Plans to upgrade a wetlands trail behind the school campus have been delayed while a civil/environmental engineering firm surveys the area and determines the best foundation plan for the boardwalk.
Lincoln Public Schools science teachers Terry Green and Mairead Curtis have been working with town officials to upgrade the trail, which is partly on school property and runs north from the Smith playground to the town muster field at the intersection of Sandy Pond and Baker Bridge Roads. When the project is done, the boardwalk will be ADA-compliant, and there will also be an area that will serve as a outdoor “classroom” space where groups can gather to learn about the wetlands, Green said.
Recently, however, a landscape architect found that the subsoil was deeper than expected for the type of pilings intended for use for the boardwalk foundation, so GZA Environmental, Inc. will survey the area this winter and make further recommendations so officials can come up with a revised construction timeline.
At Town Meeting in March 2014, residents approved spending $137,355 from the Community Preservation Act fund for the wetlands trail and observation platform. The budget includes another $1,275 from the Lincoln Cultural Council and $7,875 last year from Lincoln School Foundation for design work.