In the News Acorns post on December 12, the link to register for the “Who’s Raising Our Kids?” talk was broken. The correct link is here, and it’s been fixed in the original post.
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News acorns
Show teacher appreciation with HATS gift
Looking for a special way to thank an L-S teacher or staff member this holiday season? Recognize them with a personalized HATS (Honor a Teacher and Staff) gift. Follow the instructions on the Lincoln School Foundation web page and LSF members will deliver your HATS certificates to honorees before the winter break. HATS gifts help teachers and staff uncover new and innovative tools and techniques to bring to the classroom, and LSF grants provide seed money. The deadline to order is Tuesday, Dec. 20.
Christmas events at St. Anne’s
St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church offers its most-loved event of the season, Lessons & Carols, on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 5 p.m. in a joyful service that tells the Christmas story through scripture and music. Prophesies, carols, anthems, Gospel readings, and prayers combine to lead us from Advent anticipation to the manger. Reception to follow.
Christmas Eve services begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 24 with Daylight Eucharist with carols and pageant. We will continue worship with two additional Holy Eucharists at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. with the choir singing Advent hymns, leading carols and culminating in a candlelit singing of “Silent Night.” St. Anne’s welcomes everyone from all walks of life and faith. For more information, visit StAnnesLincoln.org or email parishoffice@stanneslincoln.org.
New Housing Commission member sought
The Town of Lincoln is seeking applicants to fill a vacancy on the Housing Commission. The person appointed will serve a partial-year term that will expire in March 2023, at which point the may stand for re-election to continue serving. The Housing Commission works with organizations and town boards to promote, guide, and support affordable housing needs in Lincoln; monitor the town’s affordable housing to ensure compliance with state 40B requirements and DHCD regulations; oversee the annual certification and lease renewal for residents residing in town-owned affordable housing units; and address ongoing maintenance needs for town-owned affordable housing units. Send letters of interest to housing@lincolntown.org. For more information, call the Select Board’s Office at 781-259-2601.
Talk on “Who’s Raising the Kids?”
Join us for a book talk on Who’s Raising the Kids? with author Susan Linn hosted by Lincoln Nursery School at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. in the museum’s Dewey Gallery. Linn, an expert on the impact of big tech and big business on children, provides a deep dive into the roots and consequences of the monumental shift toward a digitized, commercialized childhood, focusing on kids’ values, relationships, and learning. Linn is a psychologist, a research associate at Boston Children’s Hospital, and a lecturer at Harvard Medical School. Read the New York Times review of her book. Click here to register for the talk.
Booklet celebrates 10 years of the Lincoln Squirrel
The Lincoln Squirrel is celebrating 10 years of publication this month — a decade of covering Lincoln with 3,534 posts on the website as of December 9, 2022 (not to mention almost 4,000 individual calendar events). To celebrate, I’ve created “Lincoln Squirrel: The First Ten Years,” a 14-page PDF publication that gives a glimpse of goings-on over the past decade. And yes, it makes a great holiday gift!
The booklet features a collection of top headlines from each of the last 10 years. When you open the PDF on your computer, clicking on a headline or photo takes you to the story on the Lincoln Squirrel website. Some of those stories touch on familiar topics including the construction projects, businesses that have come and gone, debates over a community center and the future of South Lincoln, and new and departing faces around town. But there are also photos and features about your fellow Lincolnites, the occasion-al crime story, and maybe a few things you’ve forgotten about or never knew.
If you order a copy for yourself, I’ll email you the PDF right away. If it’s a gift for someone, I’ll send them a nice email gift card with my email address so they can contact me and have me send them their copy. Just tell me the recipient’s name and email address, and who should be listed as the sender. Each copy is just $20. To order, send an email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com with your name and how you’d like to pay. If it’s a gift, please also provide the recipient’s name and email address, and what day you would like them to receive the email gift card
You can pay in any of these ways:
- PayPal: @lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com
- Venmo: @Alice-Waugh
- By check made out to “Watusi Words” and mailed to me at 178 Weston Rd. in Lincoln.
But wait, there’s more!
Speaking of gifts, how about giving a one-year gift subscription to the Lincoln Squirrel? Until December 31, 2022, the price is just $48 (new subscribers only, please). Just follow the directions above to order, or click the Subscriptions link at the top of any page on the website.
