Hi Rhonda,
I would have to respectfully disagree from the perspective of traffic
issues and safety. Despite numerous requests for a /recent/
comprehensive traffic study/analysis as a result of construction of the
Community Center, at the school campus, to my knowledge that study
hasn't been performed. If a recent analysis was indeed completed, I'm
not aware of it being shared with residents. Please correct me if I'm
mistaken. There's no question, there will be a significant increase in
volume of traffic entering and leaving as a result of this new
facility. It therefore begs the question as to what modifications, if
any, will there be at the intersection of Lincoln and Ballfield roads?
And Lincoln Rd already has issues with congestion, no traffic signal at
that intersection, speeders, etc.
Additional dollars aside that's now being requested for this project,
I'm hesitant, as I was last year, to vote in favor of it. I think
residents deserve to know all the facts and implications of construction
at the campus location which should surely include traffic, other
transportation impacts and safety measures. Without this detailed
information and fully disclosed to residents, as it stands now, I would
have to vote NO on Article 1.
Thank you,
Jeffrey Mizrahi
On 6/23/2025 1:02 PM, Rhonda Swain wrote:
At the 2024 Town Meeting, as the culmination of decades of discussion
and planning, the citizens of Lincoln resoundingly approved a project
to build a new Community Center designed specifically to meet the
needs of the Council on Aging and Human Services (COA&HS), Lincoln
Extended-Day Activities Program (LEAP), and the Parks and Recreation
Department.
Since then, architects, site planners, designers, along with the
Community Center Building Committee (CCBC), the Conservation
Commission, and other Town boards and committees have worked
diligently to turn the vision of a Community Center into reality.
Throughout the process, they made a number of cuts to the original
design to reduce costs. Even so, when bids for construction came in,
the lowest bid exceeded the original budget by $2.3M, due to tariffs,
supply chain issues, and overall economic conditions.
The CCBC has requested the additional $2.3M from the Town in order to
proceed with the construction of the Community Center on the current
schedule.
The Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging has been a strong
proponent of the Community Center project from the beginning. We
contributed $1M to the Community Center project in order to reduce the
amount the Town needed to borrow to fund it. In addition, we helped
raise $345,000 through private contributions to reduce the cost of the
project to the taxpayers.
We strongly support the CCBC’s request that the Town contribute $2.3M
from the Stabilization Fund to the Community Center project. The Town
has managed its affairs prudently so that the requested funds are
available without requiring additional borrowing. This project, at
this time, still represents a generationally unique opportunity for
the residents of Lincoln to build an asset that will continue to serve
the Town’s residents, of all ages, for years to come.
Please join us at the Special Town Meeting on June 25 at 6:30pm. We
hope you’ll vote in favor of Article 1 to provide the Community Center
project with the funding it needs.
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