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Building our Future

Walk this way…

Construction Site Safety: When you visit the campus, you’ll see that the construction site is shifting. At the moment the entire school and both parking lots are work zones.

  • The access to Codman Pool is via the pathway and bridge behind the Hartwell pods. PLEASE use this path, not the parking lot.
  • ONLY the Hartwell parking lot and the lot by the temporary school are available for pool parking.
  • There is NO vehicle access around the top of the loop in front of the school – the road is being rebuilt.
  • BOTH the parking lot by the Reed Gym & the parking lot by the Smith field are closed to public parking.

Project Update: A lot of work is happening simultaneously! A few highlights:

  • A new construction fence has been installed around the elementary school. Excavation work will begin shortly.
  • Start at the end of July, the original 1948 Smith building will be demolished (see photo below) and construction will begin on the new Learning Commons, 3rd grade wing, and Media Center.
  • In the middle school, new hydration stations are being installed, there are new railings in the Lecture Hall (upper half of the Auditorium), white boards are being hung, and many other details are being addressed!
  • In the parking lot near the pool, Sun Power, the company that will be installing all of the photovoltaic (PV) panels on the school, has started doing prep work.
  • More photos can be found in the July gallery.

The project update presented at Wednesday’s meeting can be found here. Next meeting is on Wednesday, August 11th @ 7:00pm via Zoom.

Changes to School Campus as Phase 2 Begins

Message from the Superintendent:

Dear Lincoln Community,

Phase I of the Lincoln School building project is nearing completion!  In August we will open the grade 5-8 portion of the renovated building and prepare for our students and staff to begin school in their new spaces on September 1, 2021.

Please be aware of the changes occurring on the campus as we move into Phase II of the building project.  Through the summer, Brooks and Smith parking lots will not be available to the public.  As Consigli, our construction team, moves their operations from the middle school end of the building to the elementary end of the building there will be a gradual transition of the construction site to the elementary portion of the building and their site will set up in the Smith parking lot.  

The Smith parking lot will be fenced off as of July 6, 2021 and pedestrian access to the fields and Pollinator Garden beyond the Smith parking lot will not be available until the completion of the project in fall 2022.  Pedestrian access to the tennis courts will be available.

Pedestrian access to the Codman pool is through the walking path behind Pod B.  Handicap parking is available in the Brooks lot.  Parking for the Codman pool is in the temporary modular building and Hartwell parking lots.  Please be aware that Lincoln Parks & Recreation camp and school programs are in progress and parking is extremely limited.  We encourage car pooling, walking, and bicycling.

Thank you for your patience and understanding,

Becky McFall, Superintendent

An End and a Beginning…

Although about 75% of the school project is renovation work, there are a couple of parts that are all-new construction. One is the new connector between the Auditorium and the Reed Gym (image above). The other will be the construction of the new Learning Commons and central entrance (click here to see a rendering). As the first phase of the project winds down, the second phase begins. This week, after school is finished for the year, the original 1948 portion of the school will be demolished to make way for the new section of the building (see the area below circled in red).

Other notable items:

  • Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the project will overlap. Throughout the summer the finishing touches will be put on the renovated middle school (Phase 1). It is anticipated that final inspections will be completed by mid-August, and then the teachers will begin moving in and preparing for the 2021-2022 school year!
  • Meanwhile, the middle school teachers have begun packing up their classrooms, and once school lets out on Monday the “Smith” end of the building will be emptied out in preparation for renovation/new construction (Phase 2). Primary school teachers and students will stay in the temporary school next year.
  • The SBC got its monthly project update last Wednesday, and continues to oversee the project costs and progress. Click here for slides from the meeting. June photo gallery is here.
  • The bike/pedestrian path that will lead from the Hartwell parking lot to the middle school and the pool is under construction. Check out the photo below!
Laying the foundation for the bike/pedestrian path around the parking lot.

Tonight’s SBC meeting will be held virtually.

For all you fans of the ins and outs of Open Meeting Law, you’ve undoubtedly been riveted by the unfolding drama of whether the Legislature and Governor could get together before the June 15th deadline to enact an extension of the law allowing virtual meetings. They (mostly) have: The State Legislature approved Senate Bill 2475 last night and it is on Governor Baker’s desk. The SBC and other town boards have been caught up in the uncertainty of what to do about meetings scheduled for this week.

Based on the late-breaking activity, tonight’s SBC will be virtual as originally posted on the agenda. As always, the public is welcome to join the Zoom and the meeting will be recorded.

Here is the language of the bill; the relevant part is section 20.

Just for fun, here’s a photo of the glass being installed on the end wall of the Dining Commons:

We could always “Count” on Steven…

It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of Steven Perlmutter, and with immense gratitude that we remember the many contributions, both silly and serious, that he made to the School Building Project.

Steven became involved in the Lincoln School building project in 2013 when he volunteered to serve on the School Building Advisory Committee. What started as a 1-year commitment became an 8-year journey as he helped multiple committees to pull the community together and get us where we are today. In addition to his willingness to wear a giant “Count” costume during the 2017 4th of July parade, there were numerous ways we could “count” on Steven:

  • We could count on him to ask really probing questions.
  • We could count on him to emphasize the beauty of the school campus and the grandeur of its trees.
  • We could count on him to reach out to people in the community to understand their points of view about the project.
  • We could count on him to press hard for clarity of message and simplicity of presentation.
  • We could count on him to read the minutes very, very carefully.
  • And as we neared the December 2018 vote, we could count on him to be the project’s biggest cheerleader – “Time to put the pedal through the metal, everyone!”

For our part, Steven’s family and friends can count on the fact that Steven will always be part of our heart. We miss you, Steven.

Thank you!

renewing of new Lincoln Commons Playground

Our thanks to everyone who came to Town Meeting! Residents overwhelmingly approved funds for new furniture and technology (FF&E) and the use of Community Preservation Act funds to build the new preK and Lincoln School Commons playgrounds as originally designed. These investments will have a very positive impact on our students and the wider community.

Next SBC meeting is on Wednesday, June 16th.

You’ll want to sit down for this one…

Installation of new seats in the Auditorium and Lecture Hall

The SBC held it’s pre-Town Meeting public forum on Wednesday evening. Click here to watch the presentation (about 15 minutes long) and here to see the slide deck.

After the forum, the SBC held its regular monthly meeting. Highlights of progress include:

  • Installation of the new seats in the Auditorium and Lecture Hall!
  • Eversource is completing the connection of the main power line which will allow the HVAC system to begin start-up
  • Window installation continues
  • Interior finishes are being completed throughout the building
  • Teachers have begun touring the renovated building and planning for their move back in to the middle school!
  • Presentation to the SBC is here

TOWN MEETING IS ON SATURDAY, MAY 15th @ 9:30am!

  • Check-in begins at 8:30am
  • Please bring the Town Meeting materials that were mailed to you. Prefer them electronically? Visit https://www.lincolntown.org/1241/2021-Annual-Town-Meeting
  • Town meeting is anticipated to last about 3 hours. Visit the same web page as above for an overview of Town Meeting logistics.

TONIGHT: SBC Project Update!

School building project forum January 2013

Unlike the photo above, the forum will not be in person in the Reed Gym. It will be held virtually on Wednesday, May 12th from 6:30 – 7:00pm. Register here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUqdu6prT0sHNeDkXEOuJLrGIvcQuz8nMVu

Want a sneak peek at how the Reed Gym renovation is progressing? Click here.

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