Last but not least, for that hard-to-shop-for person, give a fun and useful Lincoln Squirrel logo gift. We have T-shirts and sweatshirts as well as tote bags, drinkware, prints, and even aprons. Just click here to order, or use the “Merchandise” link at the top of the Lincoln Squirrel website. We also have items with the Lincoln Chipmunk logo, or both logos. The Chipmunk is a great way to see and share the creative work by the people in our town.
Happy reading and happy holidays!
Alice Waugh
Editor, The Lincoln Squirrel and The Lincoln Chipmunk
lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com
617-710-5542 (mobile)
www.watusiwords.com
Voters OK community center design funds after lengthy debate
The check-in line for voters took many twists and turns at the November 30 Special Town Meeting.
A Special Town Meeting with one warrant article, so… one simple vote, right? Not so much, as it turned out.
The final vote was overwhelmingly in favor of paying for designs for a community center, but getting there took almost four hours on a rainy November 30 evening. The Donaldson Auditorium and lecture hall were filled to capacity and extra chairs had to be brought in to accommodate the hundreds of residents who called out greetings and shook off raindrops as they made their way along a check-in line that snaked down hallways and around corners.
The motion that was finally approved allows the town to move $325,000 from the debt stabilization fund to hire design and engineering consultants to develop “a range of Community Center design choices and budgets, including options not to exceed 75% and 50% of the current project estimated cost of $25 million, for the Hartwell Complex, supplemented or not with existing available town space.” There will be a vote on the preferred option at another STM a year from now, and a funding vote in March 2024.
The meeting, which started about half an hour late, included presentations from the Council on Aging & Human Services and the Parks and Recreation Department (the two primary users of the proposed building) as well as the Community Center Building Committee, Finance Board chair Andy Payne, and others. Together they laid out in detail the findings of the many previous studies on how Bemis Hall and the Hartwell pods are inadequate for the services provided by the two departments, why they should be under one roof in the Hartwell complex, analyses of various other sites around town, and the tax implications of town borrowing at various levels.
No one seemed to doubt that some expenditures to fix the problems are required, but voters reiterated their unhappiness with the $25 million price tag for the two design concepts suggested in 2018 in several venues, including the recent State of the Town meeting and dozens of posts on LincolnTalk. The Select Board and CCBC acknowledged this in recent meetings as they debated how to word the STM motion. They decided together that voters would be asked for funds to develop several options, with the $25 million concept being the most expensive. With the CCBC’s blessing the board also decided to specify the Hartwell location in the wording it endorses on November 28.
“We, like you, have been surprised and dismayed by the projected costs,” CCBC Chair Sarah Chester said at the STM, adding that the focus will be on “scaling back” the two initial designs. “We recognize that the $25 million is far too much.”
However, the town still needs to hire professionals to come up with alternatives. “We absolutely need an architect to develop these options,” Select Board member Jonathan Dwyer said.
If the motion were to be voted down, the town would still need to spend $4.8–$6.2 million to renovate the decaying pods and $8.8–$9.6 million to upgrade Bemis Hall as a senior center, even though that would not solve the parking issues. Delaying a decision about building a community center “will increase the cost of any solution year after year,” she said.
Eric Harris, a former FinCom and CCPPDC member, urged residents not to repeat earlier mistakes. “The reason we’re here today and nobody wants to talk about it is the defeat of the 2012 school project,” he said. (The estimate at that time was $49 million, with the town paying $28 million and the rest coming from the state; Lincoln eventually had to fund the entire school project by itself for $93 million.)
“We got a better project but I have questions as to whether it was worth $65 million more,” Harris continued. “A lot of people are making the same arguments that it’s too much money for taxes” and people will be forced to move out of Lincoln, “but I haven’t noticed there’s been a great exodus from town. Seniors were told that if they waited, we would build a community center in exchange for supporting the school project. If we wait, we run the risk of doing what we did with the school building project before: greatly raising the cost.”
“I think we should all remember that implicit promise,” said Rhonda Swain, president of the board of the Friends of the COA&HS, adding that a fundraising committee was “formed and ready to get to work” to solicit private donations to help defray the community center’s cost.
