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Building our Future

Tree Fund Grows

This week, the SBC was very pleased to receive news of a substantial, anonymous donation to the Class of 2020 Tree Fund! The SBC voted unanimously to ask the School Committee to accept this very generous gift!

Another piece of good news is that there have been minimal COVID costs added to the project thus far. The full report from our construction team can be seen here.

New and improved (temporary) kitchen: A temporary kitchen that will serve all grades was installed in the Smith Gym. Here are photos of the old kitchen…

And here’s a photo of new…

Now we learn our ABCs: Finally, if you check out the slide decks from our meetings, you’ll see that Consigli, our construction manager, has divided the building into sections labeled with letters. Here’s a reminder of what the letters mean…

Duct and Cover…

Power outages are always an exciting topic of conversation in Lincoln and the school is a not-infrequent victim of branches falling on the wires that run between the road and the school. One very important aspect of the building project is that the electric lines are being buried under ground. This work has begun, most noticeably along the road between the center field and Hartwell.

With Deep Gratitude…

Because of a very generous gift from an anonymous donor, we will be able to restore the plan to build the courtyard outside of the Learning and Dining Commons. The design includes three large benches that will be made from several salvaged oak trees from Ballfield Road and from granite pieces that are on Lincoln conservation land. The SBC is very excited that the courtyard has been reinstated into the project! It will become a wonderful school and community asset.

We don’t mean to “drone” on…

…but we hope you’ll enjoy this aerial view of the construction site that was provided to us by our Owner’s Project Manager. They plan to take videos on a monthly basis, so stay tuned for more as we all watch the progress! More project photos are here.

Next (Virtual) SBC Meeting: Wednesday, September 16th @7:00pm.

Laying the Foundation

Turning a building that was constructed between 1946 and 1994 into a unified, net zero building requires building super-insulated exterior walls and roofs. This work is now underway and you can see the footprint of the new outer walls. Not only does this work allow us to create the insulated exterior, it also provides a bit more interior space for the new Dining Commons and the middle school hub spaces. Click here to see the latest photos.

The SBC meets this week on Wednesday, August 12th at 7:00pm via Zoom. The agenda and Zoom link will be available here on Monday.

Preserving History

The crew carefully removed the butterfly weathervane…

…and stored it in a padded box. At the end of the project, it will be installed near the new central entrance (You might see it on your walk back to the Codman Pool).

The commemorative bricks that were located behind Smith near the green playground have been protected and will be re-installed in a more visible location toward the end of the project.

Other News:

  • The most recent 6-week look-ahead construction schedule can be found here.
  • The next virtual SBC meeting is on Wednesday, August 12th at 7:00pm.
  • SBC Outreach will take a blog post break for a few weeks. New construction photos will get posted periodically to the July Gallery.

The Library Begins to Transform…

…into our new Dining Commons! One big change coming to the school is that it will have a full kitchen and a dedicated Dining Commons. How will this impact the school?

  • Gyms will be available for classes all day — no more converting them into lunch areas for half the day; provides more scheduling flexibility for wellness classes and for indoor recreation when the weather is bad
  • Students will now eat in a centrally-located, light-filled space that looks out onto the center field!
  • A full kitchen allows a wider range of food preparation
  • Dishwashing facilities eliminate disposable styrofoam trays, dishes & cutlery
  • Kitchen and Dining Commons become new community assets during non-school hours

Here’s a comparison of the floor plans before and after renovation:

Current “Link” includes the Library, computer labs, Elementary Art, Science & Music, Nurse, and classrooms.

After the renovation, the Link will house the Dining Commons, kitchen, Nurse, classrooms & hubs, Special Education offices.

When it’s complete…

But to get there, first we have to…(click here for latest construction photos)

SBC Meets (Virtually) this Week – Wednesday, July 15, 2020 @ 7:00pm

The agenda and link will be posted on Monday.

Playground + Pool + Construction = Be Aware & Have FUN!

On Monday, the Pool will open with COVID precautions in place. To give families better access between the pool, tot lot, and sport court, our construction team from Consigli changed the configuration of the green stormwater barriers so that you can get to the pool and play areas from the Brooks parking lot.

NOTE: During the week, this is a very busy construction area! As a pedestrian, the safest way to the playground is from the trail near the Hartwell Pods:

Consigli also moved the barriers to allow access to the trail to Lincoln Station:

The Outreach Team wishes everyone a happy, healthy 4th of July! Come out to watch (or sign up to be in!) the Reverse Parade and join the Virtual Firecracker Run! https://facebook.com/events/s/july-4th-virtual-community-run/1230540383812067/?ti=icl

Demolition is Underway!

This week, Phase 1 demolition began in earnest! To break down the work being done, the building has been divided into 8 sections (A through H). Phase 1 will include sections D, E, F, G, and H (See the image below to learn which parts of the building are included).  This phase will be completed by the Fall of 2021, and then work will begin on Phase 2, which is comprised of sections A, B, and C. 

Here are photos from this week:

Navigating the Campus During Phase 1

Phase 1 construction is underway! This is very exciting and it also means that getting around the Ballfield Road campus has changed. When you walk, cycle, or drive to the school, you’ll notice more green stormwater barriers and more fencing. The school is situated in the middle of wetlands and the barriers are there to protect the stream and wetlands from construction debris. We ask for your help in keeping these barriers intact both to protect our water and to help us avoid the expense of replacing broken barriers. Thank you for your patience!

Click here to see the “look-ahead” construction schedule and here for the budget update from the last SBC meeting.

Campus access during Phase 1 of construction.
  • These barriers protect the stream and wetlands, please keep them intact!
  • Please use the pathway from Hartwell to get to the Playground and Sport Court.
  • The boardwalk between the Sport Court and Codman Field is closed during construction in order to protect the stream.
  • To protect the stream during construction, there is no access from the Brooks parking lot to the Playground or Sport Court.
  • There is no trail access to the Green Playground during construction.
  • Stormwater barrier between the Sport Court and the Brooks parking lot. The barriers protect the stream and wetlands.
  • Entry path to Codman Pool is open to the public.
  • The Green Playground is not available during construction.
  • Sign marks the trail to Sandy Pond Road from Codman Field.

Thank you

Yesterday, 282 registered voters came together under a huge tent on a brilliant June morning for Town Meeting. The SBC is grateful to the community for approving the additional funds for the project – we know it was not an easy decision, and the show of support for the warrant article was very much appreciated!

After Town Meeting was over (only 90 minutes!), members of the SBC, the School Committee, other boards and committees, and our project team marked the official start of construction with some photos on the center field. We thank the representatives from SMMA, Daedalus, and Consigli for attending Town Meeting and supplying us with nifty hard hats and ceremonial shovels. We’re also grateful to Tyler Ory for his excellent drone photography – if we weren’t wearing masks, there would more than one photo of everyone gaping as it flew overhead!

Most importantly, we thank all of you. It has taken a lot of engagement and support from residents to get us to this point. We look forward to sharing the project’s progress as it unfolds!

SBC Meeting on Wednesday, 7:00pm, via Zoom

Link to meeting will be posted with the agenda on Monday. Agendas and minutes can be found here.

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