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

letters to the editor

Letter to the editor: Thanks for L-S funding

letter

To the editor:

The Lincoln Sudbury School Committee and administration thank the citizens of Lincoln and Sudbury for approving the capital requests, for this year’s technology infrastructure improvements at the high school, at the respective town meetings. We also thank officials from both towns for providing feedback and encouragement through the capital request.

The high school is preparing for the installation of an improved network backbone and the upgrading of some critical servers by the time the school reopens this fall. In future years, we want to address educational technology in the classroom, continue to upgrade critical servers, and return to funding annual scheduled upgrades of the educational technology infrastructure.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Radha Gargeya, Sudbury (chair), on behalf of the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee

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. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published. Letters may be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor.

Letter to the editor: Thanks for election help

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To the editor:

We would like, as always, to thank the many folks who participated in last Monday’s annual Town Election, starting first with the 21 individuals who put themselves forward as candidates for public office and the 875 of their fellow citizens who showed up to vote.

We extend our appreciation also to the Department of Public Works, the police officers assigned to the polling place, the Smith School custodial staff, the volunteer inspectors and deputy wardens who worked the polls, and Richard Silver, our election chef.

Sincerely,

Susan Brooks, town clerk
138 Bedford 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. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published. Letters may be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor.

Letter to the editor: Thanks from Planning Board

letterTo the Editor:

The Planning Board thanks the town for approving three important zoning amendments on this year’s Town Meeting warrant:

  • Article 32 relaxes the limits on building height in the Lincoln Station area. The new limits are 36’ and 2 ½ stories, identical to the existing limits on residential construction in the R1 residential district. The increase should facilitate attractive, viable development in the Lincoln Station area.
  • Article 35 adopts a new requirement for site plan review when building permits are requested for projects that will generate more than 50 vehicle trips per day. This provision will close a significant gap in our bylaw that has allowed nonresidential projects to locate in residential neighborhoods without adequate review and control.
  • Article 36 remedies an incorrectly drafted provision in the zoning bylaw dating back to 2003. The provision has allowed, without site plan review, new construction on lots that had preexisting structures, in situations where the new construction was not attached to any of the preexisting structures. This loophole is now closed.

We will continue to monitor the operation of our zoning bylaw, with your guidance, to ensure that it protects and enhances our beautiful town.

Sincerely,

Bryce Wolf, Lincoln Planning Board chair
52 Birchwood 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. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published. Letters may be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor.

Letter to the editor on school building needs

letterTo the editor:

Before us at Town Meeting will be a warrant article to approve funds to study costs associated with fixing our town’s school buildings. The school building’s needs have been professionally studied for 12 years, yet it’s said at meetings that people may not believe that the needs are real. On paper the school building’s needs may seem distant, debatable, and unrelated to learning. As a parent, however, I consistently see how the building’s needs are affecting children and how they’re related to learning, health and safety.

Our daughter’s classroom has been a stagnant 76 to 78 degrees this winter. She’s been telling us that it’s too hot, that it makes her feel sick and dizzy and that she can’t think. Maintenance sounds like an easy fix, but this classroom is stuck in a “difficult to fix” zone of the outdated Univent heating system. The teacher has had to open the windows and door this winter to provide intermittent relief. In December parents were notified that a Univent motor burned out and filled a second grade classroom with smoke, causing the school to be evacuated. While there was no fire, a situation like this speaks to the importance of having a fire suppression system in the schools, yet we have none.

In the spring, fans will again be brought into classrooms to compensate for the building’s decreased ventilation rates and lack of dehumidification. Opening the windows may sound like an easy fix to increase air flow, but what happens to the children with asthma and allergies that are exacerbated by outdoor pollen, and what happens to the attention and learning of the children who are distracted by the noise from ongoing recess? Sometimes it’s not possible to open the windows.

When this is your child’s everyday learning environment, it becomes clear quickly that the building is making the act of learning more difficult than it needs to be. Support of this warrant article will help further identify costs so we can move beyond studying the problems and get to fixing the problems. The town’s school buildings are telling us a story and it’s my hope that we will both listen and respond with urgency, ensuring the health and safety of children and the delivery of education in this town for generations to come.

Sincerely,

Betsey Yeats
35 Round Hill Road

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. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published. Letters may be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor.

Letter to the editor: Mattes clarifies remarks on Hanscom

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To the editor:

In the March 23 Lincoln Squirrel report on the Lincoln candidates’ forum held on March 15 (see video of entire forum here), a quote was attributed to me. Unfortunately, the quote was limited to a statement that implied the opposite of the thrust of the question I was asking.

The quote in the Squirrel was accurate as far as it went: “Mattes, who was a key local official in the 2005 BRAC (base realignment and closure) process, said that as a result of negotiations at that time, Lincoln would be essentially indemnified from any changes that would have impact on us regarding housing.”

That mitigation—an agreement to offset the cost of 730+ new households in Lincoln—was relevant only for the potential outcomes of 2005 and no longer applies.