But others were unconvinced. “My belief is more tasks still need to be done,” Dennis Picker said. “We should carefully evaluate [needs] service by service” and fund “only essentials and a well considered use of existing facilities as appropriate.” The motion’s wording “does not require we get a vetting of needs vs. wants, or a no-frills option.”
June Matthews agreed, suggesting that the facility should be located in South Lincoln close to shops and the Ryan Estate to revitalize the village, although others argued that that site has numerous issues of its own. “Hartwell is not the center of the community,” she said.
Amid all the discussion and questions, there were several time-consuming motions and votes before residents reached the finish line… one to end debate early on (easily defeated). One to hold the final vote by secret ballot (defeated, though it required a standing vote count to be sure). Another vote to end debate (again defeated, though again requiring counters to tally the show of hands, with the final margin 59% to 41%). Six amended motions submitted on paper, which Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden asked the writers to consolidate into one. Further debate on the floor over the exact wording of the amendment spearheaded by Ross Tucker (how many price points should it specify as a percentage of the original estimate? Should it require a $15 million option at the Hartwell complex? Should it mention other possible sites for some of the COA&HS and PRD activities?).
Then there was debate among officials over whether $325,000 would cover the cost of developing more than the two initial designs. FinCom Vice Chair Paul Blanchfield initially said more money would be needed, but after huddling with colleagues, announced that the sum would be enough to produce three price-point options.
Finally, as the 11 p.m. hour approached, there was a third vote to cut off debate on the amendment (unanimously passed). Then there was a vote to amend the motion (approved by the required two-thirds majority, 233–108, after another standing vote, though several dozen people had left the meeting by then). And finally the vote on the motion itself, which passed with only a handful of dissenters.
“This is the last time we’re having a town meeting without town counsel present,” Holden remarked dryly.
My Turn: Special Town Meeting was a “fiasco”
By Chris Burns
Fiasco! The word describes the Special Town Meeting (STM) last night for numerous reasons.
1. While polite and professional, there simply were not enough monitors to check in voters. The lines unhealthily snaked through the school and the meeting start was delayed until 7:30 p.m. This is on the Selects and poor planning.
2. The STM was called “to act on the following article… this warrant…” I left at 10:50 p.m. and the vote had yet to occur. This is on the moderator. The moderator is a neutral participant who holds participants to time limits and prevents the discussion from straying from the topic. Clearly, the moderator was overwhelmed since no vote had occurred almost four hours after the 7 p.m. start declared in the warrant.
3. The warrant presented at STM was materially different from the draft mailed to voters. The key difference was the addition of the Hartwell location, which would indicate that only the two designs sent to voters would be considered at a cost of $25-30 million. The warrant was not ready for voting despite 10 years of work. Haphazard warrant preparation is on the Community Center Building Committee (CCBC) and the Selects.
4. The warrant discussion was confusing at best. The Selects said the funded consulting services would include lower-cost projects and alternative sites. This is not in the warrant that they proposed. The Selects then said that the warrant would not cover these issues. The Finance Committee said the warrant had to be for more money to include these concerns. The CCBC said the money could cover these issues. The CCBC said they heard voter concerns about costs and alternative sites, but this was not in the warrant they proposed. An alternative [motion] was cobbled together by voters which was not readable by all voters and included some errors. This was done on the fly with no input from town counsel. Why? Because town counsel was not present for a $300,000 warrant [article] that could lead to as much as $30 million of spending. This is on the Selects and the CCBC. The warrant was not well crafted and the input from town boards was inconsistent.
5. A voter implored citizens to “trust” the people who have worked on this project for 10 years. Trust is earned; it is not given. I hope and expect that future presentations of this project will be worthy of that trust.
Chris Burns lives at 222 Tower Road.
“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.
Town gets ready to vote on the future of a community center
After hearing yet more public input on the proposed community center, the Select Board wrestled with the wording of the proposed motion for the November 30 Special Town Meeting amid more discussion of the lower-cost options and even keeping two town departments in their current locations.
Public sentiment on the community center idea has swerved back and forth in recent weeks. Many residents and officials, backed up by numerous studies of space and programming, have noted the need for a facility to house the Parks and Recreation Department and the Council on Aging and Human Services, since their current locations (the Hartwell pods and Bemis Hall, respectively) are in dire need of repair and modernization. Work on the community center idea was suspended during the school building project, with the understanding that the town would put it on a fast track soon after that work was done.
