government

Benefits and hurdles for solar array at landfill discussed

November 14, 2016

A report by the Solar PV Working Group concluded that the best site for a municipal solar photovoltaic array is the capped town landfill, with the roof of the public safety building coming in second.

Solar Design Associates, a consulting firm hired by the solar working group, looked at 25 potential sites in town. A solar array at the transfer station could have a capacity of 1.4 MW, while a roof-mounted array on the public safety building could generate 58.6 kW. Selectman Renel Fredriksen summarized the report at the November 12 State of the Town meeting and said the group hoped to have a proposal to vote on at Town Meeting in March.

If and when a site is selected, the town would sign an agreement with a private firm to purchase, install and maintain the solar PV equipment, and in return, the town would receive lease payments and/or reduced electricity costs. In a 2015 report, BlueWave Capital said a solar installation on the landfill site could produce more than 50 percent of Lincoln’s municipal electricity.

One problem, though: the landfill is now designated as conservation land, and state law requires that if the town wants to open it to solar use, it must designate another parcel of the same size to offset the loss to the town’s inventory of conservation land. Officials had hoped that part of the Hargreaves-Heald property purchased by the town earlier this year could be used for this purpose, but the state has since said that this was not acceptable.

Removing land from conservation status requires unanimous approval by the Conservation Commission and two-thirds majority votes by Town Meeting and the state legislature.

The town and Minute Man National Historic Park would also have to renegotiate the easement given by the park to the town for access from Route 2A to the landfill. There is a “polite disagreement” with the park about what uses are permitted by that easement, “but once have a concrete proposal, we’ll resume that conversation,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said.

Once a Lincoln School project is underway, the Ballfield Road campus is promising site for a future municipal solar PV array, as is the soon-to-be-rebuilt Minuteman High School, Fredriksen noted.

In the meantime, “there’s lots that we can do now to to change our electricity use, like getting a home energy assessments or buying more renewable energy,” said Green Energy Committee member Sue Klem, adding that residences account for 80 percent of electricity energy in town.

Small-scale agriculture expansion discussed at SOTT

November 14, 2016

Opportunities for small-scale commercial raising of animals and sale of animal products will be expanded if residents approve a zoning bylaw change at Town Meeting in March.

Current rules under the 2011 Right to Farm bylaw allow property owners to sell produce and flowers on lots of any size, but animal products such as meat, dairy, eggs, wool, honey, etc., may not be sold on parcels of less than five acres, and animals may be kept only for personal use on those parcels.

Allowing sales from smaller-scale farming would be “consistent with common agricultural practices in Lincoln” and would “help feed the community and offer valuable skills to young people to keep agriculture flourishing,” Agricultural Commission co-chair Ari Kurtz explained at the State of the Town meeting on November 12.

There are currently more than 16 active farms on 500 acres of agricultural land in Lincoln.

The changes would impose a small-agriculture minimum lot size of 80,000 square feet (a bit under two acres) and allow annual sales of no more than $5,000. The maximum number of “animal units” permitted would be one per acre. An animal unit is defined as one 1,000-pound cow, five goats or sheep, two pigs, 30 fowl or 20 rabbits (bees would be limited by gross sales rather than number of insects). The revised bylaw would also add requirements and definitions for best management practices for handling livestock and manure.

Anyone who felt their neighbor was in violation of the rules could complain to the Board of Health, Kurtz and AgComm co-chair Lynne Bower said. Prospective small-scale farmers would not have to request a special permit, but submitting a simple application to the town’s building inspector is “worth exploring,” Kurtz said.

Although agricultural land is taxed a a lower rate than residential property, there will be no tax implications because, by state law, parcels under five acres may not be classified as agricultural, Kurtz said. The change wouldn’t itself open to the door to marijuana cultivation because selling marijuana will also require a state license and permit, he added.

In response to a question about the $5,000 annual earnings limit, Kurtz and Bower said the number was “just a stab in the dark” and could either be revisited periodically, or indexed to another figure that increases over time.

Traffic remedies discussed at State of the Town

November 13, 2016

(Editor’s note: there will be more coverage of the State of the Town discussions tomorrow.)

