On a beautiful days in early November, I had an appointment in Harvard Square
and stopped for coffee at the Smith Campus Center (formerly the Holyoke
Center). The plaza in front that faces Mass Avenue has always been well used by
a great variety of people—from Harvard students to Cambridge residents to
visitors from near and far; and I have always enjoyed spending time there,
sometimes just idly watching the passing parade. But on that Thursday, I looked
at the plaza and the sidewalk in front of it in a different way because of the
LincolnTalk discussion about the building of a community center. I saw people
on their laptops pausing to chat for a minute or two with someone who stopped
by. Other people were talking seriously or cheerfully with friends and often
with strangers at the next table. People of different generations were playing
chess. All around the plaza and even on the street, there was a subtle, but
palpable, sense of community.
I thought about what a community center would contribute to the well-being of
Lincoln residents of all ages and situations. Those of us who are primarily
connected to the town through the Council on Aging and Human Services will
inevitably become more connected to the schools and the students. Other adults
who are focused on school activities and those whose children have gone on to
high school may fall into conversation with strangers whose ideas are
enlightening or annoying, both part of building and maintaining a strong
community. Parks and Rec will have space to engage Lincolnites of all ages in
old and new activities.
For me, a building, no matter how well planned, is just bricks and mortar until
it is inhabited. Once people bring it to life, a building becomes something no
one could have entirely anticipated; before long, people start to wonder how
they lived without it.
Those of us who are familiar with the space constraints in town know how much
we need more space for both administration and activities. Scattering
activities around town is often difficult or impossible to arrange. A
centralized community space makes it possible to manage activities creatively,
and the Community Center Building Committee has made this case very well. Yes,
building the Community Center will raise everyone’s taxes though probably not
as much some people imagine. But this investment in the future will be well
worth it if it makes Lincoln an even better place to live and thrive.
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