> > Thanks Sara. > I’m not making any statement about our size or population. > Merely making a correction to the statistics sent. > > Sent from my iPhone > >>> On Nov 12, 2022, at 3:26 PM, Sara Mattes <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >> Laura, >> Weston is almost 3X our size and a significantly bigger tax base. >> >> For all, it should be noted that our senior population grew substantially in >> 2010 with the addition of what is now The Commons. >> It also should ne noted that The Commons has wonderful facilities for >> programs, exercise and recreation. >> >> Sara >> >> ------ >> Sara Mattes >> >> >> >> >>> On Nov 12, 2022, at 11:41 AM, Laura Crosby <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> Hi Karla, >>> Thanks for your message. I’d like to >>> mention one thing….. >>> Don’t know about your other statistics >>> here but do have one correction: >>> Weston MA does not have “an old >>> building compared to Bemis.” >>> They have a beautiful, relatively new, >>> large building to house their community >>> activities including space for their COA. >>> >>> >>> >>> Sent from my iPhone >>> >>>>> On Nov 12, 2022, at 11:17 AM, Karla Gravis <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>> >>>> Dear fellow Lincoln residents, >>>> >>>> I have closely followed the discussion around the $25M Community Center >>>> proposal and would like to take the opportunity provided by the >>>> Committee’s Vision memorandum to expose what I see as flaws in the process >>>> of proposal selection. >>>> >>>> We need to remember that building this Center will represent an average 9% >>>> increase in property taxes, which represents an additional $1,700 for the >>>> average Lincoln homeowner every year. There needs to be a valuable need >>>> and purpose to justify this burden on our families, and it is our duty to >>>> explore more cost-responsible alternatives. >>>> >>>> The benchmarking process was based on a series of wrong assumptions. We >>>> lost track of what other towns of our size were doing, and instead created >>>> a list of requirements out of proportion to our size and needs. This >>>> project would build a more expensive and bigger building than those found >>>> in towns many times our population. Neighboring towns with populations up >>>> to three times ours do not build Community Centers; their COA and PRD’s >>>> facilities share modest dwellings with other town facilities, on a scale >>>> comparable to Bemis Hall or Pierce House. Even for those towns that do >>>> have a community center, the current Lincoln proposal is four times the >>>> median space per resident. The disproportion is similar when we consider >>>> dedicated COA space per senior resident. >>>> >>>> This morning’s letter still does not clarify the expected use of a >>>> building of this scale. As has already been mentioned, a community is >>>> built by a shared purpose, not by a building. What we need is more >>>> volunteers who are interested in amplifying or creating communities of >>>> shared interest. We already have more than enough space and facilities >>>> across our brand-new school, Bemis Hall, the library and potentially >>>> Pierce House. Why not renovate the pods and use one of them for this >>>> purpose? Even refurbishing all three pods would be less than a fifth of >>>> the expense of the proposed new community center. >>>> >>>> We struggle with a reduced commercial footprint. If folks are looking for >>>> a place to have a cup of coffee, eat something, and see some friendly >>>> faces, they can do that while they support local businesses like Twisted >>>> Tree or Tack Room. >>>> >>>> The biggest issue I see with the communication sent this morning is the >>>> so-called disqualification of Bemis Hall and Pierce House as alternatives. >>>> At a State of the Town meeting eight years ago, a series of equivalent >>>> proposals, in size and cost, were put in front of attendees and they were >>>> asked to post a yellow dot on the poster representing their preferred >>>> option. Pierce House was one of the options proposed and there was nothing >>>> that disqualified it, as evidenced by the fact it was put to a vote. >>>> Attendees were forced to make a false choice between, among others, the >>>> Hartwell campus proposal, estimated at $9.5-13.5MM at the time, and a >>>> much-inflated Pierce House proposal, estimated at $8-11MM due to the plan >>>> to build an attached facility, excessive given our size. Pierce House was >>>> never objectively disqualified, but simply passed over when presented with >>>> a much cheaper Hartwell proposal. >>>> >>>> The studies referenced in the memo were conducted as long as a decade ago. >>>> Obviously, there are a lot of new faces in town who might have different >>>> opinions on how