The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

community center*

Bond is sold at 3.844%; taxes to rise $459 a year

Items to be paid for with the latest bond issue (click to enlarge).

(Editor’s note: this article was corrected on Dec. 17, 2025.)

Now that the bond has been sold and repayment costs are known, the community center will add about $460 a year to homeowners’ tax bills over the next 30 years.

The $24.07 million bond will help pay other expenses as well: the community center ($15.77 million of the $26.35 million construction cost) as well as design and construction on both phases of the Lincoln Road water main project ($8.47 million) and various other Water Department items totaling $741,234.

The low bid on the $24.07 million bond came in at an interest rate of 3.844%, significantly lower than the 4.25% that the town used in forecasting expenses.

Those on town water will also be paying higher water bills, since the Water Department items will be repaid through water fees rather than property taxes, as with the community center.

Lincoln’s outstanding debt principal (click to enlarge). The bond for the Town Hall renovation was originally issued in 2011 and refinanced in 2021. The original bond amount was $5.8 million at an interest rate of 3.84%. 

While the community center borrowing will add approximately $459 a year to the median property tax bill, “we accounted for a portion of that to pay for the first interest payment in spring 2026, so the net impact for the median tax bill in the fall of 2026 is approximately $289,” said Finance Director Colleen Wilkins.

The town currently has $116 million in outstanding bond debt principal (see table) plus interest. The town pays debt service each year and a portion of that pays down principal. Outstanding debt, including this most recent bond issue, is roughly $104 million, Wilkins said.

Community center gets going from the ground up

The driver and washed stone are in place for creating the rammed aggregate piers.

During the last few weeks, general contractor Hutter Construction has made significant progress on the beginnings of Lincoln’s community center. Demolition is complete and Hutter is moving forward with site work and ground improvements using rammed aggregate piers.

In thus technique, a driver pounds washed stone down 6–12 feet and then compacts it into a pier. There will be 279 of these piers along the outline of the building and under the interior about every 8–10 feet.  This will create a stiffened mass of soil and a solid foundation for the building.

The subcontractor has begun compaction testing and mobilization to identify the rammed aggregate pier sites. As piers are installed, the contractor will begin preparing for footings in sequence. Excavation will continue into the week of November 17, with footing installation beginning shortly thereafter, marking the beginning of foundation work for the new community center. By late November, the foundation work will progress as footings are set, and the first walls begin to rise. Moving into early December, crews will continue building out the foundation with additional footings and walls, further shaping the structure.

Installation of the rammed aggregate piers will generate vibrations and noise on the project site, so these operations only occur during the times allowed by the Town of Lincoln and the Building Department.

The next Community Center Building Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 19 in the Donaldson Roon and on Zoom. See the CCBC website for more information and images.

Happy faces and shiny shovels at community center ground-breaking

One of several groups of Lincoln residents, officials, designers and builders who wielded shovels at the community center ground-breaking in the Hartwell lot. Among them were Dilla Tingley (third from left), who has served on all six community center committees, and leaders of the organizations that will occupy the new building: Jessica Downing of Parks and Rec (fourth from left), Abigail Butt of the COA&HC (center), and Katie Hawkins of LEAP (far right). Click image for larger view.

The community center construction officially broke ground on October 8 with shiny shovels and dozens of happy town officials and volunteers thanking residents and each other for years of work to make the day happen.

Many members of the past and present groups involved were in attendance. Among the six committees that served over the years were the Community Center Feasibility Study Committee, which issued its report in 2012; the Community Center Planning & Preliminary Design Committee, and the current Community Center Building Committee (CCBC).

“We couldn’t be more pleased and grateful that the project is moving forward here, for nothing else we were running out of acronyms,” joked Town Administrator Tim Higgins.

“I’m especially pleased for our seniors, who agreed to set their needs aside so that the school project could move forward first and continue to make do at Bemis Hall,” Higgins continued. “You won’t need to make do much longer… we expect to be back here in 12 months to cut the ribbon on the new building.”

Though most have agreed for years that the Council on Aging & Human Services needed a new home, planning for the community center (which will also house the Parks and Recreation Department and the Lincoln Extended-day After-school Program) was delayed until the $93 million school project was complete. The CCBC started work in June 2022; voters approved most of the funding for the project in March 2024, and heavy machinery finally arrived this summer to demolish the three Hartwell pods.

A construction banner hung on construction fencing at the ceremony.

 

The end of the Hartwell pods

Demolition of the Hartwell pods began on August 14 starting with Pod C, which housed LEAP until June 2025. They’re being cleared to make way for the new community center, which is slated for completion in late fall 2026. It will house the Council on Aging and Human Services and the Parks and Recreation Department as well as LEAP.

