government

Forums planned for Town Meeting and election issues

February 25, 2018

Oriole Landing update on Tuesday

Residents are invited to hear reports from town officials, boards, and committees on the proposed Oriole Landing mixed-income housing development on Tuesday, Feb. 27 from 7–9 p.n. in Town Hall. Hosted by the Housing Options Working Group. There will be ample time for questions, discussion, answers, and suggestions in preparation for the Planning Board public hearing on March 6 and the Town Meeting vote on March 24.

Kasper to appear at three events

Lincoln’s Carole Kasper is running for the seat being vacated by Nancy Marshall on the Lincoln-Sudbury RHS School Committee. There are three public events upcoming in Lincoln at which citizens will have an opportunity to meet Kasper, learn about her involvement with various Lincoln institutions, and get a sense of her views and goals for L-S. Coffee and light refreshments will be served. The election is Monday, March 26; the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday, March 9 — Lincoln Woods Community Room, 9:30–11 a.m.
Wednesday, March 14—Lincoln Library Tarbell Room, 9:30–11 a.m., and Bemis Hall, 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.

Green Energy Committee sessions on Town Meeting articles

At Town Meeting, there will be several articles and citizens’ petitions related to the environment and sustainability. In one article, the Green Energy Committee (GEC) will be asking residents to consider supporting a Lincoln “Community Choice Aggregation” program. Aggregation programs can provide advantages for price, price stability, and renewable energy content that is included in our electricity purchases. A “yea” vote would start the process involving about a year of planning, bid solicitation, and staff review. Pending the Board of Selectmen’s approval, the town would sign a formal contract with an electricity supplier on behalf of the town.

To learn more about this and the other “green” initiatives that will be voted on at Town Meeting, come to the Green Energy Committee Forum on Wednesday, March 14 from 7:30–9 p.m. in Hartwell Pod B. On the agenda:

“Community Choice Aggregation,” sponsored by GEC
“The Regulation of Sale and Use of Bottled Water,” sponsored by the Lincoln-Sudbury Environmental Club
“The Regulation of Sale and Use of Bottled Water — Alternative,” sponsored by Jim White, owner of Trail’s End and Lincoln Kitchen
“Protecting Consumers of Gas and Electricity from Paying for Leaked & Unaccounted-for Gas,” sponsored by Mothers Out Front

The forum is a chance to meet and talk with sponsoring groups and others engaged in sustaining the environment. Immediately before the forum from 6:30–7:30 p.m. in the Hartwell parking lot, residents can meet owners of electric vehicles, ask questions and learn more.

Report: Oriole Landing will boost revenue by up to $115,000 a year

February 21, 2018

A fiscal analysis performed for the developer of the proposed Oriole Landing project says the housing will result in a net boost to town revenue of at least $75,000 per year.

The report for Civico Development done by Fougere Planning & Development, Inc., looked at increased revenue from property and excise taxes as well as costs from added school-age children and emergency services. The Milford, N.H. company is also doing a fiscal impact analysis for the proposed 180-unit LCB Senior Living development in Lexington.

With an estimated value of $16 million, Oriole Landing would be expected to generate first-year tax payments of $217,870 based on Lincoln’s current property tax rate of $12.60 per $1,000 valuation, the report says. Another $32,813 in revenue would come from automobile excise taxes and $6,536 in the 3 percent property tax surcharge that funds the Community Preservation Act. The added estimated revenue totals $257,219.

Fourgere analyzed three years of emergency call data from 1,582 apartment housing units to project annual increases of 29 calls a year and 14 more calls for fire and ambulance services. Based on Lincoln’s Public Safety Department call records and budgets, the town would pay an additional $18,641 for Oriole Landing services. There will be no added road maintenance costs because the development’s road maintenance and garbage removal will be paid for by the apartment complex operator.

The report analyzed the school impact of the 30 proposed two-bedroom units, disregarding the 30 one-bedroom units since those tenants would presumably not have children living with them. Using the Lincoln Woods units (minus its three-bedroom units) for comparison, Fourgere projects that 9–16 school-age children may live at Oriole Landing, with 70-80 percent of them in grades K-8.

