A few passing clouds. Low 63F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

A few passing clouds. Low 63F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.

Renderings prepared by Ahlborg Construction Corp. and RGB Architects show the exterior of the future Physical Education Center at Lincoln High School.

Renderings prepared by Ahlborg Construction Corp. and RGB Architects show the exterior of the future Physical Education Center at Lincoln High School.

LINCOLN – The Lincoln High School Renovation Committee has given the LHS Physical Education Center’s design/build team permission to submit the schematic design to the Rhode Island Department of Education. Presented with some final changes, the committee was satisfied last Wednesday with the design of the PEC at this stage.

Tracey Donnelly, principal at RGB, the architecture firm hired to lead the design of the PEC, ran through an update on the building’s exterior and interior floor plan, and asked the committee to answer some outstanding questions before submitting to RIDE.

The plans call for two multi-functional courts serving primarily basketball, volleyball, tennis and other activities; plus a perimeter three-lane practice track. They plan to use a sports flooring system, not hardwoods.

Off the main gym, there will be male and female locker/toilet/changing rooms and two unisex bathrooms. Following a conversation about the size of the proposed lockers in the facility during last week’s meeting, RGB presented an updated plan calling for 18-22 half-height lockers.

In an early meeting with RIDE, Donnelly said the state asked whether the PEC would be used for assemblies. If so, they’ll need to provide four egress doors. The committee agreed that, while the main purpose of the space is for physical education classes, they’ll design it to hold 1,000 occupants during an assembly.

The committee also reviewed conceptual designs for the building’s exterior and entry foyer. They discussed whether or not to have an entryway with glass, but Town Administrator Phil Gould, a longtime police officer, said glass with a safety film is better from a public safety standpoint.

They decided to move forward with the design of a free-standing building, with the option to add some form of connector in the future. There’s a slight elevation change between LHS and the proposed PEC, but the committee opted not to spend more than $150,000 to raise the elevation by three feet.

The current design, even without a connector, will be ADA accessible without a ramp.

Donnelly said RIDE will also want to know whether the committee wants to install a solar array on the roof. No matter what, the building has to be designed to take the weight of solar in the future.

She said a company provided a rough cost estimate of $500,000 to install solar – but that the town would be eligible for a clean energy reimbursement of up to 4 percent on the $8.3 million project.

If they put solar in now, Donnelly said something else would have to be removed from the project budget. The committee decided to hold off on installing the panels.

With the conceptual floor plan and exterior renderings approved, the PEC team can begin to prepare bid packages for the structural concrete foundation and metal building.

Correction: A previous version of this story included a typographical error in the cost estimate of $50,000 to raise the building. The estimate was actually $150,000 per foot of elevation, or approximately $450,000 for three feet. 

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