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

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Anonymous emails were leaked by Burney’s daughter, police say

Jennifer Burney in 2016.

After an investigation that included subpoenas to internet service providers, Lincoln police concluded that the adult daughter of a former town official was the one who sent emails that leaked her mother’s formal complaint against the town.

Former Director of Planning and Land Use Jennifer Burney filed a complaint in September accusing Town Administrator Tim Higgins and former Assistant Town Administrator Mary Day of discrimination, harassment, and intimidation. Burney alleged that Higgins and Day had thwarted her efforts to secure time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act and then working remotely so she could care for a family member under 18.

Her complaint, which was not public record, was leaked to LincolnTalk and the Lincoln Squirrel in separate emails from two different fictional email addresses. The LincolnTalk email was spoofed to appear as though it came from someone named “Debra French.” Police determined that a real Lincoln resident named Deborah French had nothing to do with it and subsequently opened an investigation into possible identity fraud and harassment.

In November, the town closed its own investigation into Higgins’s conduct after an independent investigator found that there were no facts to support any of the allegations made against him.

Lincoln police, via the district attorney’s office, issued subpoenas to Comcast and Cox Communications, an internet/cable service provider in Rhode Island, to identify the IP address of the computer that sent the anonymous emails. It transpired that the sender’s home address was that of Tara Atwood, 37, of Newport, R.I. who is Burney’s daughter, according to Chief of Police Kevin Kennedy.

Atwood has confessed to sending the emails, Kennedy said. Debra French was a “fictitious name she came up with… She was appalled that she caused this woman [Deborah French] any distress over it — that was clearly not her intention.” Atwood was not charged with a crime for using French’s name because she did not obtain anything of value by doing so, he said.

To be charged with criminal harassment, a person must commit three separate episodes of harassment against the victim, and Atwood did not do this, Kennedy said. However, “should her behavior continue towards any of the victims here, criminal charges could be filed because she’s been put on notice.”

The victims in the case are Higgins and Day as well as former Assistant Director of Planning and Land Use Paula Vaughn-McKenzie, because Atwood’s emails claimed that she and Higgins were having an extramarital affair — an allegation that Kennedy called “fabricated” and “completely untrue.”

Burney worked for the town from January 2016 until she went on leave last summer and Vaughn-McKenzie was named acting Director of Planning and Land Use. Vaughn-McKenzie has since been appointed to the role permanently.

Kennedy said that Atwood’s motivation for sending the emails was “to make sure the claims in [Burney’s] letter were in fact going to be investigated.” Burney was not aware that Atwood had sent the emails until about a week later, when Atwood admitted it to her mother, he said. “Obviously Jen was very upset at that… Jen clearly did not approve of any of this behavior.”

Right after the emails were sent, Burney denied sending them, saying she considered her complaint addressed to the Planning Board and Board of Selectmen to be confidential.

Neither Burney nor Atwood returned emails from the Lincoln Squirrel seeking comment on Tuesday.

Clarification

The December 17 article headlined “Board tackles vacancies and staff positions, postpones Town Meeting incorrectly noted that it was unclear whether residents will be allowed to vote by absentee ballot in the town election in March 2021. In fact, absentee voting is always allowed for municipal elections in cases where voters will be absent from town during normal polling hours, have a physical disability preventing them from getting to the polls, or religious belief. This year, taking precautions around Covid-19 was included under the “disability” clause of absentee ballot conditions.

“No-excuse” early voting by mail become permissible as a result of the pandemic and was recently extended until March 31, 2021. Early voting in person is not allowed for municipal elections.

Board tackles vacancies and staff positions, postpones Town Meeting

The Board of Selectmen appointed several residents to fill vacancies on boards and in the Planning Department and also voted to postpone the Annual Town Meeting normally held in March.

Paula Vaughn-MacKenzie is the new Director of Planning and Land Use. She has been the acting director since the leave and then departure of Jennifer Burney. The vote came after the Planning Board “voted unanimously and enthusiastically to support Paula in this role,” Planning Board chair Margaret Olson said at the selectmen’s December 14 meeting.

Rachel Drew was confirmed to one of two appointed seats on the Housing Commission. Those seats have five-year terms, while the other three seats are elected on a three-year rotation. Drew succeeds Diana Chirita, who had served on the commission since 2014. The other appointed seat is currently held by Allen Vander Meulen.

