That would be helpful... until then they have lost credibility

On Sat, Sep 30, 2023, 10:20 AM Kathy Madison via Lincoln <
[email protected]> wrote:

>
> A solution might be for CCBC to simply provide sources and links to its
> data.
>
> What’s at stake is the credibility of the CCBC. I know the committee says
> that it welcomes questions and discussion.
>
>
>
> On Sep 30, 2023, at 9:25 AM, Karla Gravis <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> I am not sure if the message is getting missed in my previous post so it’s
> worth reinforcing.
>
>
> Tim says: “Karla Gravis suggests that the CCBC has used the ACS numbers
> for other towns for its benchmarking exercise.  This is incorrect.  The
> CCBC has used the Town Census numbers for every town, to ensure full
> comparability.”
>
>
> *I have reason to be very skeptical of Tim’s forceful assertion,
> especially as the CCBC does not provide any sources or links. Moreover,
> these are examples of towns where the CCBC benchmarking is using ACS
> numbers: *
> Concord
> <https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5Y2021.DP05?q=concord,+Massachusetts>
> Harvard
> <https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2021.S0101?q=Harvard+town,+Massachusetts>
>  Weston
> <https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2021.S0101?q=weston,+Massachusetts>
>  Acton
> <https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/actontownmiddlesexcountymassachusetts,MA/POP645221>
> .
>
> *NOT town census.*
>
> The CCBC is using ACS data for other towns but not for Lincoln. ACS is the
> same data the town used last year in the STM. The only reason I can think
> of for this change in plan and incongruity with other towns is that the
> town census has 40% more (600) more seniors than the ACS.
>
>
> On Sat, Sep 30, 2023 at 9:09 AM Joanna Owen Schmergel <
> [email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Hear hear!
>>
>>
>> Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
>> <https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&af_sub1=Acquisition&af_sub2=Global_YMktg&af_sub3=&af_sub4=100000604&af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_>
>>
>> On Saturday, September 30, 2023, 8:55 AM, Laura Crosby <
>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> Bravo, Tim!
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Sep 30, 2023, at 3:39 AM, Timothy Christenfeld <
>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> 
>>
>> I’m impressed that Karla Gravis responded so quickly and forcefully to
>> the CCBC FAQ, but perhaps she wouldn’t have been so forceful if she had
>> taken a little more time.
>>
>> She finds it “remarkable” that the CCBC didn’t mention the ACS survey.
>> Remarkable, indeed, because the FAQ does mention the ACS survey, both when
>> it refers to the population estimates that the Census Bureau provides every
>> year, and when it cites the current estimate (2022) that Lincoln’s
>> population is 6,855.
>>
>> Further, Karla Gravis suggests that the CCBC has used the ACS numbers for
>> other towns for its benchmarking exercise.  This is incorrect.  The CCBC
>> has used the Town Census numbers for every town, to ensure full
>> comparability.
>>
>> Karla Gravis also suggests that people continue to be listed on the Town
>> Census for Lincoln even if they register in other towns or if they die.
>> This is not accurate.  People will be removed from the Town Census for
>> either of those reasons (or when the RMV informs the town of a new address
>> on a driver’s license).  It takes longer to remove people from the Town
>> Census if they move without updating their voter registration or their
>> driver’s license, so we can’t assume that the Town Census is absolutely
>> accurate, but there are still reasons to believe that it is more accurate
>> than the estimate provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Sep 30, 2023, at 3:30 AM, Karla Gravis <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> 
>> I know some people will roll their eyes at me, but I think we need to
>> set the record straight when talking about population numbers.
>>
>> In the email below, it is said: "There are two primary sources for
>> information about who lives in Lincoln: the decennial U.S. census, and the
>> annual Town census." *This is an inaccurate statement.* There is a third
>> source: the ACS survey conducted by the US Census Bureau. There is a good
>> reason to to use the ACS: the decennial survey does NOT provide a count of
>> residents over 60.
