I think creativity is always essential, especially prior to making major capital investments.
I don’t think the argument is EITHER Lincoln Station OR Hartwell… but how can we serve the needs of the community (including financial needs) by designing a solution that may also make the most of collaborative space around town? The idea of a community center is great, and the concept of kids having access to after-school programs (athletics, arts, etc.) is terrific. But we must build on solid financial footing. What irony if a shiny big new pricey community center gets voted in, but the seniors it might have served must move out. - Kathy Madison > On May 4, 2023, at 2:01 PM, Paul Shorb <paul.sh...@gmail.com> wrote: > > 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 > <mailto: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 >>> <mailto: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 >>> <mailto: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 >> <mailto: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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