The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

conservation

My Turn: Vote yes on fossil fuels measure at Town Meeting

To the editor:

Twenty-five years ago, Emily and I made the great decision to raise our family in Lincoln. We chose a town that celebrated its history and made bold commitments to the community’s future. We have loved the trails and open spaces. We have appreciated the commitments to educating children and supporting our elders. We are excited to grow old here.

I am excited to support Article 31 at town meeting this Saturday. This article follows through on town commitments: to our collective health, the well-being of our planet, and the values we have already embraced. This article will help us reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for heating and cooking. New construction (home building and major renovations) that shifts us from natural gas and oil to electric power will help us to reduce carbon emissions.

Our town, our Commonwealth, and our country have made commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our public health officials have warned us about the risks of exposure to fossil fuels and the compounds that result from combusting these fuels. Having enjoyed the benefits of electric heat pumps for the last three years — I can say with confidence that moving into a 21st-century mode of heating is a good idea!

In the last 25 years we haven’t suffered wildfires and catastrophic weather. While so many parts of the world have suffered from the ravages of climate change, we haven’t faced hardship. For our collective health in Lincoln and for all the people whose lives will be improved by reducing demand for fossil fuels, I hope you can make it to Town Meeting to vote for Article 31. Lincoln’s future was bright 25 years ago; let’s take some bold steps to ensure the next 25 years are bright too.

With thanks,

Tom Haslett
26 Baker Bridge Rd.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Group scales back proposal to ban fossil fuels in new construction

(Editor’s note: This story was amended on March 22 to include updated links to the original and revised versions of Article 31.)

A citizens’ petition on the warrant at Town Meeting asks residents to support the first step in a process that would allow Lincoln to restrict the use of fossil fuels in new buildings and major modifications, though the motion was later trimmed after getting pushback from the Select Board.

Lincoln’s motion would not generally require retrofitting existing buildings, although the new bylaw could be applied to “major modifications,” which some other towns have defined to mean gut renovations that redo at least 75% of the building floor area, according to a GEC blog post. The exact wording of the local measure would be discussed later and voted on at a future Town Meeting.

Green Energy Committee chair Paul Shorb outlined the proposal at the March 7 Select Board meeting. Brookline, Acton, Arlington, Lexington, and Concord have filed similar home rule petitions but the legislature has not acted on any of them yet, he said. If approved by Lincoln voters on March 26, the measure would authorize the town to file a home rule petition with the state legislature, which is required for a town to exercise such authority.

The original motion under discussion (Article 31) proposed a vote on both the home-rule petition and specific bylaw language (“Act Authorizing the Town of Lincoln to Adopt and Enforce Local Regulations Restricting New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure in Certain Construction”) that the town could adopt if the legislature approved the petition. Ideally, Shorb said, the legislature would pass a bill requiring these limits on fossil fuel equipment in all new Massachusetts buildings, and such a bill is pending, “but we think it’s appropriate for us to jump in line as well,” either to win home-rule approval or show town support for the bill. “We chose the more aggressive approach, ‘get to the nitty gritty right now’ approach.”

“I fundamentally have a problem with this sort of method,” Select Board member James Craig said. “I’m not arguing against the cause in any way — it’s more the process.” He added that he might have been more receptive “if this were something that had been in the works for a longer period and had outreach done earlier” to show that the measure had been “really discussed and vetted.”

Arlington has taken a more “vanilla” approach by approving only a home rule petition that lets the town draw up its own bylaw at a later date, bard member Jennifer Glass observed.

Shorb responded that the more specific version including the bylaw would “send a strong political signal” for the state to approve certain updates to the 2009 “stretch code” that lays out energy-efficiency requirements in the building code. The Department of Energy Resources is in the process of updating the stretch code and writing a new “Municipal Opt-in Specialized Stretch Energy Code” in the wake of the Climate Act of 2021. Environmentalists are hoping that the “stretchier” code will allow towns to ban fossil fuel hookups (which they currently may not do), though the initial draft does not include that option for towns.

Debating and amending wording of motions such as the proposed bylaw language on the floor of Town Meeting “is really something we ought to avoid trying to do,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said. “The Arlington approach may [allow us to] be able to thread that needle to create the pressure you’re looking for but give us more time to work up a bylaw.”

After getting similar feedback from the Planning Board, the GEC subsequently removed the proposed bylaw language from the Article 13 motion (the updated wording is here).

Town restarting project to install solar array at landfill

The plan to install a solar array atop the old town landfill has lain fallow for a while, but it will “go near the top of our priority list to restart that process” once the Annual Town Meeting is over, said Town Administrator Tim Higgins.