Oriole Landing’s fiscal impact according to the Fougere report (click image to enlarge).

Based on Lincoln’s class size policies, this will result in less than a single additional class, meaning an extra teacher costing about $100,000 probably would not have to be hired. However, the firm included a figure of $60,000–$100,000 “to account for some school-related costs… to cover potential teacher salaries.” K-8 school enrollment is down 12.5 percent since 2011-12, according to school data cited in the report, so “given the declining enrollment trend, the need for additional staff is unlikely.”

When everything is added up, the net fiscal impact will be an estimated $75,437–$115,437 in additional revenue for the town.

The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on Civico’s preliminary site plan on Tuesday, March 6 at 7 p.m. in town hall. Residents will also be asked to amend zoning bylaws to establish a North Lincoln Planning Development District and approve the prelininary site plan at Town Meeting on March 24.

On Thursday, Feb. 22, Civico Development will host a presentation and Q&A for the Council on Aging at 2:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall and an open house in the Lincoln Public Library from 6:30–8:30 p.m. There will with additional open houses on March 8, 15, and 22 and another COA session on March 16. A full list of meetings can be found here.

Dueling water bottle bans at Town Meeting

February 12, 2018

A group of high school students is trying again to get Lincoln to ban the sale of single-serve plastic water bottles and retail distribution of plastic grocery bags—but one of last year’s bottle-ban opponents has advanced his own ballot measure that goes even farther.

Students in Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School’s Environmental Club have submitted two citizen’s petitions for the Annual Town Meeting on March 24. One measure seeks to ban single-use plastic check-out bags at supermarkets and other retail stores. The other would prohibit retail sale of bottles of 1 liter (34 ounces) or less containing non-carbonated, unflavored drinking water. Bottles could still be given away at any time or distributed in the event of a town-wide water emergency.

The petitions are identical to last year’s, which the students withdrew after some residents and officials urged more discussion. Instead, voters passed “sense of the town” motions that expressed support for the concerns raised by the students and urged them to “continue to explore options, including the contemplated bylaws, in consultation with key Lincoln stakeholder groups.”

The owners of Donelan’s supermarket and two new restaurants in town also objected before Town Meeting in letters to the editor of the Lincoln Squirrel.

The Environmental Club has advocated alternatives to plastic water bottles, such as water in aluminum cans or boxes similar to orange juice containers boxed water and water in aluminum containers, and pushed for more water fountains and hydration stations on public and private property for refilling reusable water bottles.

Lincoln resident Jim White, co-owner of the Trail’s End and Lincoln Kitchen restaurants, said he had a “positive conversation” with the Environmental Club and supports the students’ goals in trying to reduce harm caused by discarded bottles to the environment and human health. However, he still thinks the proposed restriction on sales of water bottles isn’t good policy. “What that does is puts the burden of compliance on essentially two businesses in town, and that’s unfair,” he said.

White has submitted his own citizen’s petition that goes even farther than the student measure—it would also prohibit anyone from bringing the same water bottles onto town-owned property, including schools, conservation land, recreational fields and public buildings.

“If Lincoln is going to make a statement, then let’s have everyone in Lincoln make a statement—let’s be a leader,” White said.

The L-S students had better luck last year in getting Sudbury voters to approve the restrictions on plastic grocery bags and water bottles. An October 2017 vote to repeal the measure water bottle was defeated. Both of Sudbury’s plastics rules goes into effect on July 1, 2018. Only Cambridge and Concord have approved similar sales bans in Massachusetts.

San Francisco has banned the sale of single-use plastic water bottles on city-owned property, including at large-scale outdoor events on public property, though sales are still permitted in stores. The city is installing more hydration stations on public property and now requires new buildings to have them.