But other Lincolnites, stunned by the ballooning cost of the two design ideas (each now about $25 million) put forth in 2018 and the tax impact of the school project, have urged a “no” vote on the measure to spend $325,000 for project management, design, and engineering consultants to create detailed plans and budgets.
Originally, the intent was to use the $325,000 to simply flesh out the two concepts developed by Mary Ann Thomson Architects, but with the concerns about price, the current motion now calls for “developing a range of community center design choices and budgets for the Hartwell complex.” Select Board member Jonathan Dwyer suggested early in the board’s November 28 meeting that a lowest-cost option might consist of updating Bemis and the pods, a middle option might include some additional updates, and the costliest option would be fleshing out the two 2018 concepts “with all of the needs and most of the wants.”
However, previous studies have shown that Bemis’s layout, overall size, and parking availability mean that it cannot be made to function safely and effectively as a headquarters for the growing COA&HS — and most agree that the PRD needs to be located on the school campus. Other possible community center sites in town were considered, but cost analyses and voter sentiment at previous meetings showed that the Hartwell site made the most sense as a joint space for both departments.
If the $325,000 is approved, the Community Center Building Committee will direct architects to “develop additional, lower-cost options beyond the two chosen by the town in 2018 and refine all plans with a sharp eye for costs,” CCBC Chair Sarah Chester said at the Select Board meeting where she and others rehearsed their Town Meeting presentations.
An outline of the community center planning and needs was already presented at the first State of the Town Meeting on November 14 (see slides here). However, after hearing the misgivings expressed that night, the committee now plans on Wednesday to “dive one layer deeper at each stage and explain how conclusions were built on one another in an inductive and iterative fashion,” Chester said.
In an attempt to be as flexible as possible, the original motion recommended by the CCBC did not include a stipulation that a community center should be located at Hartwell. But Select Board member Jonathan Dwyer worried that such a motion “muddies the waters a little bit,” since all the earlier discussions had focused on that site as the best choice. Board member Jennifer Glass also expressed doubt that the $325,000 would cover the cost of developing lower-cost options at Hartwell while also looking at other sites in town.
“You can’t say [the vote] is definitely about a community center but that it might not be at Hartwell,” board member Jim Hutchinson said.
The board concluded that even a lowest-cost option must involve a dual-use building to house both departments at Hartwell rather than simply renovating the pods and Bemis. “The low-cost option is not a community center” if the COA&HS is still headquartered in Bemis, even if that building could be sufficiently improved, he added.
“If the will of town is Hartwell-centric, the low end might be a pod infill concept [while] pulling the scope back,” perhaps through more extensive reconstruction of the pods which might or might not be linked together, Town Administrator Tim Higgins said. “We could look at the [2018] Thompson concepts with detailed spreadsheets that go over program space room by room and create two columns for ‘need’ and ‘like’.”
“I think there are lots of places where a good architect can come up with a reduction in the scope and size of the building,” such as by eliminating an atrium or making offices smaller, CCBC member Alison Taunton-Rigby said.
Margaret Olson recommended emphasizing that the 2018 concepts were “at an early stage and contained a great deal of what everyone wanted… A lot of people have asked for a lot of things and I think some of it needs to come out, though I’m not sure what. There’s concern that this has gotten too expensive and we haven’t paid attention to what we really need.”
The Select Board (which was required to vote on a motion to present at Town Meeting) was worried enough about changing the wording of the CCBC’s motion that they asked for input from any committee members who were still watching the meeting on Zoom. Susan Taylor responded that she thought the committee left out Hartwell-specific language because “they were afraid they’d get double ‘no’s because people would think they’re voting on the final design [at Hartwell] even though you keep telling them you’re not.”
Chester had already left Town Hall after making her representation in person, but she logged on again from home. “After hearing tonight about why we’re focusing on Hartwell, it’s reasonable for us to put Hartwell into the motion,” she said.
If the November 30 measure is voted down, “both organizations still desperately need updated and safe space,” Chester said. Even a minimal renovation of Bemis and the pods will cost millions of dollars, “and everything will be more and more expensive the longer we delay.”
The Town Meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Donaldson Auditorium. Residents must attend in person to comment and vote, but they may watch the proceedings from home via this Zoom link (passcode: 947551).