>>
>> *It is remarkable the CCBC fails to mention this third source given that
>> it is precisely this source that the CCBC uses for all TEN towns in their
>> benchmarking exercise except for Lincoln*. *The CCBC also used the ACS
>> as their source for Lincoln in the November 2022 Special Town Meeting
>> presentation.*
>>
>> The email below also states: "[...] for comparisons with other towns, the
>> CCBC has opted to use the Town numbers rather than the federal numbers." A
>> reasonable person would assume that if the goal is to compare with other
>> towns, we should use the same source for all towns, not a different one
>> just for Lincoln. The practice in Lincoln for town counts has been to keep
>> people on the roll even if they do not return the form (they could have
>> moved, passed away or registered in other towns where they also have a
>> home). There is a good reason for keeping them on the roll from a voter
>> perspective, as we want to make sure we enable everyone to vote, but it
>> does render the town count data unreliable for statistical and comparison
>> purposes. This practice will tend to inflate the data. Towns do not report
>> such counts publicly, therefore comparisons on this basis cannot be
>> established.
>>
>> We need to be using the same source for each and every town in a
>> comparison exercise, and not switch to a different source just for Lincoln.
>> This is particularly true when the difference between town counts and the
>> US Census is 40%. *I understand the CCBC may not like the comparison to
>> Harvard, which has approximately the same senior population as we do, yet
>> they spent less than $3M on their Senior Center, or to Wayland, which has
>> almost three times our total and senior population, yet they are spending
>> $12M on their community center. *
>>
>>
>> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
>> From: *Krystal Wood* <[email protected]>
>> Date: Fri, Sep 29, 2023 at 18:26
>> Subject: [LincolnTalk] CCBC FAQ's
>> To: Lincoln Talk <[email protected]>
>>
>>
>>
>> *COMMUNITY CENTER BUILDING COMMITTEE:FAQ*
>> September, 2023
>>
>> *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.
>>
>>
>> *What is the CCBC – which stakeholders are represented, what are its
>> tasks, and how canothers participate?*
>> We encourage questions, and have been asked for information on the
>> Community Center Building Committee (CCBC), including its role and
>> responsibilities.
>>
>> In March, 2022, the Lincoln Annual Town Meeting voted with near unanimity
>> to restart the Community Center planning and design process, and to request
>> that the Select Board appoint a building committee. (The specific motion is
>> appended below.)
>>
>> So the Select Board appointed a Community Center Building Committee
>> (CCBC), which started work at the beginning of June. (The membership list
>> is appended below.). The initial task of the CCBC has been to prepare an
>> initial funding proposal – if the Town approves this proposal, for up to
>> $325,000, at the Special Town Meeting on November 30, then the CCBC will
>> hire an Owner’s Project Manager and a project architect to prepare
>> schematic designs. The Town will have the opportunity to select its
>> preferred design, and then it will have the additional opportunity to vote
>> on funding for the construction of the Community Center. (The specific
>> charge of the CCBC is appended below.)
>>
>> The CCBC will be building on the work of a series of town committees that
>> have developed the concept and parameters for a Community Center in
>> Lincoln. The CCBC will refine the concept, incorporating lessons from COVID
>> and from the school building process, continuing the search for cost
>> savings, and incorporating input about programmatic priorities.
>>
>> The CCBC and its subcommittees hold open meetings and invite public
>> participation. The schedule of those meetings is available on the town
>> website, and the CCBC will use other forums to inform residents about
>> upcoming meetings and their agendas. We particularly urge residents to look
>> for information on the CCBC website (https://lincolncommunitycenter.com/
>> ).
