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Letter to the editor: deCordova/TToR integration should go forward

To the editor:

On Saturday, March 23, we will gather for our annual Town Meeting. Town Meeting matters. It is the legislative body for our town. It is in this legislative body where discussion, debate and ultimately decisions (votes) take place that will govern our town for the coming year. As in other legislative bodies, during discussion and debate, amendments may be offered and voted on. This is why citizens who are registered voters must be present to cast a vote.

This year, the town will be asked to support a major change to an institution that has been an integral part of the town’s life since 1950 — the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum.  Originally the estate of the late Julian de Cordova (1851-1945), it was gifted to the town in 1930 to be a public museum of art after Julian’s death. This gift has proved both a blessing and a curse for the town. The curse lies in the fact that Julian crafted a problematic will and did not provide for the ongoing support of this property and art collection. Over the decades, different boards and administrators have sought to find ways to maintain the museum and park. 

The town has been the beneficiary, as we have enjoyed innovative installations, a beautifully maintained (and expanded) facility, art classes, music programs, unique outdoor art, all in a stunningly landscaped setting. All this has been supported primarily by a few very generous donors, museum membership, and programs, with no financial support from the town. Valiant efforts by various boards, most recently led by Linda Hammet Ory, have not been able to “right the ship.” Continuing in the current structure, was unsustainable. Something had to change.

Under Ory’s leadership, the deCordova has found an enthusiastic potential partner, The Trustees of Reservations (TToR), to carry on the mission of the sculpture park and museum. TToR will bring not only financial backing and administrative support, but more importantly, a commitment to mission. TToR has years of experience in managing properties similar to deCordova (the Crane Estate, Fruitlands, etc.).

The deCordova the governance structure would be changed to include TToR. The governance of the museum is established through its bylaws, which can only be amended through town meeting vote.  We will be asked to vote on this change. Click here for more information.

From a Lincoln resident’s perspective, the experience of deCordova will remain the same.  Any major changes will be required to go before the Board of Selectmen and the town. The vote before the town is an opportunity to secure the future of this cherished property and institution while adding no financial burden to the town.

The leadership of the town — led by Selectman James Craig, the working group who crafted the agreement, the town’s administrative leadership led by Town Administrator Tim Higgins, the administrative leadership of the deCordova, deCordova director John B. Ravenal, and the leadership of the deCordova Board of Trustees and Overseers, Linda Hammet Ory — deserve our thanks and a vote of support for the proposed integration at our upcoming Town Meeting

Sincerely,

Sara Mattes
71 Conant Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: support deCordova measure at Town Meeting

To the editor:

I’d like to ask for your support and vote affirmatively at Town Meeting this Saturday for the proposed integration between deCordova and The Trustees of Reservation.

My wife and I have had the wonderful opportunity to be involved in both organizations, she on the board of deCordova and I on the board for The Trustees. Through this mutual engagement, we know both organizations share overlapping purposes in seeking to connect people to special places of cultural and natural importance and inspire unique experiences that improve quality of life. Being part of The Trustees will secure deCordova’s future and create a long-lasting, strong financial future for our beloved institution.

if you haven’t been able to attend one of the many open forums, you can read more details on this proposed integration in this online FAQ, or simply drop me a note and I’ll be happy to connect. We all lead busy lives, but please take a moment this Saturday morning to come out and offer your vote for deCordova. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Bob Mason
207 Old Concord Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: vote “no” on leaf blower question

(Editor’s note: this letter was sent by Byrnes Landscaping to their customers in Lincoln, and the Byrneses asked that it also be published as a letter to the editor.)

To the editor:

At the upcoming Lincoln Town Meeting, there is a proposed bylaw to limit/ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. We have compiled some facts and thoughts on this issue. Our purpose in writing this letter is to explain how the bylaw will affect our customers (and their neighbors), not to get into a debate about the studies completed by the commission.

Although the proposed regulation has come along way from the outright ban they originally proposed, it still bans the use of all gas-powered leaf blowers from June 1 to October 1 and from December 20 to March 20. The bylaw does allow for the use of electric blowers to be used during this period. If this by law passes, it will require Byrnes Landscaping to either stop cleaning debris from client’s properties or charge an additional fee to cover the extra time required and the new equipment to be purchased. 

Currently, battery-operated landscape equipment is three to ten times more expensive than its gas counterparts and is significantly under powered. We continually monitor the progress of this innovative industry and will invest in new greener equipment when it makes good business sense. Following are some common misperceptions and our responses.

