it did in previous > years, which changes the calculus and previous analyses are no longer valid, > > (c) we have to operate it once we build it, and that’s a long term > commitment, > > (d) the town has other mission-critical priorities (like DPW for > example) that also need to be paid for, and > > (e) we just built and renovated a very expensive school. > > > > What you've presented feels like two options. One, we build a $25M+ > community center. Or two, we hack together using only what we have. > > > > I personally would like to see Option 3 and Option 4, where we > prioritize and improve certain mission critical items (like the LEAP pod > for example), and optimize other under-utilized spaces - all in the context > of a capital budget that manages people's expectations and reconciles needs > and wants with economic and fiscal realities. > > > > I know and understand this community center project is a labor of love > for many, but to be candid, it just doesn't feel to me like there is town > support for a $25M community center and if that's the case we need to > evaluate whether it's prudent to spend over $300K developing designs for > something Lincoln won't vote to actually build. > > > > Seth I Rosen > > Cell: 617-771-5602 > > Email: rosen...@gmail.com > > > > > > On Fri, Nov 11, 2022 at 8:07 AM Krystal Wood < > ccbccommunicationscommit...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> > >> Community Center Building Committee- November, 2022 > >> > >> > >> > >> Why would Lincoln build a new Community Center rather than use existing > buildings? > >> > >> > >> > >> Lincoln has known for a long time that Bemis Hall is not an appropriate > building for the Council on Aging & Human Services (COA&HS): > >> > >> > >> > >> · A 2008 needs assessment “determined that Bemis Hall not be the > long-term home for the COA.” (Since that assessment, the Lincoln senior > population has increased by 50%.) > >> > >> · In 2012, the Community Center Feasibility Committee (CCFC) > concluded about Bemis Hall that it was “not built to be a modern senior > center with myriad programs and services.” > >> > >> · The CCFC reiterated in a 2013 follow-up that Bemis is “not well > suited for a senior center.” > >> > >> · In February, 2015, the Community Center Study Committee (CCSC) > reported that, “compared with neighboring towns, the quality, size and > condition of Lincoln’s COA facility is vastly inferior, and its physical > deficits limit the programs and services which can be offered to elders.” > >> > >> · The CCSC provided additional detail about the shortcomings of > Bemis Hall: “the interior space does not allow for congregate meals, a > significant drop-in area, adequate and confidential office space for staff > and volunteers, private restroom locations, or all programming needed to > meet the needs of Lincoln’s growing population of older adults.” > >> > >> · In 2018, the Community Center Preliminary Planning & Development > Committee wrote more broadly that: > >> > >> > >> > >> Doing nothing to provide adequate facilities for the COA, PRD [Parks & > Recreation Department], and community organizations is not an option. The > physical plants of both Bemis Hall and the pods continue to age, and it > makes no sense for the Town to continue to expend scarce tax dollars to fix > up, patch up and make do with facilities that do not suit their purpose. > Just as important, every year that these departments and organizations are > not able to provide the range of activities and programs that are standard > in other towns and are located in buildings that discourage residents from > making use of their services means that opportunities to improve residents’ > quality of life are lost. > >> > >> > >> > >> In 2012, the CCFC studied other town facilities, asking whether any > existing building could serve as a better home for the COA&HS than Bemis > Hall. The CCFC concluded that no other existing building could serve the > needs of the COA. Pierce House, for instance, has two assets – a good > location and plentiful parking – but fails on every other criterion as a > potential home for the COA&HS: the spaces in the existing building don’t > match the programmatic needs, the possibilities for extensive expansion or > reconfiguration are very limited, and Pierce House couldn’t accommodate the > Parks & Recreation Department (PRD). > >> > >> > >> > >> For over 10 years, Town Committees have studied and evaluated options > for a Community Center., and have consistently concluded that continuing to > offer activities and services under the existing conditions of Bemis Hall > and the pods is no longer feasible or acceptable. Other existing town > facilities do not offer a solution to the problem. If Lincoln wants a > Community Center, then building a new one is the most efficient use of town > resources. > >> > >> > >> > >> We welcome all input and questions from town residents, and will make > every effort to solicit, hear, and address the priorities, values and > concerns of Lincoln residents concerning a new Community Center. > >> > >> > >> > >> -- > >> The LincolnTalk mailing list. > >> To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > >> Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. > >> Browse the archives at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. > >> Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > >> > > -- > > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > > Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. > > Browse the archives at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. > > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > > > > -- > > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > > Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. > > Browse the archives at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. > > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > > > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/ > . > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/ > . > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > >
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