The pods were designed by famed Modernist architect Henry Hoover (who also designed the Brooks School complex across the ballfield) and built between 1959 and 1964 to accommodate the growing number of schoolchildren in town — including the Lincoln Squirrel’s Alice Waugh, who attended kindergarten in the Pod C classroom closest to the main Hartwell building. 

“It’s a bittersweet, generational moment. We’re excited to see the first big milestone for construction of the community center, but we’re also sad to see the demolition of a building where so many memories were made,” said Community Center Building Committee Chair Sarah Chester.

See the Lincoln Squirrel’s short video of the Pod C demolition, as well as more photos and information in the Owners’ Project Manager’s monthly report to the CCBC on August 13, 2025.

PodC-opm
podc
podC-mg

Community center work starts this week

Aerial renderings of the community center. See a slide show of interior images here.

After years of studying, planning, discussion, and Town Meeting votes, the community center project expects to break ground on Friday, July 18.

The final hurdle for getting the project underway was when voters in June approved using $2.33 million from the town’s stabilization fund to cover a budget shortfall that became apparent when all the construction bids were over budget. Voters OK’d a $24.02 million budget for the project at the March 2024 Annual Town Meeting (see all Lincoln Squirrel community center stories here.)

According to statement released on July 17 by Community Center Building Committee (CCBC), the first phase of construction will last through the summer and will include installation of erosion controls and fencing to ensure environmental protection and site safety, and abatement and demolition of the existing Hartwell pods.
 
All asbestos abatement work is being performed by a licensed asbestos contractor in full accordance with EPA Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, MassDEP, and Department of Labor Standards asbestos regulations, the CCBC said. A detailed letter from the contractor outlines their specific procedures and safety protocols. The town is also developing a construction mitigation plan with our contractor that includes dust control protocols throughout the entire project.

Vehicular traffic patterns on campus will remain largely unchanged throughout this phase, with the exception of a modification to the entrance and exit of the Hartwell parking lot. These maps show vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle access to the area:

  • Ballfield Road access map — provides a broad view of the entire campus and general access routes
  • Hartwell Building access map — offers specific information about access to the Hartwell main building, which houses:
    • Lincoln Public Schools administrative offices
    • Magic Garden Preschool
    • Parks and Recreation Offices
    • LEAP administrative offices (program spaces are housed in the Lincoln School for the coming school year.)

The CCBC will share regular updates on construction progress, upcoming milestones, and any changes that may affect community access or activities. Join their email list and learn more at lincolncommunitycenter.com. Anyone with questions or concerns about the project, is encouraged to reach out to the committee at CCBCCommunicationsCommittee@gmail.com.

My Turn: Vote “no” on community center funding measure

Lincoln is by far one of the most beautiful communities in New England. I have lived in the town long enough to appreciate the natural beauty, the open spaces, and our people. The Community Center Building Committee has worked diligently over many years to plan a community center that benefits our town. So why a “no” vote?

We all need to consider our taxes and the tax impact on our people. A “no” vote would significantly reduce the annual tax burden per household. There is a need for a community center, but not at the current price tag. The scope of the project has become just too big and too costly. This is not a criticism against town leadership or the CCBC. In many ways, this has become a public sector case study, highlighting how a town planning process that has gone on for so long now lacks a fiscally responsive approach.

I believe the planning process may have lost site of the Town’s constituents, our tax payers. We must vote “no” to move forward and create a better plan supporting our seniors and our community representing all residents. Please join me and vote “no” on the community center, supporting Lincoln.

Sincerely,

Jon Mello (179 Sandy Pond Rd.)

“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.

My Turn: Friends of COA urge support for community center

At the 2024 Town Meeting, as the culmination of decades of discussion and planning, the citizens of Lincoln resoundingly approved a project to build a new community center designed specifically to meet the needs of the Council on Aging & Human Services (COA&HS), Lincoln Extended-day Activities Program (LEAP), and the Parks and Recreation Department.

Since then, architects, site planners, designers, along with the Community Center Building Committee (CCBC), the Conservation Commission, and other town boards and committees have worked diligently to turn the vision of a community center into reality. Throughout the process, they made a number of cuts to the original design to reduce costs. Even so, when bids for construction came in, the lowest bid exceeded the original budget by $2.3 million due to tariffs, supply chain issues, and overall economic conditions.

The CCBC has requested the additional $2.3 million from the town in order to proceed with the construction of the community center on the current schedule.

The Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging has been a strong proponent of the community center project from the beginning. We contributed $1 million to the community center project in order to reduce the amount the town needed to borrow to fund it. In addition, we helped raise $345,000 through private contributions to reduce the cost of the project to the taxpayers.

We strongly support the CCBC’s request that the town contribute $2.3 million from the stabilization fund to the community venter project. The town has managed its affairs prudently so that the requested funds are available without requiring additional borrowing. This project, at this time, still represents a generationally unique opportunity for the residents of Lincoln to build an asset that will continue to serve the town’s residents, of all ages, for years to come.

