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

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Town Meeting plans announced

It’s a go for Annual Town Meeting on June 13 — but (happily for some, perhaps) it will be a lot shorter than usual.

The meeting has been stripped down to 22 warrant articles, with 19 of them voted on as a bloc on the consent calendar.  Residents will be asked to vote on only three other items: a $828,945 supplemental funding request from the School Building Committee, capital items for the Water Department, and the allocation for free cash. Votes on the rest of the articles that were planned before the Covid-19 pandemic, including the citizens’ petitions, will be postponed to a Special Town Meeting in the fall.

The meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 13 in the Hartwell parking lot under a tent (allowing social distancing and handicapped accessibility), with outside seating also available. Other details:

  • Check-in will begin at 8:15 a.m.
  • Masks are mandatory for all workers and attendees; gloves are strongly encouraged. Social distancing guidelines will be enforced.
  • There will be a voting card system.
  • Presentations about warrant articles will be available ahead of time online on the town’s 2020 Annual Town Meeting web page.
  • In case of rain, the meeting may be convened and then quickly postponed until later in the day if the weather forecast is favorable. Any last-minute changes will be communicated through a reverse 911 call to Lincoln households.

The Finance Committee has revised the budget it approved earlier this year, when Town Meeting was scheduled for March 25. Among the changes:

  • Estimate revenue from a projected 3.4% increase to a decrease of about 16%, representing a projected decline of approximately $500,000.
  • The appropriation to the reserve fund has been increased by $200,000 to a new amount of $753,111.
  • The appropriation to the Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) liability fund for retirees was reduced by $200,000 to $350,000. This proposed change from the original recommendation remains within the committee’s OPEB policy given the latest revenue and expense projections.
  • After adjusting some of the component items, the total capital request from the Water Department is now $270,000, up from $250,000. This motion may be amended at Town Meeting but will involve either transfers or bonding, which would require a two-thirds majority vote.

The Finance Committee will hold a town budget question-and-answer meeting on Zoom about a week before the June 13 town meeting, with date/time and login details to be announced.

The following information is available on the 2020 Annual Town Meeting web page:

The town election will also be held outdoors at the same location on Monday, June 15 for the legally required minimum of four hours (noon–4 p.m.). Early voting and absentee voting are encouraged.

Deadline is Friday to apply for agricultural water rates

The deadline for applying for agricultural water rates is Friday, May 15, but many eligible customers in town still haven’t applied.Under a new Water Commission policy, Lincoln farming and agricultural operations are eligible for Tier 1 water rates of $6.52 per 1,000 gallons of water, but they must apply to the commission in order to qualify.

The new requirement came after the commission ended an informal policy of charging the lowest rate for farms regardless of how much water they used. But the sudden rate hike late last year resulted in protests from farmers and a second attempt to craft a new policy.

The original application deadline was April 1, but because of the pandemic, “many of the farmers lost sight of the fact that the deadline was coming up. We are doing our best to reach out to everyone we know of who is farming, but we can’t be sure that we know about everyone who might benefit from this lower rate,” commission member Ruth Ann Hendrickson said.

Click here to download the agricultural-rate policy and application form. Anyone who has not filed before May 15 will revert to the regular tiered residential rates.

SBC to make reduced request for school items at June Town Meeting

Back before the coronavirus hit, the School Building Committee was planning to ask voters at a Special Town Meeting in March for up to $2.08 million to partially offset items it had to cut from the school project. Now it plans to ask for less than half of that amount at a stripped-down Annual Town Meeting now scheduled for June 13. However, depending on economic conditions, the SBC will almost certainly seek more additional funding at a Special Town Meeting in the fall.

The SBC settled on a list of cuts in February after construction bids totaled $3.5 million more than the project’s budget. The hope then was that $1.5 million in free cash that was originally recommended for a new public safety radio system could be used to restore the first two “buckets” of items the SBC prioritized. But now, with all the financial uncertainty brought on by the pandemic, the SBC was unsure about how much to ask for in this new environment.

After meeting with the Finance Committee, the SBC voted on May 13 to make a two-part funding request totaling $828,945. The first question will ask for $628,945 for seven items. If approved, they’ll then ask for the other $200,000 to pay for furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E).

The first appropriation would fund the following items:

  • Restore the glass wall between the K-4 Science area and hallway ($26,666)
  • Interior lite and built-in bench at K-4 Art Room ($11,291)
  • Sun shades on the building’s exterior ($285,709)
  • A new auditorium divider ($279,400)
  • Concrete pavement in front of Reed/Brooks ($9,435)
  • A concrete walkway up to the main entrance ($13,799)
  • Concrete on the CASE (special education) driveway ($2,645)

The “first priority” list identified in February mostly matches these seven items but does not include $451,000 for FF&E, which includes crucial technology hardware and systems as well as some furniture. If approved, the second $200,000 request would restore some of that.

