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

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Lincoln Squirrel poll results are in

The Lincoln Squirrel ran three polls this week to gauge which community center and HCA zoning options residents preferred and if they supported allowing The Commons to build more units. All three issues will be subject to votes at the Special Town Meeting on December 2. The polls, which closed at 8 p.m. on November 29, were open to both Squirrel subscribers and nonsubscribers. With the caveat that the polls were  not alt all scientific, here are the results:

Which community center option do you prefer?

Do you support allowing The Commons to build another 28 independent living units and associated parking?

Which HCA-related rezoning option do you prefer?

What you need to know for Saturday’s Special Town Meeting

The following is based on information provided by town officials.

Saturday’s Special Town Meeting is fast approaching, and we want to make sure you know where to turn for information. Here is a brief guide with links to further information:

Meeting logistics
  • Please visit our Special Town Meeting web page for up-to-date information.
  • Town Meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. sharp! Voter check-in begins at 8:30.
  • Also on the web page are links to the warrant and voting instructions.
  • We are accommodating to all! We have reserved parking closest to the entrance for handicap and mobility-impaired residents. We also provide the option for fully interactive participation and socially distanced seating in the Reed Field House.
  • We have provided maps of where to park, where to enter, and a picture showing the Auditorium/Lecture Hall setup.
  • Child care is being provided for kids age 5+ by LEAP (the Lincoln Extended-Day Activity Program) from 8:30 a.m. until the meeting ends. Snacks and a pizza lunch will be provided. Please click here to sign up in advance. Each child must be registered separately. The cost is $40 per child, payable by check when you arrive at LEAP.
Articles 1 & 2 — Community Center
  • The Community Center Building Committee has developed three concepts for consideration. The goal of the meeting is to determine which concept has majority support from those voting at the meeting.
  • That concept will advance to the Schematic Design Phase in preparation for the two (2) votes needed to secure funding:
    • Saturday, March 23, 2024 — Annual Town Meeting: a two-thirds majority vote needed to fund the project, AND
    • Monday, March 25, 2024 — Ballot Vote: A simple majority vote is needed to fund the project.
  • Learn about the concepts on the Community Center Building Committee website.
  • You can view the Finance Committee’s Capital Capacity Presentation here.
Article 3 — The Commons Expansion
  • New England Life Plan Communities, owner of The Commons in Lincoln, is proposing to build an additional 28 units. Background materials can be found here.
  • This vote requires a two-thirds majority for approval.
Article 4 — Housing Choice Act Working Group
  • Residents will consider five Zoning District Options for compliance with the Housing Choice Act (four developed by the Housing Choice Act Working Group and one suggested by a group of residents).
  • The goal of the meeting is to determine which option has at least majority support from those voting at the meeting.
  • That option will go through an initial compliance check by the state Executive Office of Housing & Livable Communities in preparation for a vote at the March 23, 2024 Annual Town Meeting. A simple majority vote at that March Town Meeting will be required to approve the new zoning bylaws.
  • Learn more about the options on the Housing Choice Act Working Group web page.

New rotating-topic format for State of the Town meeting

There are four important topics to be discussed at the State of the Town (SOTT) meeting on September 30, and the Select Board has devised a new way to help residents focus and give feedback on them.

Rater than one continuous meeting, there will be four 45-minute repeating rotating sessions in different locations at the Lincoln School. Attendees can choose any or all of the four topics in whatever order they wish. Each session will include a short presentation, smaller group activities, and feedback tools. Overview information about each topic will be available for pickup.

The topics are:

The schedule:

  • 10–10:45 a.m. — Session 1 
  • 11–11:45 a.m. — Session 2 
  • 11:45 a.m.–1 p.m. — Community lunch available for purchase thanks to the Twisted Tree (cash only, please) 
  • 1:15–2 p.m. — Session 3
  • 2:15–3 p.m. — Session 4

There will also be inflatable obstacle courses for kids aged 3–12 to enjoy with parental supervision. The SOTT webpage has maps showing parking, building entrances, and the rooms where the topics will be headquartered.