Selectmen also spoke with Reanna Wu and Julian Huertas, two of the three candidates to fill a longtime vacancy on the Zoning Board of Appeals. A third candidate, John Carr, was not able to attend the meeting. A second opening is expected soon as a long-time member plans to retire, ZBA Chair David Henken said.

Other appointments made this week were:

  • Community Preservation Committee — John Ottenberg, replacing John Valpey
  • Battle Road Scenic Byway Committee — Robert Domnitz, replacing Paula Vaughn-MacKenzie, who is the new director of Planning and Land Use. Domnitz also served on the Planning Board.
  • Emergency Assistance Fund Committee — Mary Stechschulte, replacing Jane Thomas
  • Pierce House Committee — Peter Braun (replacing Lucia McMahon) and Barbara Peskin (replacing Jean Horne)
Staff positions

Selectmen also heard a proposal to fund two other town employee positions as part of the fiscal 2022 budget. If approved, a part-time position in the Town Clerk’s office will become full-time to help handle the added workload resulting from administering elections (largely due to the advent of early voting) as well as death certificates. That job has required more time since the Care Dimensions Hospice House opened in spring 2018.

The part-time town social worker position was created with grants in 2019, with the understanding that the town would eventually assume the expense once the grants’ funds were exhausted. Social worker Emily Morrison helps residents under age 60, complementing the Council on Aging’s social worker for seniors. The council itself plans to change its name to the Council on Aging and Human Services to reflect its expanding services.

Annual Town Meeting

The 2021 Annual Town Meeting has been postponed to an outdoor May 15 event because of the ongoing pandemic, although the town election will go ahead indoors as planned on March 29.

The change was approved this week by the Board of Selectmen, though there are details that need to be ironed out. Among them: where exactly on the school campus the meeting will take place, given the ongoing school construction project, and what will be on the agenda. in the interest of time efficiency amid the pandemic, last year’s ATM was stripped of some of the usual warrant articles, including votes on several citizens’ petitions.

Also to be determined is whether residents can vote in the town election by absentee ballot, and how to coordinate it with the school’s schedule when classes are in session.

Investigation into allegations against Higgins is closed

The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to close its investigation into the conduct of Town Administrator Tim Higgins, who was accused of discrimination, harassment, and intimidation by former Director of Planning and Land Use Jennifer Burney.

Assistant Town Administrator Dan Pereira, who oversees human resources issues for town employees, said on November 24 that Burney is no longer employed by the town and her last day was October 1. “We cannot comment further on personnel matters, but would like to express our appreciation for her service to our community,” he said.

In a formal complaint leaked to the public in September, Burney accused Higgins and former Assistant Town Administrator Mary Day of Family and Medical Leave Act violations and gender discrimination. She alleged that Higgins thwarted her attempts to work on a remote schedule to accommodate a family member during the pandemic lockdown and also alleged that Day unexpectedly resigned after being intimidated by Higgins.

An independent investigator “found that there were no facts to support any of the allegations made against Mr. Higgins and recommended that the investigation be closed,” according to a statement released by the Board of Selectmen on November 23. “The board reviewed the report with Mr. Higgins and voted unanimously to close the investigation, without taking any further action. The board now considers this matter closed and continues to have the highest confidence in Mr. Higgins’s professionalism, character, and integrity in his role as our Town Administrator.”

Selectmen received the investigator’s report on October 30, almost a month after Burney’s last day on the job in Lincoln, according to the statement. Selectman James Craig said he would have no further comment on the matter. Reached by email, Burney also declined comment.

Paula Vaughn-MacKenzie has been acting director of planning and land use since the summer, when Burney first went on FMLA leave to care for a family member. Given her departure, “we are eager to fill this critical role and will announce a transition plan in the coming weeks,” Pereira said.

Higgins read this statement at the selectmen’s meeting on November 23:

On being advised of the recent allegations against me, my only public comment then and since has been to express confidence in the town’s investigative process and in the capabilities of a discerning community. My faith in the process and in the people of Lincoln was not misplaced. I thank the board for undertaking a thorough, independent investigation which has concluded that all allegations made were ‘unfounded and unsupported by the facts.’ It is important to note that the investigation included interviews of multiple witnesses and an extensive review of relevant documents.

