LINCOLN – Town and state officials gathered on Aug. 20 to celebrate the opening of the new Lincoln Learning Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The event celebrated the exciting addition to the community and recognized those who helped make the facility possible.
“We are grateful to all who joined us in celebrating this special milestone,” stated the town. “Thank you to our community, partners, staff, and everyone who helped bring this vision to life. We look forward to all that the Lincoln Learning Center has to offer.”
The learning center is located alongside a new centralized rescue station. Town Administrator Phil Gould has said it will be a resource for everyone in town. The town will be holding a ribbon-cutting and open house when the centralized rescue portion of the project is finished in a few weeks, he said.
Gov. Dan McKee said this will be a place to learn, a place to grow, and a place for Lincoln to come together. It’s one of 21 new learning centers opening statewide as places to build skills, pursue education, and access health resources.
All rooms in the 2,500-square-foot building have both wireless access and physical data drops. There are acoustical ceilings with the optimal amount of LED lighting for increased productivity and privacy. All areas have resilient flooring.
There is one tele-medicine room, four multipurpose rooms, and four other spaces.
Town Councilor Ken Pichette said what has happened in town over the last five years is quite incredible, including a renovated LHS, new physical education complex, four new gems, STEM labs/classrooms, renovated cafeterias and new playgrounds at all elementary schools, new restrooms at Northern Elementary School, HVAC work throughout schools, and more.
“The accomplishments of so many improvements takes a team effort,” he said. “We are blessed in Lincoln to have a great team who works seamlessly to accomplish all this. Thanks to all for making Lincoln a great place to live.”
Back in November 2023, Lincoln voters approved a $14 million bond to build a centralized rescue station in town, and because the bond was approved, the town received $2 million in federal pandemic recovery grant money to build and attach a learning center to it.
The center has three main areas of focus: health and wellness, education, and workforce development. The town will use it for everything from CPR and first aid certification classes to vaccine distributions, blood pressure clinics, job fairs and resume workshops, and more.