After reviewing the town’s budget situation, the Finance Committee this week recommended that the SBC “think of an outer limit of about $840,000 in free cash” that could be available for the school project, FinCom Chair Andy Payne said at the SBC meeting. Current estimates show a town budget deficit of about $800,000 over two fiscal years due to a drop in state and federal revue and added expenses from the pandemic. In a bit of good news, the mild winter resulted in savings on snow removal that can be applied to offset this year’s shortfall.

Payne emphasized that the FinCom was not recommending spending $840,000 from free cash on the school — rather, it’s the maximum amount that the board felt comfortable making available for discussion and voting.

Other sources that could be tapped include some of the stabilization fund, which currently stands at $2.2 million, or deferring some or all of the town’s planned $550,000 contribution to its OPEB (other post-employment benefits) fund. OPEB covers non-pension costs for retired town employees such as healthcare premiums. Dipping into the stabilization fund would require a two-thirds majority of votes at Town Meeting.

Given the uncertainty of getting voter approval for more money now or in the fall, SBC member Peter Sugar suggested using part of the construction contingency fund for some of the trimmed items instead. “We don’t know what people’s financial situation is,” he said. “I don’t want to have animosity build up in this town for this project, even from a minority. I think that would be a mistake.”

But others didn’t support that idea. If the contingency fund runs dry later on, “we’ll have to go back to the town [anyway] and tell them they have no choice” but to appropriate more money, SBC member Tim Christenfeld said.

“I’m concerned about eating into our contingency too much even before we’ve technically broken ground,” Selectman Jennifer Glass said. “Let’s put the information before the town so the town can make the best-informed choice about how the project will unfold.”

Some SBC members worried that residents would not be receptive to another “ask” in the fall and that the June request should therefore be larger. But the FinCom encouraged the SBC to keep their request lower for now and defer seeking money for items that don’t need to be committed to at this early stage of the project.

“I’m not trying to discourage you from coming back in the fall,” FinCom member Jim Hutchinson said. “It’s obvious to me that some of the FF&E is needed in this project, but it also doesn’t need to be decided right now.”

“If the SBC is heading down a path of a phased-request approach, I would encourage the SBC to share as much visibility as possible into these future requests with the FinCom and ultimately the residents,” Payne said.

Asking for less than the full amount suggested by the FinCom now might be more politically palatable. “I’m not sure we would get support for [all of] the $840,000. My sense is more like $500,000 to $600,000,” School Committee member Tara Mitchell said.

“My sense is that the more we ask for, the thinner the support might be,” agreed FinCom member Gina Halsted.

Town Meeting plans

The current plan is to hold the June 13 Town Meeting outdoors under a large tent and lawn seating in the central ballfield on the school campus. This location provides easy access to electricity from the portable classrooms and the temporarily paved areas offer better footing than the grass in Codman Field, which was also considered as a site.

The Town Meeting will feature an expanded consent calendar of financial items that can be voted on in a bloc (though residents have the right to “hold out” any items for separate discussion and voting). There will also be separate votes for the school funding question and a Water Commission capital request. The commission voted in January to seek another $250,000 to replace aging equipment in the town’s water system.

If the Town Meeting still can’t happen on June 13 for public health reasons, the town (and the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School district) will open the new fiscal year on July 1 using monthly budgets based on 1/12 of their fiscal 2020 budgets for as long as necessary.

Letter to the editor: Candidate DeLisi encourages all to vote in town election

Editor’s note: The Lincoln Squirrel collected and had begun publishing statements by the candidates for town office before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. A roundup for Planning Board candidates ran on March 5 and Water Commission candidates on March 8. The Squirrel will publish statements we received from other candidates in the coming weeks. The town election is now scheduled for Monday, June 15. See the penultimate paragraph of DeLisi’s letter for details on early voting and absentee ballots (the accuracy of this information has been verified by Town Clerk Valerie Fox).

To the editor:

It was just two short months ago that I was enthusiastically printing off flyers with my picture, creating posters to display at intersections, and sitting in the Twisted Tree speaking to residents — all to campaign for reelection to my seat on the Lincoln Planning Board.

