government

News acorns – 2/4/15

February 4, 2015

“Dusk at Flint’s Field” by Susan Richards (click to enlarge image).

Lincoln’s Richards wins art prize

Susan Richards of Lincoln was one of eight winners in the Concord Art Association‘s Members Juried 1 painting and sculpture show that runs through February 15. She was recognized for her painting entitled “Dusk at Flint’s Field.” Click here for details on the exhibit and images of other entries.

Film screening of The Holy Mountain on Feb. 5

Consider the deCordova exhibition Walden, revisited in connection with its cinematic inspirations! Watch and discuss The Holy Mountain, a Mexican-American avant-garde film about what greed can do to the modern world, at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5. This film was selected by Walden, revisited artist William Lamson. The screening will be followed by a staff-led discussion. Light refreshments provided. Doors open at 6 p.m. This program is free for all visitors.

Valentine’s Day ceramics for couples

Celebrate Valentine’s Day at the deCordova Museum and Sculpture Park on February 13 or 14 with an evening of ceramics activity for couples. During “Date Night with Clay,” work as a team on the wheel, decorating clay “hearts,” or building your own signature romantic sculpture. The workshop includes wine, refreshments, materials and tools for building, firing services, and 1.5 hours of instruction and assistance in building and decorating a unique Valentine’s Day gift. All levels welcome; no ceramic experience necessary. For ages 21+. Please note: Although clay won’t permanently stain garments, participants are encouraged to bring a change of clothes or wear protective garments if dinner arrangements are planned before or after the workshop.

Sessions will be held on Friday, Feb.13 and Saturday, Feb. 14 from 6–8 p.m.The cost is $65 per couple for members or $75 per couple for nonmembers. Limit 10 couples per session. Advance registration is required; click here for details and online registration.

College scholarships available from Lincoln Scholarship Committee

The Lincoln Scholarship Committee’s scholarship and awards application process is now open for 2015. The organization offers funding to Lincoln resident senior high school students who are planning on attending an institution of higher education following graduation. For more information and an application for one-year needs-based scholarships, the four-year Ogden Codman Scholarship and Codman Opportunity Scholarship, and the Fannie Campbell Academic and Sumner Smith Community Service awards, go to this Town of Lincoln webpage. The deadline for applicants is 3 p.m. on Monday, April 6 by mail, email or in person as indicated in the application instructions.

Please note that while the Lincoln Scholarship Committee has a similar name and mission to the Lincoln-Sudbury Scholarship Fund Dollars for Scholars, the LSC is a separate organization and requires applicants to complete a different application form. An application to each of the two groups is necessary to be eligible for the various scholarships and awards offered by the two organizations.

Water Commission still looking for a member

The Water Commission is seeking a resident to fill out the congenial three-member group, which has a small time commitment (about two hours a month) and requires no technical background. Meeting times can be set at the convenience of the new member since the two current members have flexible schedules. Anyone who wants to run, even as a write-in candidate, should call the Town Clerk for instructions at 781-259-2607.

News acorns – 1/20/15

January 20, 2015

Route 128 to be topic of HATS forum

The Hanscom Area Towns Committee (HATS) will have a roundtable meeting about concerns relating to Route 128 on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Town Office Building.

Among those invited are Alyssa Sandoval, Bedford’s economic development coordinator; Stephanie Cronin, executive director of the Middlesex 3 Transportation Management Association; a Middlesex 3 Shuttle Service representative; Melisa Tintocalis, Lexington’s economic development director; area legislators including Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy and State Reps. Tom Stanley and Ken Gordon; commuter program leaders from Hanscom Air Force Base; and representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the 128 Business Council.

Although HATS (which is chaired by Lincoln Selectman Peter Braun) focuses primarily on the Hanscom Air Force Base and MassPort-operated Hanscom Air Field, it also focuses sometimes on other regional concerns such as 128 traffic and development that impacts the area. HATS. Recent articles on the subject can be found here, here and here.

Founder of “Frontline” to speak at Bemis

David Fanning, creator of the acclaimed PBS series Frontline, will speak at Bemis Hall on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 4 p.m. His talk, entitled “The Making of Frontline,” will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the series—how it came to be, the battles fought, the controversies stirred, high points and low, and prospects for the future in a rapidly changing media landscape.

Fanning launched Frontline at host station WGBH in 1983 and has been its executive producer and guiding hand ever since. Under his care, Frontline has become the most enduring and honored investigative documentary series on American television, and Fanning himself was recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

The event is part of the Bemis Free Lecture Series. For more information, email bemislectures@gmail.com.

Letter to the editor: Fredriksen running again

January 17, 2015

To the editor:

I am writing to announce my candidacy for reelection to a second term on the Board of Selectmen. It has been an interesting three years and an exciting time to be on the board.

