hear, hear, Sara. I feel defeated by the charge ahead attitude of the CCBC. going in one direction was NOT the sense of the meeting. We should be exploring creative ideas - eg, Sara's above. Diana Smith
On Wed, May 3, 2023 at 11:37 PM Sara Mattes <[email protected]> wrote: > Sadly, the focus on a monolith is constraining creativity. > What if, rather than simply dismissing Linocln Station as the host for a > monolith, we looked for a smaller space for a long-term lease of a “drop > in” center- ca community space for folks to stop, sit, bring something to > eat form home, the Twisted Tree, Donelans, Country Pizza? > Have a Senior Work-Off individual be in place to maintain order. > People could drop in as they went to PO or wanted to have a central place > to meet friends and neighbors. > The campus is not central and does not lend itself to this form of > socializing. > A more modest vision about how to use Lincoln Station would bring more > traffic to our small commercial district and provide a central location for > community engagement. > This would not preclude expansion of housing in the area, only expand > mixed use. > > We need more collaboration and sharing of spaces across town, not > less…more on ideas for that at a later date. > > As to intergenerational activities, the programing and traffic > considerations preclude potential for this to be realized on the Hartwell > Campus. > Adult activities end as youth programs begin. > Facilities will offer multi-generational , not inter-generational use. > > > And, finally, I respectfully disagree on the sense of the amendment passed > at Spc. Town Meeting. > My read was there was a clear desire for continued use and potential > expansion of use of alternative spaces for programming…an expanded use of > spaces off campus. > I am curious what others heard. > > Sara > > > ------ > Sara Mattes > > > > > On May 3, 2023, at 9:37 PM, Krystal Wood < > [email protected]> wrote: > > *Survey Responses regarding the Community Center Location.* > > > While the motion approved at the November 2022 Special Town Meeting > recognized that the Community Center would be located at the Hartwell > Complex, in the recent CCBC survey responses and during the open microphone > Community Center meeting on April 4, some residents expressed their > continuing interest in locating the Center at Lincoln Station, or in the > consideration of other locations around town. There are a number of > issues that are worth more explanation. > > > *The Lincoln Station location:* > > > 1. The Parks and Recreation (PRD) programs are located at existing > space at the Hartwell complex, and will continue to be located at Hartwell, > so Lincoln children can easily walk to their after-school activities. > 2. There is no viable site at Lincoln Station for a Council on Aging > & Human Services (COA&HS) center. No private land owner has talked to > the Town about siting a center on their property. The Town owns three > properties: the DPW site, paved commuter parking lot and unpaved commuter > parking lot. Consultants in a previous study estimated the cost for > moving the DPW to the only viable site (Transfer Station) to be about $25 > million. The unpaved commuter lot is too small. The paved commuter lot > provides public parking for the commuter rail, and presents challenges > complying with MBTA requirements for appropriate parking capacity at train > stations. Limited parking correlates with reduced train service. The MBTA > and its constituency can be expected to protest a reduction in public > parking at any MBTA station. Building on the paved lot would also eliminate > the possibility of using the lot for potential commercial activity or a > potential housing development. (Additional housing is the top priority > for the revitalization efforts.) > 3. Any construction for a center at Lincoln Station will require > public funding for site preparation, parking, and a building, in addition > to public funding for solving PRD’s facility and office space needs in > Hartwell Complex. > 4. Locating the COA&HS center at Lincoln Station would require > duplication of facilities with those used by PRD in the Hartwell Complex, > adding significantly to the construction costs, and also the maintenance > and management costs. > 5. Trying to use other locations at Lincoln Station -- above the > bank, above Donelan’s, other Rural Land Foundation property etc., if > available, would also reduce the options for future housing. > > > *There are many important considerations for locating the Community Center > at Hartwell:* > > > 1. The PRD and COA&HS can co-locate as they need similar types of > facilities and, most importantly, can share the same spaces. Both > provide fitness activities, but largely at different times of the day. PRD > and COA&HS provide arts-and-craft activities that can again be located in > the same space, at different days and times etc. Use of the same > facilities will provide significant reduction in construction costs, and > provide operational efficiency gains. > 2. There are synergies between the School, PRD and COA&HS programs, > and the Hartwell location that will provide readily accessible > opportunities for intergenerational activities unhindered by distance and > transportation logistics of separate locations. > 3. The campus has been studied extensively to ensure that a community > center could be located on Ballfield Road, and it was determined that with > proper design, there is sufficient space for parking and circulation. > 4. The campus location is aesthetically more pleasing than the > commuter lot at Lincoln Station. > > > *PRD and COA&HS programming beyond the Hartwell Complex* > > Currently, PRD and COA&HS programs occur at many locations around town, > other than the Hartwell Complex and both organizations will continue to use > these locations. For a full listing please see the Decentralized > Programming Matrix on the CCBC web site. > > > 1. Currently the PRD runs programs at the Lincoln School Reed and > Smith gyms, the School Auditorium and Learning Commons, and at Bemis Hall, > Pierce House, the Library, First Parish Church, and Codman Farm, amongst > other locations; and at town athletic facilities including Codman Pool, the > sport and tennis courts, playgrounds, athletic fields and parks. > > > 2. The COA&HS has programs at the First Parish Church, at Lincoln > Woods, Hartwell Complex, the Pierce House tent, The Commons In Lincoln, the > Ryan Estates, Minuteman Technical High School, on Lincoln’s trail network. > > > There is a recognized need to revitalize Lincoln Station, but at the 2022 > November Special Town Meeting, the democratic process resulted in a clear > consensus and support for the amended motion for developing options for > design choices and budgets for the Community Center Building at the > Hartwell Complex. > > > Thank you for taking the time to read through these clarifications, and > for engaging in the process to discern how we address Lincoln’s challenges > together. > > > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to [email protected]. > 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]. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/ > . > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > > -- Diana Smith PO Box 6294 Lincoln MA 01773 Cell: 617 803 8022
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