1. All gas-powered blowers use two-stroke engines which exhaust large volumes of toxic emissions.

  • Byrnes Landscaping uses STIHL four-stroke hybrid blowers. They are equipped with reduced-emission engine technology. They deliver low emissions, increased fuel efficiency, and low noise when compared with their two-stroke counterparts.

2. There is no need to blow off any hard surfaces (walkways, driveways, patios, etc.) from June 1 to October 1 since there are no leaves falling.

  • We are blessed in Lincoln to have lush trees and sprawling properties. This also means that debris is constantly being dropped from trees. In the Spring/Summer we have flower buds, pollen, and other tree debris. In the late Summer we have acorns, and leaves from the birch and apple trees.  When debris is not removed it becomes a slipping hazard and it can stain hard surfaces.

3. If this bylaw passes, all noise will be gone in Lincoln, since leaf blowers are the leading cause.

  • During routine maintenance, blowers are only used on average for 3-5 minutes at the end of the job to clear debris. Lawnmowers, which are not included in this bylaw, are used on average for 20-25 minutes during routine maintenance. Lawn mowers create more noise than blowers; therefore, the limitations on sound during the summer will be marginal.

4. Other towns are restricting blowers; therefore, Lincoln will not be alone.

  • Lincoln is unlike any other community east of 495. Lincoln is comprised of large properties, dense tree coverage, and houses that are spaced far from each other. To make comparisons to Cambridge, Arlington, Newton, or a community in California is misleading and uninformed. Lincoln’s population density is 555 people per square mile. Lincoln is 8-27 times less dense than those compared communities.
Final takeaway

In New England, there are only a few months each year that we can enjoy the outdoors without bundling up. We appreciate this and want to make your outdoor Eden (which you all worked so hard to earn) beautiful and safe. Our crews are courteous, efficient, and receptive to individual customer needs. Please feel free to give feedback on this issue and let us know how we can better serve you.

We ask that you vote NO on this bylaw in its current form. We would support regulations on older two-stroke blowers. We would also support a phased-in approach to electric equipment. An immediate ban puts undo stress on DIY residents and the companies that operate in Lincoln.

We respect the fact that the Leaf Blower Study Group has been working hard for six years on this issue and value their opinions. However, we need to remember that this is a voluntary committee (with exception to town employees/other board members) and their time was donated because they had an agenda or strong views against leaf blowers from the onset. Length of time spent on a project should not dictate a desired outcome if an equitable conclusion has not been derived.

Sincerely,

Kyle and Brendon Byrnes
Byrnes Landscaping (82 Mill St., Lincoln)

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: vote “yes” on leaf blower bylaw

To the editor:

The leaf blower bylaw being proposed at Town Meeting by the Conservation Commission represents the culmination of six years of work involving research, education, events, and public forums. Its final form incorporates input from commercial landscapers and residents gathered during public meetings.

It allows the use of gas-powered equipment in the fall and spring seasons when more power may be needed for major cleanups while encouraging use of non-fossil fuel alternatives like electric tools, which are allowed year-round without restriction. Exclusions can be sought for public safety and emergency situations.

New models of electric blowers are much quieter than gas blowers. Their noise dissipates more readily and does not easily penetrate walls and windows compared with gas blowers. Toxic/carcinogenic exhaust is eliminated and greenhouse gas emissions reduced.

Passage of the proposed bylaw will help Lincoln preserve and protect the health and well-being of residents, protect our environment from excessive and harmful levels of noise and pollution, and take a modest step towards helping Massachusetts reach its greenhouse gas reduction targets. Importantly, it also contributes to Lincoln’s reputation in environmental stewardship. In passing the bylaw, Lincoln will join with nearly 100 communities in the US and worldwide who have taken similar actions around this particular lawn and garden tool.

Below are some statements extracted from our research findings on leaf blowers and health:  

  • Children’s Environmental Health Network – Noise from sources such as lawn mowers and leaf blowers can result in hearing loss, stress, high blood pressure, headaches, sleep disturbance, reduced productivity, mental health problems, and reduced quality of life.
  • Harvard Medical School – The noise that causes sensorineural hearing loss is usually not one deafening bang but decades’ worth of exposure to the high decibel accessories of daily life: leaf blowers, car horns, traffic, movie theater sounds, and so on.
  • Massachusetts Medical Society – Gasoline-powered leaf blowers pose health risks to both workers and the general public.
  • Medical Society of the State of New York – Recommends guidelines that would dramatically reduce the toxic emissions and noise level of gas leaf blowers for reasons of health.
  • Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC – Leaf blowers create large volumes of airborne particulates, many of which are respirable. Inhalation of these small airborne particles can provoke asthma and other respiratory diseases in children and can increase the severity of chronic lung disease in our elderly. Some of the other potential pollutants from leaf blowers and internal combustion power tools are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and, even, ozone formed from some of these other pollutants. Even lower-level exposures have been associated with respiratory and central nervous system effects.
  • The intense, high-frequency noise that [gas] leaf blowers generate can cause loss of hearing in the workers who operate these machines and can also affect hearing in children and other persons
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Being around too much loud noise — like using a leaf blower or going to loud concerts — can cause permanent hearing loss.