I am especially grateful to the many residents, staff and officials who have reached out in concern and friendship, and who have extended the benefit of the doubt throughout. As upsetting as these attacks against my character have been for me personally, the public manner in which they were carried out has caused real pain to other innocent parties — this aspect makes the matter all the more unfortunate and unfair. I am pleased to have the matter resolved and look forward to continuing with the work I enjoy doing, alongside colleagues and friends who make me grateful every day.

Burney’s complaint to the Planning Board and Board of Selectmen was leaked in separate anonymous emails on September 29 to the Lincoln Squirrel and the LincolnTalk listserv, which was temporarily shut down as a result. All LincolnTalk emails must now be approved by a moderator before they are sent on to list members.

One of the anonymous emails was made to appear as though it came from Lincoln resident Deborah French, the widow of former Town Moderator Jack French. The Lincoln Police Department informed her of the spoofing and opened an investigation, but it’s still unknown who sent the emails, and Burney strongly denied she had done so.

Police Chief Kevin Kennedy said on November 24 that there was “still an active investigation” and that police were waiting for certain information. He added that he didn’t know when the investigation would conclude but that there would be a statement at that time.

Third SOTT looks at electricity aggregation, road safety, South Lincoln

Residents heard updates on electricity aggregation, road safety measures, and planning for South Lincoln’s future at the third State of the Town meeting on November 19.

Electricity from renewable sources

Almost three years after voters authorized the Board of Selectmen to start developing the program, the Green Energy Committee is nearing the finish line for Lincoln Green Energy Choice, a program that will give residents the option of buying electricity from renewable sources. Eversource will continue to provide transmissions lines and billing, but the town will seek bids for renewable energy from the local grid. Committee chair C.J. Volpone explained that residents can opt in or out of the program at any time, though they will be automatically enrolled initially in a plan that will cost about the same as Eversource’s winter rates.

Eversource is currently required to draw 18% of its electricity from renewable sources. The new program will offer three options:

  • Budget, with 20% of the electricity from renewable sources
  • Basic Green, with 35-50% renewable (the default option that residents will be enrolled in unless they opt out)
  • Total Green, with 100% of the electricity from renewable sources. Volpone said this option would probably cost $20–$30 a month more than the current average bill, though the exact price won’t be known until buds are received and a contact is signed.

LGEC has posted a table showing preliminary estimates of additional costs depending on type and amount of electricity usage.

Benefits of the program include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, having a choice of electricity sources, and having long-term predictable rates for electricity, since LGEC contracts will be longer than the six-month contacts required of Eversource, Volpone said. Using electricity from renewable sources will become more important in the years to come as more and more people buy electric cars and use electric-power heat pumps for home heating, he added.

Homeowners will get a postcard in the mail informing them of the options and asking if they want to opt out before the program launches, which is expected to happen in March 2021, Volpone said. Resident Sara Mattes (one of 118 people who attended the online meeting) worried that there could be “blowback” because people will be automatically enrolled in the program, but Volpone said the impact on electric bills for the Basic Green option would be “minimal.”

Advisory shoulders

Bob Wolf and Ginger Reiner of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPEC) outlined a method that could be used to make Lincoln’s roads safer for bikes and walkers. Advisory shoulders are lanes marked with white dashed lines on either side of a road to indicate where bikes and pedestrians have the right of way. Vehicles can cross the lines to avoid traffic coming from the opposite direction but must yield to oncoming traffic if there are “vulnerable users” (bicyclists, pedestrians, or any other non-vehicle) ahead or alongside.

The committee and its predecessor, the Cycling Safety Advisory Committee, came into being after two bicyclists were killed and a third was injured in three separate accidents on Lincoln roads in 2016. More than half of the residents who responded to a subsequent town-wide survey said they were not comfortable biking or walking on some of Lincoln’s roads.

As a road safety measure, advisory shoulders have the advantage that they are inexpensive and easy to create. “It doesn’t change how the road should be used, but it shows the clearance that vehicles should give vulnerable users,” Wolf said. In other towns such as Hanover, N.H., that have tried this approach, “drivers get used to this pretty quickly.”

The BPAC studied Baker Bridge Road as a possible first case where advisory shoulders could be installed. As one of several designated “minor connectors” in town, the road offers connections to schools and access to conservation trails. In a neighborhood Zoom meeting with the BPAC in October, there was “universal agreement” among Baker Bridge Road residents that the road is not safe for pedestrians and family cycling.

Wolf acknowledged that “it’s not one size fits all for all Lincoln roads” and invited residents of other neighborhoods to set up a Zoom meeting with the committee to discuss safety issues by emailing lincoln-bpac@googlegroups.com.