>>
>> *Members of the CCBC:*
>> *AT-LARGE MEMBERS: *Sarah Chester, Chair; Timothy Christenfeld; Alison
>> Taunton-Rigby; Krystal Wood
>> *BOARD REPRESENTATIVES:* Jonathan Dwyer, Select Board; Rob Stringer,
>> Parks & Recreation Committee; Susan Taylor, School Committee; Ellen
>> Meyer-Shorb, Finance Committee; Dilla Tingley, Council on Aging & Human
>> Services
>> *BOARD LIAISONS: *Kim Bodnar, Select Board; Lynn DeLisi, Planning Board;
>> Andrew Glass, Historical Commission; Steve Gladstone, Water Department; Roy
>> Harvey, Green Energy Committee; Indrani Kharbanda, Library Board of
>> Trustees; David Levington, Friends of the Lincoln Library
>> *EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS:* Abigail Butt, COA & Human Services Director;
>> Jessica Downing, Parks and Recreation Director; Timothy Higgins, Town
>> Administrator; Brandon Kelly, Facilities Director; Daniel Pereira, Asst.
>> Town Administrator
>>
>> *Motion approved at Town Meeting, March, 2022:*
>>
>> That the Town provide the Select Board with a sense of the meeting as to
>> restarting the Community Center planning and design process, and, if such
>> sense of the meeting is in the affirmative, to request that the Board
>> appoint a building committee, by whatever title, to review the results of
>> previous planning efforts and to present its findings in an expedited
>> manner so that a request for funds for planning and design services could
>> appear on the warrant for a fall 2022 Special Town Meeting.
>>
>> The official tasks of the CCBC:
>> 1. Review and become familiar with previous plans and existing materials.
>> 2. Create a plan for gathering stakeholder input, and for regular
>> communication with, and input from relevant Town boards, committees, and
>> the community. As appropriate, this will require collaboration with the
>> School Committee and/or Building Committee.
>> 3. Work with the Town Administrator to ensure that the process for
>> contracting with an Owners’ Project Manager (OPM) and project Architect are
>> carried out in compliance with state law and with an emphasis on diversity.
>> 4. Review the program again, taking care to consider how COVID
>> experiences and lessons might inform programs, interior space layout,
>> outdoor amenities, and design, and the role the new and renovated school
>> spaces might play.
>> 5. Review the two CCBC design concepts and schematics to identify
>> opportunities for improvement, including potential cost savings that may be
>> achieved through re- evaluating the project scope or by other means.
>> Develop the schematic designs to the extent required to ensure reliable
>> cost estimating.
>> 6. Lead the public engagement process which will culminate in a Town
>> Meeting vote to select a preferred design concept and budget.
>> 7. Once funds are approved, oversee the process for finalizing the
>> design, bidding,
>> contract award and construction, including repaving of Ballfield Road and
>> any new paths serving the Community Center. Lead public engagement process
>> as necessary for input into value engineering.
>>
>> *Why would Lincoln build a new Community Center rather than use existing
>> buildings?*
>> For over 10 years, Town Committees have studied and evaluated options for
>> a Community Center, and have consistently concluded that it is
>> inappropriate for COA&HS to continue to offer activities and services under
>> the existing conditions of Bemis Hall, and that the Hartwell Pods, built as
>> temporary classrooms over 60 years ago are no longer acceptable for the
>> programs and activities of PRD. Other existing town facilities do not offer
>> a solution to the problem. If Lincoln wants a Community Center, then
>> building a new one is the most efficient use of town resources to solve
>> these and several other challenges.
>>
>> These are the relevant findings about the COA&HS at Bemis Hall, from a
>> series of town committees:
>> • A 2008 needs assessment “determined that Bemis Hall not be the
>> long-term home for the COA.” (Since that assessment, the Lincoln senior
>> population has increased by 50%.)
>> • In 2012, the Community Center Feasibility Committee (CCFC) concluded
>> about Bemis Hall that it was “not built to be a modern senior center with
>> myriad programs and services.”
>> • The CCFC reiterated in a 2013 follow-up that Bemis is “not well suited
>> for a senior center.”