Please join us at the Special Town Meeting on June 25 at 6:30pm. We hope you’ll vote in favor of Article 1 to provide the community center project with the funding it needs.

Sincerely,

Rhonda Swain (143 South Great Rd.)
President, Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging

“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.

My Turn: Vote “no” on community center and “re-scope” the project

Dear friends and neighbors,

The June 25th Town Meeting will decide whether to fund an additional $2.33 million for the Community Center. We urge you to vote “no” — not because we oppose better facilities for our community programs, but because we believe that this project has fundamental issues that additional money won’t fix. We are speaking up now because we are at a decision point, and this is the time to raise our voices, noting that constructive disagreement is part of healthy discourse and vibrant government. Democracy works when we all participate.

For those of you in a rush, here’s the TL;DR:

1. Please come to the upcoming Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, June 25 from 6:30-9:30pm. However you vote, please vote! There will be childcare available from 6:00-9:00pm in pod C (the LEAP pod). The community center will be the  first warrant up for voting, and:

    • A “yes” vote would see it move forward (with additional $2.33 million funding required from the town), but we feel that this increased funding still won’t solve the fundamental issues that we outline below.
    • A “no” vote will pause construction and allow for a new process to revisit the entire concept.

2. We are in favor of a “no” vote to pause and re-scope the project because:

  • This isn’t the community center that the town voted to fund. The original vision that we voted on described a “gathering place and activity center” that would “attract residents of all ages to gather for coffee and meetings and informal activities.” The reality: budget constraints have forced cuts that moved us far from this vision. The building design is now essentially an office building for three separate groups sharing utilities. The only unscheduled public space available to all residents is a lobby, labeled the “community gathering” space. All other spaces will be used “if scheduling allows” and by appointment only. In addition, there’s no gym or lecture hall or other typical community center functionality in the design.
  • It’s designed for yesterday’s needs, not tomorrow’s growth.
    • LEAP already has waitlists of 10+ families and can serve only 104 kids at capacity — no room for the growing families moving to Lincoln.
    • Council on Aging currently serves ~200-300 people but wants to reach our 1,875+ seniors — impossible in this constrained space.
    • Recreation will similarly hit capacity limits with no expansion possible.
  • Timing, functionality, location, and operations present fundamental challenges:
    • The timing of this construction brings more deep disruption to kids who have already been disrupted twice in their elementary school years (school renovation + COVID)
    • With the current design, LEAP will lose substantial functionality and autonomy, and the current budget (even with the proposed increase in funding) does not replace existing resources (e.g., play spaces, furniture)
    • The location has not been reconsidered in over a decade, and may not reflect the priorities of current town residents
    • There is no existing plan for operations, conflict resolution, and mixed use from co-location.
  • The “sunk cost” trap. Yes, we’ve invested ~$2 million in planning. But spending another $26 million+ to build the wrong solution compounds that mistake rather than fixing it. Good money after bad isn’t fiscal responsibility — it’s how small mistakes become massive ones.
  • Bottom line: We’re being asked to spend $26million + on a building that won’t serve our community’s real needs, and creates new problems we don’t currently have. Each program deserves proper, dedicated facilities — not a compromise that serves none of them well.

3. There is a new Town Meeting Survey to figure out how to make our meetings function better. Please take it!

We have taken the time to write out our thoughts and thought process in detail in this document starting on page 3, with a lot of homework behind each point. We invite and encourage correction on any misunderstandings or misinformation, and we invite and encourage dialogue from those of you who disagree with us.

According to a recent (June 10) memo from the Community Center Building Committee: The “alternative [to the Community Center] would likely require reconsidering a significant investment in Bemis Hall and Hartwell Pods — a comparable cost to the community center but a loss of shared function spaces and addition of 2+ years to the schedule.” To us, this is a vastly preferred alternative and actually addresses most of the problems we have identified above and below. We would love to hear your point of view, and are open to changing our opinions if there are compelling arguments to do so.

However you vote, please vote. Democracy works when we all participate. The vote: June 25th, 6:30-9:30pm (childcare available 6:00-9:00pm, pod C).

Sincerely,

Randi Rotjan and Jeff Chabot, 267 Concord Rd.
Kristin and Carlos Ramirez, 9 Giles Rd.

“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.

Community center bids come in high; $2.3m fund transfer sought

(Editor’s note: This article was updated with corrections on June 4, 2025.)

Voters will be asked to approve the transfer of $2.3 million from the town’s debt stabilization fund to make up a budget shortfall after the buds for building the community center came in substantially over budget.