South Lincoln

The South Lincoln Planning and Advisory Committee (SLPAC) has “restarted the process to evolve our village center” to make it more vibrant for residents and businesses, Planning Board chair Margaret Olson said. Businesses in the area have been struggling for some time, and a “confusing and costly” permitting process on top of a “hodgepodge” of five different zoning districts has made it very difficult for any sort of new development to win approval.

Revamping the zoning rules in South Lincoln would offer more flexibility in building uses, a more diversified housing stock, and a clearer permitting process while still imposing design guidelines to ensure new development is in keeping with Lincoln’s “look” and character, Olson said. SLPAC and the Planning Board will “build consensus… around an open and transparent process” with broad public participation and input. As part of that goal, the committee is inviting public comment any time and posting letters from residents on its website.

As part of the larger goal to limit climate change, the town hopes to encourage use of the commuter rail stop as well as energy-efficient buildings and more usage by bikes and pedestrians. The state also wants to encourage more use of mass transit. For example, Massachusetts House Bill 3931 would require multifamily zoning within one mile of train subway and bus stops.

While that particular bill may not pass, “there is pressure mounting in the system for something along these lines,” Olson said. “When regional problems get too big, the dam breaks, and 40B [the affordable housing mandate] is an example of that. We need to indicate how we want the town to change and adapt to the political and environmental changes headed our way in the next few decades.”

SLPAC’s predecessor tried to bring zoning changes to a town-wide vote last year but met with stiff opposition from residents who, among other things, were worried that residents in midrange housing such as the Ridge Road condominiums would be displaced. “SLPAC has heard that loud and clear,” Olson said, adding that near-term rezoning efforts will focus only on the south side of Lincoln Road.

The need for action is not hypothetical. The privately owned sewage treatment system used by Lincoln Woods and the mall is past its useful life, and the town plans to commission a study of options for upgrading and expanding it or else finding some other solution to allow more development.

Another reason for rethinking the South Lincoln commercial area: the mall itself will not be economically viable for much longer. Michelle Barnes, chair of the Rural Land Foundation (which owns the mall) reiterated her statement from last spring that changes in shopping habits are making it increasingly difficult for stores to succeed.

“I’m trying not to say anything about our current collection of enterprises, but I think it’s fair to say that over time, year after year, we have seen a decline in business at the mall,” Barnes said at the SOTT meeting. “Thinking about what’s going on economically elsewhere with local malls, they just have not been surviving, and certainly not thriving. The longer-term trends don’t look that great and we feel we have to be proactive in making sure it stays a vibrant place.”

The RLF operates the mall as a nonprofit, Barnes noted. “As economic forces on the mall continue to go in one direction, the fact that we don’t have much margin makes that endpoint collide eventually. That’s not tomorrow, but the long-term sustainability of the mall in its current state is not tenable.”

My Turn: Congratulations to Rep. Katherine Clark

By Joan Kimball and Barbara Slayter 

The Lincoln Democratic Town Committee congratulates our Congresswoman, Katherine Clark, for her election to the role of assistant speaker, making her the fourth-ranking member in the chamber.

This position makes Katherine Clark the most powerful Congresswoman in state history as well as the second-highest ranking Democratic woman in the history of the House after Nancy Pelosi. Her presence will mark the first time there are two women in the top four positions of the party’s House leadership. Along with Rep. Richard Neal of Springfield, who is chair of the Ways and Means Committee, and Rep.Jim McGovern of Worcester, chair of the House Rules Committee, she will wield considerable power within the House of Representatives.

The Boston Globe quoted Clark saying that “Collective leadership is not about individual ambition, but collective good.”

We Lincoln Democrats appreciate not only the work that she does on our behalf and on behalf of our country, but also her key role in recruiting Democrats to win in the House during the 2018 election. We also appreciate her focus on the looming problems of health care, racial justice, and climate change.

In a letter to us, her constituents, Katherine Clark wrote:

“The challenges facing our country are great, but so are the possibilities. Democrats in Congress are resolute in our commitment to eliminating the virus, aiding families, and recharging our economy in the face of this pandemic. While vitally important, our work cannot end there.

“This is the moment for America to unite together and finally build a nation that fulfills our promise of justice for all. We cannot settle for normal, but must instead expand the parameters of prosperity to ensure everyone has the same opportunities for success.