At Saturday’s State of the Town meeting, residents shared their thoughts about speed limits, distracted drivers, dangers for bicyclists and other roadway issues, though there seemed to be more problems than immediate solutions.

Selectman Peter Braun voiced what everyone has noticed: there’s more traffic all over town especially at rush hour, because GPS has revealed commuter shortcuts through town to more people. He and other officials also reminded residents that many issues such as area-wide traffic and making changes to state roads like Routes 117 and 126 are largely out of Lincoln’s control.

Several measures have been tried to slow and reduce traffic, such as speed bumps and updating signage. There were speed bumps on Lincoln Road at one time but there were removed, and their drawbacks—traffic noise from accelerating cars, and safety issues for emergency vehicles and snow plows—outweigh their benefits, said Braun and Chief of Police Kevin Kennedy.

Changing signage has been somewhat more effective, especially at Five Corners, where stop signs were recently realigned. Sight lines have also been improved at Route 117 and Lincoln Road, but both intersections are still problematic, residents noted.

Reducing speed limits can also have unintended consequences. To change the speed limit on a road, a town must apply to the state, and the new speed limit must be close to the speed at which 85 percent of the motorists already travel on it under normal conditions—something that could actually result in the speed limit going up, Kennedy noted.

“The best way to control speed is volume. It’s one of those double-edged sword things,” Braun said.

When roads are repaved, the shoulder is usually widened a bit, though trees and utility poles often limit how much can be done. But again, there are pros and cons. “Narrower roads serve as effective traffic-calming mechanism but can make it difficult for cyclists,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said.

Other proposals that were discussed:

Increased enforcement of existing speed limits—this requires hiring more police officers. Braun rhetorically asked if residents would support a Proposition 2½ override to fund such a measure and was met mostly with silence.

Crosswalks—“They can give a false sense of security… we’ve kind of shied away from them,” Braun said.

Roundabouts at difficult intersections—this has been considered, even to the point of having a traffic engineer sketch out some possibilities, but roundabouts are costly, and the town usually doesn’t own enough land adjacent to the intersection to make this feasible, Higgins said.

Restricting access to smaller roads to reduce commuter cut-throughs—one resident objected that “this is a zero-sum game; if you close a road in one place, you increase traffic in another. Don’t change the policy of letting one neighborhood have less traffic than another.”

Other suggestions to improve safety seemed more promising, such as free-standing speed sensors that blink or flash a warning message if approaching drivers are going too fast, or banning cellphone use while driving in Lincoln. Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont already have state laws requiring cell phones in cars to be hands-free, though Massachusetts failed to pass a similar law over the summer.

The town has gotten a Complete Streets state grant to study and identify specific roadway and path improvements, with the chance to apply for a larger grant for any construction projects that can be completed by June 30, 2017. However, even projects that can’t get done in that timeframe can go on a “wish list” to be considered later for town-only funding, Braun noted.

Officials urged everyone to complete a Complete Streets online survey. There will be a presentation and discussion of ideas on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall’s Donaldson Room. Officials also encouraged anyone with comments or suggestions about specific roadway and traffic issues to contact Higgins at higginst@lincolntown.org.

Letter to the editor: Gallagher Tully thanks citizens

November 13, 2016

To the editor:

It was a great honor and privilege to have my name placed on the ballot. I introduced myself (Stacey Gallagher Tully, candidate for State Representative for the 9th Middlesex District) thousands of times, but it never got old. In fact, it was energizing and refreshing.

Meeting so many great people and families—the hearts of our communities—along the campaign trail was extremely rewarding. I was humbled each and every day by the outpouring of support from so many different corners of the 9th district. Engaging conversations with so many people at their doors, at community events, in local grocery stores—sharing personal stories and ideas and concerns—was the highlight of this campaign.

To my volunteers, an outstanding team of hard workers, you offered and gave of your time, talent and treasure to support this campaign. I want to publicly thank you. You are my heroes and I continue to be inspired by your passion and commitment to better government through conservative principles.

Onward and Upward, Lincoln and Waltham for today is a bright new day. This is not the end, it is just the beginning of my public service in the capacity of a candidate. “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.”

Sincerely,

Stacey Gallagher Tully
85 Lincoln Road, Waltham

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.

