News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.
By Alice Waugh
The Campus Master Planning Committee (CMPC) has gotten a one-month extension on its original deadline of December 31 to finalize their report on options for configuring the Ballfield Road campus.
[Read more…] about Campus report delayed by a month; cost estimates floated
The Campus Master Planning Committee (CMPC) will receive a draft report from its consultants with recommendations for reconfiguring the Lincoln School campus on Thursday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. in the Hartwell multipurpose room.
Residents heard an interim report at the State of the Town meeting in November from LLB Architects, who outlined some examples of how the building areas, pedestrian walkways, playing fields, and roads on the campus could be configured to accommodate a school project and a new community center somewhere on the Hartwell side. They did not include site work cost estimates for the scenarios.
The CMPC also released results of an informal survey of residents who attended an October 17 public forum. About 160 people responded to seven statements with answers ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” The results of Questions 1 and 5 indicate support for reducing the footprint of the school building, which would most likely mean a two-story structure, although the overall character of the campus is still seen as important.
1. Gaining additional field space is a worthy reason to reduce the overall school footprint.
| Agreed or strongly agreed |
Neutral | Disagreed or strongly disagreed |
| 52% | 20% | 25% |
2. Locating parking near building entrances and fields is more important than the character of the campus.
| Agreed or strongly agreed |
Neutral | Disagreed or strongly disagreed |
| 17% | 21% | 60% |
3. Pedestrian walkways should take precedence over vehicular drives and parking lots.
| Agreed or strongly agreed |
Neutral | Disagreed or strongly disagreed |
| 54% | 30% | 15% |
| Agreed or strongly agreed |
Neutral | Disagreed or strongly disagreed |
| 38% | 25% | 31% |
5. We should consider reducing the footprint of the school in order to gain building efficiencies, better educational layout, and more space on campus for playing fields and other uses.
| Agreed or strongly agreed |
Neutral | Disagreed or strongly disagreed |
| 62% | 14% | 19% |
6. The value (functionality, appropriateness, and life expectancy) of the projects should take precedence in decision making if the costs exceed the previously projected costs.
| Agreed or strongly agreed |
Neutral | Disagreed or strongly disagreed |
| 8% | 19% | 67% |
7. Future projects should aim to reduce the impact on the regulated areas [wetland buffers, riverfront setbacks] to the extent that is practical.
| Agreed or strongly agreed |
Neutral | Disagreed or strongly disagreed |
| 27% | 25% | 42% |
The final report is due to town officials on December 31. The CMPC and its consultant have been working for six months on the project and have presented information at five public forums this fall.
By Alice Waugh
A Campus Master Planning Committee consultant offered some scenarios for configuring the school campus while affirming that there are no septic or regulatory issues that would prevent putting a community center on the Hartwell side.
Speaking at the November 14 State of the Town Meeting, Greg Smolley of LLB Architects also repeated what he said at an October 17 public forum—that a second Lincoln Road entrance to the campus east of Ballfield Road to accommodate a community center is not needed or advisable.
[Read more…] about Consultant presents ideas for campus configuration
A map showing which parts of the campus were built at different times (click to enlarge).
By Alice Waugh
If a community center is built on the Hartwell campus, more parking will be needed, but creating a new entrance from Lincoln Road on the south side of the site probably won’t be necessary, according to an interim report by the Campus Master Planning Committee consultants.
Because both a school project and a community center are being contemplated on the Ballfield Road campus, the CMPC was formed to study the basic infrastructure and physical layout of the campus and assess the capacity of the existing infrastructure (buildings, roadways, septic systems, etc.) to support future uses. [Read more…] about No major obstacles to putting community center on campus, consultant says
The Community Center Study Committee’s “preferred option.”
The Lincoln Campus Master Planning Committee (CMPC) invites all Lincoln residents as well as Lincoln School faculty and staff to attend its first public forum on Thursday, Oct. 15 from 7-9 p.m. in the Brooks Gym.
The CMPC, which was jointly formed by the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee in June, is in the process of evaluating the infrastructure and layout of the Ballfield Road campus to inform plans for the renovated Lincoln School and a contemplated community center building. The group met regularly throughout the summer and is working alongside external consultants LLB Architects as they review the earlier School Building Advisory Committee efforts and the Community Center Feasibility Committee study conducted last year, share initial findings, and solicit input from the community—especially those who visit the campus frequently.