“As Assistant Speaker, my work will be guided by everyday Americans who have stood up this year to protect and strengthen our nation—from the heroic frontline workers who bravely put the security and health of others before their own, to the record number of Americans who took to the streets this summer and took to the polls this November, who energized our democracy and brought a renewed urgency to our fight for racial, climate, and economic justice.

“The House Democratic majority, in partnership with President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris, will meet this moment of historic challenges and confront it with historic progress.

“With faith in our country and optimism for our future, I am eager to get to work.”

Three cheers for Katherine Clark! We wish her and our country well.

Kimball and Slayter are co-chairs of the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee.

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Residents discuss town diversity issues at second SOTT

A centralized town group would be helpful in fostering more diversity of all types in Lincoln, participants in the second 2020 State of the Town meeting agreed.

The November 18 session focusing on diversity, equality inclusion, and antiracism (DEIA) recapped the three roundtables on this topic that were held earlier this fall (click here for links to videos and other information from those sessions).

The first roundtable looked at policing in Lincoln and Middlesex County. The second focused on the role of town government and discussed housing issues such as affordability, multifamily housing and possible zoning changes. Participants also noted ways in which the town’s social services staff and programs are already engaged in promoting and preserving diversity. The final roundtable included panelists from churches and cultural institutions in town as well as the Food Project and Drumlin Farm.

Presenters at the second SOTT meeting offered data on Lincoln’s demographics:

  • Between 2010 and 2018, the number of residents aged 65 and over increased by 53% to 1,650, largely due to the expansion of The Commons. However, for reasons that are unclear, the number of residents aged 20–34 more than doubled from 357 to 820.
  • The percentages of Lincoln’s white, black, Asian, and Hispanic residents in 2017 were 79%, 3%, 9%, and 7% respectively. For the Lincoln School, which includes METCO students from other communities, 64% were white, 10% were black, 6% were Asian and 10% were Hispanic. If Hanscom schools are included, the percentages were 60%, 9%, 4%, and 16%.
  • Lincoln’s median household income in 2017 was about $150,000, and 38% of households earned more than $200,000 a year. The assessed value of single-family homes and condominiums clustered around $800,000 to $1,000,000.

Participants floated ideas and suggestions in Zoom “breakout rooms” and reported back to the full group, which numbered almost 100 participants. Summarized comments from the breakout group included:

  • Lincoln has some level of economic diversity but needs more ethnic and racial diversity. How can the town make itself more attractive or welcoming to minorities of all types?
  • Lincoln needs more connectivity among generations and involvement in town government by younger people. A community center would help.
  • Think regionally, teaming up with border towns but also more diverse communities such as Waltham and Watertown
  • A “big shout-out” to METCO and the Food Project, which employs youths from all over the Boston area
  • Try to engage more with Hanscom Air Force Base. Many of those who live and work there are unaware that they are even Lincoln residents.
  • “Educate, educate, educate” on a personal level, in the schools and community-wide

In light all of the discussions in Lincoln around DEIA, “I’m struck that there really is a need for one central clearinghouse for all of this activity,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said.

A group focused on promoting DEIA could be either private or part of town government. A town-appointed committee might have more perceived legitimacy and could take advantage of town-sponsored outreach efforts, but the downside is that it would have to abide by open-meeting rules, “a layer of housekeeping you need to go through… that could make the committee less nimble,” Selectman Jennifer Glass said.

A private citizen-led group could operate in a more simplified way and independently of any possible “editorial control” by town officials. The other side of the coin is less connection to town government, including planning, policy and budgeting, and a lack of continuity over time, she said.

In an instant poll conducted during the SOTT meeting, 67% of participants favored a town-led DEIA committee while 25% were in favor of the citizen-led model.

After a recap of the issues surrounding the pending request by the Lincoln Police Department for body-worn and cruiser cameras, another poll showed that 75% of participants said they were in favor of the cameras. Three percent said they were not in favor while 22% said they needed more information or weren’t sure.

Whichever model is chosen, committee members should be given time to “self-reflect, team-build, and have their own conversations so they can learn and then be role models for the rest of the community,” Glass said.

Covid-19 colors reports at first State of the Town meeting

(Editor’s note: the slide decks from the November 17 and 18 State of the Town forums will be posted on the town website on November 19. The Lincoln Squirrel will publish an addendum to this article with the web address when it becomes available.)