“While this outcome is disappointing, it reflects the broader construction market conditions that are impacting projects across the country,” the Community Center Building Committee said in a town-wide email to LincolnTalk that announced the results. The panel invited residents to a public forum on Wednesday, June 11 at 7:00pm in Town Hall and on Zoom to ask questions, discuss the process, and review possible paths forward (link to come on the Town of Lincoln website).

On the previous night (Tuesday, June 10 at 7:00pm), the Lincoln Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the Panetta/Farrington Nature Link proposal. Both issues will be up for a vote at the Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, June 25 starting at 6:30pm. Town officials penciled in June 26 at the same time for a continuation of the meeting if it runs too late on June 25.

Also on the agenda: a vote to increase the town’s fiscal 2026 reserve fund by about $50,000 to meet some unanticipated expenses this year, and a citizen’s petition to change how FinCom members are appointed (see accompanying article).

The lowest of the seven bids for the community center project that were opened on May 30 was $20,799,135 (the second-lowest bid was exactly $21 million), while the construction budget, including a contingency amount, is $18.5 million.

The bids were a bit unusual in the fairly close range of prices as well as the number of bids. “This is the highest number [for this type of project] that I’ve seen in a long time,” said Kseniya Slavsky of Anser Advisory, the owner’s project manager hired by the town.

The Select Board voted on June 2 to recommend the $2.3 million fund transfer on June 2 after considering with the Finance Committee other possible responses, including cutting the contingency amount, redesigning the project, or asking the town to borrow $2.3 million in a debt exclusion vote, which would require a two-thirds majority at the Special Town Meeting on June 25 as well as a simple majority at a special election. The options were outlined in a May 30 memo from Assistant Town Administrator Dan Pereira to the Community Center Building Committee.

To reduce the project cost, some or all of the “alternate cut” options, which were priced by the low bidder at a total of $386,000, could be removed, at least temporarily. Those options are roller shades, “site amenities” (playground equipment), kitchen equipment, and millwork. (A $38,000 rain garden — an “alternate add” option in the bid packet in case bids came in sufficiently under budget — is off the table.) Following the CCBC’s recommendation, the FinCom and Select Board voted to recommend cutting the first three items but keeping the millwork, since that will be difficult or impossible to add back later if the money becomes available.

Those cuts comprise only 17% of the shortfall, however. Redesigning the project to reduce the overall cost by $2.3 million would mean “going back to the drawing board,” incurring further architectural fees of $1.5 million to $2 million as well as further escalation of 8-10% in construction costs, FinCom Chair Paul Blanchfield said. A debt exclusion to borrow another $2.3 million is the “least appealing” of the possible path forward, he added. 

However, “we do have leeway in both free cash and stabilization,” Blanchfield said. The total balance in those two reserve funds is $11.1 million as of July 1, and will rise by about another $2.6 million in the fall from underspent amounts and/or revenues in excess of the FY25 budget assumptions, he added. 

Ratings agencies recommend that towns like Lincoln keep 15% of their annual budget amount in reserve to retain their AAA bond rating. Lincoln’s Finance Committee aims for 20% because “we do have a relatively high debt burden,” Blanchfield noted. The two reserve funds now total 22.5% of the town budget and will rise to about 25% in the fall, he added.

Tapping the debt stabilization fund for the full amount “is most consistent with our approach,” Blanchfield said. That fund was used to close the gap in the school project before it broke ground, while some free cash was used later in the construction process for a few minor items.

Community center bids expected; Hartwell work begun

By Alison Taunton-Rigby
Community Center Building Committee

This has been a busy, high-energy month for the community center building project. Construction document drafts are in the final stages of review prior to publication on May 30, 2025. Bids for subcontractors are due on May 21, 2025, and bids for the general contractor will be opened on May 29, 2025.

We all recognize these are challenging, unpredictable economic times, so the Community Center Building Committee (CCBC) has worked hard to design within our budget with considerable contingency. The CCBC and Select Board have scheduled meetings in late May and early June to review the bids and approve a path forward. Assuming the bids come in on budget, we expect to sign a construction contract in June and begin work in early July.

Temporary relocation plans are complete for the occupants of the pods, who will move out as soon as the school year ends. This will free up the area occupied by the three pods for demolition and the beginning of community center construction:

Wall demolition in the Hartwell building for the maintenance shop is complete and electrical installation is ongoing, with HVAC ductwork to begin shortly.

  • The school maintenance shop will move into its new permanent home in the Hartwell building.
  • The Parks and Recreation Department offices will move into the Hartwell building, and programs will continue in school spaces and the usual locations around town.
  • The Lincoln Summer Day Camp will be entirely housed in the Lincoln School as well.
  • LEAP will move into the Smith Gym area of the school building.

Magic Garden Preschool will remain on site and will use the Strats Play area, a safe distance away from construction.The next CCBC meeting is scheduled for May 21, 2025. We welcome your comments, and questions. Please see the CCBC website for full information.

“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.