Northboro-Southboro as well, plus many other Metrowest districts—summer, after 
school, etc.

> On Jun 9, 2025, at 12:20 PM, ٍSarah Postlethwait <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
> “LEAP can function in the school building on a temporary basis, but no one 
> should think this is an optimal or even adequate solution.”
> 
> I have a really hard time rationalizing why LEAP and Parks and Rec 
> programming can’t utilize shared spaces inside the school building during 
> after school hours- especially spaces like the multiple “hubs”, the learning 
> commons, the two gymnasiums, and the cafeteria. (Map below of what I believe 
> is the current school design)
> 
> Is there truly not a single unused space inside the school building? As far 
> as I understand it, the school was designed to accommodate 700+ students 
> comfortably, and our enrollment is closer to 550. That discrepancy suggests 
> there may be underutilized capacity. 
> 
> What is LEAP’s plan for the next two years? Why can it be done safely on a 
> temporary basis, but it can’t be done long term? I have yet to hear any 
> convincing argument about why it can’t be done, but I’m all ears if anyone 
> has any to offer. 
> 
> For context, I have a background in education and have spent time in dozens 
> of school buildings. The vast majority of them host their before and after 
> school programming, as well as summer programming within the school itself, 
> and none of them had a ~100 Million Dollar building at their disposal. 
> 
> Even locally, many schools safely and effectively offer programming before 
> and after school as well as summer programs inside their school buildings, 
> rather than off campus or in a community center. 
> 
> Some examples of towns I found after doing a quick search- I’m sure the full 
> list is much more extensive:
> Weston
> Maynard
> Belmont 
> Concord
> Waltham
> Arlington
> Burlington
> Woburn
> Dedham
> 
> Given these considerations, I believe it’s time for our community to reflect 
> on whether building a $27 Million community center is a WANT or a NEED. From 
> my perspective, it is a want- and in today’s economically volatile climate, I 
> believe we should be especially prudent with major expenditures that may not 
> be truly essential. 
>  
> Sarah Postlethwait 
> 
> 
> <IMG_5276.jpeg>
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Mon, Jun 9, 2025 at 10:55 AM Bob Kupperstein <[email protected] 
> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
>> LEAP can function in the school building on a temporary basis, but no one 
>> should think this is an optimal or even adequate solution.   
>> 
>> LEAP, in its own building, has dedicated space for educational, artistic, 
>> recreational, tech and media activities.   In the school building, they 
>> would not 'own' any space - so anything they use on a daily basis would have 
>> to be set up and stored away each day.   This puts an unrealistic burden on 
>> staff and creates logistical issues with the setup needing to happen just as 
>> the school is emptying out and the clean-up/storage having to happen during 
>> the pick-up hours, while the students have a range of pickup times.  The 
>> activities and programs that make LEAP such a great after-school program 
>> would have to be scaled back.
>> 
>> I can also imagine safety/security issues, with students in the school 
>> building after most school staff have left, leaving large parts of the 
>> building unmonitored.
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> 
>> -Bob
>> 
>> On Mon, Jun 9, 2025 at 12:36 AM Karla Gravis <[email protected] 
>> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
>>> ...
>> 
>>> 
>>> Leap can remain in our brand-new school building as it will be hosted there 
>>> for the next two years anyway. 
>>> 
>>> Karla Gravis
>>> Weston Rd
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
>>>> From: Sara Lupkas <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>>
>>>> Date: Sun, Jun 8, 2025 at 10:53 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [LincolnTalk] Vote No to the Community Center, save yourself 
>>>> a tax payment!
>>>> To: Listserv Listserv <[email protected] 
>>>> <mailto:[email protected]>>
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> David Cuetos wrote: "After adjusting for structurally inflated budget 
>>>> lines, our true operating budget is likely closer to $46–47M—implying a 
>>>> reserve target of around $7M. That leaves as much as $18M in excess 
>>>> reserves available." 
>>>> What is meant by structurally inflated budget lines and how are you 
>>>> calculating our "true operating budget"? Implying that citizens should 
>>>> somehow equate not passing the Community Center Warrant article with the 
>>>> town not needing to collect taxes in the fall seems a huge reach and not 
>>>> very financially responsible for our town. And if our reserves are so 
>>>> healthy, why is there even an argument against allocating an additional 
>>>> amount to cover the Community Center shortfall? 
>>>> Let's also not forget that if the Community Center somehow fails now, we 
>>>> would still need to renovate Bemis and the LEAP pods, so this wouldn't 
>>>> free up *that much* in the town budget. This is reminiscent of the first 
>>>> school building project getting voted down and then a more expensive 
>>>> project (with no state matching funds) finally passing years later.  
>>>> 
>>>> --
>>>> Sara Lupkas
>>>> 
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