By Constance Lewis
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.
“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.
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