Details on Oriole Landing released; hearing on March 6

February 8, 2018

The Planning Board’s public hearing on Oriole Landing, a proposal for 60 units of mixed-income housing on Mary’s Way, is scheduled for Tuesday, March 6 at 7 p.m.—just 18 days before residents will be asked to vote on the matter at Town Meeting.

The proposal calls for 60 one- and two-bedroom units on six acres of land adjacent to The Commons. Fifteen of the 60 units would be deed-restricted as affordable according to state guidelines. At the March 24 Town Meeting, voters will be asked to approve a bylaw amendment to establish a North Lincoln Planning Development Overlay District as well as a Preliminary Development and Land Use Plan for the project (click here to view the draft warrant article). Five projects have been approved under this process in Lincoln: Battle Road Farms and the Lincoln North office building (1986), Minuteman Inn (approved in 1989 but never completed), and Minuteman Commons and The Groves/Lincoln Deaconess, now The Commons (2006).

The Planning Board has created a detailed FAQ document about the project, and the Housing Commission also has a website with an overview and background on affordable housing in Lincoln. Plans and other documents relating to the March 6 public hearing are available here. A list of upcoming public forums and official meetings can be found here.

If approved next month by a two-thirds vote, Civico Development must return within two years to the Planning Board for site plan special permit approval through another public hearing process. Civico must also go before the Historical Commission if they plan to demolish an existing structure on the property that may be deemed historically or architecturally significant. The company is working with the commission to develop a plan that will “honor a historic house located on the property,” according to the FAQ document.

Letter to the editor: Kasper running for L-S School Committee

February 7, 2018

To the editor:

I am announcing my candidacy for the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee (LSSC) and looking forward to earning your vote on Election Day (Monday, March 26).

As an L-S School Committee member, I would prioritize the support and enhancement of the many strengths of our dynamic 21st-century high school, including rigorous college-prep academics, educated and experienced faculty, thoughtful core values that guide decision making, and responsible management of budgets and resources in supporting a school environment that encourages well-rounded students who value learning, leading, initiating, serving, and developing both their intellectual and social-emotional potentials. As a current L-S parent, I have seen first-hand the significant positive impacts that these factors have on the daily lives of our students.

There are always ways to improve, and I would prioritize these as well. A climate of inclusion and social safety for all students should be a key focus area within a school culture committed to the core values of fostering caring and cooperative relationships, respecting human differences, and cultivating community. Facilitating smoother eighth-to ninth-grade transitions for all students should also be highlighted, as well as a continued emphasis on reasonable class sizes. Increasing awareness of the L-S Four-year Plan, guidance for a college planning process that entails student initiative and follow-up, would also serve students and families more fully. And further, our Lincoln and Sudbury communities need to continue together in a spirit of relationship building, open communication, creative collaboration, and shared commitment to excellent pubic education for all of our L-S students.

I have been an active volunteer in our local community. Most recently, I contributed as a member of the LSSC School Start-time Sub-Committee (Spring 2017), initiated and led the First Parish in Lincoln Intergenerational Women’s Group (2014-17), led the town-wide Lincoln Campus Master Planning Committee as chair (2015-16), and led the Lincoln School K-8 PTO as chair/president (2011-14).

Professionally, I spent many career years as a management consultant, trainer, facilitator, and educator, serving in various roles on college campuses and within firms before founding my own national consulting company that specialized in strengthening organizational performance and building workplace communities. My professional experiences spanned both private and public sectors, and included collaborations at every level of government from federal to local.

My educational background includes a B.A. in communication science and an M.Ed. in organization development with a specialty in multiculturalism. I have designed and taught undergraduate semester courses, and have professionally fostered on-campus student communities on two major college campuses.

My husband and I have two teenage sons. Our 10th-grader loves his life at L-S, while our eighth-grader will graduate from the Lincoln School this June and then begin ninth grade at L-S this fall. Our family is invested in L-S and its future, and it would be an honor to represent Lincoln, Sudbury, and Boston families in maintaining and increasing the excellence of our beloved high school.

Thank you for your consideration on Election Day!

Carole Kasper
140 Concord Road, Lincoln
kasperlssc@gmail.com

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.

