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Lowell charter school presents gym plan as engineers warn of seismic risk to historic smokestack
Summary
Lowell Community Charter Public School outlined plans for a $20 million pre-engineered gym and community center while consultants warned the site's 133-foot masonry smokestack has measurable seismic vulnerability and repair and ongoing maintenance costs that exceed typical preservation grants.
Lowell — At an informational session Nov. 10, Lowell Community Charter Public School presented plans for a new athletic and community center behind Mill Number 5 while consultants warned that a nearby 133-foot masonry smokestack on the site poses a nontrivial seismic risk to students and nearby sidewalks.
Nick Leonardos, executive director of the school, said the public school serves about 815 students and "we're about 96% of families and children of color," framing the project as a community investment. The design team from HMFH Architects described a pre-engineered metal gym building that would house a full-size basketball court with retractable bleachers for about 400 and provide an additional Middlesex Street entrance and upgrades to upper and lower play areas.
"We've been in this building for 25-plus years," Robert Kignac, chief operating officer, said, explaining the school's recent acquisition of Mill 5 and adjacent parcels and the team's decision to commission a feasibility study, a historic assessment…
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