Final election results show Lincoln voted ‘yes’ on Question 2

November 11, 2016

A more complete (though still unofficial) tally of Lincoln’s election results shows that Lincolnites voted in favor of expanding charter schools—and was one of very few Massachusetts cities and towns to do so.

Preliminary results that were sent to the Squirrel on Tuesday night contained a typographical error in the results for Question 2 that seemed to indicate Lincolnites voted against raising the cap on charter schools. In fact, Lincoln voted by a margin of 1,988–1,768 to raise the cap, and was one of only 15 towns to vote yes. The others were Weston, Wellesley, Dover, Sherborn, Manchester, Mt. Washington, Cohasset, Chatham, Orleans, Nantucket, and four of the five towns on Martha’s Vineyard.

The next-closest margin for a ballot question in Lincoln was the vote of 2,018–1,765 in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana.

The tables below show results by voting precinct, excluding blanks and write-ins. Click here to see a map showing the two Lincoln precincts.

Candidates	Precinct 1	Precinct 2	Total
PRESIDENT and VP
Clinton and Kaine	1,820	1,086	2,906
Trump and Pence	328	285	613
Johnson and Weld	97	78	175
Stein and Baraka	24	23	47
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Katherine Clark	1,848	1,166	3,014
COUNCILLOR
Marilyn Devaney	1,681	1,065	2,746
STATE SENATOR
Michael Barrett	1,722	1,097	2,819
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
Thomas Stanley	1,332	783	2,115
Stacey Gallagher Tully	643	533	1,176
SHERIFF
Peter Koutoujian	1,733	1,092	2,825

BALLOT QUESTIONS	Precinct 1	Precinct 2	Total
QUESTION 1: Additional slot parlor license?
Yes	392	334	726
No	1,832	1,128	2,960
QUESTION 2: Allow up to 12 new charter schools per year?
Yes	1,186	802	1,988
No	1,089	679	1,768
QUESTION 3: Prohibit confinement of farm animals?
Yes	1,841	1,180	3,021
No	443	304	747
QUESTION 4: Legalize recreational marijuana?
Yes	1,186	832	2,018
No	1,106	659	1,765

Letter to the editor: an important conversation about Town Meeting

November 10, 2016

To the editor:

On Saturday, the town will have an opportunity to come together and hear what is on the minds of town boards and committees, in addition to asking questions and sharing ideas. That is one important conversation. There is another.

This past summer, an important community conversation was resumed. Every so many years, a new generation of Lincoln looks at itself and asks important questions about our decision making process: Town Meeting. Some clearly feel the format is not conducive to inclusion. Others believe it brings out the best of community participation and decision-making. And, as many have said, democracy is not a spectator sport and requires full participation.

But how do we best achieve that when we have a form of governance crafted in the 18th century that is still serving us in the 21st? Are there ways we can improve access to information, debate and decision-making to expand participation? The Town Moderator, an elected position established in the 18th century, stepped to the plate and took these and other questions to the Board of Selectmen on October 24. The conversation’s focus was to explore how we might improve Town Meeting and decision-making. After some discussion, the Selectmen agreed that having a town-wide conversation about fine-tuning Town Meeting was important and urged the moderator to consider how best to move forward.

Other models for Town Meeting exist so that we need not reinvent the wheel. We have neighbors who debate this issue on a regular basis. Years ago, HATS (Hanscom Area Towns—Lincoln, Lexington, Concord and Bedford) hosted just such a discussion. In attendance were other Town Moderators, representatives of the League of Women Voters, Town Meeting members and others. Many towns have created a guide to Town Meeting for their own communities. Our own Town Clerk has created such a guide: “Welcome to Lincoln! A Guide for New Residents.” This is being distributed to newcomers and will soon made available online.

But what more can we do? How can we include new ideas, technologies and innovations? What became clear in the meeting between the Selectmen and Town Moderator is a need for the setting of context to open any discussion:

What exactly is Town Meeting?
Where did it come from and why?
What are the state statutes that establish it, and that also dictate how decisions are made?
What can and what can’t we do to alter voting and decision-making?
And, if we want to make fundamental changes to how we govern ourselves, what would it take to do so?