In the first of three State of the Town meetings this week, officials updated residents on public health situation, the town’s 2021 Annual Town Meeting (ATM) and budget, and the school project.

Public health

Since the pandemic began last spring, Lincoln has seen 62 cases of Covid-19 to date, including seven deaths, all of them at The Commons (which, however, has not had a case since May). Contact tracing is “working like a well-oiled machine,” Public Health Nurse Trish McGean said at the November 17 session

One or more vaccines are on the horizon for early next year, but in the meantime, cases are rising in Massachusetts and the rest of the country, so she urged people to maintain their vigilance with masks and social distancing. Once a vaccine is widely available, Lincoln expects to have a drive-through vaccination clinic.

The pandemic will be felt especially keenly during the upcoming holidays. “Gathering together at the Thanksgiving table, even if you have the last names, may not be the smartest idea,” she said. Board of Health member Patricia Miller also reminded the more than 120 residents who attended the meeting on Zoom that anyone who travels to any state except Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Hawaii must fill out a state travel form before returning and get tested.

Annual Town Meeting

Last spring’s Annual Town Meeting was held outside under a tent, and though officials hope the 2021 version can be held in the usual way on March 27, “at this moment in time it seems unlikely,” said Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden. Aside from the endemic the Brooks auditorium is unavailable because of school construction, so it would have to be in Smith gym, or outdoors in a tent again once the weather is warm enough.

With no citizen’s petitions or acknowledgements of residents who died or retired from town service during the previous year — not to mention the inability to see neighbors and socialize — the stripped-down 2020 ATM “did not have the same flavor and feel of our usual annual gathering,” some of its innovations will be carried forward, Holden said. Among them:

  • Making presentations and background information available online in advance of the ATM, including a comprehensive budget presentation
  • Making greater use of the consent calendar for noncontroversial issues, a step that “was very well received in June,” Holden noted. As always, residents can ask to have individual items held out for separate discussion and voting.
  • Using runners with roving wireless microphones rather than having people lines up at stationary mics to ask questions or make comments.

Some residents at the forum wondered if the ATM could be held remotely. “My opinion is that this format we’re doing right now is not bad,” Water Commission Chair Jim Hutchinson said. Selectman Jennifer Glass pointed out that state law still requires ATMs to occur in person, though dividing it up over several days is permitted.

“My feeling is you lose something about community when you do it that way — it’s just not the same,” Holden said.

School project

Phase I of the two-year, two-phase school project is about halfway done, and the pandemic has not affected the cost or schedule for the work, School Building Committee Chair Chris Fasciano said.

Although several items had to be cut from the project earlier this year when bids came in over budget, some of them are on track to be restored through previously announced donations from the estate of Harriet Todd, Robert and Jacquelin Apsler, and a fund seeded by the eighth-grade Class of 2020. A grant from the Ogden Codman Trust will fund two bike/walking paths.

The Class of 2020 Tree Fund, which aims to restore new trees and plantings originally budgeted at $56,084, now stands at $35,500 (the fund’s goal is $60,000), Fasciano reported. The SBC has also applied for $161,200 in funds from the town’s Community Preservation Act funding in fiscal 2021 to cover the cost of upgrading the former green playground.

New auditorium rigging will not be included in the final project because the construction deadline for funding that work has passed. Also still needed is funding for furniture, fixtures, equipment, and technology that was cut. A total of $956,000 was originally budgeted; voters restored $200,000 as part of a $829,000 school package at the ATM in June.

A request for the remaining $756,000 “is likely to come up at some point,” though exactly when is unclear, Fasciano said. “It is a necessary part of the project.”

Town budget

Another unknown about the ongoing pandemic is how it will affect the budget for the next fiscal year. In the current budget that began on July 1, the Finance Committee trimmed employee retirement contributions, deferred some capital expenditures, and expanded the town’s reserve fund by 50% to $753,000.

The town has also been tracking its expenses relating to Covid-19 and has thus far been reimbursed for all of them — but the CARES Act expires at the end of December and the prospects for another federal stimulus package are uncertain, FinCom chair Andy Payne said. As expected, the biggest Covid-related spending categories for the town have been personal protective equipment, IT hardware and support, and cleaning supplies and services, Payne said.

The FinCom has told departments who are now formulating their fiscal 2021 budget requests that they can ask for the usual maximum increase of 2.5%. The group is willing to consider additional requests, especially if cuts in services would be required, “but it’s gotta be super-compelling,” Payne said.

