By Lynne Smith
At a public forum on October 10, CCBC reported on the 155 surveys turned in at the September 30 State of the Town (SOTT) meeting. Jonathan Dwyer (the member representing the Select Board) analyzed the ranked first choice results and Sarah Chester described the comments according to various categories such as cost, size, and LEAP.
The results of the surveys seemed to lead the committee members to conclude that:
- A 100% option would not get the required two-thirds supermajority in a town vote
- Survey respondents preferred a one-story building over a two-story for the 75% option
- Some respondents preferred a 50% option because of its cost but others rejected it because it did not include LEAP
Discussion from committee members and the dozens of people attending on line explored these three findings.
I asked that ICON and the committee explore the layout of the one-story 75% option to see if the square footage and cost could be reduced. An option costing about $15 million ($3 million of which would be the LEAP renovation) would get my vote if the layout could accommodate most functions with more activities scheduled off campus. Without these changes and new information, I fear the proposal at Special Town Meeting in December will fail.
Many of us have noted the desirability of locating additional activities off campus. I will not repeat these suggestions here, but I would appreciate seeing the committee comment specifically on how these areas were explored and why they were rejected.
The committee will hold a regular meeting on October 11 to decide on the guidance for ICON as a result of the SOTT survey. As of this writing, that meeting has not yet occurred. I look forward to seeing what design changes might happen as the town barrels toward a December 2 vote at the Special Town Meeting.
“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 Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.
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