It is not a “dead horse.” It is only dead if it is rejected by voters. And, if I remember correctly, the town did not vote to look at the use of “town-OWNED” buildings, but rather "town buildings." In fact, the town has been delivering programs in buildings that are NOT town-owned for some time. Senior dining has been hosted by both St.Anne’s and the Stone Church of the First Parish for many, many years. Given that history, there is no reason it cannot continue as such. It may not be the first choice for staff, but it may be more cost-effective and a path to developing a cost-sensitive project.
In addition, there has been only a cursory look at alternative town-owned sites. Further work needs to be done in that review. A casual read of the comments in the recent CCBC “survey” should make clear there are serious concerns over moving forward without serious consideration to a more modest project than is currently being presented. And that you can do by going to the CCBC website. It is eye-opening and a reality check that should inform all going forward. In order for us to be able to have a project that will pass at town meeting, we must be flexible and creative. The notion that all programs and services MUST be located in one building may sink the project. And that would be a shame. Sara Mattes 71 Conant Rd. (Name and address given per the request of others. I ask all posting to please do the same) ------ Sara Mattes > On May 22, 2023, at 8:59 AM, llas902551--- via Lincoln > <lincoln@lincolntalk.org> wrote: > > Hi > There are no town owned bldgs that can be used. This has been looked into. > You keep approaching your same concerns every time there is a mtg re: > community center. Unfortunately, I understand your concern for tax increase, > but the same endorsement desperately need a new bldg for adequate > programming. You need to read what is already on the CCBC website and refrain > from beating a "dead horse". It appears you need to get the correct info by > reading the CCBC website. > There are certain restraits put on the CCBC plan that you need to avail > yourself of to better understand the needs of CCBC . > Thank you and have a great day. > Lynne L > > Sent from AOL on Android > <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aol.mobile.aolapp> > On Mon, May 22, 2023 at 7:47 AM, Lynne Smith > <ly...@smith.net> wrote: > Below is my article in the Lincoln Squirrel. > > > My Turn: CCBC has reduced space but questions remain about cost > May 21, 2023 > > By Lynne Smith > > > <https://lincolnsquirrel.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/myturn-sm-feb2021.jpg> > At its May 17 meeting, CCBC and ICON Architecture claimed they reduced the > space needed for a new building by 8,000 square feet compared to the space > proposed in 2018 by Maryann Thompson Architects. ICON’s Ned Collier said the > current program is “going in the direction of 75%” of the 2022 cost option of > $25 million. They will “reduce programming for a 50% option” and also provide > a 100% option at the June 13 meeting before the summer hiatus. > > In my opinion, and based on those expressed in the CCBC survey results, the > upper amounts are unlikely to win approval at any Town Meeting and are surely > a waste of time for the committee and the architects. A 50% option for a new > building would cost $12.5 million and that may be more than most will want. > > Also at the May 17 meeting, ICON presented a chart showing 6,700 square feet > of space to be shared among COA/HS, PRD, LEAP (the after-school program), and > Magic Garden (the pre-school program). While the chart showed many activities > for an average week, there was a great deal of space that was not accounted > for — shown as FT (Free Time) on the chart — and other blocks of time that > were inexplicable, such as the five hours in the kitchen spent for Meals on > Wheels. The chart also indicated the maximum number each room would hold, not > the number who actually have attended. I was not convinced of the need for > this much space, much less the additional unshared space required for > administration, LEAP, support and maintenance, which totals around 11,000 > square feet. I assume the shared-space chart and the description of unshared > space will soon be available on the CCBC website. > > Many participants suggested using existing town spaces for programming. Dan > Pereira explained that CCBC was not considering using any buildings that were > not town-owned. This surprised many of us who are aware that Lincoln and > other towns happily use churches and schools for senior and youth > programming, and some suggested that leasing privately owned buildings could > work very well. As one of the amenders of the 2022 vote, I was surprised to > learn that “only town-owned buildings” were being considered. > > The April CCBC survey results, including free-form comments, are now > available on the CCBC website <https://lincolncommunitycenter.com/>. These > comments reveal much about the mood of the town: questions about the need for > a community center and the location, but primarily questions about cost. I > asked that the CCBC respond to these comments at the upcoming public forums. > If they do not, I fear many residents will simply tune out and vote against > any expenditure. > > On Tuesday, May 23, CCBC will hold another public forum at 7 p.m. in the > Hartwell multipurpose room and on Zoom. ICON will show visuals of the spaces > required, not just charts. I urge everyone to attend to learn about this > project in time to affect the outcome. We need to make our voices heard about > the cost and value of a community center. > > Lynne Smith > 5 Tabor Hill Road > Lincoln, MA 01773 > cell: 781-258-1175 > ly...@smith.net <mailto:ly...@smith.net>-- > 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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