Corrections

There were several errors in the March 26 story headlined “Annual Town Meeting is (mostly) controversy-free” (the video of the entire meeting is available here):

  • The description of the Housing Commission incorrectly implied that all five members currently serve five-year terms. In fact, three members are elected to three year terms and two members are appointed to five-year terms.
  • In that same section, a quote about how running for election to a town board or commission “is not for everyone” was misattributed to Select Board member Jim Hutchinson. It was actually Select Board member Jonathan Dwyer who made the remark.
  • Also, the description of how the proposed amendment to the motion came into being was not sufficiently detailed. In a March 27 email to the Squirrel, Housing Commisson member Allen Vander Meulen wrote that Town Counsel Joel Bard “proposed we craft an amendment that addressed Sara [Mattes’s] concerns — and he did so with my thanks and approval. My intent was to propose the amendment should Sara’s concerns be raised and an amendment actually proposed, while making it clear I personally did not support it, which is exactly what I did.” That paragraph has been reworded in the original article.
  • The paragraph on accessory apartments mischaracterized the differing requirements for apartments within the main dwelling vs. in a separate accessory structure. The change approved at Town Meeting allows homeowners to create an accessory apartment by right within the main dwelling as long as they follow the rest of the bylaw’s requirements. Accessory apartments in accessory buildings (a small separate building) do still require a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
  • In the paragraph after the “Fond farewells” subhead, the name of Bobbie Miles, who is retiring as longtime director of the Lincoln Public Library, was omitted.
In the March 25 “News Acorns,” the wrong link to register for the talk on vegetable gardening in containers was given. The correct link is lincolngardenclub.org.
 
 

Annual Town Meeting is (mostly) controversy-free

(Editor’s note: This article was updated on March 27 to reflect several corrections.)

Lincoln’s Annual Town Meeting on March 25 sailed along with little discussion and quick approvals of dozens of warrant articles — until the very last one.

Article 31 asked voters to approve a petition to the state legislature to change the Housing Commission makeup from five members to seven, all of whom would be appointed by the Select Board. Currently the commission has five members — three elected and two appointed as non-voting liaisons from the Council on Aging & Human Services and the cohort of affordable housing residents. The measure also sought to change the term of office from the current five years to rotating three-year terms.

  • Town Meeting links including article list, warrant, consent calendar, motions, annual report

Running for election to a town board or commission “is not for everyone,” Select Board member Jonathan Dwyer said. Making all members appointed rather than elected and shortening the term of office would “make the on-ramp easier for people to participate.”

The measure “doesn’t take the people’s voice out of peoples hands” because any housing policy changes would still need Town Meeting approval, Housing Commission Chair Rachel Drew said. But several residents spoke out against the idea of having the entire commission appointed. “I would be a lot more comfortable” in keeping some members elected,” Barbara Low said. 

“It’s sending a message that we do not trust the voters, though I do not think that was intentional at all and not what was compelling this,” said Sara Mattes. She proposed an amendment increasing the membership to nine, with seven appointed and two elected. Vander Meulen responded by saying that Mattes had spoken with him and Rachel Drew before the meeting and thanked her. He added that he had worked with Town Counsel Joel Bard to draw up an amendment that addressed Mattes’s concerns, calling for a group of up to seven members (four appointed and three elected). Mattes agreed to use the proposed language in place of her own amendment’s wording.

However, more disagreement arose because the bylaw would still specify the old composition of the board, and the Town Meeting measure would have only authorized the Select Board to work with the legislature to amend the law. “That takes it very far from the voters,” said Bob Domnitz.

“We should go to the legislature with the bylaw we want to submit, not one that needs to be fixed. This feels like it’s getting a little lazy here,” said Stephen Binder. A voice vote on whether to accept the amendment was inconclusive, leading to a standing vote. Residents in the auditorium and gum rejected the amendment by a margin of three votes, and the original motion passed with about a dozen “no” votes.

Fond farewells

Before that final article, the most notable aspect of the Town Meeting was acknowledging the retirements of several fixtures among town officialdom: Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall, Town Counsel Joel Bard, Lincoln-Sudbury Superintendent/Principal Bella Wong, Lincoln Public Library Director Barbara Myles, and longtime Water Commission member Ruth Ann Hendrickson, who also received the annual Bright Light Award.

Hutchinson praised Hendrickson’s “ability to calmly and reassuringly give not great news to the public” during a time of Water Department turmoil and rate hikes, as well as her “scientific background, curiosity, and devotion to public service, which included memberships on several other boards in past years. Hendrickson donated the $500 stipend to the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry.

An emotional McFall thanked the many School Committee members, faculty, and teacher’s union representatives she worked with over the past 11 years. “I can honestly say that working here in Lincoln is the greatest honor and privilege of my career,” she said. “I will forever consider myself part of Lincoln and am just grateful for the opportunities I’ve had.”