I went on to express concern that in the recent climate, where there would be no BRAC, there is the potential to physically separate the housing on the base from the office buildings and business operations. The base, as an economic engine for the region, would be saved while the housing and schools could be off-loaded from military responsibility and become the responsibility of Lincoln. Every Democratic gubernatorial candidate, including the attorney general and the state treasurer, affirmed this concern at a recent Lincoln forum. All urged Lincoln to prepare for this potential

After stating the above, I asked, “Have we negotiated and received any such mitigation now, before offering unqualified support?”

The danger of not receiving pledges for mitigation before lending support is that we may have given away all leverage and we may not be insulated from the financial impacts of adding 730+ households to our town.

Sincerely,

Sara Mattes

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. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published. Letters may be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor.

Letter to the editor: Support Minuteman agreement

letterTo the editor:

This Saturday at Town Meeting, there will be some discussion about a Revised Regional Agreement for the Minuteman Regional High School. Minuteman really needs a new school, but before this can happen, they need the Revised Regional Agreement to be passed by all communities in the district involved.

I can assure you that Dr. Edward Bouquillon, superintendent of Minuteman, has spent an incredible amount of time (his own time) and an incredible amount of meetings to come up with the best outcome for this school and the best agreement possible. I trust his work 100 percent. This school provides incredible education and is extremely valuable for our communities. Please do not let down the other communities and the school’s opportunity to be improved.

Even though this should be supported through state and federal funds, it is not going to happen tomorrow, and maybe it is never going to happen. We can’t take this as an excuse to turn our heads away. I strongly feel that it is our responsibility and our commitment to help this school at a time they need it most, meaning now. Lincoln is an “in-district” town for Minuteman High school; it can’t just take advantage of it when needed and then not help when the school needs financial support. Lincoln is one of the richest towns in the district, and I would feel very ashamed as a Lincolnite if this Revised Regional Agreement did not pass because of Lincoln.

The Lincoln Public Schools and Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School each had their turns to rebuild and improve; now it is Minuteman Regional High School’s overdue turn. Let’s give them our support. It is a good and honorable use of your tax money.

Sincerely,

Tania Dessain
62 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. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published. Letters may be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor.

Letter to the editor on Minuteman revised agreement

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To the editor:

Minuteman High School, which provides career and technical education to Lincoln students, has proposed a revised regional agreement as a warrant article for the March 29 town meeting at the Brooks Auditorium. For this new regional agreement to come into effect, it must be approved by a majority at the town meetings of every member town. It is important that stakeholders such as yourselves be aware and informed about the new Agreement so that you and your community can make informed decisions about it. To that end, informational material about the new agreement can be found here along with a seven-minute video explaining the agreement.

Minuteman is a vital resource to the community. Providing a rigorous and relevant curriculum that prepares students for both college and careers is only the first part of our role in Lincoln. We provide education for post-graduate students who seek additional training in order to achieve career readiness. We offer community education programs that enrich the lives of the young and old with new learning opportunities. Our students are involved in community projects across our district. Our restaurant and other service-oriented shops welcome visitors for excellent and affordable service.

In order to continue offering this excellent education and these other services, Minuteman must adapt. One way that we are attempting to achieve this change is by amending the current regional agreement, which will allow the district to move on from a regional agreement that no longer serves the best interests of our students. In brief, the revised agreement makes the following changes:

  • Annual assessments based on a four-year rolling average.
  • Capital cost allocation formula incorporates ability to pay along with a four-year rolling average of enrollment.
  • Minuteman School Committee voting will be weighted, with 50 percent of a member’s vote based on a four-year rolling average.
  • Minuteman School Committee can negotiate a transition period with potential new member communities.
  • Members may withdraw unless disapproved by a majority of remaining member town meetings.
  • Contributions to capital costs by non-members are applied to reduce capital assessments to members.
  • Authorization for new debt must first be pursued through the unanimous approval of member town meetings before proceeding to a district-wide election.
  • Amendments to the regional agreement may be initiated by a 3/4 vote of the School Committee.

These changes are the result of years of work by the administration of Minuteman High School, the Minuteman School Committee, subcommittees and task forces made up of local stakeholders, and local government representatives. The revised agreement reflects the input of every member community and represents a hard-earned compromise between these communities.

The article will be heard at Lincoln Town Meeting, which begins at 9:30 a.m. on March 29 at the Brooks Auditorium. Please take some time to review the linked materials or watch the video and express your opinion at town meeting this Saturday.

Sincerely,

Edward Bouquillon, Minuteman High School Superintendent-Director
10 Mill St., Lincoln

Brendan Dutch, Minuteman High School Communications Coordinator
Plymouth, Mass.

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. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published. Letters may be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor.

Letter to the editor: Health effects of air traffic

letterEditor’s note: The Conservation Commission continued its hearing on Jet Aviation’s Hanscom Field proposal to April 2.

To the editor:

Approving the Hanscom airport expansion plans at this time is concerning, not only because of wetlands considerations, but because a critical examination of the potential human health impacts does not appear to have been conducted. As director of a nonprofit organization, Quiet Communities, and chair of the Lincoln Leaf Blower Study Committee, I have had the opportunity to examine the adverse health impacts of related noise and air pollution.