The primary role of the Selectmen is to carry out the will of the town. We do not set policy, but rather assist the town in making informed decisions, as well as assuring that these decisions are carried out. I find all of this to be challenging and, when we get it right, very rewarding. This is not to say that the board does not make decisions throughout the year; of course we do. But these decisions are often in the details: committee appointments, public safety, and how to best present choices to the town.

During these three years, I have been involved in the development of the new town web site, I serve on the Community Center Study Committee, and I am liaison to the land use boards as well as the Council on Aging, School Building Advisory Committee, and others This has given me a great deal of perspective about the many faces of Lincoln.

Major challenges facing Lincoln in the short term include potential changes to the school campus. Will we begin to renovate or rebuild our K-8 school soon? Will we design and build a new community center? Is a campus master plan a good first step? Some of these questions will be put to you at our March Town Meeting. Whatever direction Town Meeting takes us in, I hope to continue to be part of that process as your Selectman.

We are all in this together; it is everyone’s responsibility to be informed and participate in the process, with your voice and with your vote. With your support, I will continue to listen, and to use my best judgement in making decisions placed before the board and representing the residents of Lincoln.

Sincerely,

Renel Fredriksen
Trapelo Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrrel.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.

School architects present final report; warrant articles mulled

January 15, 2015

By Alice Waugh

Reporting on results from previous school building forums, architects noted that residents seem to be converging on a “price point” of $35 million to $40 million for the town’s net spending on a school project.

At the fourth and final School Building Advisory Committee public forum on the school building project on January 12, consultants from Dore & Whittier recapped the previously presented three families of renovation and construction options and their estimated prices (see the Lincoln Squirrel, Dec. 8, 2014):

Option 1 – facilities needs only: $12–$29 million
Option 2 – facilities needs plus “a la carte” educational enhancements: $29–$47 million
Option 3 – facilities needs plus comprehensive educational enhancements: $54–$66 million

The architects added a seventh choice to the Option 2 family called Option 2G, which is the same as 2F but without $7.7 million in deferred facilities work such as a girls’ locker room in Reed Gym, improvements to playing fields, paving and curbing, etc. Option 2G would cost an estimated $39.9 million, said Jason Boone of Dore and Whittier.

At the State of the Town meeting in November and again this week, architects and school officials explained that Lincoln could apply to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) for funding to offset some of the project’s cost. The town could be eligible for a reimbursement of 35 to 40 percent, but only for a project that was approved and overseen by the MSBA. The agency will support only projects that meet all of a school’s demonstrated educational needs, which for Lincoln would mean one of the choices from Option 3 or perhaps an upper-end Option 2.

More than 76 percent of residents at the State of the Town expressed a preference for the Option 3 family, while 20 percent voted for Option 2 and 4 percent for Option 1.

Applying again for MSBA funding would also add at least 18 months to the project timeline and about $3.3 million in cost escalation associated with that delay, as well as a requirement to conform to the state’s requirements and procedures. The MSBA would also require another feasibility study as well as a “clear distinction” between the school project and a community center that might be built, said Jon Richardson of Dore & Whittier.

Homing in on options

Since state funding is far from certain, residents at the third SBAC forum in December were asked which specific project options they would support, depending on the MSBA situation. The options that received the most votes, along with the net costs to the town after a state reimbursement of 40 percent, were:

2E—without state funding ($36.9 million), 17 votes
2F—without state funding ($47.6 million), 17 votes; with state funding (Lincoln’s share would be $28.6 million), 7 votes
3B—without state funding ($55.8 million), 19 votes; with state funding (Lincoln’s share would be $33.5 million), 10 votes
3C—with state funding (Lincoln’s share would be $35.3 million), 44 votes

Option 2G, which was not one of the voting options at that forum but was discussed verbally, would cost about $39.9 million overall, or $23.9 million with state funding.

“What we came to realize is that there is a price point the town is maybe organizing around” of $35 to $40 million as the town’s net cost for a project, Boone said.

What will the MSBA say?

Although there is some uncertainty as to the state’s willingness to fund a project , “we feel that a well-crafted statement of interest and strong support from the town would lead the MSBA to reengage,” Richardson said. “Their primary interest is in successful projects. They would love to take what at the moment is an unsuccessful project and turn it back into a successful project.”

In 2013, the MSBA approved a reimbursement of $21 million for a $49 million project, but the pledge was withdrawn after voters failed to approve the project by a two-thirds majority at Town Meeting.

Applying for state funding “is not just filling out a form and hoping for the best. Lincoln has to find a way to demonstrate its support for an MSBA project,” said School Committee chair Jennifer Glass. The committee would therefore seek a two-thirds majority at Town Meeting this March and a simple majority at the ballot box on the question of whether to apply, as well as support from all town boards and commissions.

