By Lynne Smith At its May 17 meeting, CCBC and ICON Architecture claimed they reduced the space needed for a new building by 8,000 square feet compared to the space proposed in 2018 by Maryann Thompson Architects. ICON’s Ned Collier said the current program is “going in the direction of 75%” of the 2022 cost…
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May 23 community center forum on site planning, cost implications
The Community Center Building Committee (CCBC) will hold its next public forum on Tuesday, May 23 at 7 p.m. in the Hartwell multipurpose room to go over site development issues and their cost implications. Click here for the Zoom link. Based on information from ICON Architects that was shared at the April 25 forum, the…
My Turn: CCBC previews space needs at April 25 forum
By Lynne Smith The Community Center Building Committee (CCBC), with the help of ICON Architecture, is hitting its stride. I was glad to see a draft of space needs for a new building but disappointed by the size and number of rooms being considered. ICON project manager Mark McKivitz emphasized that the draft was preliminary…
My Turn: Why the community center must be at Hartwell
By Krystal Wood While the motion approved at the November 2022 Special Town Meeting recognized that the community center would be located at the Hartwell complex, in the recent CCBC survey responses and during the open microphone community center meeting on April 4, some residents expressed their continuing interest in locating the center at Lincoln…
Community center architects zero in on space needs
At an April 25 forum, ICON Architecture presented some preliminary figures for how much space would be required in a community center to accommodate the current needs of its two primary users. Based on those numbers, Principal Architect Ned Collier said they were “heading in the direction” of the 75% price option. ICON is working…
My Turn: CCBC architects tackle forum topics and site analysis
By Lynne Smith At the CCBC regular meeting on April 12, Mark McKevitz, ICON Architecture project manager, listed the topics raised at the April 4 community forum. The list was daunting and it was good to know that residents’ concerns were heard. I congratulate the CCBC for announcing that more community forums will occur in…
My Turn: Concerns at community center forum are deeply flawed
By Bob Apsler I urge the Community Center Building Committee not to be swayed by the dominant concerns expressed at the April 4 open mic meeting. Those concerns are (1) a desire for a community center within walking distance of a revitalized commercial center, (2) a request for a distributed services model of programs utilizing…
My Turn: Smith and Chester trade perspectives on community center
By Lynne Smith (Editor’s note: See the response to Smith’s piece by CCNC Chair Sarah Chester below.) At the April 4 Community Center Building Committee (CCBC) community forum, I realized that ICON Architecture has no plans to review alternate spaces for community center activities. ICON’s charge is to develop three options for a building on…
Community center forum draws wide range of sentiments
At the first “open mic night” held by the Community Center Building Committee, comments ran the gamut from reluctance about building one at all to suggestions for a garden, cafe, piano, and room for repairing appliances. Also on April 4, the CCBC launched an online survey asking residents about what they think a community center…
My Turn: CCBC has tight timeline for gathering public input
By Lynne Smith (Editor’s note: writer Lynne Smith indicates her personal opinions in italics.) The March 22 evening meeting of the Community Center Building Committee was disappointing for public attendees, many of whom hoped to hear detail on programming needs, alternate spaces, and a process for soliciting community opinion. About 30 Lincoln residents attended the…