Almost five years ago, voters approved a land swap in conjunction with the Wang property purchase that allowed the town to move several acres of the landfill parcel out of conservation so a solar array could be installed there. The area was deemed the best spot out of 25 potential sites for a municipal solar array that were studied earlier by a consultant hired by the now-defunct Solar PV Working group. Higgins said this week that the site could generate 1 MW of electricity, or enough to power all of the town-owned buildings except the school, which will have its own solar array.

But the project stalled due to factors including the pandemic and the complexity of the process. Minute Man National Historical Park owns the right of way on either side of Route 2A, so the town would need their approval to install power lines from the landfill out to the road. It’s unclear whether who would need to grant that approval — the park superintendent, a regional director or someone at the federal level.

Also yet to be determined is where that line will go (alongside or under the transfer station driveway, or via Mill Street), and whether it will be above ground or underground. If Mill Street is seen as the better option, town officials will discuss the matter with residents there, although Higgins said the line would not have to cross any private property. Any underground work will probably also require an archeological survey, he said. 

Finally, the town will have to identify a solar developer and get estimates for up-front costs for that company and the town. The goal is to “generate income for the community or [have it be] a break-even proposition at least,” Higgins said. He and other officials are working with Beth Greenblatt of Beacon Integrated Solutions, the firm that was involved in creating the power purchase agreement for the school’s solar installation. He estimated that all the planning and permitting could be completed by the end of 2022.

My Turn: Lincoln needs a Climate Action Plan

(Editor’s note: Climate Action Lincoln gave a presentation at the State of the Town meeting on Nov. 2, 2021).

To the editor:

The global climate crisis has us all wondering what we can do now and for the next generation. The great news is that, as a town, we are not powerless. Lincoln is going to develop a Climate Action Plan that will address climate change on many levels.

Massachusetts is legally committed to net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 and a 50% reduction from 1990 levels by 2030. That means we in Massachusetts must cut our use of fossil fuels by about one-third in eight years — a drastic reduction in the use of natural gas, oil and propane to heat and cool houses, to run our cars, trucks, and buses, and to generate electricity.

For the last year, volunteers from Climate Action Lincoln, a subcommittee of the Green Energy Committee, have been learning about climate plans from our neighboring towns. Lexington, Concord, Carlisle, Weston, Arlington, Cambridge, and Acton have comprehensive plans, and most have Sustainability Managers. We have also met with 12 town boards and committees to hear about their efforts.

While Lincoln has done a lot to protect the environment, become more energy-efficient, and reduce GHG emissions, there is more we can do together as a community.

We are pleased to announce that Jennifer Curtin, Assistant Director of Planning and Land Use, will support our efforts. She is working to secure grant funding for a consultant to lead Lincoln through development of a Climate Action Plan, which will address the interconnected issues of the climate crisis:

  • Electrification with renewable energy to reduce GHG emissions
  • Mitigation and adaptation to climate impacts
  • Ensuring environmental justice and supporting vulnerable populations
  • Safeguarding public health
  • Creating sustainable and resilient infrastructure
  • Protecting and regenerating ecological systems, including back yards, forests, open space, farms, and wetlands

A Climate Action Plan will also coordinate and recommend municipal, commercial, and residential actions. It will address the built environment, transportation, energy production, waste, and land use in Lincoln.

Town-wide participation is critical to developing a Climate Action Plan that will achieve results, not just sit on a shelf or a website. In Lincoln, actions by residents will be crucial to the success of a plan as Lincoln has very small commercial and municipal sectors. The process of developing a plan will include:

  • Visioning — Engagement of all residents and stakeholders in town
  • Data — Energy use, GHG emissions, carbon storage
  • Analysis — Vulnerable populations, housing, infrastructure, transportation
  • Goals — Align with state and federal goals; interpret for residents
  • Implementation — Timelines, accountable parties, measurement
  • Financial implications for the town budget

As the town works to secure funding for the plan, Climate Action Lincoln would like to engage residents. To join our group, receive updates on our progress, or arrange a presentation for your organization, please email ClimateAction@lincolntown.org or reach out to one of our members listed below.

Sincerely,

Climate Action Lincoln
Sue Klem (chair), Roy Harvey, Emily Haslett, Staci Montori, and Lynne Smith

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

One-burner induction cooktop available for loan

If you’re thinking about buying an induction stove, you can test-drive the technology beforehand by borrowing a one-burner countertop cooktop from the Lincoln Public Library.