To submit a statement of interest to the MSBA, the School Committee and Board of Selectmen are not required to gather a two-thirds voter majority or have any town-wide vote at all, “but that’s not how we want to do this.” Glass said. “If we can’t get two-thirds now, when there isn’t any money on the table,” it will be even harder to do so once voters are asked to approve a specific expenditure, she added. “It is a risk but, it’s a self-imposed risk.”

Deciding on the questions

The School Committee must now come up with wording for Town Meeting warrant articles to find out whether voters want to (1) support a project with a net cost to the town of $30 million to $48 million, (2) reapply for MSBA funding, and (3) approve spending for a feasibility study. The cost of that study would depend on the results of the first two votes. Glass presented three possible ways to frame these questions. Her full presentation also included potential construction timelines that would vary according to the various voting outcomes, with construction beginning anywhere from fall 2016 to mid-2018.

Some residents at this week’s forum worried that the price range voters might be asked about ($30 to $45 million) is too broad, or that multiple questions would be too confusing.

Resident Sara Mattes suggested dividing the various questions between the regular Town Meeting in March and a special Town Meeting in June. “You’re going to really jam a Town Meeting, and it will be very complicated and people may get frustrated,” she said.

Asked about the impact on homeowners’ tax bills of the various options, Glass said that the Finance Committee was working on estimates. At the State of the Town meeting, the FinCom offered figures for estimated property tax increases ranging from 2.5 to 7.3 percent, or $321 to $2,254, based on the median tax bill of $12,503 in fiscal 2015. The estimates assumed different scenarios such as the amount borrowed ($10 million to $50 million), the interest rate (3.6 percent or 4.6 percent) and the time span of the bond (20 or 30 years).

News acorns – 1/12/15

January 12, 2015

Final School Building Advisory Committee forum on Jan. 13

At a School Building Advisory Committee public forum on Tuesday, Jan. 13 from 7-9 p.m. in Reed Gym, Dore & Whittier Architects will present a summary of the work carried out this fall related to the development of renovation options to address the facility and educational needs of the Lincoln School. Also at the meeting, information will be shared and solicited regarding the Town Meeting presentation and possible warrant articles. The last public forum was held in December (see the Lincoln Squirrel, Dec. 9, 2014).

Chimney scam alert

The Lincoln Police Department would like Lincoln residents to be aware of a scam that has victimized a number of residents recently. The scammers call saying they will clean your chimney for half price and use high-pressure selling tactics. When they arrive, they tell you that you need several hundred dollars of work that you really don’t need. If you receive a call or if they come to your home, please call the police at 781-259-8113.

Kindergarten registration beginning soon

The Lincoln School is beginning kindergarten registration for the 2015-2016 school year. Children who are residents of Lincoln and 5 years old before October 1, 2015 are eligible. Letters and registration forms will be mailed to families starting February 1. Please call the school if you do not receive a letter and your child is kindergarten-eligible. Registration requires your child’s birth certificate and proof of residence in Lincoln. Please call the Smith office at 781-259-9404 if you have any questions about these requirements. A Parent Orientation night will be held on April 15 from 6:45-8:30 p.m. Families will learn about the kindergarten curriculum, program setup, placement process and have an opportunity to ask questions.

Letter to the editor: leaf blower committee responds

January 12, 2015

To the editor:

I am writing on behalf of the town’s Leaf Blower Study Committee to respond to Squirrel’s recent article on 1) our proposal to restrict leaf blower use and 2) on our interactions with the Board of Health (“Board of Health: residential areas don’t need leaf blower regulations,” January 9, 2015). We object to the term “crackdown,” you used to describe our recent proposed regulation and think it is premature to entitle your article “…residential areas don’t need leaf blower regulations.” Our reasoning is explained below.

Letter to the editor: leaf blower proposal adds to overregulation

January 12, 2015

To the editor:

We are increasingly overregulated in this town. Our zoning restrictions appear to increase every year and are time-consuming and expensive to comply with. Restrictions on water use are cumbersome and excessive. The average American uses more water than we do. Restrictions or regulation of leaf blower use in the densely built-up areas makes sense, but should not be imposed on the whole town.

Sincerely,

Eleanor Fitzgerald
Juniper Ridge Road

Letter to the editor: Taylor running for Planning Board

January 11, 2015

(Editor’s note: Taylor is challenging incumbent Bob Domnitz for a seat on the Planning Board. Domnitz’s letter to the editor announcing his candidacy can be found here.)

To the editor:

With election season approaching, I would like to let people know that I shall be running for a position on the Planning Board. For those of you who do not know me, I have been involved in various aspects of town governance for many years, serving on the Finance Committee, the Capital Planning Committee, the Housing Commission, the Board of Selectmen and the School Building Committee. I was one of the principal developers and authors of Lincoln’s first Housing Production Plan and the At Risk Properties Report, planning documents that helped the town move forward successfully in affordable housing and in shaping development of key parcels of land.

