Lincoln has been awarded a $1 million grant from the state to support the full decarbonization of the Lincoln Public Library.
The town received the award as a result of being a Climate Leader Community (CLC), a designation it achieved in 2025 (there are now 35 CLCs in Massachusetts). Lincoln, Needham, and Wellesley are the second group to apply for and receive Decarbonization Accelerator Grants through the Mass. Department of Energy Resources (DOER). The program encourages municipalities to maximize the efficiency of buildings and transportation, slash energy costs, and lower municipal emissions.
The Lincoln library’s gas-fired boiler needs to be replaced, and town groups and officials have been researching how to upgrade the building’s HVAC system so in an environmentally sound way. They assembled a project plan and financing package including the expected $1 million grant, but consultants advised last spring that the projected tax incentives were “too optimistic.” A town-wide vote was postponed until a Special Town Meeting on Oct. 24 to allow more time for additional technology details and cost estimates.
In March, two tabled Town Meeting articles would have asked voters to approve a $5.4 million green project or, failing that, $330,000 for a conventional boiler. After the $1 million grant and $1.93 million in expected tax incentives, the cost to the town at that time was pegged at about $2.47 million. This would not have resulted in a tax increase; the amount was to be bonded with the debt paid from future Community Preservation Act funds.
The project includes the installation of ground source heat pumps and advanced heating and ventilation controls, along with building envelope improvements. When completed, the building will be fossil-fuel-free. Its annual energy use will cut by 800 MMBtus (million British thermal units) and 54 tons of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use will be eliminated, according to a DOER press release.
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