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In the Oct. 8 story headlined “Select Board offers more answers and hears comments on library HVAC“:

• The statement that “electrical upgrades costing about $490,000 will be needed regardless of which system voters choose” was based on an incomplete quote by Select Board member Jim Hutchinson. What he said was, “Electrical upgrades really are orthogonal to this… they’re going to be needed for either project depending on the results of the test of the equipment that we haven’t been able to do yet.” The story should have said those upgrades may be needed.

• The statement that the expected $1 million Climate Leader Grant for a ground-source heat pump project system would be “forfeit” if voters didn’t approve the GSHP project was misleading. The town could still get that grant, but only if it were to submit a new application listing other projects that the funds would pay for.

The original story has been updated.

Lincolnites can now find information on upcoming town events and meetings, official news updates, and more by using the Inhabit phone app.

The app pulls information from multiple town calendars into one place and provides links to town boards and community groups while also allowing users to customize what they would like to see. Last year, “a resident brought it to [Assistant Town Administrator Dan Pereira’s] attention, and given the Select Board’s interest in communication, it seemed like an interesting opportunity to pursue,” board member Jennifer Glass said.

Lincoln officials spoke to another community that uses the app and worked with Inhabit to build the starting in early 2026. The app is free to both the town and users and does not contain ads.

To join, residents need to complete only basic information fields such as email address (name is optional) and then select Lincoln as their town. “We purposefully limit the personal data we collect as the app was built to be both a healthier and more ethical alternative to social media platforms,” according to Inhabit. There’s an administrative dashboard that will provide the town with aggregate data on engagement and views but not individuals, Glass said.

The Select Board last week began reviewing a draft social media policy for town officials, approved an immigration enforcement resolution, and heard updates on a number of other town issues.

In keeping with the state’s Open Meeting Law and Mass. Municipal Association guidelines, the draft social media policy would explicitly prohibit “members of public bodies” from using social media, email chains, or other online communications to deliberate public business outside properly posted public meetings. If a board wishes to post an opinion, it must vote to approve the message and designate a member to speak on behalf of the board, the draft policy says.

Lincoln residents often post comments and questions about town affairs on the LincolnTalk public email listserv, which is not run by the town. The draft policy says that “town departments, boards, committees, commissions, and employees may occasionally use Lincoln Talk or similar forums to share factual information regarding town meetings, public notices, programs, services, projects, community events, and emergency information… [but] residents should not expect town officials or employees to respond to questions, comments, criticisms, suggestions, or requests posted on LincolnTalk.”

Town officials “want to jump in, provide answers, and be transparent,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said at the Select Board’s June 25 meeting, but they often can’t online. The draft emphasizes that lack of online response from a town official may seem like they’re “not paying attention or are unwilling to engage” but are simply limited by law or established town procedures about what they can say online.

The administrators of LincolnTalk plan to meet with him to clarify the listserv’s guidelines around that issue, and other boards as well as the public will also have a chance to comment on the draft social media policy.

ICE prohibition

In January, Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order that bans civil ICE arrests in state facilities and prohibits use of state property as staging locations. However, that order doesn’t apply to municipal facilities, so the new Lincoln resolution closes that loophole.

Town-owned property “shall not be used for staging areas, processing locations, detention, or other operational bases for civil immigration enforcement, unless federal officials present a valid judicial warrant or court order authorizing such use, according to the resolution. It also bars access to nonpublic municipal spaces for civil immigration enforcement, though town employees are not authorized to “interfere with or obstruct any lawful federal enforcement actions conducted in public spaces on town-controlled property.”

The Lincoln Public Schools are crafting a version that’s specific to school property.

Shared building commissioner

Lincoln has signed an agreement with Carlisle to share building commissioner services, with Carlisle paying for some of the available hours of Lincoln Building Commissioner Jon Metivier. The six-month pilot program that begins July 1 calls for an annual fee of $55,000. “We’re optimistic that this is going to be a good partnership with Carlisle and generate some meaningful savings for the town,” Higgins said.

Roadway projects

The Select Board and School Committee are expecting a preliminary design for refurbishing Ballfield Road in the fall that will inform a budget request to the Capital Planning Committee (CPC) for Town Meeting consideration in March 2027. The project will involve eliminating the “slip lane” (the eastern fork of the intersection with Lincoln Road) and other needed repairs that can take place once the community center constitution is complete. 