resources should be allocated and even those who have >>>> stayed should have another say on the use of the town’s monies. Our >>>> resources now are not what they were at that time, and perhaps neither are >>>> our needs, so altered by new habits resulting from the pandemic. The cost >>>> of building the Center has also multiplied since then. >>>> >>>> I urge residents to attend the Special Town Meeting in the Donaldson >>>> Auditorium on November 30th at 7:30pm, and vote. Up until recently, the >>>> CCBC seems to have been moving towards a narrow objective; it is >>>> imperative that a wide range of perspectives be heard. >>>> >>>> >>>> Town Pop. 65+ COA/PRD/CC facility COA/PRD/CC Sqft >>>> Sqft per resident Dedicated COA space sqft Sqft per 100 >>>> seniors Notes >>>> Sherborn 4,324 692 No N/A 0 0 No >>>> dedicated COA space, shares a couple of rooms in the town hall >>>> Carlisle 5,181 958 No N/A 3,500 3.7 Old >>>> private house, approximate sqft >>>> Harvard 6,844 1,116 No N/A 4,813 4.3 19th >>>> century house >>>> Weston 11,666 2,427 Yes 22,000 1.9 9,000 3.7 Old >>>> building comparable to Bemis Hall >>>> Wayland 13,724 2,470 No N/A 2,500 1.0 The >>>> town is considering a new facility with 3,000 sqft of COA space >>>> Sudbury 19,059 2,935 Yes 22,079 1.2 5,754 2.0 >>>> Estimated cost of $600/sqft (including pool & gym) vs. $1,000 for Lincoln >>>> Concord 18,184 3,728 Yes 12,496 0.7 12,496 3.4 1917 >>>> building shared with preschool >>>> Newton 87,453 16,004 3 sports facilities N/A 33,000 >>>> 2.1 COA cost of $19.5M, 20% less than Lincoln with 12x as many seniors >>>> Median 1.2 2.7 >>>> Lincoln 4,756 1,332 4,270 3.2 Bemis >>>> Hall >>>> Lincoln new proposal 23,500 4.9 11,750 8.8 Assumes >>>> 50% of space devoted to COA >>>> >>>>> On Thu, Nov 10, 2022 at 8:37 AM Krystal Wood >>>>> <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> Community Center Building Committee- November, 2022 >>>>> >>>>> The vision: what is a Community Center, and why would Lincoln want to >>>>> build >>>>> one? >>>>> >>>>> A Community Center not only reflects the community at whose heart it >>>>> sits, it >>>>> strengthens that community. A Community Center is a year-round, >>>>> intergenerational >>>>> gathering place and activity center. A Community Center is a locus for a >>>>> wide variety of activities – health and fitness, social services, >>>>> learning, eating, socializing, creating, playing, participating. A >>>>> Community Center enriches the community by fostering organizational >>>>> collaboration and by housing an array of programs, for all ages. >>>>> >>>>> At its heart, the Community Center is a home for the Lincoln Council on >>>>> Aging & Human Services and the Parks & Recreation Department, both of >>>>> which do much more than most people realize, and both of which run >>>>> constrained programs in their current homes. The Community Center also >>>>> provides a base for 25 other community organizations whose work is >>>>> critical to the quality of life in Lincoln. But the vision of a Community >>>>> Center on the Lincoln School campus is of a building that exists not only >>>>> to serve important organizational needs and to optimize programming, >>>>> though those might be adequate reasons for building a new building, it is >>>>> also of a building that will attract residents of all ages to gather for >>>>> coffee and meetings and informal activities. >>>>> >>>>> Lincoln has a sense of community – we have impromptu encounters at the >>>>> transfer >>>>> station and at Donelan’s, we have annual events like the Scarecrow >>>>> Classic, the Girl >>>>> Scouts Pancake Breakfast, the July 4 parade, and we have Town Meeting. >>>>> But the >>>>> everyday contribution of a Community Center to the life of the community >>>>> and to the >>>>> sense of community can be far greater, and the possibilities are exciting >>>>> – because the number of people using the Center will be so much higher, >>>>> because the range of >>>>> activities will be much greater, because the opportunities for >>>>> intergenerational >>>>> interaction will expand, because the provision of social services will be >>>>> improved and >>>>> the organizations providing those services will be more robust. >>>>> -- >>>>> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >>>>> To post, send mail to [email protected]. >>>>> Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. >>>>> 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 [email protected]. >>>> Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. >>>> 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 [email protected]. >>> Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. >>> 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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