Mothers Out Front and the library collaborated to provide the induction cooktop and offer it for loan from the Library of Things. Induction stoves look like a smooth-top electric stove but have a large coil of wire underneath each burner that creates a magnetic field to heat up the iron in a cast iron or stainless steel pan.

Lincoln’s Green Energy Committee recommends induction stoves because they don’t burn fossil fuels and are more energy efficient because they only heat up the pan and not the air around the pan. Cleanup is easier because spilled food doesn’t get cooked onto the smooth glass surface.

The library will also loan a large stainless steel pasta pot if desired. Some may need this if their cookware is not iron or stainless steel; induction stoves will not work with copper, glass, aluminum, etc.

Borrowers should note that portable induction cooktops draw much less power than a built-in cooktop, which requires a 240V outlet as opposed to a countertop 120V outlet, so a full-size kitchen cooktop will heat pans much faster. Like smartphones, induction stovetops give off electromagnetic signals, so if you have a pacemaker, consult a physician about your options.

Library of Things items are not on the open shelves so borrowers need to ask for the item or call ahead at 259-8465. The loan period is one week and can be two times if nobody is waiting for the item.

For more information, see the GEC’s induction cooktop web page or flyer, or this Consumer Reports article.

Conveying a message to the utilities

Campaigning at National Grid in Waltham for Mothers Out Front/Lincoln were (left to right) Emily Haslett, Robin Wilkerson, Andy Falender, Belinda Gingrich, and Alex Chatfield.

On November 17, five Lincoln residents joined environmentalists from across the state at a Mothers Out Front rally, part of the organization’s Clean Heat Clean Air campaign. The campaign is advocating for all Massachusetts homes and businesses to be heated and cooled by affordable, energy-efficient, all-electric systems powered by clean renewable energy. Campaigners carried messages to the state’s three largest utility companies, urging them to create a swift transition plan away from fossil fuels and towards clean and affordable electricity.

News acorns

“On Belonging in Outdoor Spaces” speaker on Nov. 10

Join the Fall 2021 continuation of the “On Belonging” speaker series with “N’Sibo: the River to Which I Belong” featuring Rich Holschuh via Zoom on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.

The concept of “indigeneity” denotes the original people of a place. This is not a dualistic relationship but rather an understanding that the people are the land and the land is the people, including all of our relations. Holschuh will explore principles of relationship, reciprocity, and responsibility, along with an examination of how these ways of being have been embraced or rejected in the Northeast, along with the implications. Visit www.onbelongingoutdoors.org to learn more and register to receive the Zoom link.

Holschuh is a resident of Wantastegok (Brattleboro, Vt.) and an independent historic and cultural researcher. He has served on the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs and is a public liaison and tribal historic preservation officer for the Elnu Abenaki Tribe, members of the contemporary Indigenous community in Vermont. Rich is founder and director of the Atowi Project. His work draws on indigenous history, linguistics, geography, and culture to share beneficial ways of seeing and being in relationship with place.

This is a free program. Fall funding provided by The Sudbury Foundation. This speaker series is hosted by Farrington Nature Linc, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Mass Audubon, Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, The Food Project, The Walden Woods Project. 

Sen. Barrett to speak on Mass. climate bill

The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust invites everyone to attend a Zoom meeting with state Sen. Mike Barrett on Monday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. In “We Got a Climate Bill for Massachusetts. Now What?” he’ll talk about the far-reaching climate bill that became law in Massachusetts this spring, what needs to be done to make sure it is fully implemented, and what concerned citizens in Lincoln can do to help. There will be time for Q&A. Click here to register for the Zoom link.

The LLCT’s mission includes helping Lincolnites learn more about climate change and what they can do about it. This presentation is co-sponsored by the First Parish in Lincoln Green Committee, St. Anne’s Climate Justice Ministry, and Lincoln Mothers Out Front. 

Session on talking to kids about invisibility of Native Americans

The Lincoln METCO Parent Board will host “Talking to Kids About Stereotypes and Invisibility of Indigenous Native Americans,” the second Diversity and Dialogue event honoring Native American Heritage Month on Wednesday, Nov. 17 from 6–7:30 p.m. Missing information and misinformation about the First Nations people of the Americas has made stereotypes hyper-visible and truths invisible. The journey of un-erasing Indigenous voices and learning what we were not taught or mistaught starts with accurate information. It continues by having conversations with families, friends, community members, and our children. Understanding tribal land acknowledgements is a next step in making Indigenous voices visible. Join Lincoln School teacher Claudia Fox Tree as she confronts “invisibility” and implicit bias, while focusing on how to engage children through books, videos, and conversations. A resource list with books and links to videos and articles will be provided. Click here to join the Zoom meeting (passcode: 994150).