Town officials and consultants also presented options and price estimates for both projects at the November 2014 State of the Town meeting.
Residents are also encouraged to attend one of two follow-up CMPC forums on Friday, Oct. 30. The CMPC will present at the PTO’s monthly meeting from 8:15-9:30 a.m. in the library story room and also at a Council on Aging session at 1 p.m. in Bemis Hall.
The Lincoln Campus Master Planning Committee (CMPC), which will complete its work by December 31, invites the public to attend of their meetings and public forums this fall.
The CMPC is is charged with studying the basic infrastructure and physical layout of the Ballfield Road campus and informing the planning for the contemplated school building and community center projects. There are three at-large representatives as well as representatives from the Lincoln Public Schools, Board of Selectmen, Conservation Committee, Council on Aging, Parks & Recreation, the Planning Board, and Roadway and Traffic.
“The community’s awareness and involvement in this project is critically important,” said Committee Chair Carole Kasper. “The Campus Master Planning Study represents a unique opportunity for Lincoln residents to look at the Ballfield Road campus in a truly holistic manner—to examine the different ways in which we use the schools, other Ballfield Road buildings and recreational facilities and determine how we can serve our community better. We welcome the community’s attendance at any of our regularly scheduled committee meetings and also encourage residents to attend one of the public forums.”
The CMPC’s full schedule of meetings and public forums is listed below. All meetings will take place in the Hartwell Multipurpose Room unless otherwise noted.
Thursday, September 3 at 7 p.m.
2nd floor hearing Room, Lincoln Town Offices
Thursday, September 10 from 5:30-7 p.m.
Lincoln PTO Back-to-School Picnic – Lincoln School green playground
Wednesday, September 16 at 8:15 a.m.
Thursday, October 1 at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, October 7 at 8:15 a.m.
Thursday, October 15 from 7-9 p.m.
Public forum – location TBD
Monday, October 26 at 7 p.m.
Friday, October 30 at 8:15 a.m.
Lincoln PTO public forum – location TBD
Friday, October 30 at 1 p.m.
Council on Aging public forum – Bemis Hall (2nd floor)
Monday, November 9 at 7 p.m.
Friday, November 13 at 8:15 a.m.
Committee State of the Town run-through – Donaldson Auditorium
Saturday, November 14 at 9 a.m.
State of the Town presentation – Donaldson Auditorium
Friday, November 20 at 8:15 a.m.
Monday, November 30 at 7 p.m.
Thursday, December 10
Public presentation of draft final report
The Community Center Study Committee’s “preferred option” for the site of a new community center on the east side of the Lincoln School campus (see the Lincoln Squirrel, March 26, 2015).
The Campus Master Planning Committee (CMPC) has selected LLB Architects of Pawtucket, R.I. as the design consultant for the Ballfield Road campus, where the town hopes to build a new community center and renovate the Lincoln School.
The School Committee and the Board of Selectmen, which jointly appointed the CMPC, approved the hiring in mid-July.
“LLB brings a wealth of experience and a talented team of experts to the campus master planning project,” said Town Administrator Tim Higgins. “This is one of the most important projects facing Lincoln right now. We recognize that the plan will need to accommodate both the current and future education and recreational needs of our town’s resident population. I’m confident that LLB will be able to successfully assist the Campus Master Planning Committee in their charge to study the basic infrastructure and physical layout of the Ballfield Road campus and inform the planning for the contemplated school building and community center projects.”
“LLB’s technical experience, team-based approach, community focus and ability to see the ‘big picture’ make them a solid choice,” said School Committee Chair Jennifer Glass. “The project team, led by Project Executive Greg Smolley, has completed more than three dozen publicly bid projects in the Commonwealth in the last five years.”
LLB Architects, formerly Lerner Ladds Bartels, was founded in 1936. Their portfolio features design work on the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles and several projects at Brown University and the University of Rhode Island. In Massachusetts, the firm has done design work on public libraries in Bolton, Maynard, Scituate, Walpole and Watertown as well as the town halls in Acton and Harvard.