Extensive evidence in the scientific and medical literature indicates that airport noise is a serious public health hazard. Decades of research show that chronic exposure to environmental noise causes sleep disturbance, heart disease, psychological problems, and hearing loss. For example, in a recent study of more than 6 million older people (65+ yrs) living near U.S. airports, Harvard and Boston University Schools of Public Health scientists found that airport noise increases hospitalization risk for heart attack and stroke (BMJ, October 8, 2013). In a February 2014 Environmental Health Perspectives article, University of Michigan scientists call for a U.S. noise policy, estimating tens of millions of Americans are at risk for heart disease and other noise-related adverse effects—with air traffic identified as a major source. In Europe, the World Health Organization’s 2011 Burden of Environmental Noise report documents the extensive loss of healthy life years from environmental noise.

While Jet Aviation claims the new jets are less noisy and more efficient than smaller aircraft, this benefit may be outweighed by the future increase in jet traffic forecasted by Massport.

I urge residents to attend the upcoming meeting on April 2 and ask the Conservation Commission to postpone a decision until the potential adverse health effects of noise/pollution are examined with the help of the Board of Health and/or other environmental health experts.

Sincerely,

Jamie Banks
154 Lincoln 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. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published. Letters may be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor.

Letter to the editor: Town Meeting matters

letterTo the editor:

This coming Saturday, March 29, we will come together to discuss and vote on issues that matter to the future of our town. Town Meeting matters, as these votes decide how we will spend our money and what zoning we will enact to manage change over the coming years. By giving direction to town board and committees, the voters are the ones who have the final say. It is the voters who are ultimately responsible for how our town will proceed on all fronts.

This Town Meeting will take up some very important matters that go beyond the seemingly more pedestrian issues of straightforward annual budgets, the purchase of new police vehicles, or the adjustment of building height calculations. We will have an opportunity to engage in debate that could result in an outcome that reflects the best of Lincoln’s collaborative innovation.

Early in the day, a critical portion of Town Meeting will pick up where we left off at the State of the Town meeting last fall. Two articles hold potential for further developing a pathway suggested at that fall meeting. But the path is filled with potholes that could prevent a positive and creative outcome.

At State of the Town, we had a remarkable coming together of generations—School Committee members, Council on Aging (COA) representatives, Parks and Recreation, and citizens—singing the praise of bringing together, on one campus, programs to serve all ages. There we heard great support for what might become a Lincoln community campus.

To facilitate the creation of the unified campus concept celebrated at the State of the Town, the challenge will be to find a way to discuss the two separate components of this scheme at the same time.

The two components are a School Committee-sponsored article (Article 11) and a Board of Selectmen request of the Capital Planning Committee (one line item of Article 9). Article 11 asks for up to $250,000 to study a range of options for a school building project. Article 9 will ask for (among other items) up to $75,000 to study a variety of sites for programs for the COA and Parks and Recreation, as recommended by the Community Center Feasibility Study report.

At State of the Town, the Community Center Feasibility Committee (CCFC) presented the results of their analysis of programmatic needs and potential sites to deliver programs. Many of the sites are those also mentioned in the Selectmen’s list for further review. The CCFC preliminary analysis found that:

  1. Bemis Hall has both space limitations and safety concerns that cannot be solved in a way that addresses long-term needs.
  2. Pierce House was also determined to have serious space constraints, and any relocation to Pierce House would displace the uses currently enjoyed by citizens and many community groups.
  3. The only South Lincoln site that may be on a wish list might be the DPW site. But communities around us that have built new DPWs have encountered EPA regulations that place a price tag at $15 million and up. And where would we relocate our DPW, if we choose to spend $15 million?

So, if we can build on the enthusiasm for coming together that was expressed at State of the Town, embracing that spirit of collaboration and celebration of community, we might find a way to combine study of school needs, COA needs, and others needs in a unified, holistic manner—to develop a comprehensive way to meet community needs. And we might find that our community is best served when we all study, work and play together, on one campus.

The challenge will be for the leadership of the schools and the Board of Selectmen to create a committee to advance this collaboration. It won’t be easy to craft an innovative charge, and select a committee from the extensive talent pool that is Lincoln. It will need to take a fresh look at how we might proceed. But such approaches are not new to Lincoln. This is the kind of innovation that Lincoln has been know for—look at the creation of South Lincoln Crossing, Lincoln Woods, Battle Road Farm, Codman Community Farm, Codman Pool, and the recent protection of the Van Leer/MacDowell farmland. These initiatives all relied on cross-board collaborations and bold leadership that did not shy from the difficulties in bringing such projects forward.

We did it before. We can do it again. After all, when the ballfield at the center of our community campus was gifted in 1932, it was done with the notion that it would provide a place for all ages to come together and cheer as one.

Yes, there are exciting opportunities and challenges offered by matters before the town this coming Saturday. Be sure and attend. Jump into the discussions. Your voice matters. Your vote matters. Town Meeting matters.

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. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published. Letters may be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor.