Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 23:15:10 -0500 From: Ellen McDonald To: lex-tmma@yahoogroups.com Subject: [lex-tmma] Article 15 ---------------------------------------- Hi All, I've been working with a group that is looking at the Forest St. church property (postponed Article 15) as a possible home for a youth center. Since many of you have asked me about this project, I thought I'd update everyone at the same time. Below is a letter that was sent to Selectmen on 3/24 and attached is the draft proposal. I guess you can add this to your "Projects for Which There is No Town Money" file^ :-) Ellen McDonald, Pct. 4 ### Dear Selectmen: As the discussion about creating a youth center in the Forest St. church continues, we hope to elicit your interest and advice. Our sense is that there is enormous consensus throughout the Lexington community that such a space is needed; we spend considerable energy quelling the hopes and expectations of many ready volunteers. In just a few weeks, dozens of teachers, doctors, business professionals, parents and teens have offered their assistance in making this dream a reality. Many communities in the surrounding area, having determined the necessity for teen space, are beginning projects of their own which can be expensive when begun from the ground up. North Andover spent $3 million to create a youth center in 1998. Andover has a $4.4 million youth center, set for completion in 2004. Boxford has begun to raise $4 million for this same purpose. We feel that the $1.6 million Forest St. property offers a great opportunity, at an attainable price, to create a "community gathering place" (to borrow from the 2020 Vision Themes & Goals) for Lexington's teens. And while its size and location precludes many uses, this facility could supply an important piece of the services that Lexington's youth need. Hayden offers a gymnasium and weight room, and the new skate park, when completed, will provide a much-anticipated recreational spot. Just steps from LHS and the town center's public transportation depot, the church on Forest St. is perfectly situated to provide Lexington's teens with a relaxing place to meet when they are not in school. In researching and visiting area youth centers, we have discovered that most employ a public/private model of ownership. In North Andover, the town donated the land and $975,000, and a community board supplied the balance and covers operating costs. In Andover, the town provided six acres and a private non-profit foundation is raising the $4.4 million to build it. Once the center is complete, the foundation will turn it and the land back over to the town. We need to begin a conversation with the Board of Selectmen so that we can better understand what is possible here in Lexington in terms of a public-private partnership. On March 22, we met with members of the Belfry Hill Neighborhood Association about their concerns regarding the prospect of a youth center in their neighborhood. The abutters to the church property expressed fears about increased traffic, parking and noise; fears that we can appreciate and understand. It is hard to imagine any location in town that would not be of concern to immediate abutters, so it is essential that planners work in cooperation with neighbors. Many of the solutions to these potential problems require close coordination of efforts with the town. The traffic impact on this neighborhood could be mitigated if the Lexington High School U-shaped driveway off Park Dr. could be used for a drop-off/pick-up zone. LHS offers one of the largest concentrations of parking in Lexington that is not heavily used during the hours that the youth center would be open. We need to explore with the Board of Selectmen the possibility that the LHS parking areas might be used for this purpose. Attached is our proposal for a youth center in Lexington. This proposal is very much a work-in-progress; the compilation of ideas gathered from visits to area youth centers, teens at LHS and many people in our community. We offer it only as a basis for discussion, and not as a finalized plan of action. Thank you for your consideration and thoughts. Melissa Broderick, Tim Dugan, Ellen McDonald, Zaurie Zimmerman, et.al.