An artists rendering of the new LCCPS Atheletic & Performing Arts Center in Downtown Lowell

LOWELL — Lowell Community Charter Public School (LCCPS) announced yesterday that it has been awarded a $75,000 Fair Share earmark secured by State Senator Vanna Howard (D-Lowell) to support construction of the school’s new Athletic & Community Center on Middlesex Street in downtown Lowell.

The funding is particularly significant for LCCPS. Of the earmarks directed specifically to charter schools statewide, LCCPS is one of only six charter schools to receive an earmark, with its $75,000 award representing the largest charter school earmark in the Commonwealth.

“The Lowell Community Charter Public School Athletic & Community Center is a transformative investment in our youth and our collective future,” said Senator Howard. “Beyond sports and physical education, this center will serve as a foundation for teamwork, confidence, and lifelong healthy habits, while uniting us through shared community engagements. I am deeply grateful to Senate President Karen Spilka, Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues, and my legislative colleagues for sharing LCCPS’s vision and making this critical funding possible.”

For more than 25 years, LCCPS has served students without a traditional gymnasium. Physical education and athletic activities have instead taken place in a converted ground-floor space with low ceilings and structural columns throughout the room.

The new Athletic & Community Center will finally provide students with a modern, purpose-built gymnasium and dedicated spaces for physical education, athletics, recreation, and community programming.

“Students have been asking me year after year, ‘When are we getting a gym?’” said Nicholas Leonardos, Executive Director of LCCPS. “After many years of planning and persistence, we can finally tell them that next school year, they’ll be shooting baskets in their new gym. We are incredibly grateful to Senator Howard for recognizing what this project will mean for our students and for advocating for this important investment in their future.”

Construction of the new Athletic & Community Center is now underway. The project will also include new outdoor recreation and play areas and represents the first phase of a multi-year modernization of the LCCPS campus.

“Construction of our new Athletic & Community Center is an investment in the future of our students and a commitment to strengthening the greater Lowell community,” said Robert Gignac, Chief Operating Officer of LCCPS. “During the school day, this center will give our students opportunities to develop teamwork, leadership, confidence, and perseverance, skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom. Outside of school hours, it will become a resource for families, neighborhood organizations, and community partners. Senator Howard’s support helps us turn a vision that has been years in the making into a lasting asset for Lowell.”

The Fair Share Amendment provides dedicated state resources for investments in public education and transportation across Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education administers the Fair Share Earmark program for public schools, with approximately $30.4 million available for locally designated educational projects and initiatives.

Construction of the LCCPS Athletic & Community Center is currently underway, with completion anticipated in fall 2027.