Once we have established the basic information and “road rules,” we can then begin a discussion of how we might make changes. While no date was set for the Town Moderator to return to the Selectmen to report next steps, it is clear that there is a need, and an important conversation has begun.

Many of us wonder how we, as a clearly divided country, can come together to govern at a national level. But we should not doubt that we can and will come together as a community. It is important to find time to listen and share thoughts this Saturday morning at our annual State of the Town meeting, and also to participate when and where we might find an opportunity to discuss how best to fine-tune Town Meeting, and celebrate the civility that has dominated our ongoing community conversations.

Sincerely,

Sara Mattes
71 Conant Rd.

Lincoln voters say yes to Hillary and three ballot questions

November 9, 2016

Early election results in Lincoln show that Hillary Clinton won by an overwhelming margin of 83% to 17%. Lincolnites also said “yes” to more charter schools, banning confinement for farm animals, and legalizing recreational marijuana while voting against an additional slot parlor in the state. Lincoln was one of only 15 towns to vote yes on the charter schools question.

Incumbent State Rep. Thomas Stanley (D) handily beat independent challenger Stacey Gallagher Tully by a margin of 65% to 35% among Lincoln residents.

Here are unofficial and incomplete results for how Lincoln voted in the 2016 presidential election as of 10:30 p.m. on Election Night from Town Clerk Susan Brooks. Click on a ballot question to see the Boston Globe’s statewide results.

PRESIDENT	# Votes	Ballot Q: Yes	Ballot Q: No
Hillary Clinton	2,906	—	—
Donald Trump	613	—	—
Gary Johnson	unknown	—	—
Jill Stein	unknown	—	—
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Katherine Clark	unknown	—	—
COUNCILLOR
Marilyn Devaney	unknown	—	—
STATE SENATOR
Michael Barrett	unknown	—	—
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
Thomas Stanley	2,215	—	—
Stacey Gallagher Tully	1,176	—	—
SHERIFF
Peter Koutoujian	unknown	—	—
BALLOT QUESTIONS (yes/no)
QUESTION 1: Additional slot parlor license?	—	726 (20%)	2,960 (80%)
QUESTION 2: Allow up to 12 new charter schools per year?	—	1,988 (53%)	1,768 (47%)
QUESTION 3: Prohibit confinement of farm animals?	—	3,021 (80%)	747 (20%)
QUESTION 4: Legalize recreational marijuana?	—	2,018 (53%)	1,765 (47%)

Lincoln DTC endorses Clark, Stanley, Barrett

November 7, 2016

To the editor:

The Lincoln Democratic Town Committee endorses Katherine Clark for U.S. Congress, Tom Stanley for State Representative, and Michael Barrett for State Senator.

Massachusetts and Lincoln have been well served by Congresswoman Katherine Clark. She distinguished herself in leading a protest on the House floor with Representative John Lewis to chastise the Republican led Congress for its refusal to pass two responsible and common sense gun safety bills.

Most recently, she successfully collaborated with Republican Congressman Glenn Thompson to pass her bill for Strengthening Career and Technical Education—a cause that has been advocated actively by the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee in the hope that workers in declining industries can learn and succeed in the 21st-century century economy.

Representative Tom Stanley speaks softly and doesn’t always advertise his accomplishments, but he has represented Lincoln well, particularly in support of the town’s application to pursue funding requests for school facility improvements, and representing Lincoln’s interests in funding requests to offset Lincoln’s costs of providing services to the Hanscom Air Force Base residents, all of whom live within the town of Lincoln.

Senator Barrett has been a leader in climate change and clean energy and has continued his fight to pass bills aimed at combating climate change, create energy diversity, and achieve energy sector compliance with the Global Warming Solutions Act. He has also introduced bills to change the current fixed rate income tax to a more equitable graduated income tax, and to repeal the sales tax exemption for jet fuel. He has been named Legislator of the Year three times and has been honored as one of the 10 best legislators in Massachusetts.

The Lincoln Democratic Town Committee is proud to have such a strong cadre of elected legislative officials. We encourage Lincoln voters to re-elect them.

Sincerely,

Barbara Slayter (co-chair, Lincoln Democratic Town Committee)
7 Trapelo Rd.