My Turn: Green Energy Committee introduces “Climate Minute”
By Michael Moodie
(Editor’s note: This is an expanded version of a piece that appeared in a LincolnTalk email on November 15.)
The Lincoln Green Energy Committee (GEC) works to help residents and others reduce their greenhouse gas emissions through energy conservation and the use of appliances and vehicles powered by renewable electricity. Periodically, the GEC will issue a “Climate Minute,” a short message explaining and encouraging efforts to reduce emissions. Below is our first.
Climate Minute #1 – getting to zero
To reduce emissions from our homes (ultimately to zero), we need to conserve energy and move from fossil fuels to electric systems. Current Massachusetts and federal incentives help reduce the up-front cost of this change. Getting your home to zero emissions has three main components: (1) insulate, (2) electrify, and (3) obtain electricity from renewable sources.
- Insulate — Tighten up the thermal envelope of your home by sealing openings, increasing insulation, and improving windows. See the MassSave site for details on rebates and loans for air sealing and insulation and for windows.
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- 75%–100% rebates on air sealing and approved insulation. A Lincoln resident had cellulose insulation blown into exterior walls at a total cost of about $3,000; after rebates she paid only $750.
- $75 off each triple-pane window replacing a single-pane one.
- $25,000 “HEAT” loans at 0% interest for 7 years for approved insulation and for triple-pane windows replacing single panes.
Federal incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) include up to $1,200 in upfront discounts and $1,600 in tax credits for such work, depending on income. Tax credits reset each year for up to ten years. This calculator will estimate the IRA incentives available to you.
- Electrify — Convert from fossil fuels to electric power for the major systems in your home: heating/cooling, water heating, vehicles, cooking and clothes drying. Significant financial incentives will ease the transition. HEAT loans help cover the cost of heat pumps and heat pump water heaters.
IRA incentives again include significant upfront discounts and 30% tax credits for all of the systems listed above. A family of two with $160,000 in income would qualify for over $34,000 in incentives. Consult the calculator mentioned above for more details.
“Electrify Everything in Your Home” is a free, accessible, and informative guide to thinking about and planning for this transition. This guide helps you preview the process of replacing systems and planning the transition, with an emissions-free home at the end. The authors of this book estimate that moving three systems to renewable electricity would eliminate 85% of your house/vehicle emissions (50% for cars, 25% for heating/cooling, and 10% for water heating).
Here are some links to information about heat pumps and electric vehicles on the GEC’s website:
- Obtain electricity from renewable sources — Finally, you’ll need to obtain 100% renewable electricity, such as through Lincoln Green Energy Choice.
“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.
Police log for Nov. 7–13, 2022
November 7
Lincoln train station (9:24 a.m.) — A person walked into the station to report that the railroad gates went down and then went back up without a train passing through. Moments later, the gates came down again and then a train passed through the crossing. The party was informed that Keolis has workers on the rail which is causing the gates to come down when there isn’t a train passing through.
South Great Road (11:30 a.m.) — Report of a two-car crash at Route 126. One person was transported to Lahey Clinic and vehicles were towed from the scene.
Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (4:18 p.m.) — State police requested an ambulance for a crash. Fire Department responded and the patient refused transport.
November 8
North Great Road (6:24 a.m.) — Caller reported hitting a deer. No injuries; the vehicle was able to be driven from the scene.
Red Maple Lane (7:52 a.m.) — Caller reported someone dumped building/concrete material along the side of the road. An officer responded and contacted the DPW.
November 9
Wells Road (9:26 a.m.) — A party called requesting a well-being check on a resident. An officer responded and the involved party asked the Fire Department to transport the person to Emerson Hospital.
Baker Bridge Road (11:48 a.m.) — Caller reported someone going door to door stating they were checking the gas meter. An officer responded and checked the area but was unable to locate the person.
Old County Road (1:53 p.m.) — Eversource and Verizon were contacted regarding a tree on the wires on Old County Road.
South Great Road (2:56 p.m.) — A party came into the station to report being the victim of a scam involving cryptocurrency. An officer took a report; an investigation is ongoing.
Deerhaven Road (3:29 p.m.) — A party came to the station saying that someone fraudulently wrote out a check out of their bank account. An officer took a report and an investigation is ongoing.