Other Town Meeting highlights
  • Every spending measure was unanimously approved, as was a larger-than-usual transfer from free cash to the debt stabilization fund of $1.64 million, bringing the fund to a new total of more than $5 million. The fund will play an important part in defraying the cost of a future community center. “This is the most exciting item on the consent calendar,” said former Finance Committee Chair Peyton Marshall. “$1.6 million is not trivial.”
  • Voters approved adopting the Specialized Energy Code (Article 29), which goes further than the current “stretch code” for environmentally friendly construction, and adopted rules (Article 30) that prohibit new buildings and major renovation projects that are not fossil fuel-free, with some exceptions. The second measure makes Lincoln one of 10 “demonstration” towns in Massachusetts designated by the legislature. Click here for links to more information about Articles 29 and 30.
  • Changes intended to encourage more accessory apartments were approved. Residents may now create accessory apartments within their main dwelling by right as long as they follow the rest of the bylaw’s rules. Accessory apartments in small separate buildings still require approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals. The amended law also requires a parking space for the apartment and prohibits split ownership of the property to prevent condo conversion.
  • Several articles on the warrant were passed over:
    • Article 23 — motion to rescind a Water Department bond authorization,
    • Article 25 — motion to amend the wording about cluster development proponents being required to give the town and/or the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust interests in land as part of the approval process. “We decided law was adequate and no changes are needed,” Planning Board Chair Bob Domnitz said.
    • Article 27 — motion to amend zoning rules to allow certain residential, business and mixed uses by right in the Lewis Street/Doherty’s area. “The Planning Board has recognized for some time that the zoning for the B2 business district needs updating,” Domnitz said. However, in August the state issued revised guidelines to the Housing Choice Act that could affect that area, so the Planning Board will wait until the town has an “integrated plan” for whether it will comply with the HCA and whether the B2 district will be part of that plan. 
    • Article 32 — motion regarding the proposed property tax circuit breaker that requires authorization from the legislature,

Spending requests detailed in Town Meeting warrant

The FY 2024 total proposed budget for the town is up by 2.7% over this year’s figure, though the final amount for Lincoln School spending won’t be publicly known until the Annual Town Meeting (ATM) on Saturday, March 25.

Voter check-in for the ATM begins at 8:30 a.m. and the meeting will start at 9:30 a.m. in the Donaldson Auditorium and Todd Lecture Hall. Masks are optional in those areas, though they will be required for those who wish to sit in the nearby Reed Gym. For the first time this year, attendees may ask questions and vote from the gym in addition to seeing a livestream of the proceedings. Lunches prepared by Twisted Tree will be available for purchase in the Dining Commons.

According to the ATM Financial Section and Warrant posted on the town website and mailed to residents, the original K-8 education budget called for an increase of $692,301 or 5.5%. That request included “a new level service to address the needs of students post pandemic” — hiring 3.5 FTE (full-time equivalent) instructional coaches at the Lincoln and Hanscom Schools.

However, after the warrant was printed, Lincoln Public Schools revised its budget request downward by $194,000. The warrant notes on page 26 that since the hiring of incoming Superintendent of Schools Parry Graham, retiring Superintendent Becky McFall had withdrawn the request for the new coaches. The Finance Committee will recommend that the $194,000 be added to this year’s contribution to the town’s debt stabilization fund instead.

The School Committee also included an added 1% in its budget request for contract negotiations with the teachers’ union, but the actual cost won’t be known until a new contract is signed.

The public hearing on the budget held in February can be viewed here (the presentation starts at around 56:00) and a March 20 online Q&A session with the FinCom can be viewed here.

Cash capital

The FinCom is proposing cash capital expenditures totaling $661,376, plus $138,705 for town and school maintenance (Articles, 15, and 16 on page 10-11 of the warrant). In a separate measure, voters will be asked to add $520,000 to a revolving fund to enable the town to purchase a new ambulance. The cash capital items include a new police car, a DPW pickup truck and trash compactor, and school emergency radios.

Community Preservation Committee

The Community Preservation Committee is requesting $856,353 in Article 10 (page 14), down from $1.18 million in this year’s budget. Debt service for the town office building renovation and the Wang property and athletic field account for almost half that figure, while repairs and upgrades on properties owned by the Housing Commission total $245,500.