Lincoln to hold Democratic caucus on March 3

February 5, 2018

Registered Democrats in Lincoln will hold a caucus on March 3 at Bemis Hall to elect delegates and alternates to the 2018 Massachusetts Democratic State Convention. This year’s state convention will be held June 1-2 at the DCU Center in Worcester, where thousands of Democrats from across the state will come together to endorse Democratic candidates for statewide office, including Constitutional officers and gubernatorial candidates.

Registration for the caucus—which is open to all registered and pre-registered Democrats in Lincoln—starts at 9:30 a.m. and the caucus starts at 10 a.m. Pre-registered Democrats who will be 18 by Sept. 18, 2018 will be allowed to participate and run as delegates or alternates. Lincoln can elect six delegates and four alternates to the convention. Youth, minorities, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ individuals who are not elected as delegates or alternates may apply to be add-on delegates at the caucus or at www.massdems.org.

Those interested in getting involved with the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee should contact co-chair Gary Davis at garyddavis04@gmail.com.

Public forums and other meetings scheduled for Oriole Landing proposal

February 4, 2018

A schedule of important dates for the Oriole Landing proposal (click image to enlarge or click here to see this on the town’s Oriole Landing website).

Civico Development and town officials have scheduled several public forums and meetings on the proposed Oriole Landing mixed-income housing development. The next forum is Tuesday, Feb. 6 from 2:30–4 p.m. in Bemis Hall.

If approved, Civico will build 60 units of housing—15 of them deed-restricted as affordable—in two adjacent buildings on Mary’s Way abutting The Commons (see this January 15 Lincoln Squirrel article for more information). The developer touts the proposal as a way to attract both new residents and current Lincoln residents looking to downsize but stay in town.

Residents will be asked at the March 25 Annual Town Meeting to approve two measures relating to the project: a zoning change to establish a North Lincoln Planning Development Overlay District, and a preliminary development and land use plan for the project. If it gets those approvals, the plan must later undergo a site plan review with details on traffic and environmental impacts and get a special permit from the Planning Board.

More information:

Town of Lincoln website on Oriole Landing, including links to information about the town’s approval process and affordable housing inventory
Civico Development’s Oriole Landing website (via CoUrbanize.com)
Oriole Landing Facebook page

21 Lincolnites take out candidacy papers for town election

February 1, 2018

As of Thursday, Feb. 1, the following residents have taken out nomination papers for town offices that will be up for election on March 26, 2018:

Board or Committee	Openings/terms	Candidates
Board of Assessors	One for three years	Edward Morgan*
Board of Health	One for three years	Patricia Miller*
Board of Selectmen	One for three years	Jennifer Glass*
Cemetery Commission	One for three years	Susan S. Harding,* Carol DiGianni
Commissioners of Trust Funds	One for three years	—
DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park Trustees	One for four years	Jonathan Rapaport
Housing Commission	One for three years, one for two years, one for one year	Evan Gorman,* Bijoy Misra,* Keith Gilber
Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee	Two for three years**	Gerald Quirk,* Carol Marie Kasper, Robert Stein
Parks and Recreation Committee	One for three years	Adam Hogue, Rey Romero, Sarah Chester
Planning Board	One for three years	Gerald Taylor*
School Committee	Two for three years	Peter Borden,* Alvin L. Schmertzler*, Catherine Bitter
Trustees of Bemis	One for three years	Mimi Borden
Water Commission	One for three years	Robert B. Antia*

* incumbent

There are still no candidates for Commissioners of Trust Funds position.

Nomination papers must be taken out by Friday, Feb. 2 and filed by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 6. A final list of candidates who will appear on the ballot will be published after that.

Letter to the editor: Marshall not running for reelection

January 31, 2018

To the editor:

I write to announce that I will not seek reelection to the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee this March. In 2009, I was elected with the support of both towns and it has been an honor from start to finish.

