Town Meeting, and some big “Thank you’s”!

ANNUAL TOWN MEETING! Saturday, March 25, 2023 in the Lincoln School. Check-in begins at 8:30am, Meeting begins promptly at 9:30am! Learn more here!

Thank you, FoMA and the Project Team! At the Lincoln School ribbon cutting ceremony in October, the Friends of Modern Architecture (FoMA) announced that it was awarding the project team (Architects SMMA & EwingCole, Consigli Construction, and Owner’s Project Manager, CHA) with its annual “Excellence in Modern Architecture” award. This past Thursday, FoMA president, Andrew Glass, and SMMA Project Architect, Jennifer Soucy, gave a presentation about the architectural history of the school and how the renovation built on the school’s Modern history while creating transformational educational spaces in a sustainable, net-zero building. The presentation was followed by a panel discussion featuring Chris Fasciano, SBC Chair; Kim Bodnar, SBC Vice-Chair; Buck Creel, Administrator for Business & Finance/Project Manager; and Jennifer Glass, SBC Member. The FoMA & SMMA slide decks are here, and the recording of the event will be posted soon!

Thank you, Sharon & Jennifer! At this week’s SBC meeting we gave heartfelt thanks to two departing committee members, Jennifer Glass and Sharon Hobbs. 

Sharon will be retiring as the Lincoln School Middle School Principal at the end of June and last week’s SBC meeting was her last. Sharon consistently provided the important voice of the students, faculty, and staff throughout the building project. She braved late night meetings, often with her young daughter in tow, as critical educational based building decisions were being discussed and debated. Over the past 15 years, she spoke about the need for a project at many parent meetings, and during construction she worked quietly behind the scenes to ensure smooth transitions to and from the temporary classrooms and into the new school facilities. We are so grateful to have had her expertise and calm leadership guiding us through the project, and we wish her the best in retirement!

Jennifer, a member of the Select Board, is stepping off the SBC to avoid violating Open Meeting Law when SBC Vice-Chair, Kim Bodnar, joins the Select Board later this month. Jennifer’s unwavering dedication to the School Building Project began nearly 15 years ago when she began her tenure on the School Committee, and continued through her work with the many committees that contributed to the successful completion of the school project. Jennifer’s commitment to engaging residents through an open and transparent process resulted in countless community discussions, charrettes, public meetings, presentations, and the dynamic SBC website. As a member of the Outreach sub-committee, Jennifer helped craft hundreds of engaging and informative blogs, informing residents about the building project at each step along the journey. Her SBC meeting minutes are legendary and capture every detail of discussion and decision. The words “Thank You” hardly seem adequate to express the level of appreciation we have for Jennifer’s leadership over the past 15 years but … thank you!

– Kim Bodnar & Gina Halsted, Outreach

The slides from last Wednesday’s SBC meeting can be found here. Next meeting is on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 7:00pm.