>> • In February, 2015, the Community Center Study Committee (CCSC) reported
>> that, “compared with neighboring towns, the quality, size and condition of
>> Lincoln’s COA facility is vastly inferior, and its physical deficits limit
>> the programs and services which can be offered to elders.”
>> • The CCSC provided additional detail about the shortcomings of Bemis
>> Hall: “the interior space does not allow for congregate meals, a
>> significant drop-in area, adequate and confidential office space for staff
>> and volunteers, private restroom locations, or all programming needed to
>> meet the needs of Lincoln’s growing population of older adults.”
>> • In 2018, the Community Center Preliminary Planning & Development
>> Committee wrotemore broadly that:
>> Doing nothing to provide adequate facilities for the COA, PRD [Parks &
>> Recreation Department], and community organizations is not an option. The
>> physical plants of both Bemis Hall and the pods continue to age, and it
>> makes
>> no sense for the Town to continue to expend scarce tax dollars to fix up,
>> patch
>> up and make do with facilities that do not suit their purpose. Just as
>> important,
>> every year that these departments and organizations are not able to
>> provide the
>> range of activities and programs that are standard in other towns and are
>> located in buildings that discourage residents from making use of their
>> services
>> means that opportunities to improve residents’ quality of life are lost.
>>
>> In 2012, the CCFC studied other town facilities, asking whether any
>> existing building could serve as a better home for the COA&HS than Bemis
>> Hall. The CCFC concluded that no other existing building could serve the
>> needs of the COA. Pierce House, for instance, has two assets – a good
>> location and plentiful parking – but fails on every other criterion as a
>> potential home for the COA&HS: the spaces in the existing building do not
>> match the programmatic needs, the possibilities for extensive expansion or
>> reconfiguration are very limited, and Pierce House could not accommodate
>> the Parks & Recreation Department (PRD).
>>
>> *Why would the Community Center be on the Hartwell campus?*
>>
>> If Lincoln decides to build a Community Center, that Center is expected
>> to be on the Hartwell Campus, adjoining the Lincoln Public Schools. There
>> are several reasons for this determination, but it is worth highlighting
>> two of them here:
>>
>> First, there is a set of practical reasons, having to do with the
>> inclusion of the Parks & Recreation Department (PRD) in the Community
>> Center. It is much more efficient to build a Center that houses both the
>> PRD and the Lincoln Council on Aging & Human Services, because almost every
>> space in the shared building would be a shared space. And because it is
>> very important for the PRD to remain close to the Lincoln Schools, so that
>> the schoolchildren have easy access to the PRD after-school programming, it
>> makes sense to locate the Community Center where there is space on the
>> school campus.
>>
>> Second, the Community Center is expected to be at Hartwell because that
>> is the clearly stated preference of the residents of Lincoln. For instance,
>> at the State of the Town Meeting on November 15, 2014, 350 residents
>> expressed their preferences for a Community Center site, with a very large
>> majority choosing the Hartwell site, among five options. The Community
>> Center Study Committee therefore concluded:
>> The overwhelmingly favored choice for a location by Lincoln residents is
>> at the Hartwell complex, where it would help to anchor an entire “community
>> campus” consisting of the Community Center, the Lincoln Public Schools, the
>> Town playgrounds and playing fields, and the Codman Pool.
>>
>>
>>
>> Public feedback on the preferred site for the Community Center (State of
>> the Town, November,
>> 2014)
>>
>> *What is the recent history of official discussion of a Community Center
>> in Lincoln – what questions have previous committees asked and what answers
>> has Lincoln given to those questions?*
>>
>> In 2012, the Select Board appointed a Community Center Feasibility
>> Committee to evaluate existing and future space needs of the Council on
>> Aging & Human Services (COA&HS) and the Parks & Recreation Department
>> (PRD). The Committee concluded that Bemis was not well- suited for use as a
>> senior center, and that the Hartwell Pods, home to PRD, were long past
>> their life expectancy. The Committee recommended that the Select Board lead
>> a public process to assess the Town’s interest in a new community center
>> and to study potential sites.
