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To the editor:
At the March 28 Annual Town Meeting, the Lincoln School Committee will ask the community to consider three warrant articles related to a Lincoln School building project. The School Building Advisory Committee (SBAC), which was reconstituted by a vote at last year’s Town Meeting, has worked over the past 12 months to develop a wide variety of project concepts that range from repair projects at one end, to comprehensive renovation projects (repairs + systems upgrades + educational enhancements) at the other. For detailed information, the SBAC’s final report documents are here, and hard copies are available in the Lincoln Public Library and the superintendent’s office.
To move the process forward, Warrant Articles 30, 31, and 32 give the citizens of Lincoln the opportunity to voice whether they support a repair approach or a renovation approach in overseeing the stewardship of the Lincoln School. The purpose of this document is to inform the residents of Lincoln of the content of these warrant articles and the significance of a “yes” or “no” vote on each.
To learn more about the articles and the context in which they will be considered, the public is invited to attend a multi-board meeting/public forum on Tuesday, March 17 at 7 p.m. in the Reed Gym.
Article 30
Will the town support a feasibility study to develop renovation project choices that include both repairs and enhancements to educational spaces?
(Depending on level of renovation, project may be eligible for state funding; town contribution expected to be at least $30 million)
- YES means the voter supports a renovation project (repairs + some level of educational enhancements) and approves feasibility study funding.
- The feasibility study process includes: 1) further development of project choices, 2) a town vote to choose a specific project, 3) schematic design of the chosen project, and 4) a detailed cost estimate in preparation for a bond vote.
- If Article 30 passes, Article 32 will be passed over.
- NO means the voter does not support a renovation project and prefers a repair approach.
- If Article 30 fails, Article 31 will be passed over; vote next on Article 32.
- To proceed, the vote must be confirmed by a majority vote on Ballot Question 1 at the March 30 town election.
Article 31 (to be voted on ONLY if Article 30 passes)
Does the town wish to seek funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) in order to pursue a comprehensive renovation that addresses all identified repair, systems, and educational needs?
- YES means the voter supports submitting a statement of interest (SOI) to the MSBA.
- NO means the voter does not support an application to the MSBA; the feasibility study approved by Article 30 will begin to develop exclusively Lincoln-funded renovation project choices.
Article 32 (to be voted on ONLY if Article 30 fails)
Will the town support a feasibility study to develop repair project choices?
(Not eligible for MSBA funding; town contribution expected to be $12 million to $29 million)
- YES means the voter supports developing repair choices and approves Feasibility Study money.
- NO means the voter does not support developing a repair project; individual repairs will be brought to Town Meeting on a yearly basis.
- To proceed, the vote must be confirmed by a majority vote on Ballot Question 1 at the March 30th Town Election.
By means of Warrant Articles 30, 31, and 32, the School Committee seeks to determine the will of the town. No matter which pathway the town chooses (barring the failure of all the articles), the vote at this Town Meeting will be the first of three votes citizens will make before a Lincoln School building project can be authorized. At a future Town Meeting or Special Town Meeting, voters will be asked to choose a specific project. This project will then be developed in detail so that the cost estimate reflects specific systems and design choices. Finally, a third vote will authorize the bonding of the project. Citizen input will be crucial to and incorporated into every phase of the process.
We look forward to the conversation!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Glass
Chair, Lincoln School Committee
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.
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