Late last year, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School invited the public to a special presentation about its two new building projects.
Attendees were invited to ask any questions they had about the new arts and sciences building and the new events center. Now the answers to those questions are available to all interested parties.
The public meeting, held Nov. 20 in the Dining Hall of Alumni Hall, was hosted by Lincoln Park’s Chief School Administrator, P.K. Poling, and Dan LeRoy, the director of the school’s Writing and Publishing Department. Representatives of the Schrader Group, the architects designing the two new buildings, gave a detailed presentation about plans for both facilities, and representatives from Pittsburgh’s Massaro Construction Management Services, the project manager for the buildings, were also present.
At the public meeting, members of the community were invited to fill out cards with questions they had about these building projects. We promised to respond to each of the questions individually, and promised as well to collect the questions and answers in one place, so that all the information shared would be available to everyone.
Here is that list of questions and answers. Because several questions were very similar, we have combined them into single answers here.
1. What are the plans for safety when the kids cross the street? A new traffic light? (Multiple questions were similar to this one.)
Great question! Student safety is our Number One priority, so making sure that students are able to safely cross Midland Avenue to get to and from classes is at the top of our list of concerns.
A new traffic light would involve working with government officials, and would begin with a professional traffic engineering study, as required by state law. This is certainly something we are considering, but we are also looking at the possibility of hiring a crossing guard to ensure safe passage at this intersection. At one time, when LP held classes in the former Ruth Building, we used a crossing guard in a similar way, so returning to this setup is one of the options on the table, as well.
2. How will parking be handled for events at the new events center? (Multiple questions were similar to this one.)
Parking will certainly be one of the challenges of having two new buildings. Luckily, LP’s Board of Directors has already begun to investigate potential options where dedicated, additional parking might be available close to these buildings. The board has identified several promising locations for this additional parking. Expect to hear more news about this once these building projects are underway.
3. What is the seating capacity of the new gym?
The new events center is projected to hold 1,600 spectators. It will also contain training facilities, classroom space, and a suite where students in LP’s new Film and Broadcast Journalism track will be able to broadcast games.
4. Will there be separate restrooms for men and women in the new arts and sciences building?
Yes, there will certainly be separate men’s and women’s restroom facilities in both new buildings, as well as separate changing facilities in the new events center.
5. With a shrinking tax base, what help may be offered to the borough?
Expanding the footprint of Lincoln Park, we think, has the potential to help the borough. We hope to bring more students to Midland, which will in turn require more taxpaying teachers and staff. A new events center with expanded seating capacity will also bring more people to Midland, and may be used to host larger athletic events that will bring new faces to our town—where they will have a chance to make purchases that will help local businesses.
One thing worth remembering is that Lincoln Park attracts students from almost 90 different school districts across Western Pennsylvania. Many of these families have never visited Midland before their students attend school at LP—meaning that we, along with our sister entity, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center, are without question the major “tourist attraction” in Midland, drawing hundreds of new visitors to Midland every single year.
6. Midland has a new million-dollar fire truck with no equipment. How can LP help?
This is a good question that will be best answered in tandem with the other stakeholders in our community—educational stakeholders and others besides. All of us have a responsibility to support our local police and fire departments, and we look forward to being able to have these discussions with the other parties involved to come up with a plan to assist.
7. Will there be opportunities for local businesses to support this initiative through contracting or services?
We are certainly open to having that discussion! The best place to begin would be by contacting our Chief School Administrator, P.K. Poling, at patrick.poling@lppacs.org
8. Have you considered having holiday displays in the park to help with donations to the new building?
We’d like to hear more about this idea! As you know, Midland’s annual tree-lighting ceremony takes place in early December in the atrium. Perhaps there might be an opportunity to work together with our community partners to expand this event.
9. What kind of employment opportunities will be available?
While it’s a little early yet to say exactly what opportunities may result from these new building projects, we are always on the lookout for talented people to join our team—teachers, of course, but also coaches, counselors, and support staff of all types. The best place to start is by checking the “Join Our Team” tab of our new website for new job opportunities as they arise: https://www.lppacs.org/join-our-team
10. Will Mr. Poling be making a cameo appearance at House of Pop this year?
Stay tuned!
If you missed the public meeting and would like to watch a recording done by students from our MASS Marketing Team, you can see it on our YouTube channel below!
Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School is a tuition-free public charter school located in Midland, PA, and open to all Pennsylvania families. Students grades 7-12 are bused from more than 90 different school districts to study the arts concentration of their choice: theatre, writing and publishing, media arts, health science and the arts, music, dance, and pre-law and the arts.
For more information, visit lppacs.org or contact: admissions@lppacs.org
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