Hanscom Drive (6:07 p.m.) — Caller reported a vehicle driving around the area without their headlights on. An officer checked the area but was unable to locate.
November 10
Old County Road (6:18 a.m.) — An officer checked on a vehicle pulled to the side of the roadway. The driver said they had AAA responding to tow the car to Concord.
South Great Road (7:18 a.m.) — Party reported striking a deer near the Weston line. Officers responded and found that the crash occurred in Weston; police in that town were notified.
Boyce Farm Road (1:58 p.m.) — Party reported receiving a suspicious call stating they had to pay $10,000 to clear up a warrant. An officer spoke to the party and advised them that it was a scam call (there was no financial loss).
November 12
South Great Road (12:56 a.m.) — Caller reported they heard noises on the railroad tracks and saw lights and were worried that a car was on the railroad tracks. An officer responded and Keolis was notified. The officer reported Keolis had workers on the tracks.
Todd Pond Road (1:51 p.m.) — Caller asked to speak to the Water Department regarding discolored water. The Water Department was advised to contact the party.
Winter Street (4:38 p.m.) — A property owner stopped an officer passing by to report a vehicle pulled into their property. Officer checked on the individual w,ho was asked to leave as they’re on private property. The party left the area.
South Great Road (4:58 p.m.) — The Fire Department from Lincoln and neighboring towns responded to a reported fire at a residence. The fire was in the attic and was caused by a box fan. Route 117 was closed for a period of time and detours were set up.
Bedford Road (7:21 p.m.) — Caller reported two cars parked on the roadway, one facing the wrong way. An officer responded but they were gone on arrival.
November 13
Cambridge Turnpike westbound (12:34 a.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle pulled into the breakdown lane. The party was OK and went on their way
Codman Road (1:37 p.m.) — Caller reported their dog was missing. The Animal Control Officer was notified.
Lincoln Road (3:56 p.m.) — A party came into the station with questions about bicycle signs on Lincoln Road.
Silver Birch Lane (6:24 p.m.) — Caller reported that their neighbor’s dog was barking. An officer responded and all was quiet.
My Turn: Vote yes to move forward with community center planning
(Editor’s note: this piece appeared in LincolnTalk on November 17 but some figures have been corrected with permission of the writer.)
By Michael Dembowski
The town’s dialogue regarding the proposed community center is engaging, healthy, and vital. However, many of the comments being expressed would be made no matter what the budget — the initial $15.3 million to $16.2 million estimated cost, or the current COVID- and inflation-driven $24.6 million to $26 million. Many townspeople simply don’t want to see additional tax increases, don’t know fully the program needs and current condition of the COA and Parks and Recreation Department, or don’t know of the diligent work of the community center committees dating back to 2012. Many of the suggestions and recommendations being made — whether thinking “out of the box” or being “prudent and cost-conscious” seem to be out of step with the process, uninformed by the work completed to date, or are more direct in wanting to prematurely shut down further town-wide consideration of a community center.
I am surprised at the apparent lack of good faith that those who have been directing this project to date have not thought of (and heard) and evaluated each suggestion offered. Does no one think that the Community Center Committees have not examined Bemis Hall and the Pierce House? Not looked at concurrent uses with the school programs? Not researched relevant program use data and benchmarking from other towns? Not been mindful of costs, budgetary constraints and the community’s reception to property tax increases — especially following the school project?
Voting YES on the next week’s ballot only approves limited monies for the further development of the proposed community center — a process that I would expect would be as transparent and participatory as the school project had been — incorporating the myriad voices and concerns now being expressed while also allowing for the possibility of securing private funds to help offset any future potential tax increase.
We are all privileged to live in this remarkable town — but privilege should prompt responsibility. Lincoln’s uniqueness is inextricably intertwined with its large sized properties, extensive conservation lands, farms and network of trails — all of which are universally appreciated and valued. However, the same lack of population and housing density can make Lincoln an extremely challenging place to live well and thrive in as we age — as we all age.
The community center project embodies a vision that is lost in much of the current dialogue of costs, budgets and potential taxes — one that should be considered in the context of wanting Lincoln to be a community that has the amenities, facilities and services that make it a desirable and more manageable town to live in for all of one’s life.
“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: In support of community
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.