Lincoln Select Board sets March ballot vote on $24 million community center

LINCOLN — February 12, 2024 — Lincoln Select Board sends $24 million community center to March 25 ballot. The board voted unanimously Monday to place a Proposition 2 1/2 debt exclusion on the annual election ballot to fund a 19,000-square-foot community center in the Hartwell complex housing the Council on Aging, Parks and Recreation, and the LEAP after-school program. Community Center Building Committee Chair Sarah Chester said the project cost estimate came in at $24.01 million, with $4.75 million from stabilization, $2.2 million in free cash, and $1.5 million in confirmed donations from the Codman Trust and Friends of the COA reducing the bond to roughly $15.76 million — "less than the 75 percent scheme concept" rejected at December's special town meeting. Assistant Town Administrator Dan Pereira said bond counsel confirmed LEAP's use of the building should not jeopardize tax-exempt status. Town Administrator Tim Higgins reported the Finance Committee is comfortable with a 3.8 percent town-side budget for fiscal 2025, including $138,000 in preferred items.