A diagram of the choices facing Lincoln voters in Town Meeting warrant articles 30, 31 and 32 (click to enlarge).
By Alice Waugh
With a last-minute change to the wording of a Town Meeting motion, town officials are doubling down on their support for seeking state funding for a comprehensive school renovation project in the hope that a large majority of voters feel the same way.
[Read more…] about Town boards come together on revised school warrant article
On Monday, March 30, polls will be open in the Smith gym from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the town election, which includes numerous town office races and two ballot questions (see sample ballot at right; click to enlarge).
Two of the races (Planning Board and Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee) are contested. Below are links to letters to the editor in the Lincoln Squirrel about these races, listed in chronological order.
(Editor’s note: residents may vote for two of three names on the ballot. The Lincoln Squirrel has not received any letters to the editor from candidate Robert G. Stein of Sudbury, although he is mentioned in Eric Harris’s letter on March 23).
The eighth-grade warrant article group, left to right: Amalia Munn, Allie Dwyer, Colin Christian, Greer Harnden and Elena Christenfeld.
Six Lincoln School eighth-graders are hoping voters at Saturday’s Town Meeting approve a citizens’ petition for funding to clear the edges of one of the school playing fields.
Elena Christenfeld, Colin Christian, Allie Dwyer, Greer Harden, Amalia Munn and Irene Terpstra have been meeting every Monday since September withTown Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden and Town Clerk Susan Brooks to experience the process for getting an issue before Lincoln’s Annual Town Meeting.
After conversations with the Parks and Recreation Department, the students first came up with the idea to clear the edges of the playing fields next to Codman Pool, the Smith school building and the Town Office Building where brush is growing into the playing area. They eventually settled for just the Smith field as well as an adjacent student emergency evacuation area.
[Read more…] about Students’ Town Meeting article seeks funds for field work
The Community Center Study Committee’s “preferred option.” Click on the image for more exterior and interior design ideas.
By Alice Waugh
Residents on Saturday will have the chance to hear the final report of the Community Center Study Committee (CCSC), which proposes a community center to be built on the Hartwell campus at a total cost of about $13 million, including roads and other site work.
[Read more…] about Community center on Hartwell campus would cost $13 million, panel says
By Alice Waugh
Town officials have released amended wording for a school project measure at Town Meeting that more closely ties a $750,000 feasibility study with Lincoln’s acceptance into the state funding process.
[Read more…] about Amended motion for school project released
Editor’s note: Patricia Miller attempted to get on the ballot for election to the Board of Health, but she did not have a sufficient number of certifiable signatures (e.g., legible signatures of Lincoln registered voters), according to Town Clerk Susan Brooks. The same is true for Susan Harding, who intends to run for reelection to the Cemetery Commission. The specimen ballot can be found here.
To the editor:
Patricia Miller has been a wonderful addition to the Board of Health since she was appointed a year ago. We have been delighted to work with her. I speak for Dr. Fred Mansfield, my other colleague on the board, as well as myself in asking Lincoln voters to support her for a full term and write in her name at next week’s election.
Steven R. Kanner, M.D. (Board of Health member)
12 Bypass Rd.
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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.
CorrectionA March 23 letter to the editor headlined “Letter to the editor: vote ‘yes’ on Articles 30 and 31” carried the wrong signature. That letter was written by Douglas Adams, not Steven Perlmutter. The Squirrel had previously published a letter from Perlmutter on March 17 headlined “Letter to the editor: ‘focus like a laser’ on getting state funding for school.” The March 23 letter has been amended online to reflect this correction.
In the March 20 Lincoln Squirrel story about the school building warrant articles to be voted on at Town Meeting, there was a sentence that stated in part: “If the town were to borrow $30 million and also approve the campus master plan expenditure, there would be an increase in median tax bills of 3.9 percent.” That percentage refers only to the tax increase for fiscal 2016 including the effect of the school feasibility studies, not the year-over-year tax growth with $30 million of borrowing. A decision to borrow and how much to borrow by the town would come after a feasibility study.
Editor’s note: Since the revised agreement first came up for voting by district towns a year ago, 10 of the 16 towns have approved the new agreement while five (Belmont, Boxborough, Dover, Lincoln and Sudbury) have deferred their votes and one (Wayland) has voted no.
To the editor:
On Saturday, March 28, voters in the town of Lincoln have a unique opportunity to assist Minuteman High School, an institution with which the town has been associated for the past 40 years. Voters at Town Meeting can act to approve Article 34, ratifying a new Minuteman Regional Agreement.
As a Lincoln resident and long-time educator, I am urging Town Meeting voters to say “yes” to the new agreement.
Why should the Town of Lincoln approve the new Regional Agreement now? There are several reasons:
If the new agreement is not approved, there’s increased risk that the building project will fail—and we’ll lose 40 percent state funding. If that happens, we still have a building to fix or replace. Lincoln will continue to be responsible for those capital costs—with or without financial help from the state.
Further, if the new agreement is not approved, Lincoln will probably have no workable option to withdraw from the district. Without a change in the existing agreement, the town will need to secure approval from all 16 current members.
Of course, the easiest decision for the Town of Lincoln is to do nothing—to continue to “pass over” this issue. But that’s not the right decision, either for Minuteman High School or for our town.
I ask my fellow voters to say “yes” to Article 34. On behalf of the school, I ask for your support and leadership.
For more information about the agreement, please visit these Minuteman websites.
Sincerely,
Edward A. Bouquillon, Ph.D. (superintendent, Minuteman High School)
10 Mill St.
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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.
To the editor:
I am writing in support of Robert Domnitz for reelection to the Planning Board.
Bob brings a wealth of experience to the table from his many volunteer years serving the residents of Lincoln in several important planning capacities and, even prior to that, as a member of the Lexington Planning Board. He has a proven track record of both caring for residents and for carefully measuring the impact and precedence of Planning Board decisions on the long-term health and landscape of our town. His duel training as an engineer and an attorney—an unusual and useful combination—are critical components of his skill set.
Moreover, Bob is modest and extremely hardworking. His unaffected personality and sense of humor contribute to the positive dynamic among and with his fellow Planning Board members, which is an important factor in our volunteer system of town government.
Bob deserves our vote, and I hope that you will join with me in supporting him.
Sincerely,
Penny Billings
Lincoln Road
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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.
Editor’s note: The salutation in this letter was originally “Dear Lincoln residents, neighbors and friends.”
To the editor:
We are supporting Gary Taylor for the Planning Board because he has proven over two decades as a town leader that he can help the board provide a permitting process that is efficient and helpful to residents while focusing attention on its central and vital mission as the town’s primary planning organization.
[Read more…] about Letter to the editor: group of residents supports Gary Taylor