Blog: http://goo.gl/IueLoz Case Study: http://goo.gl/a4STBP Press Release: http://goo.gl/i53tDw The Highland Parks and Recreation Department acquired and remodeled the Lincoln Center in 1982, then added a 38,000-square-foot field house in 1997. The Lincoln Center is now a family-friendly destination with new programs; expanded and improved services; and increased rental space, multipurpose space, and storage. An improved parking and entry sequence promotes safety and now provides convenient access to all areas of the facility. [Alex Brown, Highland Parks & Recreation Superintendent] We had a community center here in Highland, Indiana which was called the Lincoln Center. It was the old Lincoln school which closed in the early 80s. Park Department took it over in 1983 and started operating as a community center. The school had been built in 3 different sections. One section was built in the 1940s, one section in the 50s, it was finally added onto in the 1960s and it just started to show its age. [Carlos Aburto, Highland Parks & Recreation Board President] We're very proud here in the town of Highland to have this. I think we're unique in the surrounding Lake County area certainly, on having something like this. People from all over our county and from across the border come and enjoy the benefit of this Lincoln Community Center. [Alex Brown, Highland Parks & Recreation Superintendent] We've always had daycares as part of the Lincoln Center. When the town took over the old Lincoln school there was a fear that, "Oh my gosh, we can't possibly fill this whole school up." so we lease out 2 of the wings in the old school to 2 separate daycares. When we decided to rebuild the building, we decided that we would keep one of the daycares in the building so we still have a partnership with Kids First Academy which is a daycare of about 90 children. [Kim Kuipers, Kids First Academy Owner] We use the banquet room for small motor and for different ... we used it for Mother's Day banquet. We use the Fieldhouse for graduation. Especially with our crazy weather and you know our children are supposed to be outside everyday and we can't always be outside but the facilities here enable us to still have our children have the gross motor and large motor skills that they need to use every day and we do take advantage of them. The other thing is because of the things that are offered here, some of our children take dance classes, their parents pick them up and take them right over for dance. There's Tumblebears here and their parents take them there. There's a wide variety of things that they get to use that they would have to jump in the car and go someplace else if we were a stand-alone daycare. [Alex Brown, Highland Parks & Recreation Superintendent] We've also found out over the years that they are our future users of all our programs and stuff. When parents drop off kids here for daycare they can't help but notice all the other activities that go on in the building. There's youth dance, there's gymnastics, there's all the summer camps, there's all the youth sports leagues that we do. They can't help but notice those activities going on plus all the informational flyers that are out for them so those people that are initial users of the daycare ended up being our future customers for all of our programs.

• published: 07 Jan 2014
• views: 6209