By Alice Waugh
Pot or not? That was one of the questions on the State of the Town Meeting agenda after a company inquired about opening a medical marijuana dispensary in Lincoln, and the opinions were far from unanimous.
[Read more…] about Differing opinions on marijuana dispensary in Lincoln
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the date originally given for the 2016 town election and to clarify the process for changing the election date.
By Alice Waugh
Residents unanimously approved changing the date of the annual Town Meeting to make sure it always occurs before the town election. The vote came at a Special Town Meeting sandwiched inside the State of the Town Meeting on November 14.
Before the vote, town by-laws called for the Annual Town Meeting to take place on the Saturday before the last Monday in March and the town election two days later; if Town Meeting would fall on the day before Easter Sunday, it would instead take place a week later. The latter situation has not come up in recent memory—but it will in 2016. This means that Town Meeting would have to take place after the election, where voters would be casting ballots on issues they normally might have discussed at Town Meeting two days earlier.
“That doesn’t really fit today’s reality. If there was something important on the election ballot, voters would be better informed if there were Town Meeting beforehand,” Selectman Noah Eckhouse said.
Voters agreed on Saturday to change the wording of the bylaw to say that, in years where Town Meeting would fall on Easter weekend, the meeting would be rescheduled for a week earlier rather than a week later.
As a result, next year’s Annual Town Meeting, which was originally scheduled for March 26, will now take place on March 19 and the town election on March 28. Easter falls on March 27, 2016.
Ideally, both Town Meeting and the town election would occur a week later than usual if Easter was on the day after Town Meeting, but this isn’t possible because the town election includes voting for the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee. Officials hope to work with their Sudbury counterparts to reopen the regional school district agreement, which specifies the election date, Selectman Renel Fredriksen noted. Changing the regional agreement will require Town Meeting approval by both towns.
“We needed to get this done now. Sudbury is a complicated process,” Selectman Peter Braun said. “This will impact only next year at this point.”
To the editor:
We are about to engage in an important community conversation: The annual State of the Town meeting on Saturday Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Your participation is key to helping shape our future.
In an effort to expand opportunities for citizens to hear the current thinking of town boards and to provide feedback and guidance as elected and appointed officials shape ideas and budgets, the Lincoln Board of Selectmen introduced the State of the Town (SoTT) in 2002. The concept won state awards for innovation and has become a tradition for our town. The success of State of the Town is dependent on engaged citizens, such as you and our town officials.
The recent chatter on LincolnTalk about the proposed new building for Minuteman High School is evidence that there is a very engaged citizenry. The State of the Town will be a critical forum to have all of us in one room sharing ideas and concerns about size, location and budget of the Minuteman proposal.
Also on the agenda is a discussion of zoning bylaw revisions. It is important to have many voices in this forum. At last year’s Town Meeting, a lot of time was spent trying to shape a highly technical bylaw through the amendment process. This wasn’t the best venue for that conversation. By introducing potential zoning bylaw additions and revisions at SoTT, all will have an opportunity to comment and guide drafting before we get to Town Meeting.
Perhaps the most critical issue to discuss will be the concepts that will be presented by the Campus Master Planning Committee (CMPC). At last year’s State of the Town, a packed auditorium discussed the concept of a community center, making it clear that such a center was highly desirable and that it belonged on the Lincoln School campus. The center, along with the schools, will tie together all generations and will create “the heart of Lincoln.”
The CMPC was endorsed at last Town Meeting in order to create a holistic approach to campus planning and further the evolution of community campus. While it was a near-unanimous endorsement to locate a community center on the campus, the exact locations of the center and all buildings to serve schools have yet to be determined.
Of great interest will be how to best configure the buildings on the campus to meet the needs of our community while also respecting the campus itself, its history, and its environment. Much has been explored at the various public forums hosted by the CMPC during October, and the SoTT will provide a larger audience with an opportunity to hear and respond to exciting potential approaches to the layout of the Ballfield Road campus in the future.
And last but not least, State of the Town offers an opportunity for citizens to comment and/or ask questions about any town-related matter. This is “one-stop shopping” for citizens who cannot make multiple board meetings and hearings. All issues will be available for discussion under one roof and in one morning.
Do not miss this opportunity to engage with your friends and neighbors in a unique community conversation. Come to State of the Town on Saturday, Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Brooks auditorium on the Lincoln School campus.
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 must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, 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.
By Alice Waugh
They say you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, but you might be able to make cheap electricity from garbage—or at least from land on top of garbage.
One of the discussion topics at Saturday’s State of the Town meeting is the idea of putting solar panels on the closed landfill next to the transfer station. If a proposal from Boston-based BlueWave Capital comes to fruition, a solar installation on the site could produce more than 50 percent of Lincoln’s municipal electricity use, according to members of Lincoln’s Green Energy Technology Committee (GETC), which has been studying the idea.
BlueWave has been working with 17 area towns to identify potential sites for solar installations, and the best site they found in Lincoln is the landfill, GETC members explained at the October 19 Board of Selectmen meeting in preparation for the State of the Town. A solar array on the landfill site could generate anywhere from 650 kW to 980 kW, which today would amount to 56 percent of municipal electricity (i.e., power for public schools, town-owned buildings and streetlights).