>>
>> In 2015, the Board appointed a Community Center Study Committee to
>> determine the Town’s desire for a community center and to examine sites.
>> The Committee concluded that COA&HS’s needs are acute and immediate, and
>> that PRD’s needs are significant. After extensive and multiple
>> opportunities for public participation and input were provided, the
>> “overwhelming” choice for location, among five site alternatives, was the
>> Hartwell Campus.
>>
>> In 2016, the Select Board and School Committee jointly appointed a Campus
>> Master Planning Committee to determine whether the Ballfield Road Campus
>> has the capacity to absorb additional uses, including a community center.
>> The Committee concluded that there is no engineering or regulatory reason
>> precluding a community center on the Ballfield Road campus.
>>
>> In 2018, the Community Center Preliminary Planning and Design Committee
>> (CCPPDC), the most recent Community Center planning Committee, issued its
>> report. CCPPDC advanced the process to the point that we now have two
>> conceptual design options for a new Community Center in the Hartwell area
>> of the Ballfield Road school campus. CCPPDC’s contributions include:
>> further definition of the program; development of a range of site plans;
>> preliminary design development for two building concepts; and more refined
>> cost estimates. CCPPDC’s work culminated in a Special Town Meeting
>> presentation on June 9, 2018. In the end, both CCPPDC and Town Meeting felt
>> that both conceptual designs that were presented (i.e., a new building
>> concept that was titled “Central Secondary Green”, and a plan to repurpose
>> the pods titled “Infill of Pods”) were equally worthy of further
>> consideration. What will the operating costs of the new Community Center be?
>>
>> The short answer is that we can’t know the operating costs of a building
>> that we haven’t designed yet. However, we can specify some parameters which
>> would help to narrow the possible answers to the question:
>> The Town already pays the operating costs of a set of buildings that
>> house the Council on Aging & Human Services (COA&HS) and the Parks &
>> Recreation Department (PRD), specifically Bemis Hall and two of the
>> Hartwell Pods. So the appropriate question is not what the operating costs
>> of the Community Center will be, but how those costs will be different from
>> the current costs.
>>
>> The Town will continue to pay operating costs for Bemis even if the
>> COA&HS, moves out (though it is likely that those costs will diminish as
>> the intensity of use diminishes, and the Town’s expenses are likely to be
>> increasingly offset by rental income and fees from community
>> organizations). But most plans have at least two of the Hartwell Pods
>> disappearing -- demolished or integrated -- with the construction of the
>> Community Center, so the appropriate focus here is on the net change in
>> operating costs for the Hartwell Pods versus the Community Center.
>>
>> The Hartwell Pods are very inefficient buildings, while the Community
>> Center would be a very efficient – probably net-zero – building, so there
>> would be a large savings in utility costs. That savings might be offset by
>> an increase in custodial costs. The Pods currently have part-time custodial
>> support (carried on the school budget), while the Community Center would
>> probably have a full-time custodian. (Additional personnel expenses, such
>> as staffing for a reception desk, are very hard to model at this point,
>> because we don’t know if those tasks will be necessary, or if they might be
>> performed by volunteers or rotating staff or seniors working
>> for tax abatements.) For planning purposes, it is reasonable to expect
>> that any net change in operating expenses from a new Community Center – a
>> decrease in utility costs offset by a possible increase in custodial costs
>> -- would not have a discernible impact on property tax bills.
>>
>> *When will town residents have decisive input in the Community Center
>> planning process?*
>>
>> December 2, 2023:
>> The CCBC will present comprehensive design and budget options at a
>> Special Town Meeting, and town residents will select the preferred option.
