Select Board adds Hartwell campus language to community center funding motion

LINCOLN -- November 28, 2022, Lincoln Select Board reinserts Hartwell campus reference into community center funding motion. The board unanimously amended the Community Center Building Committee's recommended motion to clarify that $325,000 from the town stabilization fund would underwrite consulting work for a facility on the Ballfield Road campus, ahead of the Nov. 30 special town meeting two-thirds vote. Town Administrator Tim Higgins outlined a budget that includes roughly $150,000 for an architect, $50,000 to $75,000 for an owner's project manager, and a $25,000 contingency. CCBC Chair Sarah Chester said the committee will develop low-, mid- and high-cost options, with the 2018 concepts now pegged at about $25 million each. Council on Aging Director Abby cited 9,906 program opportunities delivered in FY22 from a Bemis Hall she called only "partially usable." Member Jim Hutchinson said the debate "is a lot about cost," while CCBC member Allison voiced confidence in finding a cheaper Hartwell-centric design. The board also appointed Mark Sefton as a full-time E-911 dispatcher.