A report by Abacus Architects and Planners last March estimated that a community center just east of the Parks and Recreation pod on the Hartwell side of the campus would cost about $13 million, including a new access road, parking lot and repairs to the pods. The new building would be home to the Parks and Rec and the Council on Aging as well as various community groups.
For the rest of the summer, the consultants will review data on the campus’s physical and geographical conditions (roads and parking, wetlands, septic systems, major trees, etc.) and establish the short and long-term programmatic needs of all potential stakeholder groups. They will present their initial findings at a public workshop in October, where they will also gather public input and “identify conceptual options and present positive and negative aspects of each,” according to the firm’s preliminary project approach and timeline.
LLB will also make a presentation and gather input at the State of the Town Meeting on November 14 and at another public workshop in December before submitting their final report before the end of the calendar year.
“Lincoln is a community that values its historical buildings and spaces and engaging the public in setting direction for the future,” said LLB Project Executive Greg Smolley. “All of us at LLB Architects treasure the history of New England and have built the firm on a wide range of civic and public projects. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to work with everyone in Lincoln and are looking forward to getting started.”
For more information, residents are encouraged to attend any of the committee meetings, which are posted on the CMPC web page.
The Community Center Study Committee’s “preferred option” for the location of the facility on the Hartwell campus.
The Campus Master Plan Committee (CMPC) has begun meeting and is moving quickly, with plans to interview consultant finalists on July 16.
The committee is charged with examining the implications of a Hartwell campus community center on Ballfield Road campus roadways, traffic, parking, public safety and accessibility, and recreational facilities, and to understand site issues such as wetlands, conservation land, septic fields and geotechnical conditions. One of the CMPC’s first tasks is hiring a firm with the skills needed to do this work. Residents authorized $75,000 for this purpose at Town Meeting in March.
Members of the committee are Renel Fredriksen from the Board of Selectmen, Jennifer Glass and Tim Christenfeld from the School Committee; Bryce Wolf from the Planning Board; Ken Bassett from the Roadway & Traffic Committee; Dilla Tingley from the Council on Aging board; Patricia Donahue from the Parks and Recreation Committee; either Peter von Mertens or Jim Meadors from the Conservation Commission; and at-large members Carole Kasper, Vin Cannistraro and Paula Cobb. There are four nonvoting members as well: Town Administrator Tim Higgins, Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall, Council on Aging Director Carolyn Bottum, and Parks & Recreation Director Dan Pereira.
The Lincoln School campus.
In response to community interest in locating a community center on the Lincoln School’s Ballfield Road campus, the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee are jointly creating the Campus Master Plan Committee (CMPC). The purpose of the CMPC will be to consider infrastructure and safety issues related to the possible co-location of Council on Aging, the Parks and Recreation Department, and school functions on Ballfield Road. The CMPC’s charge will be to examine the implications on roadways, traffic, parking, public safety and accessibility, and recreational facilities, and to understand site issues such as wetlands, conservation land, septic fields and geotechnical conditions.
The CMPC will be responsible for hiring, subject to approval by the Selectmen and the School Committee, a firm with the skills needed to do the work. At the 2015 Town Meeting, Article 33 authorized $75,000 for this purpose. The CMPC will determine its own meeting schedule, but it is expected that it will meet frequently between June and December, with the delivery of a final report by the end of the calendar year. The committee will gather input from the public and relevant boards, and an interim report and public feedback will be one of the items for discussion at the fall State of the Town meeting.
Interested candidates should have experience and skills that will further the work of the committee. The at-large members will join representatives from relevant town boards. Letters of interest should be submitted to both the Board of Selectmen at selectmen@lincolntown.org and the School Committee at schoolcomm@lincnet.org by Friday, May 15. The Selectmen and School Committee will hold a joint meeting to finalize the CMPC’s charge and to appoint the at-large members on Monday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m in the Donaldson Room in the Town Office Building.
The Community Center Study Committee’s “preferred option.” Click on the image for more exterior and interior design ideas.
By Alice Waugh
Residents on Saturday will have the chance to hear the final report of the Community Center Study Committee (CCSC), which proposes a community center to be built on the Hartwell campus at a total cost of about $13 million, including roads and other site work.
[Read more…] about Community center on Hartwell campus would cost $13 million, panel says