Citylogix, the consultant hired to assess roadway conditions across the town, has finished collecting data about town road conditions and will develop a database to share with the town in the next 60-90 days. The information will be used to help the DPW and committees develop short- and long-term pavement improvement and maintenance plans and may have a funding request ready for the CPC this fall in time for the next Annual Town Meeting.

Ricci trail

The board approved opening part of the new unpaved trail near the landfill solar installation to bicycles. The Conservation Commission expects to do the same for the piece of the trail that is on conservation land.

Cannabis deliveries

Although home delivery of recreational cannabis is now permitted statewide, cities and towns including Lincoln that didn’t authorize retail storefronts may apply for a temporary waiver to block deliveries. The board submitted a request for a one-year waiver while waiting to hear the preferences of town residents at the State of the Town/Special Town Meeting in October.

Work is slated to begin this week on phase 2 of the water main replacement project on Lincoln Road from Ballfield Road to the railroad tracks and eventually South Great Road.

The first three weeks of construction activity will include installation of a temporary water bypass system starting near Ballfield Road, according to the Department of Public Works. Work will usually take place between 8:30am and 4:30pm Monday through Friday, though after the school year ends on June 18, it may begin as early as 7:00am. Weekend and holiday work is not expected.

Once work begins, there may be temporary lane shifts. Access to homes and businesses will be maintained, but some properties may be contacted directly to coordinate temporary water service connections. After the temporary bypass is in place, there will likely be single-lane traffic operations through the active work zone during construction hours. Drivers should plan for slower travel through Lincoln Road, especially during morning and afternoon commute periods. Local access will be maintained, but through-traffic may wish to allow extra time or consider alternate routes when work is active.

The town may use message boards and website updates to provide more specific weekly information as the contractor submits two-week look-ahead schedules. Subscribe to the email list for official town notices here.

• The April 15 story headlined “Neighbors appeal decision to allow vet clinic on Minuteman land” has been updated with the date of the Zoning Board of Appeals hearing on the proposed Ally Veterinary Speciality Center on Mill Street. It will take place on Thursday, May 7 at 7:00pm.

• The DPW and Eversource are removing the following item from the upcoming tree hearing on April 22: “The cutting and removal of undergrowth trees has been requested by Eversource Energy. With abutter approval, all trees 10 inches or less in diameter that are growing into the wires will be cut to the stump.” Procedures for more clearly identifying trees in this group will be the subject of future hearings, according to the DPW, which did not immediately respond to emails from the Lincoln Squirrel on April 16 seeking more information. 

The April 9 article headlined “Public hearing for tree cutting and removal scheduled” included descriptions of the three tree hazard levels that the Lincoln Squirrel gleaned from a non-Eversource web page. On April 10, we received descriptions directly from Eversource via DPW Superintendent Steve Olson. Those descriptions have been substituted for the original text in the story.

Bemis Hall is closed after its boiler failed last week, and repairs can’t be completed until Feb. 23, leaving the Council on Aging & Human Services as well as Bemis Hall auditorium renters scrambling.

The 14-year-old boiler system initially failed right before the December holidays, according to Assistant Town Administrator Dan Pereira. “We were able to repair it and had hoped the fix would sustain us long enough to plan for a full replacement. Unfortunately, it failed again last Thursday [Feb. 5] and cannot be repaired, so we are forced to make an emergency replacement immediately. Next week is the earliest we can schedule the work,” he told the Lincoln Squirrel on Feb. 11.

COA&HS Director Abigail Butt and Barbara Low, who manages the building rentals, said they heard that certain parts were not available right away. Butt referred further questions to facilities manager Brandon Kelly, who could not be reached for comment

The COA&HS has made some of its Bemis Hall events for seniors hybrid or virtual while others have been relocated. Exercise classes will be held at the Pierce House, while tax help, tech talks, knitting, and mahjong will take place in Town Hall. The town social worker will be able to meet with clients in their homes or in private spaces in Town Hall or Lincoln Woods. Butt and her staff have contacted regular attendees to let them know of the change. Senior dining and Lincoln Academy will take place in the stone church.

There were no private events scheduled at Bemis Hall for the weekend of Feb. 14-15, but there are three slated for the following weekend that are up in the air. On Saturday, Feb. 21, Bemis was expected to host a Kids 4 Humanity charity talent show, while on Sunday, Feb. 22, it was booked for two events: “Uncovering What is Lost: Telling the Under-told Stories of Black Lives” sponsored by the Lincoln Historical Society, and a Music Street concert that requires a piano but could be held at the Pierce House. Low is hoping that the repairs will be done by Friday, Feb. 20 so they events can go ahead as planned.