As I now look back on those days and how life was filled with such “usual” daily activity and joys, the competition that I was about to enter seems so long past. We all struggle to make sense of how quickly life changed. Since that day in mid-March when I obtained special permission from my hospital to work remotely by seeing patients on Google Meets daily and taking care of all kinds of medical emergencies from the safety of my home office, I have had no time until now to reflect on past priorities. I now helplessly watch friends of relatives, some colleagues, and my own 97-year-old mother’s companions at The Commons pass away suddenly of  this new nightmarish illness called Covid-19, and I am trying to put it all in perspective.

Despite all that is happening around me, I still find happiness living in Lincoln. It is a beautiful, peaceful town with stars in night skies and wildlife, from birds to red foxes, roaming in open spaces. I have wonderful friends and neighbors here. We have great schools that we all care about, a historical center dating back further than the Revolutionary War, a national park, an art museum, well-marked nature trails, a nature center, several farms, and much more. Surely this viral epidemic will subside, although it will take time and leave behind many mental health sequelae for us all. Regardless, we will still have this unique town to live in and maintain.

This is all to say that I would truly like to remain on the Planning Board of Lincoln for another term in order to continue to contribute to the town in the best way I can. While I am not an architect by training nor a civil engineer, I do understand people and neighbors and neighborhoods. I believe the Planning Board needs people such as myself who will represent the interests of neighborhoods in whatever new developments are proposed and not simply be a proponent for his or her own preferences. I can promise you, if re-elected, I will support your interests above my own.

Please do vote in the upcoming Lincoln local election. You can vote early by mail using a two-step process. First, apply by downloading and completing this early voting application and send it to Town Clerk Valerie Fox at at 16 Lincoln Rd. or foxv@lincolntown.org. She will then mail you a ballot which you should complete and seal in the enclosed envelope provided, sign the affidavit on the envelope, and mail it back so that it’s received by the June 15 deadline. You can return it by U.S. mail, or put it in the mailbox outside the front door of Town Offices. You can also apply for an absentee ballot here and follow the same procedure for completing and returning it. Ballots will be counted on Election Day if they’re received by the time the polls close. 

If you have questions about any of my views or would like to discuss your concerns, I am available at delisi76@aol.com or 516-528-5366. Stay safe and healthy during these difficult days ahead and remember that times will be better.

Sincerely,

Lynn DeLisi
125 South Great Rd., Lincoln

Flush water pipes if your building has been vacant

The Lincoln Water Department is advising occupants of small businesses and homes that have been closed or vacant for several weeks due to the Covid-19 pandemic to flush their pipes when they return.

Non-essential businesses such as hair salons, dental offices, and consulting businesses have been closed by state order, and some people in the region have decamped to second homes. When buildings are unused for more than three weeks, water quality may become degraded due to stagnation, which can lead to elevated lead, copper, and Legionella bacteria levels as well as discolored water. The department’s May 6 advisory details steps that property owners should take to flush lines when returning after an extended absence, including regular vacations lasting three weeks or more.

The Water Department office is closed, but office are working remotely and can be contacted at kacprzykm@lincolntown.org or 781-259-2669 (press option #3). Operators are maintaining the water treatment plant and other facilities and can respond to emergencies, though non-essential customer appointments will be scheduled for a later date. A second May 6 memo describes precautions for staff and residents if a home visit is necessary during the state of emergency.

June 13 is the new target date for Town Meeting

Officials are now hoping to have a bare-bones Town Meeting outdoors on June 13 and the local election on June 15.

“The goal is to have it be as stripped-down as possible,” Selectman Jennifer Glass said at the board’s meeting on May 4. As previously discussed, Town Meeting will include only votes on budget matters that require a decision before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, with votes on less time-sensitive items shelved until the fall. The meeting this spring will incorporate what was originally planned as a separate Special Town Meeting — a vote on restoring items to the school building project.

Presentations and other information that are normally part of the Town Meeting will occur online ahead of time, “so when we get to Town Meeting, it’s about the voting, not about the presentation,” Selectman Jennifer Glass said. Some presentations may be given live using Zoom  so residents can ask questions in real time.

June 13 is the earliest date that the meeting could be held while still satisfying the 30-day public notice requirement after the end of the Massachusetts state of emergency banning gatherings, which is set to expire on May 18.

“Whether or not there is an extension of the state of emergency, we should pick a date and start putting the engine of local government into operation to get that done,” with the option of further postponing until the fall if conditions warrant, Town Administrator Tim Higgins said. Officials are reluctant to schedule an Annual Town Meeting over the summer when many residents are away, and a fall date (in addition to complicating town accounting and budgeting procedures) could be jeopardized if the pandemic makes a comeback just as the next flu season approaches.

The tentative plan is to have Town Meeting outdoors to maximize social distancing — probably in the field next to Codman Pool, with as many people as possible under a large tent (overflow attendees could sit outside the tent if necessary). In case of rain, the meeting could be quickly convened and postponed for a day or two, which may require holding it on a weekday evening.

