Dear Lincoln-Eliot Community,
As you know, we have been partnering with the City to improve the physical environment and functionality of the L-E building. Below you will find an update on this work from Newton Public Buildings Commissioner, Josh Morse. The information includes the exciting news of the possibility of an accelerated timeline for our move to the 150 Jackson Rd. property.
We have our share of building challenges here at L-E, especially in the winter. However, I am grateful to the City for helping us to improve the comfort in our current building and for doing what is possible to accelerate our move to the new building.
Please reach out with any questions.
Sincerely,
Principal Morrissey
Lincoln-Eliot and 150 Jackson Rd. Updates
HVAC Improvements Project: The Mayor and City Council authorized the expenditure of $650,000 to replace a boiler, upgrade heating controls and associated equipment, improve ventilation, and invest in the building envelope as needed for comfort and thermal efficiency. Most of this work has been completed, and we are in the process of balancing the exhaust, fresh air intake, and heat. What this means is that areas that were cold before might overheat now, and vice versa. While we continue to refine the heating and ventilation controls, we ask that the staff communicate any temperature concerns to the custodian such that we can get the temperatures where they need to be. We will also be exploring the opportunity to install heated air curtains at the Jackson and Pearl Street entrances. This will help keep the warm air in, and the cold air out.
Window Replacement Project: The Mayor and the City Council authorized the expenditure of $150,000 for the design of the window and door replacement project. Shortly, we will be going back to the City Council for $1,300,000 for the construction costs. This project will replace all the windows and doors throughout the school. Additionally, during a recent tour I felt that there were opportunities to introduce natural light into some of the smaller areas throughout the school. To that end, we are working on additional design work to install interior windows to achieve this. The tentative schedule is to complete the demolition this summer, and window install in the Fall. Clearly this will require coordination with the principal and staff to ensure we are not disrupting the learning environment. This project will improve the look and feel of the classrooms but will also significantly improve the temperatures throughout the school year.
150 Jackson Road Renovation Project: Our original schedule had the renovation of 150 Jackson Road being completed by the Fall of 2023. We have accelerated the NECP project, and as such they are scheduled to move out of 150 Jackson Road sooner than originally expected. Between this, and accelerated goal for the design and approvals process, we have been able to accelerate the project by a full year which means that Lincoln-Eliot is slated to move into 150 Jackson Road in the Fall of 2022. Our reason for accelerating this project is based on our desire to get both the NECP and Lincoln-Eliot Schools into renovated buildings as soon as possible. The budget for this project is $25,000,000, and the scope of work includes the replacement of the heating, plumbing, fire protection, life safety, electrical, and various other building systems throughout the building. We will also be constructing an addition to include a gymnasium, as well as the support spaces needed to meet the educational program. We will be redesigning the site layout to accommodate drop-off, pick-up, buses, vans, open space, playgrounds, pedestrian circulation, and other site amenities.
Josh Morse
Public Buildings Commissioner
Public Buildings Department
City of Newton