PHOTO BY PAULA MULLER
Tom Bauer receives a memento representing the city of Lynn from Maria Carrasco at the Early Childhood Center on Commercial Street in Lynn.
BY GABE MARTINEZ
LYNN — Members of the Lynn City Council, School Committee and Lynn Vocational Technical Institute accepted a $10,000 check Monday to go toward the Lynn Community Enrichment Program.
The money was donated by development managers of Hub Holdings LLC of Boston, the builders of the planned Gateway Residences on Washington Street. Tom Bauer, President of Hub Holdings, presented the check to School Committee member Maria Carrasco.
The program is a cooperative effort by the New Lynn Coalition and the Lynn School Department, which has made space available at the Lynn Tech annex on Commercial Street.
The program consists of wide variety of night-school classes in topics ranging from volleyball to yoga to welding to cake decorating. And its scope has impressed Bauer.
“I am excited about your vision of education,” Bauer said.
In turn, Lynn’s elected officials are grateful that Bauer and his company have stepped up to donate money.
“(Tom) is a hero for us,” said Carrasco.
Bauer thanked local union members, and local and state officials for making the public-private project possible.
“This day could not have happened without my partner, Neighborhood Development Associates,” said Bauer. “As well as the local and state officials who were all extremely helpful.”
School Committee member Jared Nicholson believes the donation will help the enrichment program establish solid footing.
“The goal is for the program to be self-sustaining,” said. Nicholson. “We want people who are interested in classes to be able to take them.”
Nicholson hoped that the donation could also be a good example of a private-public partnership that could be replicated throughout the city in other scenarios.
The enrichment program is overseen by a board of local citizens and Lynn school officials.
The Gateway Residences are a 71-unit rental apartment complex located across from North Shore Community College that will feature 53 affordable units in Downtown Lynn. The project is expected to cost $28 million and its estimated completion is early fall 2017.