On the bright side, the town affirmed its AAA bond rating when it recently bonded $2,2 million for the Water Department at an interest rate below 1%, and the stabilization fund is now at about $2.47 million, “so we feel that we remain in pretty good financial shape at this point,” he said.

Water Dept. superintendent leaving as town considers future plans for water supply

Water Department Superintendent MaryBeth Wiser has resigned as of Jan. 1, 2021. The change will mean another recruiting push for the embattled department, which has seen budget and personnel turmoil resulting in substantial capital spending and water rate increases.

Wiser said she was retiring in her letter of resignation she sent in September to the Water Commission, which voted to accept it at its November 3 meeting. Wiser did not return a call and email requesting comment.

“From my perspective, [the resignation] was her choice. We double-checked with and gave it due process and an appropriate amount of time to make sure it was not just a fleeting dissatisfaction,” Water Commission Chair Jim Hutchinson said this week.

Almost from the start of her tenure in March 2018, there was conflict between Wiser and the other department employees. Several of them alleged she was unqualified and abusive and complained to town officials about her, according to minutes of the commission’s August 8, 2018 meeting and interviews with the Lincoln Squirrel in October 2019.

But commission member Ruth Ann Hendrickson lauded her accomplishments during a difficult period for the department. “MaryBeth worked her heart out while she was here in Lincoln. She was focused on bringing the department up to the latest standards,” she said. “Everything she did was about improving the quality of the water and the management structures of the department. She worked incredible hours and was on call 24/7 for months. She never let us down and did her best to keep everything running. For that, the commissioners will always be grateful.”

Since Wiser’s arrival, the Water Department has spent millions on capital projects to replace aging equipment as well as for outside consultants to cope with staff vacancies after several resignations amid an ongoing statewide shortage of qualified operators. As a result, the town has approved loans totaling almost $2 million, and the department’s operating budget for the current fiscal year is 38% higher than last year’s. Customers also saw water rates hikes of 25% in 2019 and 28% in 2020.

At her most recent annual review in August, the Water Commission “commended Superintendent Wiser for her tremendous efforts and very long hours this past year” and said it “greatly values Ms. Wiser’s strong initiative, dependability, and loyalty” as well as her understanding of water science and state regulations pertaining to public water supplies. The commission identified budget management, personnel management, and communications as areas in which she needed improvement.

Hiring date for new superintendent unclear

If past history is any indication, it could take some time to fill the superintendent opening. The job posting offers a salary of $96,506 to $111,878, “but we don’t know yet what we’ll need to pay,” Hutchinson said. The town had to raise its salary offer to fill at least one of the earlier vacancies.

The future superintendent will also need additional qualifications to oversee new pretreatment coagulation equipment that’s about to be installed. That equipment will solve a problem stemming from the fact that Flint’s Pond has twice the level of organic matter as it did when the plant was designed in 2002. Meanwhile, the department plans to seek more capital spending in the next fiscal year to replace the aging Tower Road well.

“It behooves us to get a strong candidate to keep the department back on track as we’ve labored to do in the last year,” Hutchinson said. However, because of the job requirements and ongoing shortage of qualified candidates, it’s quite possible that Assistant Town Administrator Dan Pereira may have to step in after Wiser’s departure as acting superintendent for the administrative side of the job.

What’s down the road?

Thanks to the recent and upcoming expenditures, the water treatment plant will soon be almost like new — but the commission and new superintendent will still have to grapple with the future direction of Lincoln’s public water supply. Consultants Tata and Howard are expected to deliver a preliminary report next month outlining three options: continue to upgrade and modernize the existing plant, build a new plant with a more modern design that’s less costly to operate, or join the MWRA and get its water from the Quabbin Reservoir.

The current plant was “one of the first of its kind… it’s old technology,” Hendrickson said. “Every five or six years, these plants need to be overhauled, and even if we decided today to join the MWRA, it would take about five years, so it’s a good time to start this study.”

State of the Town updates to span three evenings

Lincoln’s annual State of the Town meeting will be split into three online meetings from 7­–9 p.m. on three consecutive days next week. Topics and dates will be as follows. Click here to register for any or all of the sessions.

Tuesday, Nov. 17

Wednesday, Nov. 18

  • Diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism
    • Background and links to the videos and slide decks of the three Board of Selectmen’s roundtables

Thursday, Nov. 19