The town would pay about 12.5 cents per kWh (kilowatt hour) for 20 years with no escalation, compared to the current price of 18-29 cents per kWh depending on the time of year.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity,” said GETC member Paul O’Neil.
A proposal for a 650 kW solar array on the town landfill.
But there are many regulatory and legal issues that would have to be resolved before any of this can happen. For example, when the landfill was closed in 1995, the state helped fund the closure in exchange for a promise by Lincoln to restrict future use of the land to open space and conservation, so the state legislature would have to approve an amendment to that restriction.
“Lincoln being who we are, we’ve tightened the screws as much as possible to make it challenging to shift anything,” said GETC member John Snell.
Other legal and policy issues include the lease agreement for the land, possible payment in lieu of taxes for use of the site, the opinions of abutters including the National Park Service, and a “complex web” of federal and state tax credits and deadlines, said Town Administrator Tim Higgins. Lincoln voters will be asked to vote on one or more warrant articles at Town Meeting in spring 2016.
Several other area towns including Acton, Concord, Maynard, Sudbury and Weston have already completed or signed contracts for solar development of town-owned land, GETC member Jennifer Morris said. Capacities range from 1.2 mW in Maynard to 2.25 mW in Weston.
By their very nature, solar arrays need sizable chunks of open space, which Lincoln has in abundance relative to its population, O’Neil noted. In Lincoln, there are about 1.6 acres of protected open space per household, compared to 0.7 acres in Weston, for example.
“That’s what makes us distinct, and we appreciate that and want to protect it,” O’Neil said.
But a solar array obviously also changes the nature of the land it sits on, potentially putting the desire for open space and the desire for renewable energy at odds with each other.
“It’s appropriate to put this in front of the town to ask, do you want renewable energy and should we use some of what we all share” to make it happen, O’Neil said.
Bike found outside Clark GalleryIs this bike yours? It was found unlocked outside the Clark Gallery in late October and sat outside for several days. If you think it’s yours, email Joshua Jade at mister_jade@hotmail.com or stop by the gallery in the Mall at Lincoln Station.
State Rep. David Linsky, contributor to the new Massachusetts Gun Safety Law, will be the guest speaker at the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee meeting on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. in Bemis Hall. The meeting focusing on gun laws will discuss the status of Massachusetts legislation as a national model and the Brady Campaign’s Ask Campaign aimed at keeping children safe from guns in the home, as well as a court decision on recent New York and Connecticut gun safety laws. Also on the agenda: the possibility of submitting a citizens’ petition supporting development of national gun safety laws to the 2016 Town Meeting. The public is always welcome to LDTC meetings.
Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School’s student-run a capella group Accent and Tufts University’s Beelzebubs will appear on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the L-S Kirschner Auditorium. The Bubs are known for singing backup songs on the popular TV series Glee. In 2012, they won Best Collegiate a Cappella Album and Best All-Male Collegiate a Cappella Song. Tickets are $10 at the door.
Erika Reitshamer presents a multimedia program about Turandot, Puccini’s final opera, on Sunday, Nov. 15 from 2-3:30 p.m at the Lincoln Public Library. Reitshamer, born and educated in Germany, was instrumental in the founding of the Boston Lyric Opera and served as vice president of the Wagner Society of Boston for nine years. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.
The Birches School in Lincoln, an independent K-6 school offering vigorous interdisciplinary academics within a mindful, nurturing environment, will host an open house on Sunday, Nov. 15 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at 14 Bedford Rd. (the Stone Church). Birches affords close, daily contact with nature and conducts many of its thematic inquiry-based units outdoors.
By Alice Waugh
Is Lincoln going to pot? Not just yet, though residents will have chance to talk about it at the State of the Town meeting on November 14.
The Board of Selectmen decided to open up the topic of cultivating or selling medicinal marijuana in Lincoln after being approached by Dr. Stephanie Lipton of New England Wellspring, a firm that has been talking to several other towns in addition to Lincoln about possible dispensary sites. Before the state Department of Public Health (DPH) will consider issuing a license to dispense or grow marijuana, the applicant must first have in hand a letter of support (or at least non-opposition) from the town government.
No specific sites in Lincoln have been discussed. “The town has not been engaged in any formal negotiations with New England Wellspring, but we have had a number of informal, exploratory conversations,” said Selectman Noah Eckhouse.
“Our board thought long and hard about what we would do if formally approached by an applicant for such a letter. Should it really just be our decision? We concluded that we’d much prefer to have some broader guidance from the town on this issue,” he said.
The issues of siting, hours and security would certainly arise, as would the possibility of the town negotiating its own fiscal arrangement with an operator. “The conversation at State of the Town is intended to inform the selectmen and other land use boards about Lincoln’s view on these topics, so that we can act with the best interests and assessment of the town,” Eckhouse said.
In July, Acton selectmen voted unanimously to approve a letter of non-opposition for a potential cultivating and distribution facility for New England Wellspring, while Needham voted in September to deny a similar request.