Make holiday wreaths at Codman farm

Using fresh evergreen branches, Codman-grown dried flowers, seed pods, fruits, and foraged elements, you will learn how to design and make a beautiful, all-natural wreath to decorate your home for the holidays. We’ll provide all course materials and tools needed, plus some delicious treats from our farm and local vendors. Bring a beverage of your choice and we’ll provide the rest!

Due to high demand, there will be two workshop dates: Saturday, Nov. 27 from 2–4 p.m. or Saturday Dec. 7 from 2–4 p.m. No experience necessary, though the class is best suited for adults and teens. Please bring a mask; class will be held in the greenhouse. Cost is $95 per participant. Sign up on the CCF events page. Questions? Email jess@codmanfarm.org.

SOTT #2: South Lincoln, climate action, and diversity and inclusion

Planning officials will keep working on revising the zoning bylaw to encourage business and mixed-use development in South Lincoln, in keeping with the town’s comprehensive plan and vision statement as well as pressure from the state to allow denser development near MBTA stops.

Planning Board Margaret Olson summarized the past and current work in this area at the second State of the Town meeting on November 2. The meeting also featured discussions surrounding two new organizations, the Climate Action Planning Committee and the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Antiracism Initiative (see below).

About four years ago, the board created the South Lincoln Planning Advisory Committee (SLPAC) to map out easy to “create a compact, vital, walkable village center in the Lincoln Station area that provides more housing choices near public transportation, goods and services for residents and opportunities for social interaction” as per Lincoln’s 2009 Comprehensive Plan. In May 2018, SLPAC unveiled proposed zoning changes that met with strong opposition from residents worried about changing the town’s character and shifting too much power for approving development projects from Town Meeting to the Planning Board.

More recently, the reorganized SLPAC published a town-wide survey on South Lincoln. The results revealed, among other things, that a large majority of respondents want to retain a village center with commercial businesses and support the economic viability of those businesses. 

“We believe we need to do something down by South Lincoln in order to achieve this,” Olson said. “The commercial viability [in that area] is marginal.”

Olson explained that the board is not aiming to increase the amount of space devoted to commercial uses. “What we’re really talking about is, if the mall is redeveloped, allowing housing on a second story and permitting mixed-use” developments, she said. “We’re not going to attempt to build some sort of giant mall — we want to promote a sense of place and community.”

Olson summarized the hodgepodge of zoning districts in South Lincoln and the difficulty faced by potential developers in proposing projects that can ultimately win approval — especially when an up-or-down vote is required at Town Meeting where it’s not possible in practice for residents to propose amendments to plans. 

Another issue is that most businesses are required to secure a time-limited special permit that can’t be later transferred to a new owner. “This is kind of a scary thing — you need a special permit and then it expires and then what do you do? This is a big deterrent,” she said. “We believe a new zoning bylaw will get us better projects.”

Even if the town relaxes some limitations in the bylaw, “there’s nothing that prevents us from being extremely specific about what we do and do not want” in terms of a building’s overall appearance, materials used, etc., as well as requiring traffic and fiscal studies, green buildings, community spaces, and/or affordable housing, she said. “It provides parameters for developers… they know what they need to do and we know what we’re going to get.” 

Another source of pressure for change is the Housing Choice and MBTA Community legislation passed by the state legislature earlier this year. Though it’s not yet being enforced, the legislation requires a multifamily housing zone near MBTA stops such as Lincoln’s commuter rail station. If a town doesn’t comply by allowing such development, it stands to lose what could be a considerable amount of money in state grants.

“The town really does have a decision to make about how much we care… We don’t actually have to do this,” Olson said. It’s also unclear what exactly will satisfy the state requirements. “It says the district has to be of ‘reasonable size’ but we don’t know what that means,” she added.

In a Q&A session, several residents reiterated their criticism of the survey, but Olson was clear that “we do not intend to redo the survey. We understand what people’s frustrations were and it was very helpful to hear those viewpoints,” but the survey “is just one small piece of information among many.”

Sara Mattes argued against the proposed changes. “It’s not clear what problem we’re really trying to solve,” she said. If the mall’s financial struggles are the primary concern, “the driver is for us to sit down with RLF and Community Builders [owners of Lincoln Woods and the South Lincoln wastewater treatment plant] and work on a solution directly.” She also noted that there are numerous apartment and condominium complexes in town where downsizing residents can move.