The repairs will cost about $50,000 that will be paid from the town’s emergency reserve fund, Pereira said.

Library HVAC system

Coincidentally, Bemis Hall is not the only town-owned building in need of major HVAC work. Voters will be asked to appropriate money to replace the Lincoln Public Library’s 35-year-old gas-fired boiler, which is at risk of failure. Rather than simply replacing it with another gas system, the library agreed to study decarbonization options aligned with the town’s climate goals, as detailed in the January 2026 Select Board newsletter.

In 2025, the Green Energy Committee (GEC) secured a MassSave Energy Manager Grant to conduct a comprehensive 20-year cost lifecycle analysis of conventional, air-sourced heat pump, and geothermal options. A multiboard group (the library trustees, Select Board, and Green Energy Committee) determined that a ground-source heat pump system is the preferred approach due to the availability of grants and federal and state incentives that will make the net cost of comparable to that of a conventional system replacement.

“A full conventional HVAC system would only be marginally less expensive than a ground-source heat pump solution, with a worse environmental impact,” the newsletter says. The analysis was presented in detail at the Jan. 12 Select Board meeting.

The system will cost an estimated $5.5 million, and the town will have to finance $4.5 million after receiving an initial Massachusetts Climate Leaders Program grant of $1 million. Once the project is complete, the town can expect to receive state and federal incentives of roughly $2 million, making the final net cost to the town roughly $2.5 million.

The Community Preservation Committee will recommend bonding the $2.5 million and paying the debt service for that bonding from Community Preservation Act funds. If the project is approved by residents at Town Meeting next month, the project will not cause any tax bill increase to residents, although it will incrementally crowd out other CPA-eligible projects in the future, the newsletter says.

Editor’s note: this story was updated on Feb. 10 with information about library, school, and Parks & Rec email addresses.

Lincoln is in the process of changing all town officials’ email addresses, though the old ones will still be auto-forwarded for the foreseeable future.

Official Lincoln email addresses now end in the “lincolnma.gov” domain rather than the old “lincolntown.org,” though the first part of the address identifying the recipient will stay the same. For example, Town Administrator Tim Higgins will change from higginst@lincolntown.org to higginst@lincolnma.gov.

The Lincoln Public Library uses the Minuteman Library Network domain (@minlib.net) and that won’t change. The Parks and Recreation Department and the Lincoln Public Schools both use the @lincnet.org domain and will continue to use @lincnet.org addresses for the time being, although they will eventually transition to lincolnma.gov once the new community center is up and running. 

“We’re making the change so our [email address] domain accurately reflects that we are a government institution. The new domain will also give us some flexibility in responding to cybersecurity incidents and hopefully some priority in restoring connectivity,” said Michael Dolan, director of information technology.

Lincoln has had two cybersecurity incidents since 2016, affecting individual computers in Facilities and Public Safety, Dolan said. In both cases, he cut off access to the server and restores the files that had been maliciously encrypted. The second ransomware attack was limited to a vendor’s local account on that workstation, “and we have since severed ties with that vendor, he said.

Neither attack involved any information being gleaned from the town information systems such as residents’ personally identifying information, Dolan said.

Since those attacks, “our current security posture is more robust,” he said. New measures include town employee training on cybersecurity awareness and an incident response exercise last year involving key finance, public safety, school, and town administration officials.

The town also has a managed detection and response system that’s monitored 24/7 by a third party that goes beyond checking for malware on individual computers by looking for unusual network behavior. Finally, the town’s backup system is a non-Windows platform that is electronically disconnected from the main network, and backup is only accessible using two factor authentication limited to two accounts, Dolan said.

A $5,200 Municipal Local Cybersecurity Grant in 2024 helped pay for the domain change as well as other services.

Dolan has discussed cybersecurity with Lincoln’s insurance carrier and other cities and towns, “and the biggest issue amongst the communities was the cost of these services,” he said. “While it may cost more in the long run to not have the proper security measures in place, it is difficult to squeeze these infrastructure upgrades into our capital budget requests as our systems need to respond to a threat landscape that changes constantly. I usually seek a grant to absorb some of these costs but the ongoing financial impact after the systems are implemented put a significant strain our operational budgets.

“Finally, as many services and applications are now cloud-based or centrally managed, we rely heavily on the security practices of third-party entities,” Dolan continued. “Over the years, we have seen many successful attacks on larger organizations that spend far more on their security posture than our town. I think all the municipal IT managers are of mindset that it is not a question of if, only when.”