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.
At an October 17 public forum, the CMPC’s consulting firm, LLB Architects, presented “interim thoughts” and solicited input from residents. LLB’s final report is due in December.
The CMPC and its consultant are working under the assumption that any community center would be located on the Hartwell portion of the campus, probably in place of one or more of the pods, which are “about at the end of their usable life for all intents and purposes,” said Greg Smolley, executive project consultant with LLB.
The pods have their own septic system (the Hartwell and Smith buildings share a system under the central ballfield), and septic concerns “are not a deal-breaker for expanded use on campus,” he said. Likewise, although there are wetlands running through the campus, “we don’t think that’s a limiting factor for what you want to do,” Smolley added.
With the help of the Lincoln Police Department, LLB did a study of traffic volumes in and out of the campus and found that, aside from school dismissal times, there are no major delays getting in and out of the campus, and the Lincoln Road/Ballfield Road intersection can accommodate more trips as long as they don’t coincide with peak school times.
“We asked ourselves if there is a need for a second entrance and we don’t think there is,” Smolley said. “Even if you could find a way to get out, you wind up with the problem of intersections anyway.” From a community center planning standpoint, the key will be to “schedule programming so as not to exacerbate the problem.”
The distributed parking lots “contribute to character of the campus,” but a community center will require about 60 more parking spaces, and the overall campus parking situation will need to be improved, Smolley said. Drivers sometimes park on the roadside grass or other non-designated spaces, which can create traffic and pedestrian impediments.
Also, while the Hartwell and Smith parking lots are full most of the time, the Brooks lot is only at about 42% capacity. The existing footpaths through the woods between that lot and the pods could be upgraded to take better advantage of the Brooks parking, Smolley said.
Other issues that will have to be addressed include pedestrian walkways and the lack of a loading dock for the schools. Currently, large trucks have to back up to the Brooks entrance next to the auditorium, so deliveries are made very early in the morning before children are on campus.
After the presentation, residents were invited to post notes with their ideas for what should be changed on the campus and how it could be improved.
For those who could not attend last week’s CMPC forum, there are two follow-up 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 next update from LLB will be at the State of the Town meeting on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 9 a.m. in the Donaldson auditorium. There will be a public presentation of the draft final report on December 10.