Water Department

The Water Department has benefited from federal ARPA (Covid-19 relief) funding and is planning to stay within the 2.5% annual budget increase as recommended by the FinCom. The department is requesting $278,411 for capital expenses in Article 22. Of that, $210,411 would come from bonding and the rest from retained earnings.

Projects that were previously funded but are still in process include replacing the Tower Road well, repairing the Bedford Road storage tank cover, and evaluating the emergency interconnect with Wayland. Bidding for the first two projects will take place this spring.

Energy-efficiency amendments among zoning proposal at Town Meeting

Five zoning measures — including a more energy-efficient town building code and a rule that would require new buildings and major renovation projects to be fossil fuel free — will be up for votes at the Annual Town Meeting on March 25.

Article 30 will ask Lincoln to adopt the new Specialized Municipal Opt-in Code released by the Department of Energy Resources in September that includes building performance standards designed to help the state meet its goal of 50% greenhouse gas emissions reduction from the 1990 baseline levels by 2030. Adopting the code is optional for Lincoln, which otherwise will be governed by an updated version of the so-called “stretch code” that took effect here in January.

The stretch code requires new buildings to be more energy-efficient and includes incentives — but does not mandate — that they be all-electric. The Specialized Code would go further by increasing those incentives and allowing an effective date about six months sooner. In either case, fossil fuels could still be used if the structure meets even stricter energy efficiency requirements.

Article 31 would build on the Specialized Code but go further by generally removing the option to use fossil fuels. If approved, it would let Lincoln participate in the state’s Fossil Fuel Free Demonstration Program. As such, the town could require all new buildings and major renovations to be fossil fuel free for building permits issued starting January 1, 2024.

The term “fossil fuel free” means that the entire building or condominium unit does not utilize coal, oil, natural gas and similar natural and synthetic hydrocarbons for heating, cooking, gas fireplaces, and other indoor systems after construction is complete. However, backup electric generators and outdoor gas grills that use propane tanks would still be permitted.

Another measure aims to encourage more accessory apartments in Lincoln. Article 26 would allow accessory apartments by right within the principal dwelling unit. It would also streamline the permitting process for an accessory apartment in an accessory structure by no longer requiring the Planning Board to make a recommendation on each application to the Zoning Board of Appeals. The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the proposal on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. Click here for the Zoom link (passcode: 062640).

Other zoning matters on the agenda at Town Meeting:

  • The current zoning bylaw requires those proposing a cluster development to give the town and/or the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust interest in land as part of the approval process. An amendment up for a vote would revise the language to a second option: having the land subject to a use restriction enforceable by the town or a nonprofit organization whose principal purpose is the conservation of open space (details here).
  • A change to bring the town’s zoning requirements in line with federal law by allowing modifications or additions of wireless equipment that qualify as “eligible facilities requests” (details here).

The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on those two proposals on Tuesday, March 14 at 7 p.m. Click here for the Zoom link (passcode: 362874)

  • Adding 58 Bedford Rd. to the town’s Historic District.

Upcoming town election has crowded ballot in two races

(Editor’s note: This list was updated on March 10, 2023.)

The nomination papers are in, and two of the races — School Committee and Planning Board — each have four candidates running for two seats.

On the School Committee slate, incumbent Tara Mitchell is stepping down and Adam Hogue is running for reelection, but newcomers Peter Buchthal, Jacob Lehrhoff, and Matina Madrick are also in the running. Lynn DeLisi and Robert Domnitz are hoping to retain their seats on the Planning Board, but Mark Levinson and Craig Nicholson will be on the ballot as well.

The annual town election takes place on Monday, March 27 from 7:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. in the Reed Gym. The last day to submit a vote-by-mail application or absentee ballot application is Monday, March 20. For more information, call the Town Clerk’s office at 781-259-2607.