>>
>> March, 2024:
>> At Town Meeting and in a subsequent ballot vote, town residents will vote
>> to authorize the financing for the construction of the Community Center,
>> based on the design and budget selected in November. For approval, the bond
>> vote requires a 2/3 majority at Town Meeting and a simple majority at the
>> ballot.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> *What comparable facilities exist, or are being created, in towns similar
>> to Lincoln?*
>> • Dover (population 6,180, seniors 1,489) is rebuilding its Caryl
>> Community Center. The new design involves the demolition of the 1971 and
>> 1931 additions to the original 1910 Caryl School. The new building complex
>> will be ~ 18,400 sf and will focus on the creation of a new pavilion
>> addition to support congregate dining, small performances, presentations,
>> and theatrical rehearsals. The other addition will be the Recreation Room
>> which will be half the size of a regulation basketball court, but lined to
>> support pickleball, elementary school level basketball, and a regulation
>> half-court (for team practices or adult games). Town funds of $25.4 M were
>> approved in June 2023. Ground was broken in August 2023.
>> • Harvard (population 6,829, seniors 1,435) has a new 5,400 sf senior
>> Center, built in 2022/2023 by partial renovation of an acquired 1995
>> existing medical building. The town PRD has administration in the town
>> offices, and activities in a number of
>> locations. The cost of the Harvard senior center was $2.86 M.
>> • Stow (population 7,210, seniors 2,164) renovated an existing 33,000 sf
>> building in 2016 to house a Fire Dept location, shared storage, and the
>> COA. Estimated space for the COA is 1/3 of the building (~11,000 sf), cost
>> details not found. Rec administration is in the town center, with
>> activities in many locations.
>> • Weston (population 11,806, seniors 3,045) built a freestanding 22,500
>> sf Community Center in the style of a New England Barn in 2001. The
>> building contains activity rooms and administration space for both COA and
>> Rec, and the 2 1⁄2 story Great Room (~3,200 sf) for large events,
>> performances, receptions, dinners etc.
>> • Wayland (population 14,325, seniors 4,323) is developing an existing,
>> never-
>> occupied, 10,500 sf, building shell as a Community Center, to house COA
>> admin and activities, and Rec activities. The Rec administration is
>> remaining at the Town
>> Building. The finished building will be 12,900 sf, and the interior
>> construction and
>> with parking/landscaping is expected to cost $11 M. Funding was approved
>> late June 2022. The construction documents are expected to go out to bid in
>> late 2023.
>> • Bedford (population 13,631, seniors 4,180) has an ~18,000 sf building
>> in the Town Center that houses the Health Department, Recreation
>> Department, Youth & Family Services, and the Council on Aging. The Rec dept
>> also has facilities in an extension building, with the Bedford Kids Club,
>> and has activities in many locations.
>> • Concord (population 18,424, seniors 4,975) has the Harvey Wheeler
>> Community Center in West Concord for the Council on Aging/Senior services.
>> It is in a repurposed, unused school building (2007) in West Concord, and
>> includes space for the COA admin and activities. The Rec dept has a number
>> of facilities including the Hunt Recreation Center (which includes Rec
>> admin) at Emerson Field, the Beede Swim and Fitness Center, and multiple
>> school playing fields and playgrounds,
>> • Sudbury (population 18,709, seniors 4,722) is currently
>> rebuilding/adding to the
>> multipurpose complex at Fairbanks, which houses school space, Rec admin
>> and
>> facilities (including gym and pool) and CoA admin and activity space, and
>> shared
>> space. Size is about 42,575 sf and town has approved funding of $27.5 M.
>> • Acton (population 23,829, seniors 5,004) has separate locations for COA
>> and Rec dept.
>> • Wellesley (population 29,266, seniors 6,739) built the 12,400 sf Tolles
>> Parsons senior center in 2017. Wellesley has also renovated its recreation
>> center.
>>
>> *How will COA&HS and PRD use other town facilities?*
>> COA&HS currently runs many programs in facilities other than Bemis Hall,
>> and PRD runs many programs in facilities other than the Hartwell Pods. The
>> Directors of COA&HS and PRD have, as part of the planning process for the
>> new Community Center, invested considerable time in developing a plan for
>> dispersed programming, so that it will not be necessary to build a new
>> facility scoped to accommodate all programming.