But Sasha Golden, a resident of Farrar Pond Village, pushed back, noting that vacancies occur only when a unit’s owner dies. “To make a sweeping assumption that we have all these different sites is really missing the actual day-to-day issue of vacancy and affordability.”

“I disagree with Sara. I would love to see market forces deciding what housing and development should come to Lincoln for once,” said Jim Hutchinson, describing himself as an “unrepentant capitalist.” Saying that the economic environment in South Lincoln is “not good,” he decried those who “don’t want any change without 15 committees to approve it first… I think it’s good for some experimentation to be allowed in this town. 

Terry Perlmutter, a realtor, argued that the town needs more affordable housing. Developments such as those mentioned by Mattes may be perceived as affordable, “but affordable to whom? They are just the ‘more affordable’ housing in an expensive community.”

Climate Action Planning Committee

A new town group urged residents to follow the example of many neighboring towns and fund a sustainability manager position while also developing a climate action plan

The Climate Action Planning Committee (CAPC, a subgroup of the Green Energy Committee) made its pitch at the second State of the Town meeting on November 2.

The Commonwealth recently passed a climate roadmap calling for net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, “and state goals cannot be met unless cities and towns do their part,” CAPC member Sue Klem said. 

A Zoom poll during the State of the Town meeting asked attendees what fuel types they use to heat their home and power their cars (click to enlarge).

A climate action looks at reducing carbon emissions from things like buildings, transportation, electrical generation and land use, she explained. Examples of specific town-wide actions might include energy retrofits on buildings, changes in the building code, electrifying town vehicle fleets and tools, and installing electric vehicle charging stations.

Lincoln, like several other towns in the region, has produced a greenhouse gas emissions report (which will be updated soon) and offered community choice for electricity. Before the Green Energy Choice program began, only 16% of electricity consumed in town was from wind and solar, but that figure is now up to 45%, she noted. However, it has not yet followed the area’s lead in establishing a climate action plan, which will provide “the structure and guidance we will need to address the climate crisis.”

The town should also hire a sustainability manager to help plan and promote green policies, Klem said. The cost for that position could be mostly or entirely offset by grants, she added.

The CAPC is in the process of talking to town boards and committees and will host a public frum in the next few weeks to hear questions and comments in preparation for submitting a warrant article for the ATM this spring.

IDEA Initiative

A group of residents was recruited earlier this year to make recommendations on establishing a new committee that would investigate unconscious bias and actively promote an antiracist community. 

In September, the Select Board formally allowed the IDEA Initiative to pivot from designing a committee and simply become that committee. They plan to research efforts by other towns (some of whom have hired diversity coordinators), partnering with the Welcome, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity group and the schools, and securing funding and hiring a consultant on equity measures “to keep Lincoln’s vision of fostering and supporting diversity at the center,” IDEA member Jen James said. Among the possibilities: a town-wide 21-day group challenge to discuss and reflect on readings, videos, and podcasts.

Among the questions IDEA is wrestling with: “What does racism look like in Lincoln? Where does classism exist? What is Lincoln willing or unwilling to change to become a truly antiracist town? We want to be taking action, not just making recommendations,” she said.

Pumpkin event is a smash hit with both people and pigs

Composters of all ages had a great time smashing pumpkins (presumably not while listening to the band) to make some tasty treats for the pigs at Codman Community Farms. The Lincoln and Concord chapters of Mothers Out Front organized the Tuesday event (tagline: “Green Your Halloween!”) to raise awareness about composting, save many pounds of pumpkin from going to the landfill, and feed livestock all at the same time. (Photo courtesy of Susan Taylor)

Readers may submit photos for consideration for Lincoln Through the Lens by emailing them to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. If your photo is published, you’ll receive credit in the Squirrel. Photos must be taken in Lincoln and include the date, location, and names of any people who are identifiable in the photo. Previously published photos can be viewed on the Lincoln Through the Lens page of the Lincoln Squirrel.

Register for State of the Town online meetings

Lincolnites can now register to attend the Zoom-based Sate of the Town meeting on November 1-2 from 7–9 p.m. on both nights.

SOTT #1 (Monday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.)

  • Public Health Update
  • School Building Project Update
  • Finance Committee Update
  • Community Center Discussion
  • Open Forum

Zoom advance registration link (night 1)

SOTT #2 (Tuesday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.)

  • Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Anti-Racism (IDEA) Initiative Update
  • South Lincoln Planning Update
  • Climate Action Planning Committee
  • Open Forum

Zoom advance registration link (night 2)

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. For more information on the issues, see the Selectmen’s Fall 2021 Newsletter.