There is a time for creativity and brainstorming - usually near the beginning of a process - and then a time for evaluating and comparing alternatives that were dreamed up in the brainstorming phase. I think we are in the second phase now, and did not give short shrift to the first phase.
The facts summarized in what Krystal shared in the beginning of this thread seem compelling to me, in explaining why Lincoln Station would not make sense as a CC location. I see the counterargument that "People could drop in as they went to PO or wanted to have a central place to meet friends and neighbors" ; I take that to mean that, because people have reason to go to the post office, grocery store, etc, that are already located at Lincoln Station, it would be more convenient for them to drop in at the CC while they are there. That leads to the question of what is more important for the CC to be co-located near: (A) the Lincoln Station spots (PO, Donellans, etc.) or (B) the school? There already is a coffee shop at Lincoln Station where one can meet friends, by appointment or otherwise. The colocation benefits of the CC being near the school seem much more important, because schoolkids then could continue to walk to the after-school activities there, whereas 99% of adults will be driving to any of the above. For those adults, how hard would it be to do your errands at Lincoln Station and keep going to a CC at Hartwell to take a scheduled adult class there and/or drop in and hang out for coffee? I do not buy the idea that adding a CC to Lincoln Station would drive much more traffic to the retail stores there. Therefore, I do not think the co-location convenience of also putting a CC at Lincoln Station adds up to much, and is greatly outweighed by the different colocation benefits provided by the Hartwell location. (There are other factors besides colocation convenience that also weigh strongly in favor of the Hartwell Campus location - see the summary from Krystal above.) - Paul Shorb On Wed, May 3, 2023 at 11:36 PM Sara Mattes <samat...@gmail.com> wrote: > Sadly, the focus on a monolith is constraining creativity. > What if, rather than simply dismissing Linocln Station as the host for a > monolith, we looked for a smaller space for a long-term lease of a “drop > in” center- ca community space for folks to stop, sit, bring something to > eat form home, the Twisted Tree, Donelans, Country Pizza? > Have a Senior Work-Off individual be in place to maintain order. > People could drop in as they went to PO or wanted to have a central place > to meet friends and neighbors. > The campus is not central and does not lend itself to this form of > socializing. > A more modest vision about how to use Lincoln Station would bring more > traffic to our small commercial district and provide a central location for > community engagement. > This would not preclude expansion of housing in the area, only expand > mixed use. > > We need more collaboration and sharing of spaces across town, not > less…more on ideas for that at a later date. > > As to intergenerational activities, the programing and traffic > considerations preclude potential for this to be realized on the Hartwell > Campus. > Adult activities end as youth programs begin. > Facilities will offer multi-generational , not inter-generational use. > > > And, finally, I respectfully disagree on the sense of the amendment passed > at Spc. Town Meeting. > My read was there was a clear desire for continued use and potential > expansion of use of alternative spaces for programming…an expanded use of > spaces off campus. > I am curious what others heard. > > Sara > > > ------ > Sara Mattes > > > > > On May 3, 2023, at 9:37 PM, Krystal Wood < > ccbccommunicationscommit...@gmail.com> wrote: > > *Survey Responses regarding the Community Center Location.* > > > While the motion approved at the November 2022 Special Town Meeting > recognized that the Community Center would be located at the Hartwell > Complex, in the recent CCBC survey responses and during the open microphone > Community Center meeting on April 4, some residents expressed their > continuing interest in locating the Center at Lincoln Station, or in the > consideration of other locations around town. There are a number of > issues that are worth more explanation. > > > *The Lincoln Station location:* > > > 1. The Parks and Recreation (PRD) programs are located at existing > space at the Hartwell complex, and will continue to be located at Hartwell, > so Lincoln children can easily walk to their after-school activities. > 2. There is no viable site at Lincoln Station for a Council on Aging > & Human Services (COA&HS) center. No private land owner has talked to > the Town about siting a center on their property. The Town owns three > properties: the DPW site, paved commuter parking lot and unpaved commuter > parking lot. Consultants in a previous study estimated the cost for > moving the DPW to the only viable site (Transfer Station) to be about $25 > million. The unpaved commuter lot is too small. The paved commuter lot > provides public parking for the commuter rail, and presents challenges > complying with MBTA requirements for appropriate parking capacity at train > stations. Limited parking correlates with reduced train service. The MBTA > and its constituency can be expected to protest a reduction in public > parking at any MBTA station. Building on the paved lot would also eliminate > the possibility of using the lot for potential commercial activity or a > potential housing development. (Additional housing is the top priority > for the revitalization efforts.) > 3. Any construction for a center at Lincoln Station will require > public funding for site preparation, parking, and a building, in addition > to public funding for solving PRD’s facility and office space needs in > Hartwell Complex. > 4. Locating the COA&HS center at Lincoln Station would require > duplication of facilities with those used by PRD in the Hartwell Complex, > adding significantly to the construction costs, and also the maintenance > and management costs. > 5. Trying to use other locations at Lincoln Station -- above the > bank, above Donelan’s, other Rural Land Foundation property etc., if > available, would also reduce the options for future housing. > > > *There are many important considerations for locating the Community Center > at Hartwell:* > > > 1. The PRD and COA&HS can co-locate as they need similar types of > facilities and, most importantly, can share the same spaces. Both > provide fitness activities, but largely at different times of the day. PRD > and COA&HS provide arts-and-craft activities that can again be located in > the same space, at different days and times etc. Use of the same > facilities will provide significant reduction in construction costs, and > provide operational efficiency gains. > 2. There are synergies between the School, PRD and COA&HS programs, > and the Hartwell location that will provide readily accessible > opportunities for intergenerational activities unhindered by distance and > transportation logistics of separate locations. > 3. The campus has been studied extensively to ensure that a community > center could be located on Ballfield Road, and it was determined that with > proper design, there is sufficient space for parking and circulation. > 4. The campus location is aesthetically more pleasing than the > commuter lot at Lincoln Station. > > > *PRD and COA&HS programming beyond the Hartwell Complex* > > Currently, PRD and COA&HS programs occur at many locations around town, > other than the Hartwell Complex and both organizations will continue to use > these locations. For a full listing please see the Decentralized > Programming Matrix on the CCBC web site. > > > 1. Currently the PRD runs programs at the Lincoln School Reed and > Smith gyms, the School Auditorium and Learning Commons, and at Bemis Hall, > Pierce House, the Library, First Parish Church, and Codman Farm, amongst > other locations; and at town athletic facilities including Codman Pool, the > sport and tennis courts, playgrounds, athletic fields and parks. > > > 2. The COA&HS has programs at the First Parish Church, at Lincoln > Woods, Hartwell Complex, the Pierce House tent, The Commons In Lincoln, the > Ryan Estates, Minuteman Technical High School, on Lincoln’s trail network. > > > There is a recognized need to revitalize Lincoln Station, but at the 2022 > November Special Town Meeting, the democratic process resulted in a clear > consensus and support for the amended motion for developing options for > design choices and budgets for the Community Center Building at the > Hartwell Complex. > > > Thank you for taking the time to read through these clarifications, and > for engaging in the process to discern how we address Lincoln’s challenges > together. > > > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > 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. > 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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