Hi LT. I share Kathy Madison’s question (see her email below) about LEAP space.
I have other questions as well, and just sent these questions to CCBC via their website’s Contact link. Meanwhile, perhaps some of you could reply to share what you know about these issues: 1) Importantly, on LincolnTalk, several residents have mentioned that there will be time restrictions on COA programming/use of the Community Center, namely, during school hours (roughly 9-2:30), to reduce concerns of pedestrian safety with increased traffic. Is that accurate? 2) Where may we see info on LEAP’s space & program requirements? I see on the FAQs on this website that LEAP already makes use of the gym. Perhaps other areas of the school could (or do) accommodate LEAP as well. 3) From the FAQs on this site, it appears that the school auditorium is largely available for use by community groups, outside of school hours and major events such as school plays and school concerts. Could CCBC obtain info on whether certain COA programs could make use of the auditorium (including the upper section, which would not interfere with the stage/play/music rehearsals) during after-school hours? 4) Generally speaking, it could be helpful for this website to include more FAQs (or possibly answers to infrequent but important questions). Much attention has been given to the question of cost. But without knowing the hours that this new Community Center could potentially be used, by COA and other community groups, it’s hard to gauge whether it would be a “community” center at all. Best, Sarah Liepert Trapelo Road On Sep 27, 2023, at 1:40 PM, Kathy Madison via Lincoln <lincoln@lincolntalk.org> wrote: So, if the call went out to all town groups about whether they’d like/need space, why wouldn’t they say, “yes” ? The question of need and want did not seem so clearly defined. My son was in LEAP during his school years in Lincoln (and before that in Brookline) — colocating such a program w/the school always seemed to make sense to me. Now that there’s a nice, new, big school building in Lincoln, why wouldn’t LEAP fit there perfectly? I understand the proposed CC would be essentially an “across campus walk” … but does it need to be? If we take on even more debt now, will that mean the assessors will need to get busy so we can recover all the taxes that are not now being levied (because of under-assessed homes) and how will people feel about that? Lincoln is a miniscule-sized town. It’s a beautiful, wonderful, rural breath of fresh air surrounded by lots of urban centers. The town’s current debt is outrageous for a town this size. To add to it further seems unwise and unwarranted. To those who say — “But building a CC won’t get cheaper in the coming years.” I say, “yes, that’s true, but at what point in time will our town's indebtedness be too high a price to pay? Kathy Madison 781-640-1850 On Sep 27, 2023, at 12:36 PM, Kathy Madison <kathymadi...@mac.com> wrote: As I understand it, there was a town-wide query to sent to all the groups in town asking whether they would use a community center. Apparently LEAP was one of the groups that said they’d like space. On Sep 26, 2023, at 8:41 PM, Peter Buchthal <pbucht...@gmail.com> wrote: People of course are allowed to have their own opinions, but I don't believe this building project is about accepting our responsibility for taking care of our elders. As I have mentioned before, my father lived to 97 and was a big user of his local Council on Aging. You apparently believe that if one does not support the CCBC's decisions, you don't support our Council on Aging and its mission. This is far from the truth. Many on Lincoln Talk and others in town simply question the Council on Aging Hartwell generous building space requirements. Residents simply do not want to build a building that is bigger than our needs like we did with the school. There is also a healthy debate on whether it makes sense to build a COA/Community Center on the Hartwell Campus without sufficient parking and limited hours to protect the pre-school Magic Gardens and school age (5+) dropoff/Pickup from automobile running child parking lot mishaps. I am also not aware of any community center anywhere that intentionally colocates a senior center and daycare using a small shared parking lot. Many on Lincoln Talk and the town would hate to see the town build a huge building that is underutilized and repeats the lack of parking at Bemis Hall. As a small community with limited resources and the highest per capita debt in the commonwealth, we need to look at large projects with many eyes and many voices. It is a shame that up to now, the CCBC really hasn't listened to the public's concerns. In an effort to lower the cost and save between 3 and 4 million, I have previously asked why Leap can't be relocated into the school where it belongs. Almost all other school districts have extended day offerings within the school as the hours of a school and after school program dovetail perfectly. Maybe we should ask our new Superintendent if he could house Leap within the school? Does anyone know where Leap is going to run while the Hartwell Project is under construction? Peter Buchthal 71 Weston Rd On Tue, Sep 26, 2023 at 6:03 PM john gregg via Lincoln <lincoln@lincolntalk.org<mailto:lincoln@lincolntalk.org>> wrote: I am so surprised that a community that encourages acceptance and tolerance would further not doing the right thing like providing a place for kids, adults and elders should be able to congregate. It is about space, about money, about having to be held accountable for past neglect like providing a school for children. A place where the kids would be provided safe care at LEAP for parents who work. A place where adults could allow care for the ones who actually took care of them if they move back home. This is the same discussion when deciding about a new school, a bunch of intellectuals debating why things should not be provided to others like was provided to them. Best Regards, John Gregg -- 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. -- 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.