A copy of the bylaw proposal, an FAQ sheet, and supporting resources are on the Leaf Blower Study Committee’s web page.

Sincerely,

Jamie Banks (chair of the Leaf Blower Study Committee)

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.
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Election ballot includes marijuana question

For the first time in recent memory, the March 25 town election does not feature any contested races—but there’s a ballot question that will decide whether marijuana retail establishments will be allowed in town.

Because Lincoln residents voted in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana in the 2016 state election, a ban on retail establishments in town requires two things: a two-thirds majority at Town Meeting, and a simple majority at the ballot box. The ban passed by a vote of 73–27% (140–53) at a Special Town Meeting in October 2018. Monday’s election is the second step needed to enact the ban. A “yes” vote will affirm the ban that was approved in October.

The regulatory path for banning marijuana businesses is a one-way street; a ban can always be reversed in the future, but once legalized, they can’t be prohibited later. A retail ban would not affect the statewide legalization of possession (in limited quantities) and private use of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes.

Click here to see a previously published list of residents running for town office. A sample ballot appears below; click on the image to see larger versions.

Water Dept. needs to borrow more than $1 million

New state requirements and deferred maintenance mean that the Lincoln Water Department is asking to borrow just over $1 million.

Of the $1.01 million to be requested via bonding at the March 23 Annual Town Meeting, $817,000 is earmarked for regulatory compliance items required by the state Department of Environmental Protection’s 2018 Sanitary Survey of the Lincoln system. Another $128,000 will pay for for overdue maintenance and replacement of failed equipment (curb boxes, gate valves and hydrants), and $60,000 for a standby generator for the Tower Road well.

The department also plans to transfer another $155,000 from its retained earnings fund to pay for other overdue maintenance items including a truck, repairs to the pump station, office furniture, communications upgrades, and paving work after last year’s Bedford Road water main break, bringing the total planned capital investment to $1.165 million. (See page 46 of the Town Meeting Financial Section and Warrant for details.)

The bond will be repaid entirely from user fees and the Water Department’s retained revenue. The department operates as an enterprise fund, meaning that revenues are expected to meet or exceed expenditures on a year-to-year basis and its budget is separate from the rest of the town’s. In January, the Water Commissioners approved a rate hike (the first since 2015) and a three-tiered system of charges to encourage water conservation.

As required by the Safe Drinking Water Act, DEP surveys are done every three years to inspect surface water system’s facilities, operations, and record keeping. “This year they recorded a lot of violations,” said Water Commissioner Packy Lawler. “I can’t explain why in 2015 none of these things showed up… if [the items] had been demanded at that time, we would have known about it.”

Lawler said he couldn’t comment on whether previous Water Department Director Greg Woods was remiss in being unaware of the problems or failing to address them. Woods was succeeded by current director MaryBeth Wise in March 2018.

The two recent water main breaks (the Bedford Road incident in August 2018 and another along Route 2A between Hanscom Drive and Bedford Road last month) don’t mean that the system as a whole is about to fail, despite the age of its pipes, Lawler said. Officials hope in the future to proactively replace the mains a bit at a time, but a study done several years ago indicated that the cost would be prohibitive at $1 million per mile (Lincoln’s 55 miles of water mains).

Newer technology to reline pipes from the inside without digging up the roads is coming along, Lawler said. “I’m keeping my fingers crossed that that cost will come down to the point where we could begin to proactively repair the mains in place.”

Changes to town bylaws are up for votes at Town Meeting

(Editor’s note: mousing over phrases in italics show where the specified language can be found in the Zoning Bylaw, General Bylaws, and Historic District Bylaw.)

Residents will be asked to approval several changes to town rules on zoning and historic districts at next Saturday’s Annual Town Meeting.

Solar energy

In Article 28, the Planning Board is seeking to change the zoning bylaw on [simple_tooltip content=’page 53 of the Lincoln Zoning Bylaw‘]solar energy systems[/simple_tooltip] in three ways. The most important change would allow the sale of energy to the grid or another third party — a necessity for the school project’s solar energy plans.