The election will happen on June 15 regardless of when Town Meeting takes place. Residents can vote by mail, or return sealed ballots to the Town Clerk’s office or leave them in the mailbox outside Town Hall.

Early voting is normally not allowed for municipal elections, but the state legislature has relaxed that rule. Early and absentee voting are both allowed this spring without having to provide a reason (other than the Covid-19 pandemic). All ballots must be received by the time the polls close. By law, polls must be open and staffed on Election Day for at least four hours, but “we hope everyone votes absentee,” Higgins said.

News acorns

Discussion on surviving domestic violence

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable will host an online discussion of “Covid-19’s Impact on Survivors of Domestic Violence” on Tuesday, May 12 at 3 p.m. on Zoom. To register, go to domesticviolenceroundtable.org.

Social distancing is a necessary strategy for keeping the community safe during this pandemic, but isolation in one’s home is having a profound effect on survivors of domestic violence and their families. This forum will feature representatives of local domestic violence agencies who will address several different situations that survivors might be in right now, including those who may be in controlling or abusive relationships and those who may have left a controlling and abusive partner. Panelists will look at the emotional, psychological, and economic implications of this complex time for survivors of domestic abuse and will answer questions from the online audience..

If you or someone that you care about is a survivor of domestic abuse and would like help or support, all of the local domestic abuse programs in the area are responding to phone calls and emails:

Two online programs from the COA

The Council on Aging invites you to two virtual programs. In “Making Decisions When It Matters Most: Conversations About Health Care Proxy, Five Wishes, and More!” on Wednesday, May 13 at 10 a.m. Mary Crowe and Joan Sullivan of Care Dimensions will discuss the importance of advance care planning and making one’s health care wishes known through the use of Five Wishes and other planning tools. Click here to register and attend.

Residents of all ages are invited to a “Conversation with a Select(man)” on Friday, May 15 at 2 p.m. via Zoom. Join Board of Selectmen Chair Jennifer Glass to get the latest updates, ask your questions, and offer ideas. For information on how to join in, please email her at selectmen@lincolntown.org prior to the meeting.

A stay-at-home Bird-a-thon

Mass Audubon’s Bird-a-thon, which typically sends teams of birders rambling throughout the Commonwealth in a friendly competition to identify the most species in a 24-hour period, is staying at home this year to respect social distancing and will take place Friday to Saturday, May 15–16.

Mass Audubon’s biggest single fundraising event is again expected to attract hundreds of competitors of all abilities, but will be carbon-free, safety-focused, and family-oriented. Participants will select bird observation  spots—a window, backyard, or a green space within short walking or biking distance from their homes. From 6 p.m. on Friday the 15th through 6 p.m. on the 16th, they’ll spend time observing and identifying species from their birding positions, solo or with other household members.

Competitors join teams representing different Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries and programs. Their pledges can be directed to specific wildlife sanctuaries and programs or to the overall organization, the state’s largest nature conservation nonprofit. Participants can also earn points for their team by completing other fun, nature-based activities or as “Bird-a-thon Boosters,” who raise money while birding for fun (or not birding at all).

Last year’s event raised $240,000 and recorded 273 species, with Drumlin Farm garnering $30,850 for its work through the event. Sponsors this year include presenting sponsors Ream Design of Ayer and Camosse Masonry Supply of Worcester, and media sponsor WBUR.

To participate, donate, and to learn more about Bird-a-thon, visit www.massaudubon.org/birdathon.

Town Meeting decision expected next week

Town officials will make a decision next week about whether to go ahead with a streamlined Annual Town Meeting on May 30 as currently planned.

At their April 20 meeting, the Board of Selectmen indicated they were waiting on word from Gov. Charlie Baker about whether Massachusetts schools would reopen May 4 when his closure order was originally set to expire. But the following day (April 21), he decreed that schools will stay shut for the rest of the academic year due to Covid-19 epidemic.

If an abbreviated Town Meeting is to take place on May 30, officials must commit by May 11 to meet public notice and printing requirements. The board’s next weekly meeting is April 27.

Along with other financial items that can’t be delayed, the Town Meeting will include a vote on whether to spend additional money for items that had to be cut by the School Building Committee (SBC) in February. Before the Covid-19 pandemic upended plans, the SBC identified three lists of items grouped by priority totaling $2.08 million that they hoped to see restored.

One possibility that’s been discussed is postponing a proposed $1.5 million public radio system and use the money for the school instead. Potential budget sources include free cash or the town’s stabilization fund, which currently stands at $2.2 million (this requires a two-thirds majority vote at Town Meeting). More borrowing would require a two-thirds majority at Town Meeting plus a simple majority at the ballot box.