Also last month, Weston authorized a letter of non-opposition for the company to open a medical marijuana dispensary in office space at 104 Boston Post Rd. near the intersection with I-95. New England Wellspring told the Weston officials that if everything is approved by the state, the Weston site would sell marijuana grown in Acton and the Weston site would have 24/7 security and be used primarily for distribution via home delivery, accepting a handful of walk-in patients each day by appointment only.
The Weston approval included the caveat that the site may not be used for distribution of recreational marijuana in the event that becomes legal in Massachusetts. This could be an issue if organizers collect enough signatures to put the question on the statewide ballot in 2016.
Lipton is also co-owner of A House Call Vets, a veterinary practice that offers in-home care. She told the Lincoln Squirrel in an email that she had no comment “until we are further along in the application process pending DPH consideration.”
The state’s first medical marijuana dispensary opened in Salem in June. The DPH has also issued retail permits for sites in Brockton and Northhampton.
CorrectionsCelebrate Halloween on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 5:30 p.m. with the Friends of Minuteman National Park at the annual Spooky Colonial Tales, lantern walk and singalongs featuring the Lincoln Public Library’s Sally Kindleberger. Meet at Hartwell Tavern (off Route 2A opposite the intersection with Bedford Road). Suggested donation for mini lanterns: $5 per person or $10 per family. This activity is best for children age 8 and under. See the October 11 Lincoln Squirrel for other Halloween events for kids of all ages.
The First Parish Church will host a pizza potluck and pumpkin carving party on Sunday, Oct. 25 in the Parish House at 14 Bedford Rd. from 5:30-8 p.m. Bring your favorite pizza to share or make a donation toward purchased pizzas. Bring your pumpkin, carving tools, and newspaper. All ages and families invited. This event is sponsored by the church’s Youth Program Committee. For more information, email Kathy Cronin.
A hat found near Doherty’s (click for larger view).
Found: a colorful, soft hand-knit hat found near Doherty’s Garage parking lot. If this hat belongs to you or your child, please call Alessandra at 508-314-2194.
Where do L-S students feel bullying is taking place at school? How many L-S students are smoking e-cigarettes? Who is at greater risk for engaging in self-harming behaviors? How many L-S students feel that they lives are “very stressful”? How many L-S students are driving after smoking marijuana? These questions and more will be addressed at the World Cafe discussion regarding the 2014 MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey on Wednesday, Oct. 28 in the L-S cafeteria at 7:30 p.m. There will be an introduction to the survey results and then L-S students will help facilitate topic-based table discussions.
Lincoln’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) is seeking new members for open seats on the board. The ZBA is a land use board that interprets and applies the town’s zoning bylaw. It acts on a case-by-case basis on requests for variances, special permits, and appeals of decisions by the building inspector, considering the impact on the town and neighborhoods and the requirements of the bylaws. The board, which has five regular members and three associate members, generally meets one evening a month. For information or an application, please visit this Town of Lincoln volunteer web page or call the Selectmen’s Office at 781-259-2601.
Residents will have an opportunity to lean about and discuss several front-and-center Lincoln issues at the State of the Town meeting on Saturday, Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Brooks auditorium. Agenda items will be:
The morning will also include a very brief Special Town Meeting to vote on a proposed bylaw amendment that would ensure that Lincoln’s Annual Town Meeting always occurs in advance of its Annual Town Election.
The Lincoln Squirrel will have more information on some of these topics in the coming weeks.
To the editor:
The legislative bill H3127 (“An Act for a U.S. Constitutional Amendment and Amendments Convention”), which was endorsed by overwhelming vote at Lincoln’s Town Meeting earlier this year, will have its legislative committee hearing on Wednesday, Oct. 28 before the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs. The hearing will begin at 1:30 p.m. in State House hearing room A2.
The “We the People Act” calls on the Massachusetts Legislature to support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution saying that the rights it protects are those of natural persons only—not corporations or other artificial entities—and that political contributions and expenditures are not protected free speech and can be limited by Congress and the states. Furthermore, if the US Congress fails to propose an amendment, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is on record for requesting an Article V constitutional convention for the purpose of proposing such an amendment.
Its passage will make Massachusetts the fifth state to request an Article V convention with the goal of limiting corporate political power and big money politics. Lincoln residents may wish to contact State Sen. Michael Barrett and State Rep. Tom Stanley to reiterate their support for this bill.
It’s not often that voters actually see progress in bills they have supported, but this is one of those rare times that progress is actually being made in front of our very eyes.
Sincerely,
Gary Davis (chair, Lincoln Democratic Town Committee)
20R Indian Camp Lane
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, 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.
A map showing which parts of the campus were built at different times (click to enlarge).
By Alice Waugh
If a community center is built on the Hartwell campus, more parking will be needed, but creating a new entrance from Lincoln Road on the south side of the site probably won’t be necessary, according to an interim report by the Campus Master Planning Committee consultants.
Because both a school project and a community center are being contemplated on the Ballfield Road campus, the CMPC was formed to study the basic infrastructure and physical layout of the campus and assess the capacity of the existing infrastructure (buildings, roadways, septic systems, etc.) to support future uses. [Read more…] about No major obstacles to putting community center on campus, consultant says