The change would mean that property owners (whether private or public, as in the case of the Lincoln School and the mall in South Lincoln) can enter into a Power Purchase Agreement (meaning they don’t have to front the cost for designing and installing the solar array) and can sell any excess electricity they generate.

If approved, the amendment would also add requirements for stand-alone canopy/carport structures, and for surety for abandonment and removal of commercial solar systems.

Zoning

The amendment to Article 29 concerns property that’s taken by [simple_tooltip content=’page 2 of the Lincoln Zoning Bylaw‘]eminent domain[/simple_tooltip]. The current law says that when nonconforming lots are decreased in size, they lose their nonconforming protection. The proposed change would allow an exception for property that’s gotten smaller as a result of a taking, acquisition by, or donation to the town or other governmental entity for a public purpose — such as for the recent Route 2 project. Without this amendment, those property owners wouldn’t be eligible for a special permit to make changes but would instead have to get a Zoning Board of Appeals variance, “which is a much bigger lift,” noted Planning Board Chair Margaret Olson.

Article 30 on the warrant is being passed over, but that amendment would have established a Parking Benefit District affecting usage of fees collected from nonresidents at the commuter lot. The change would mean that a portion of parking fees for parking lot maintenance, beautification, lighting and roadway, public realm, and biking and walking improvements.

However, a recent grant is enabling a study of the town’s commercial parking lots and commuter lots to determine opportunities for shared parking and commuter lot capacity. “We want to study it a bit further and take advantage of that grant and come back with a better proposal,” Olson said.

Historic properties

Article 31, proposed by the Historic District Commission and Friends of Modern Architecture, would add two properties (8 and 18 Moccasin Hill Rd.) to the [simple_tooltip content=’page 60 in the Historic District Bylaw‘]Brown’s Wood Historic District.[/simple_tooltip] Being part of a Historic District provides some measure of protection for the essential character of the exterior appearance of the house that might otherwise involve creating an expensive deed restriction.

Definition of demolition

The proposed amendment to Article 32 aims to clarify that encasing a substantial portion of a roof or building within another building or structure is an effective demolition under the [simple_tooltip content=’page 46 in the General Bylaws‘]demolition bylaw.[/simple_tooltip] “The question has arisen from time to time particularly from homeowners who are interested in building an entirely new roof structure over an existing roof structure,” said Lincoln Historical Commission Andrew Glass. “At the same time, the commission wanted to clarify for homeowners that routine repairs such as replacing siding or roof shingles are not subject to the demolition bylaw.”

Town seeks about $2 million for capital, community preservation items

A new roof for the Hartwell building and an irrigation system for the playing field next to the Codman Pool make up about half of the dollars requested from the Capital Planning Committee (CapComm) and the Community Preservation Committee (CPC). The items will be put to a vote in three warrant articles at Town Meeting on March 23.

A new roof for the Hartwell building will cost $600,000, comprising the lion’s share of the $875,898 requested by CapComm (see full list below). The CPC is seeking $826,306 for a list of items for recreation, housing, and historic preservation purposes (see below), plus another appropriation of up to $400,000 for the irrigation system. Because that item is large and requires more explanation, it’s been put into a separate warrant article, Parks and Recreation Department Dan Pereira said.

The town eventually plans to install irrigation systems in all of its athletic fields, but it’s starting with Codman field because it’ll be the only one available on campus during the upcoming school renovation project and will thus be very heavily used, Pereira noted. (The central ballfield will be occupied by temporary classrooms, while the field behind Smith will be a construction zone.)

Parks and Rec is asking for up to $400,000, but the actual cost next year may be significantly less than that — it all depends on the water supply that’s found. Engineers have identified several sites on the campus that look promising, but the exact yield of water won’t be known until well-drilling starts.

If a well site close to the Codman field yields enough water for that field and no more, the immediate cost might be only $200,000, Pereira said. If the well doesn’t produce enough water to irrigate on demand, there would be an added cost of about $100,000 for an underground holding tank where water can accumulate.

On the other hand, engineers might locate a single well site that could supply enough water for all the fields. In that case, a larger underground tank would be needed at an additional cost of about $200,000 — but there would be no further costs down the road for digging a second well.

“We would only spend that $400,000 if we got a  great opportunity to save a ton of money later,” Pereira said.

Officials considered using town water but rejected the idea because of cost. The Water Department charges a fee for providing water that’s treated to make it safe for drinking — an unnecessary expense for irrigation water. “If we were paying annual water bills, our budget would be destroyed,” Pereira said. Drilling a well is a one-time expense, and Parks and Rec would pay only for electricity and occasional maintenance in the future.