Because of increased expenses and shortfalls in expected revenues, the town is facing a two-year estimated deficit of $600,000–$830,000 for the 2020 and 2021 fiscal years, even after some Covid-related expenses are reimbursed through state and federal grants, Finance Committee Chair Andy Payne told the SBC on April 15.

Guaranteed maximum price approved

The SBC voted last week to approve a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) of $78,324,908. That figure covers hard construction costs plus the construction manager’s contingency as well as insurance and bonds. It also incorporates cuts of $783,162 from items that were on the lists to bring to Town Meeting.

The SBC is awaiting word on the scheduling of Town Meeting before deciding whether to amend its lists of requests. They are scheduled to meet next on May 13. However, the project will proceed regardless of the outcome of the Town Meeting votes.

There was a delay in finalizing the GMP because the town and construction manager Consigli Construction had to negotiate how they would handle any extra expenses incurred as a result of the epidemic. They agreed that Consigli can tap its $1.7 million construction contingency, and if that is exhausted, they can ask for reimbursement of additional expenses totaling no more than $425,000 from the town. Any expenses Consigli identifies as being due to Covid-19 will be submitted for approval to Daedalus (the owner’s project manager) and/or the SBC. 

In March, the SBC signed a power purchase agreement for a 1.4 MW solar photovoltaic system along with a 500 Kw battery backup and gas-fired backup generator that will make the campus net-zero in terms of energy use. SunPower Corp. will provide the solar PV system through a nonprofit solar program organized by PowerOptions, Inc.

One possible bright spot about schools closing for the rest of the year is that the project might be able to start earlier than planned. Work can’t begin until teachers and students leave after the last day of school, which normally isn’t until mid-June.

“The subcontractors are champing at the bit. If school were to be canceled [for the rest of the year], they’re ready and raring to go,” Consigli’s Christian Riordan told the SBC on April 15.

Rental assistance program is maxed out

The Lincoln Rental Assistance Program (LRAP) that started just a few months ago is asking for $16,000 for the fiscal year beginning in July, but applications indicate that the need is many times that figure.

Qualifying households are eligible for up to $5,000 in rental assistance per year for three years. The amount of subsidy each household actually receives is based on their income and rent. “Based on these limits, the total dollar amount if we were to fund every eligible household up to their eligible subsidy would be about $100,000 per year,” said Carolyn Bottum, director of the Council on Aging (COA), which receives applications for the program overseen by the Lincoln Housing Commission. (Although the COA is involved, LRAP eligibility is not limited to seniors.)

The program, which began accepting applications last fall, is funded through the Community Preservation Fund, which in turn is funded by a small surcharge on property taxes plus state grants. Its goal is to provide greater housing stability and housing opportunities to cost-burdened households who are renting or wish to rent qualifying housing units in Lincoln. Each participant receives enough funds to ensure they don’t pay more than 30% of their household income for rent and certain utilities.

In its first year, the pilot program’s budget was $30,000. Some of that amount went for startup expenses, including work by town counsel to make sure the program met legal requirements and hiring an independent housing agency to verify eligibility, hold the lottery, and then disburse the checks. As a result, actual disbursements didn’t begin until later than expected, and there are funds left over from this year that can be used in fiscal 2021.

Twenty-nine households submitted applications by the December 31 deadline, and two more have requested information and/or applications since mid-March. The process of verifying applications is ongoing, but of the eight applications they have verified, only one has not been eligible, Bottum said.

The Covid-19 pandemic will almost certainly increase demand for the program. “Since we are still in the beginning of the emergency and the resulting economic impacts, I do believe we will have more applications come in,” Bottum said.

The local program follows federal income and affordability guidelines. Income limits to qualify for the LRAP are $77,000 for a two-person household and $96,250 for a four-person household. The 2020 median income in this area for a four-person household is $119,000.

Anyone interested may download program guidelines and an application, or call the COA at 781-259-8811 or email bottumc@lincolntown.org to receive materials by mail.

Clarification

As originally published, the April 7 article headlined “Town Meeting now eyed for May 30; further postponements possible” may have given the mistaken impression that the school project vote plays a role in deciding when the Annual Town Meeting will be held. That meeting will include a vote on adding back items that were removed from the project, and officials had hoped to have that vote take place some weeks before construction is due to start in June. However, the Board of Selectmen clarified on April 9 that public health concerns, not school project deadlines, will be the determining factor in deciding whether the meeting needs to be postponed beyond May 30. The original article has been updated.