>>
>> Based on the current programming, PRD expects to run at least 19 programs
>> outside the Community Center. The locations for the dispersed programs
>> include Bemis Hall, Pierce House, and the school buildings. COA&HS expects
>> to run at least 16 programs outside the Community Center. The locations for
>> the dispersed programs include Bemis Hall and Pierce House. COA&HS also has
>> six programs that have moved online since the beginning of COVID, and that
>> could continue to operate online. There are many locations in town that
>> would be
>> suitable venues for these programs if the participants decide that
>> meeting in person would be preferable.
>>
>> There is a short list of programs that are currently operated outside the
>> core facility but that would operate more effectively in the new Community
>> Center. The most important one is Senior Dining, which is currently run in
>> the First Parish Church, but which could run more efficiently and more
>> often in the Community Center. There are also several exercise programs
>> that run outdoors at Pierce House in summer months that could be improved
>> by a move to the Community Center (because Pierce House does not have
>> accessible bathrooms, nor does it have an evenly paved area for the
>> classes).
>>
>> *How many seniors live in Lincoln?*
>> There are two primary sources for information about who lives in Lincoln:
>> the decennial U.S. census, and the annual Town census. Both sources rely on
>> citizens’ self-reporting, and so neither is completely valid. Every 10
>> years, the U.S. Census Bureau invites all U.S. households to complete an
>> online survey, and then uses census workers to follow up with households
>> that fail to complete the survey (roughly a quarter of the total). For
>> intervening years, the Census Bureau issues population estimates. The Town
>> Census is conducted annually – residents
>> complete and return a form that they receive in the mail – and the
>> population count is based upon the returned forms, supplemented by
>> information from voter registration rolls, the Registry of Motor Vehicles,
>> and birth and death records.
>> *Massachusetts General Laws require that cities and towns conduct an
>> annual census of its residents as of January 1 of each year. The local
>> census is used to maintain voting and jury lists as well as aid in school
>> enrollment projections, public safety, and senior citizens’ needs and for
>> certain privileges such as veterans’ benefits and proof of residency for
>> state colleges and universities.*
>> For planning purposes, and for comparisons with other towns, the CCBC has
>> opted to use the Town numbers rather than the federal numbers. The U.S.
>> Census provides a useful picture of overall demographic trends, and allows
>> broader comparisons (with, for instance, localities that are not required
>> to conduct their own censuses). But, because the Town Census is conducted
>> and updated at the local level, it provides a more complete and verifiable
>> list of town residents.
>>
>> According to the most recent Town Census, the population of Lincoln is
>> 6,524. Of that total, 979 are residents of Hanscom Air Force Base, and 248
>> are residents of The Commons. The number of residents aged 60 and over is
>> 2,181. While the population of Lincoln has been somewhat stable over the
>> last 10 years -- the Town Census reported a total population of 6,216 in
>> 2012 and of 6,730 in 2017 – the number of residents aged 60 and over has
>> been growing steadily. In 2012, 29% of the total population was age 60 and
>> over (1,814 out of 6,216), while in 2022 33% of the population is 60 and
>> over.
>>
>> For reference, the U.S. Census reported in 2020 that the population of
>> Lincoln was 7,014, and the population estimate for 2022 is 6,855. According
>> to the U.S. Census estimate, 23% of the population is over 60 (which would
>> be a senior population of 1,576).
>>
>> *DOCUMENTS AND MATERIALS*
>> Can be found on our website at www.LincolnCommunityCenter.com.
>> <http://www.lincolncommunitycenter.com/>   You can sign up for our
>> notifications there as well!
>> --
>> 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.
>>
>> --
>> 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.
>
>
> --
> 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.

Reply via email to