Board or CommitteeOpenings/termsIncumbent(s)
Board of AssessorsOne (three years)Ellen Meadors*
Board of Health
One (three years)Frederick L. Mansfield*
Board of SelectmenOne (three years)Kim Bodnar
Cemetery CommissionOne (three years)Manley Boyce*
Commissioners of Trust FundsOne (three years)D. Paul Fitzgerald*
Housing CommissionTwo (three years and two years)Julie Brogan (2-year)
Neil Feinberg (3-year)
ModeratorOne (three years)Sarah Cannon Holden*
Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School CommitteeTwo (three years each)Ravi Simon (Sudbury)
Lucy Maulsby (Lincoln)
Parks and Recreation CommitteeOne (three years)Robert Stringer*
Planning BoardTwo (three years each)Lynn DeLisi*
Mark Levinson
Craig Nicholson
School CommitteeTwo (three years each)Peter Buchthal
Adam Hogue*
Jacob Lehrhoff
Matina Madrick
Trustees of BemisOne (three years)Rachel Marie Schachter
Water CommissionThree (one for three years, one for two years, one for one year)• Patrick Lawler (1-year term)
• Matthew Bio (interim, running for 3-year term)
• Steve Gladstone (interim, running for 2-year term)

* incumbent running for reelection

Rep. Gentile meets and greets Lincoln residents

Rep. Carmine Gentile

State Rep. Carmine (13th Middlesex) held a meet-and-green session for Lincoln residents on Saturday, Jan. 21 where be voiced support for free public higher education in Massachusetts, more psychiatric hospital beds for children, and a measure authorizing pharmacists to provide opioid use disorder treatment. Among the other 39 bills filed by Gentile at the start of the current legislative session last week were acts authorizing the town of Lincoln to establish a means-tested senior citizen property tax exemption program and to establish a fee for checkout bags. Lincoln voted to seek approval for the property tax program at Town Meeting in 2021.

Gentile will hold virtual office hours for constituents (which include residents of southwestern Lincoln in Precinct 1) on Friday, Jan. 27. Meetings will take place via Microsoft Teams video call from 10 a.m.–noon. Any constituent who wishes to speak to him may sign up for a 20-minute time slot by emailing his legislative aide, Ravi Simon (a Lincoln resident), at ravi.simon@mahouse.gov. Constituents signing up for a meeting must provide their full name, address, phone number, email, and their discussion topic. 

Deadlines coming up to file for local election, citizen’s petitions

Residents interested in running for local office in the March 29 town election are now free to pull nomination papers, and the deadline for doing so is Wednesday, Feb. 1. The deadline to file those papers with the requisite 33 resident signatures is Friday, Feb. 3. Citizens’ petitions for the Annual Town Meeting two days before the election must be filed by the end of this month.

As of January 6, two incumbents have publicly stated that they are not running for reelection: Jonathan Dwyer (Select Board) and Michelle Barnes (Water Commission). School Building Committee vice chair Kim Bodnar has announced her candidacy for Select Board.

The Water Commission will have two openings in March. Matthew Bio has been appointed to fill the remainder of the term of Ruth Ann Hendrickson, who recently resigned, and he has said he plans to run for a full term. Patrick “Packy” Lawler, who was on the commission from 2013-2019, said on January 5 that he was “90% sure” he would also run for one of the open seats.

The deadline for submitting citizens’ petitions for the March 25 Annual Town Meeting is Monday, Jan. 30 at noon. Citizens who may be considering sponsoring a Town Meeting petition are strongly urged to contact the Town Clerk’s Office (781-259-2607 or foxv@lincolntown.org) for guidance about the process. The office will contact those identified as lead petitioners to ensure coordination to prepare for the discussions and presentations that will occur in advance of Town Meeting.

This table listing the status of some of the incumbents is current as of January 9, 2023:

Board or CommitteeOpenings/termsIncumbent(s)
Board of AssessorsOne (three years)Ellen Meadors
Board of Health
One (three years)Frederick L. Mansfield
Board of SelectmenOne (three years)Jonathan Dwyer (not running again)
Cemetery CommissionOne (three years)Manley Boyce
Commissioners of Trust FundsOne (three years)D. Paul Fitzgerald
Housing CommissionTwo (three years each)Victoria Benalfew (not running again), Rakesh Kharmacharya (recently resigned)
ModeratorOne (three years)Sarah Cannon Holden
Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School CommitteeTwo (three years each)Candace Miller
Harold Engstrom
Parks and Recreation CommitteeOne (three years)Robert Stringer
Planning BoardTwo (three years each)Lynn DeLisi, Robert Domnitz
School CommitteeTwo (three years each)Tara Lynn Mitchell (not running again), Adam Hogue
Trustees of BemisOne (three years)Heather Ring
Water CommissionThree (one for three years, one for two years, one for one year)Michelle Barnes (not running again), Matthew Bio (interim, running for full term)
Steve Gladstone (interim, running for full term)