I feel strongly that it is time for a change in orientation for the Planning Board. Much of the success in maintaining Lincoln’s small-town rural character is attributable to leaders in the past who kept their eyes on the future and prepared for what they saw coming. We need that same foresight now. Unfortunately, the focus of the Planning Board seems to have drifted towards minutia in site plan reviews, while important matters like building consensus around a plan for the South Lincoln Mall area receive insufficient attention.

From observing the board in action, I also believe that it could be much more efficient and user-friendly. Although there are on occasion proposals that are well out of bounds, most applicants before the Board are land owners seeking to improve properties in reasonable ways. The board’s approach should be to help them achieve their goals while honoring bylaw requirements, and this should not require numerous appearances before the board, as is often the case now. Problems with applications should largely be worked out with the Planning Board’s staff in advance of any hearing to save everyone time and spare applicants the expense of yet another round with an architect. Spending less time reviewing applications would leave more for actual planning.

There are several other areas for improvement such as better coordination with the Zoning Board of Appeals and more attention to implementation of the town’s Comprehensive Plan, and I look forward to discussing all these issues with Lincoln voters in seeking their support.

Sincerely,

Gary Taylor
2 Beaver Pond Road

Board of Health: residential areas don’t need leaf blower regulations

January 9, 2015

By Alice Waugh

The Board of Health, which is on record as saying airborne particles and noise from gas-powered leaf blowers are a health hazard, has issued a statement distancing itself from a crackdown on use of the machines by homeowners, saying that in Lincoln, leaf blowers cause the most problems on paved surfaces, especially in the business district.

Letter to the editor: Support We the People Act

January 8, 2015

Sen. Mike Barrett meets with constitutents, Move To Amend and WolfPAC supporters about the We The People Act to be introduced at the State House this month. Clockwise from lower left: Elizabeth Cherniack and Jean Palmer of Lincoln, John Kelly and Carol Kelly of Bedford, Greg Laing and Joe Megerman of Waltham, Marie Roberts of Lexington, Dilla Tingley and Peter Pease of Lincoln, Sen. Barrett, Dan Melnechuk of Waltham, Bob Wallhagen of Carlisle and Gary Davis of Lincoln. The meeting took place at the Concord Public Library.

To the editor:

We the undersigned, along with residents from other towns in his district, recently met with our State Senator, Mike Barrett, to ask him to support the We the People Act being submitted to the Massachusetts legislature this month. We are concerned about the corrupting influence of massive amounts of money in elections and how human rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution to human beings are being used by non-human entities like corporations in harmful ways. Sen. Barrett enthusiastically agreed at the meeting to co-sponsor the proposed bill and actively support its passage.

We also met recently with Rep. Tom Stanley in Waltham to ask him to co-sponsor the We The People Act as well. He, too, enthusiastically agreed to support the act and will do everything he can to help it pass. Rep. Stanley said he views this issue as one of the most important at this time.

The We The People Act calls on Congress to propose a constitutional amendment to affirm (1) that rights protected by the U.S. Constitution are the rights of human beings only, not corporations, and (2) that Congress and the states may place limits on political contributions and spending.

This act also proposes that if Congress does not pass the amendment, the Massachusetts legislature will call for an amendment convention as Article V of the U.S. Constitution provides. If a recalcitrant or dysfunctional Congress blocks reform, two-thirds of the state legislatures can petition Congress to call a convention—not for overturning or changing the Constitution, but for proposing an amendment. California, Illinois and Vermont have already passed such legislation. The threat of such a convention can force Congress to act, as it did with the 17th amendment, to elect senators by popular vote instead of by state legislatures. The results of any such convention would still require three-quarters of the states’ approval.

A growing coalition of citizen groups across the country also supports this bill. For more information on this issue, check out Movetoamend.org or VoteYesforDemocracy.org.

Please contact Sen. Mike Barrett (617-722-1572 or Mike.Barrett@masenate.gov) and Rep. Tom Stanley (617-722-2230, Thomas.Stanley@mahouse.gov) to thank them for supporting the people on this issue. Also please call, email or talk to friends and family in Massachusetts as well as across the country to tell them how important this Move to Amend is to accomplishing anything in the future for the people about any issue of import to them, their children or their grandchildren. We need to put the power to legislate back in the hands of the people and out of the power of big money.

Sincerely,

Jean Palmer, Tower Road
Gary Davis, Indian Camp Lane
Dilla Tingley, Laurel Drive
Peter Pease, Huckleberry Hill
Elizabeth Cherniack, South Great Rd
Joanna Hopkins, Linway Road