We have a high school treasured by the communities of Lincoln, Sudbury, and Boston. Our teachers and staff are creative, dedicated and deeply committed to educating and preparing our children for the 21st century. The core values of the district —fostering caring and cooperative relationships, respecting human differences, pursuing academic excellence, and cultivating community—are all behaviors to be mirrored in our own lives, our conversations at the dinner table, and in our actions.

I am grateful for the responsiveness of our towns’ Boards of Selectmen, the proactive counsel of our Finance Committee liaisons, the relatively new relationships we have begun with both towns in advocating our capital needs and forecasts, and of course of our voters. This has been process and relational work I have thoroughly enjoyed.

I am indebted to many members of the committee with whom I have had the great pleasure of serving. I have learned a great deal and, while we found ourselves sometimes agreeing to disagree, our committee has always focused on our charge as elected officials, namely,;’ what is in the best interest of our students within the fiscal guidance we are given. Working well together and listening to each other is critical given our tasks.

Finally, to those inside the building who do so much to clear the snowy sidewalks and open the building, who have it optimally at the ready to allow education to happen; to those who work to teach, to challenge and engage and to be present for their students, who create unique, dynamic, relevant curriculum; to those who allow our students to take risks and grow, and who support those who are struggling inside and outside the classroom, I will miss you the most. While we have four children who gleaned so much from their education and are now on unique paths as young adults, my service was far from being just about them. For me it was about the Lincoln-Sudbury community—the faculty, the administration and staff, the families, our towns, and, first and foremost, all of our students.

Thank you.

Nancy Marshall
2 Beaver Pond Rd.

Letter to the editor: Taylor running for reelection to Planning Board

January 29, 2018

To the editor:

It doesn’t seem so long ago, but it has been three years since I declared my candidacy for the Planning Board, and I’m asking you to elect me once again for a three-year term.

In my initial letter, I summarized my previous service to Lincoln on the Finance Committee, the Housing Commission/Housing Trust and as a Selectman. Now I would point to how the Planning Board has improved since you first elected me, and commit to you that, if elected, I would continue to work to give Lincoln the forward looking planning effort that it needs and deserves.

When I asked for your support previously, I identified two objectives that I would pursue. First, the board should spend much more time actually planning and much less time in the process of negotiating with people about what they could and couldn’t do with their residential properties. The second objective, related to the first, was to make the process of residents seeking reasonable improvements to their property much simpler and less costly. We have made substantial progress on both fronts.

The process through which residents seek to develop or improve their properties has become much simpler, more efficient, and far less costly. The board now delegates to its talented staff, Jennifer Burney and Paula Vaughn-Mackenzie, the task of resolving conflicts between applicants’ plans and Lincoln’s bylaws and board policies. Most issues are addressed at the staff level, so public hearings required for approval are focused narrowly upon any conflicts that remain and any concerns raised by abutters and interested parties.

Unlike in the past, it is rare that we continue a public hearing (forcing applicants and their architects to return) except in cases of substantial public interest, such as development of the new Minuteman High School facilities, or very large and impactful residences. The board protects the town’s interests but makes the process as user-friendly as possible. Furthermore, the board is considering changes to the bylaws governing site plan review to make them much more equitable.

By making its permitting function more efficient, the board and planning staff have been able to turn their attention to the planning that Lincoln needs. In addition to following and supporting the school building and community center development committees, the board has begun efforts to revitalize the Lincoln Station/mall area and to improve wayfinding and connectivity in Lincoln. The Lincoln Station effort includes working with the MBTA to improve commuter rail facilities, alterations to zoning to improve incentives for private commercial and residential development, and creation of “spaces” to make the mall area more attractive.

Wayfinding and connectivity initiatives seek to better inform people of what Lincoln has to offer and where to find it, and to develop facilities such as walkways, crosswalks, and trails to increase foot and bicycle access to key locations and improve safety. Our staff has brought in over $600,000 in grants to support these efforts, and we are actively pursuing additional grant funding.

I ask your support in the upcoming election to further pursue these efforts.

Sincerely.

Gary Taylor
2 Beaver Pond Rd.