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

community center*

Community Center exploration moves forward

communitySix residents and three town officials have been named to the new Community Center Study Committee, and the town is advertising for a consultant to look at various options for a facility to house groups including the Council on Aging and the Parks and Recreation Department.

The request for proposals from consultants is the next step in a process that began with a study and report by the Community Center Feasibility Study Committee in 2012 and a discussion at the State of the Town meeting in fall 2013 (see the Lincoln Squirrel, November 3, 2012).

While Park and Rec is satisfied with its current location in the pods, the buildings are getting old and will need repairs soon. The Council on Aging has outgrown its Bemis Hall headquarters, which also lack private consultation areas. There are also parking and safety issues, since visitors who park across the street in the church lot must cross Bedford Road to enter Bemis

The committee’s report looked at several possible sites for a community center, though it did not evaluate them in detail. Those sites are the administration building and pods in the Hartwell side of the school campus, the Smith school building, the Pierce House, The Groves (now The Commons), Farrington Memorial, the First Parish Church, Lincoln Woods on Wells Road, the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, and Lewis Street.

For a base price of $55,000, the town is looking for a consultant to do a “detailed evaluation of the benefits, challenges, and costs of the options” as well as any other options they might identify, according to the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) published by the Board of Selectmen on June 11. Firms have until June 30 to submit proposals.

Town officials hope to have “concept-level plans/options” to present to the community at the State of the Town Meeting in the fall. The consultant will develop schematic design and cost estimates for “the option(s) deemed by the Selectmen based on feedback from the community, to be the most viable and attractive options” to be presented for discussion at the Annual Town Meeting in March 2015. The consultant is also responsible for helping the new committee hold public workshops and hearings as necessary.

Community center committee volunteers sought

communityThe Board of Selectmen is seeking volunteers to serve on a soon-to-be-appointed committee whose charge will be to study options for meeting the facilities needs of the Council on Aging, the Parks & Recreation Department and various community organizations, said options to include the construction of a new community center.

The committee will interview consultants, recommend a preferred firm or individual to the Board of Selectmen, and oversee the work of the consultant. The committee will organize a process for public involvement and will report its final recommendations to the board in time for a presentation to Town Meeting in March 2015.

Those interested in volunteering may do so by sending a letter of interest by email to parkhurstd@lincolntown.org or by mail to the Board of Selectmen, Attn: Administrative Assistant Debra Parkhurst, 16 Lincoln Road, Lincoln MA 01773.

Meeting to look at community facilities, Lincoln Station, electricity

stateofthetown-croppedBy Alice Waugh

Community facilities needs, the future of Lincoln Station, and the possibility of Lincoln getting its own electrical utility are the topics that will be discussed at the annual “State of the Town” meeting on Saturday, November 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Brooks Auditorium.

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Community center feasibility report issued

By Alice Waugh

If Lincoln decides to create a community center to house the Parks and Recreation Department and the Council on Aging in a single building, the most logical site would be somewhere on the Ballfield Road school campus, but further discussion will be deferred until after the town votes on the school building project this fall.

In its report presented to the Board of Selectmen on July 30, the Community Center Feasibility Study Committee examined the current and future space needs of the two organizations and presented information about seven possible sites in town that might accommodate the Parks and Recreation Department (PRD) or the Council on Aging (COA), or potentially both in one multigenerational facility.

For existing and future programming over the next decade, the PRC needs 14,600 square feet of space and the COA needs about 9,700 square feet, but having both in one building would require only 19,300 square feet (5,000 less than the sum of the two separately) because they could share some of the space.

Bemis Hall, the current home of the COA, “is not well suited for use as a senior center” because of issues with insufficient handicapped access, the configuration of the space in the historic building, and not enough safely located parking. There are a few spaces in front of Bemis that require drivers to back out into busy Bedford Road, and if they park in the church lot across the street, they must cross the same road.

While the PRD “is very happy with its current location” in Hartwell pod C, the pods have code violations and general wear and tear that will have to be addressed even if the PRD stays put, the report said. There’s also uncertainty about the process for future repairs, since the PRD is “borrowing” its space from the Lincoln School Committee. Since they are not being used for educational purposes, there is little incentive for that committee to fund repairs. However, the pods could be formally decommissioned, which would effectively transfer authority over the space.

Similarly, the town will need to spend money on Bemis Hall (which formerly housed the PRD) even if the COA stays there. The town should move ahead with short-term improvements to the building to meet the current needs of the COA and then do a “thoughtful suitability assessment” for the best uses of the building, the report said.

“One way or another, Bemis Hall is going to continue to be used,” Selectman Peter Braun said.

The committee’s report looked at the pros and cons of seven potential sites for the PRC and/or the COA: the Hartwell area (including part of the administration building as well as the pods), part of the old Smith School after new construction is completed, Pierce House, the First Parish Church, the Groves, Farrington Memorial, and Lincoln Woods on Wells Road. For each, the report includes data on the suitability of the location; the adaptability of the existing structures; renovation or construction cost; and access, circulation and parking.

The notion of whether the town even wants a one-site community center needs more consideration by officials and residents, selectmen noted.

“We need to articulate a vision and then see what happens with the schools,” said feasibility committee member Bob Sutherland, referring to an upcoming town-wide vote on the proposed elementary school building project.

“This report is not an attempt to sell the town on a need for a community center,” noted Town Administrator Timothy Higgins. “It provides an objective jumping-off point for future discussions that the town will have.”

Selectman Renel Fredriksen praised the work of the committee and the report’s neutrality, though she commented, “I couldn’t help but walk away with some very definite opinions… and I’d be really surprised if a lot of people didn’t reach the same conclusions I did.”

“This is a fabulous report. You’ve done the town a great service,” Selectman Noah Eckhouse told committee members. Though it was finished later than originally planned, the committee spent only $13,000 of the $45,000 it was allocated for its work, even with the hiring of a consultant, he added.