The department uses town water to moisten the clay tennis courts on the south side of the campus so they don’t dry and dissolve, “but a ballfield needs an inch a week — that’s a mammoth amount of water” in comparison, he said.

After the new Wang field opens this spring and the school project is finished, the town will have enough fields to be able to take one out of service each year to let it rest and let the annual application of grass seed take hold. Having the fields irrigated will also greatly improve the quality of the grass.

To avoid wasting water, moisture sensors in the soil will trigger the irrigation system so the fields get water only when needed, and not in the heat of the day, Pereira said.

Capital Planning Committee requests

Capital itemCost
ANew pickup truck for the Department of Public Works$42,000
BReplacing outdated mobile radios for the Fire Department$14,000
CUpdating the Council on Aging phone system$6,500
DFacilities condition assessment at the library$30,000
ENew Kubota tractor for Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School$6,897
FReplacing marked police cruiser #1$37,063
GReplacing marked police cruiser #2$41,938
HPhase 1 of the public safety radio communications project$37,500
IReplacing the roof on the Hartwell building$660,000
TOTAL:$875,898

Community Preservation Committee requests

(click here for a detailed explanation of each item)

CPA projectCategoryCost
ADebt service payment for the town offices renovation projectHistoric preservation$386,275
BReplacing the Codman Farm Barn B, C, and office roofsHistoric preservation$110,000
CRental assistance program for residents at riskCommunity housing$30,000
DPreservation of First Book of Records 1754-1806Historic preservation$20,825
ERepair the headwall over the culvert on the Pierce House propertyHistoric preservation$6,000
FA new water chemistry controller system for the Codman PoolRecreation$42,500
GDebt service payments due on permanent borrowing for previously voted CPA projects—$127,550
HCommunity Preservation Committee administrative expenses—$3,000
SUBTOTAL:$726,150
IHousing reserve$100,158
GRAND TOTAL:$826,308

Town holds forum on actions regarding climate change

There will be a community forum on “Preparing for Climate Change in Lincoln” on Monday, April 1 from 7–8:30 p.m. in the Town Office Building.

The forum will present the results of a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness workshop that was held on February 25 by the town of Lincoln with the assistance of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. The workshop brought together town board and committee members, municipal staff, local businesses, and nonprofit organizations to identify how Lincoln may be vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, as well as the town’s strengths and actions it could take to increase its resilience.

Residents, businesses, and civic organizations are invited to attend and provide their input as part of this ongoing effort to plan for Lincoln’s future. For more information contact Jennifer Burney, Director of Planning and Land Use at 781-259-2610 ext. 8124 or burneyj@lincolntown.org.

News acorns

Learn first-hand about ranked-choice voting

Learn how ranked-choice voting could improve the fairness and effectiveness of elections when Jim Henderson, a board member of Voter Choice Massachusetts, leads a session on Sunday, March 10 at 3 p.m. in Bemis Hall (rescheduled from January 20). Coffee and tea will be served starting at 2:45. The presentation will include a simulation using the growing array of hopefuls for the Democratic presidential nomination for 2020.  

Update on deCordova/TTOR integration

There will be a public forum on the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum/The Trustees of Reservations integration plan on Wednesday, March 13 from 7–9 p.m. in the Town Office Building. Representatives of the town, deCordova, and the Trustees will offer a status report, including a preview of the bylaw amendments that will be voted on at the Annual Town Meeting on March 23.

Book talk with Amy Bass benefits Birches School

Amy Bass, author of One Goal: A Coach, A Team, and the Game That Brought a Divided Town Together, will give a talk and book-signing on Tuesday, March 19 from 7–8:30 p.n. on Brooks auditorium. The book tells the story of how the Lewiston, Maine community and its newly arrived Somali immigrants came together on the soccer field to capture the first state soccer championship in city history.

Click here for more information about this event, which is presented by the Birches School in sponsorship with the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, the Parks & Recreation Department, and Lincoln Youth Soccer. Proceeds will benefit the financial aid fund at the Birches School.The event is free and open to all, but a $15 donation is suggested to go toward Birches School financial aid fund. Copies of the book are $10 when purchased online until March 18 at www.birchesschool.org and will be sold for $15 at the event.

Seniors invited to enjoy music with Magic Garden’s youngest

The Magic Garden Children’s Center invites Lincoln seniors to volunteer in their new Music Together classes with infants and toddlers aged 2 months to almost 3 years old on Tuesday mornings from 9:30–10:30 a.m. in the Stone Church. Volunteers will assist the children as they enjoy the music and activities. Please contact Lori at Magic Garden at 781-259-8161 for more information, or call the Council on Aging at 781-259-8811 to volunteer.