Agreed! Melinda Bruno-Smith ________________________________ From: Lincoln <[email protected]> on behalf of Seth Rosen <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, June 3, 2025 4:23 PM To: ٍSarah Postlethwait <[email protected]> Cc: Lincoln Talk <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [LincolnTalk] CCBC Update with actual attachments and numbers
Thanks for posting Sarah. I find the scare tactics embedded in that to be shockingly disingenuous. How do they know a “redesign” would add $5m to project costs if we haven’t done it yet? It’s fear mongering so people agree to fund a massive overage from prepaid taxes. Just because we take it from our savings account doesn’t mean it’s “free money”. If we can’t deliver what was promised within budget, the town should weigh in via a vote on a new scope. Seth On Jun 3, 2025, at 4:11 PM, ٍSarah Postlethwait <[email protected]> wrote: For clarification on the amount of the additional funds being requested, from the special town meeting website: <IMG_4793.jpeg> https://www.lincolntown.org/1580/2025-Special-Town-Meeting On Tue, Jun 3, 2025 at 3:53 PM Seth Rosen <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Hi Jeff - I can understand the shock but I assure you it's true. Please see attached. According to the town’s own memo, the lowest construction bid came in at $20.8 million, which is $2.3 million more than they budgeted for construction — and that’s after they already cut major features to try to stay on track. That might seem confusing since the total project budget is $24 million — but here’s the catch (from what I can surmise): The $24M has to cover everything — not just construction, but also architecture, furniture, kitchen equipment, permits, inspections, and contingency for surprises. Only about $18.5–$19M was actually available for construction, so a $20.8M bid blows past that. It’s like planning a $24K home remodel, and the builder says, “I’ll take $20.8K just to do the framing.” You’ve got nothing left for appliances or furniture. Now the town is proposing a vote to use $2.6 million in reserves — prepaid taxpayer dollars meant for emergencies or future needs — just to cover the overage. That’s a risky precedent, especially when key features like the kitchen and playground are still missing from the current plan. The responsible choice is to vote no and demand a project that fits the budget taxpayers already approved — without raiding our reserves. Attachments show just how far off the mark this bid is. Seth On Tue, Jun 3, 2025 at 2:42 PM Jeff B <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: I know multiple people have mentioned this $2.3 million number, but I cannot believe that is true. There should be absolutely no way after what was an unnecessarily horribly contentious town meeting to the point that we are now 'studying' how better to do town meeting that we would be getting a possible tax increase of that magnitude with less than a month to consider it and still zero official comments on what numbers we are talking about. Surely the town leadership -- both the committee that appears to be thinking of this request as well as the general town government -- cannot be *this* absolutely carefree with the concept of educating the voters. Are we really waiting until June 11th to have an official response and then with under 2 weeks to digest it and midweek vote on it? Whether you supported the original community center or not, and whether you support increasing the budget or not (I have no idea how one would have an opinion on this yet even), this process absolutely seems completely inappropriate at best, and intentionally so at worst. Jeff Birchby On Tue, Jun 3, 2025 at 9:56 AM Seth Rosen <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Yep. It’s now a $27m project. There’s a $2.3M gap from the original $24m project and they refuse to adjust the scope more than $386k (which itself involves cutting things like the playground!) The issue is quite simply that people who want the project want it done at any cost. And they all show up to vote. The people who think it’s unreasonable do not show up in force to vote. So if people don’t show up and encourage their friends to show up, they will get the project they bargained for and the tax increases to pay for it. Seth On Jun 3, 2025, at 9:38 AM, Lynn DeLisi, M.D. via Lincoln <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: There were 3 choices for MAXIMUM budgets that had been voted for and the most expensive budget won. PLEASE stay within that budget and just eliminate certain items within the building so that you can do that. This is what any responsible homeowner does. Do not even bother to come back to the Town to ask for more money. Please please take it off the agenda for the special Town meeting. Thank you. I speak up only as a tax paying resident of Lincoln Lynn DeLisi S Great Rd On Monday, June 2, 2025 at 10:54:25 PM EDT, Sara Mattes <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Could please share, in this forum, the dollar amounts? - original budget, how much was raised privately, and the amount you will be asking? Will you also discuss where cuts might be made to stay within budget. This is what we, private homeowners, must do when our home project design exceeds the budget. Thank you. Sent from my iPad On Jun 2, 2025, at 8:42 PM, Krystal Wood <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: CCBC General Contractor Budget and Funding The Community Center Building Committee (CCBC) wishes to provide an important update on our project and the construction bidding process that has recently concluded. Over the past year, we have worked diligently to advance the conceptual plans presented at Town Meeting 2024 to be ready to begin construction this coming summer. Throughout this process we have focused on exploring design modifications and value-engineering opportunities to deliver the best possible facility within our approved budget—and without compromising programmatic functionality, safety, or energy efficiency. Despite these extensive efforts, we must report that the bids we have received for General Contractor have come in over our current budget. While this outcome is disappointing, it reflects the broader construction market conditions that are impacting projects across the country. As such, at Lincoln’s Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, we will be seeking approval from the community to utilize some of existing town reserves to augment our current budget. This additional allocation will allow us to deliver the community center that Lincoln residents have been anticipating in the most fiscally responsible manner. You will hear more about this in the coming days. Public Forum We understand that you have questions, and we invite you all to join us for a public forum where we will present detailed information about our work over the past year, discuss the bidding results, and outline our path forward. This will be an opportunity for residents to ask questions, provide input, and better understand both the challenges we are facing and the solutions we are implementing. Our current forum date is below, but more will be added as necessary: Date: Wednesday, June 11, 2025 Time: 7:00 PM Format: Hybrid (Donaldson Room, Town Hall; and via Zoom—link to be provided on the town website) The CCBC remains committed to transparency throughout this process and to delivering a community center that will serve as a cornerstone of Lincoln's civic life. We appreciate the community's continued support and patience as we navigate these challenges. We look forward to seeing you at the public forum and answering any questions you may have. -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to [email protected]<mailto:[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].<mailto:[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]<mailto:[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]<mailto:[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]<mailto:[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.
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