During the open forum segment of the November 12 State of the Town meeting, residents and officials made comments on past issues and previews of “coming attractions”:
Town athletic fields
Lincoln’s athletic fields are in poor condition because there are too few of them to allow a normal “rest period” for each field, said Parks and Recreation Committee chair Jonathan Dwyer, adding that the group will soon “begin discussions with you on what to do.”
Marijuana sales
“It’s time to discuss marijuana,” said Lynn DeLisi, who is vice chair of the Planning Board. In light of the fact that Massachusetts just voted to legalize sales of recreational marijuana, “South Lincoln could have a marijuana candy store” subject to age restrictions, she said. “I would like to see Lincoln free of marijuana establishments.”
Two years ago, a medical marijuana dispensary in Lincoln was proposed, but the Board of Selectmen declined to send a “no opposition” letter,” Selectman Peter Brain noted. The approved legislation is “full of regulatory holes… this is some we’re going to have to study as soon as we have some new information. We can’t tell yet what will be permitted where and in what circumstances,” he said.
School project
The Massachusetts School Building Authority has said they will notify Lincoln in January as to whether the town will be invited into next year’s funding pipeline for a school project, School Committee chair Jennifer Glass said. “Whatever the answer is, yea or nay, it will be all hands on deck as a town to figure out our next steps and to move forward. We will be asking for everyone’s full participation.” If the state again declines to consider funding a project, the town may have to paying for a project alone.
Town meeting format
A group has formed to discuss the structure of Town Meeting, which some believe impairs full participation by all residents due to its multi-hour in-person Saturday format. “I’d like you to be open. There’s been a lot of talk from the younger generation and we need to listen. I want us to think very, very carefully about it,” said Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden.
Lincoln newcomers
The town recently sponsored an event to introduced new residents to Lincoln, and the Town Clerk’s office has distributed limited copies of printed booklets that they are working to put online for everybody’s use, Selectman Renel Fredriksen said.
Gas leaks
Resident Alex Chatfield highlighted a local environmental problem: leaks from underground gas mains. Though some leaks in town—notably a long-standing odorous leak on Bedford Road near the First Parish Church—eventually get repaired, utilities are not required to do so in a timely fashion, and even when they do, they are allowed to pass on the cost to customers. The Home Energy Efficiency Team website, which has links to maps showing locations of gas leaks in every city and town in Massachusetts, shows that Lincoln had more than 40 unrepaired leaks in 2015.
Natural gas is “80 times as potent a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide,” Chatfield said. “Embedded in all our bills is the cost of the gas they’re allowing to leak out into the atmosphere.”
The Massachusetts Municipal Association has tried to address this with the state legislature, “but we haven’t been able to make any progress” unless a leak is so severe that it poses an explosion danger, Town Administrator Tim Higgins said.
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