Letter to the editor: elect Tully as Lincoln’s state rep

November 6, 2016

To the editor:

When I first heard Stacey Gallagher Tully was running for the office of state representative, I immediately fired off an email asking her to join me for coffee. She was quick to agree to meet with me and I am writing to ask you to consider giving her your consideration in the election on November 8.

Stacey comes from a family with a long history of working on the Kennedys’ campaigns, and Stacey has spent time in D.C. and Georgia working with Jimmy Carter. She too has a long history of public service and is ready to take the step of moving into the legislature. You may have seen Stacey at Donelan’s, at the transfer station or at one of a number of locations. She has come to Lincoln Woods at least two times and at a coffee hosted there last recently she told us of her plans to hold office hours in Lincoln and how much she looks forward to working to bring both communities together to solve issues we have in common.

The obvious issue is traffic. Driving off Route 128 onto Route 20 and then Route 117 is not just a Waltham issue. As most of us know, it has a huge impact on us here in Lincoln. We need a representative that will talk to us, the people of Lincoln, who will work with us, who will be accountable to us. Stacey Gallagher Tully is asking to be that person. She has a proven track record working on senior issues and health issues in Waltham. She has a history of serving the people of her community and would like us to be part of her community.

Contrast this with her opponent Mr. Stanley, who is without a doubt committed to Waltham—but Lincoln, not so much. To be sure, Stanley has helped the administration in Lincoln gain access to the right people in Boston; after 16 years he knows his way around. As for the rest of us in Lincoln, he has been absent. In fact, he is quoted in the recent Lincoln Journal as saying he spends all his campaign time in Waltham. Lincoln is not even on his agenda.

Many of us remember the days not so long ago when we had a state representative who spent time in Lincoln, talked with us, the residents, and worked to serve all of us in Boston, not just the administration. A vote for Stacey Gallagher Tully is a vote for representation of the people, by the people.

Sincerely,

Sharon K. Antia
165 South Great Rd.

ZBA says no to McLean Hospital

November 4, 2016

The Zoning Board of Appeals voted 4-1 on Thursday night to overrule a previous finding that a proposed McLean Hospital residential facility is a permitted use of the property under state law.

McLean bought adjoining parcels at 16 and 22 Bypass Road last spring with the intention of putting 12 beds for boys age 15-21 in the large home on one of the properties. The goal was to have boys with borderline personality disorder live there for several months while receiving dialectical behavioral therapy to help them learn to function better.

Lincoln zoning bylaws prohibit uses other than residential in that area, but McLean claimed an exemption under the Dover amendment, which allows religious and educational facilities in residential areas. Building Inspector Dan Walsh and town counsel Joel Bard agreed with the hospital’s claim that the proposal constituted an educational use. But a group of neighborhood residents appealed to the ZBA, which sided with the residents after a hearing that featured much debate over whether the proposed facility was primarily educational or medical/therapeutic.

“I’m certainly a fan of the notion that you don’t have to have traditional classrooms to have it be educational, and I’m favorably inclined to the idea that education is rolled into therapy, but the Dover amendment is not written in a way to say that education is therapy and therapy is education. This is closer to therapy than education,” said ZBA member Bill Churchill.

“The primary end goal is treatment. The curative aspect is the goal here,” said ZBA member David Henken.

“I do think this is treatment. There’s obviously some education involved, but I don’t think it’s the primary purpose,” agreed board member David Summer.

“I don’t think this is an educational purpose that is the intent of the Dover amendment,” ZBA chair Joel Freedman said.

Board member Eric Snyder said he would vote “based on what he read from various doctors” on both sides of the issue. He ultimately cast the lone dissenting vote.

Freedman had a word of caution for those against the proposal, however. “The idea that Dover amendment is something that has come in and usurped local zoning is something I disagree with very much,” he said. “It’s a good thing when a community like Lincoln has to participate in things… that may be distasteful or may not be what they want. There’s no credence to the idea that there needs to be protection here.”

The ZBA achieved the minimum of four votes that are required to overturn the building inspector’s finding. Board member Kathleen Shepard was not at Thursday’s meeting and Vinit Patel recused himself from the vote.

McLean officials declined to comment after the meeting.