By Craig Donaldson
On Saturday, a key vote will determine the future course of the proposal to build a town community center. As I have considered our best course over the last year, the answers to several key questions have gradually become clearer:
Does the town have sufficient resources now to support current and future program needs?
The Council on Aging and Human Services (COA&HS), Parks and Recreation Department (PRD) and Lincoln Extended-Day Activities Program (LEAP) are three stakeholders among a virtual beehive of social, educational, and cultural activities sponsored by town government and local organizations. A mixture of core staff and large numbers of volunteers provides the leadership and energy to make these three programs available.
Though possibly skewed by recent experience with the pandemic and my perspective as a participant in COA activities and service on the Friends of the COA board, it appears that matching these programs to current resources and venues increasingly taxes the ingenuity and patience of all, despite exercising our Yankee virtue of “making do.” In upcoming years, any increase in number and scope of programs will be stymied without improved accommodations. Though any particular program’s value must be judged in the eye of the beholder, there are likely valuable programs which have failed or were never started for lack of suitable venue or facility.
Is it necessary to build a new building now to meet current and future needs?
Concern that stakeholder programming was being inadequately served by our existing facilities resulted in funding for further study this year. The Community Center Building Committee (CCBC) and consultant ICON Architecture have appraised currently available venues as part of their charge. Early indications suggest that remodeling and renovation of existing spaces to enhance parking, access, and necessary amenities would cost significantly more than building a new facility.
Meanwhile, the experience with resources such as Bemis Hall, Pierce House, Town Hall, and our schools and churches suggests that ongoing programming will entail continuation of familiar stresses, with additional strain should programming expand. Investing in new space would add a central venue, up to modern code with parking, internet interconnectivity and facility to host a wide array of activities for all ages, interests and needs. Concern that the existing venues will lie fallow after a new building is opened appears unfounded, given crowding in some town facilities and likely gradual growth of town services and programs.
Would an alternative site to the Hartwell campus be preferable now?
The charge to CCBC and ICON from the Special Town Meeting in fall 2022 was to provide three alternative cost points for a community center at the Hartwell site on the school campus. Some proponents of the community center concept have reasonably suggested that the new facility be located in the commercial center at the train station, given a projected increase in population density there as the state mandate for additional housing takes shape.
As discussions have evolved, however, it is clear that the needs of all three stakeholder programs will be best served by space at Hartwell, interfacing LEAP with the school, PRD with outdoor and gym facilities and COA&HS with all. The path to an expanded commercial and housing center has yet to be clearly mapped and its realization appears remote, particularly considering community center stakeholder needs which many feel have been evident and growing for years.
How can we afford the cost of a community center now?
The cost of a new building is certainly an important concern, especially as we now face the fresh burden of debt for the new school. As many have urged, we must be clear about the difference between what we need and what we want. The CCBC and ICON have created plans for a center at three different cost points to allow careful choice of the best fit for our needs and means as a town and as taxpayers. Whichever option is chosen for further design, it should feature a core structure which would enable efficient adaptation and enhancement in future years should needs dictate and means allow. It is clear that costs will only be higher as time goes by — an important reality urging us to reach decisive action soon.
How can we assure the best choice for the town?
The CCBC has taken on the task of leading the process through these issues, working with ICON on behalf of the town to solicit input from townspeople as well as keeping us informed of the issues and options at hand. Discussion and voting at Saturday’s Town Meeting will result in a choice for the town to pursue in detail prior to a final vote on funding in March. Throughout, constructive participation with civility, compromise, and good faith has been prominently displayed on behalf of reaching the current crossroads for the town.
Exercise your civic enfranchisement by joining the festivities on Saturday!
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