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

news

Police log for the week of Jan. 24, 2020

January 24

Virginia Road (3:45 p.m.) — Police responded to an argument between two neighbors.

Cordaville Rd., Southborough (4:30 p.m.) — Det. Ian Spencer assisted Southborough police with a forensic sketch related to an ongoing investigation.

Lexington Road (7:52 p.m.) — Officer delivered court paperwork to a resident.

Lincoln Police Department (1:41 a.m.) — Party came to the station looking for directions to a residence in Wayland. Wayland police had requested a well-being check on the party earlier. Wayland police were contacted and took the party home.

January 25

Lincoln Road  (4:40 p.m.) — Power outage reported. EverSource contacted.

Trapelo Road (5:12 p.m.) — Caller requested a check on the residence as son never arrived to meet the reporting party. Officers checked and everything was fine.

Concord Road (11:48 p.m.) — A large tree limb fell onto the roadway. An officer responded and was able to move it to the side of the road.

January 26

Lincoln School (1:48 a.m.) — Fire alarm in the link building. Fire Department located the detector and everything is fine. School maintenance staff was notified.

South Great Road (4:15 a.m.) — Caller reported loud music in the area. Officers checked and found a party sleeping inside a vehicle in their driveway with the music on. Party was advised to turn the vehicle off and head into the house.

Lincoln Road (11:31 a.m.) — Caller reported being stuck in an elevator. Fire Department responded and found the caller had exited the elevator and it seemed to be working fine.

Pierce House (2:22 p.m.) — Caretaker requested assistance as she was having an issue with the oven. Fire Department responded and assisted the caller.

Water treatment plant, Sandy Pond Road ( 4:02 p.m.) — A car was parked near the treatment plant. An officer spoke to the operator and they were sent on their way.

Lincoln Police Department (5:10 p.m.) — Party came to the station with low pressure in one of their tires. Fire Department assisted the party.

Old Winter Street (1:08 a.m.) — Emerson Hospital notified Lincoln police of a past report of a dog bite. The information was given to the Animal Control Officer for follow-up.

January 27

Tower Road (3:54 p.m.) — Party reported receiving an odd phone call asking for an unknown person. Officers found that the unknown person was the former subscriber of the phone number.

Main Street, Medford (4:15 p.m.) — Det. Ian Spencer assisted Medford police with a forensic sketch in regard to a Medford investigation.

Chestnut Circle (4:45 p.m.) — Caller asked police to remove a home health care worker. The caller appeared to be confused, and officers contacted a friend to come and stay with them.

January 28

Virginia Road (8:51 p.m.) — Caller reported an odor of natural gas. Caller said they’d already contacted National Grid; while on the phone with the caller, National Grid arrived at the home.

January 30

Vandenberg Gate, Hanscom Air Force Base (12:39 p.m.) — William Norman, 65, of 970 Main St., Tewksbury, was arrested for an outstanding traffic warrant while attempting to enter the base and was later brought to Concord District Court.

North Great Road (3:10 p.m.) — Concord police requested a check of the area around Minute Man National Historic Parks for a missing person from their town. They later called back to report the party had been located.

Baker Bridge Road (3:18 p.m.) — Resident requested assistance for information on legal options for a civil matter.

Lincoln Road (4:04 p.m.) — Caller reported damage to her car that she believes happened while it was parked in her driveway. Report taken.

Police log for the week of Jan. 17, 2020

January 17

Deerhaven Road (9:56 a.m.) — Officer observed a damaged van parked along the road near Old Cambridge Turnpike, but no one was around the vehicle.

Concord Road, Wayland (1:51 .m.) — Officers assisted Wayland police with a reported burglary in progress. Wayland police are investigating the incident.

January 18

North Great Road (1:54 p.m.) — Two-car crash on Rte. 2A at Bedford Rd. One person transported to a local hospital with a minor injury.

Cambridge Turnpike (3:40 p.m.) — Resident came to the station reporting receiving a call about owing the government money. Officers spoke to the resident and advised it was a scam call. No money was sent to anyone by the resident.

Mayflower Road, Hanscom Air Force Base (4:02 p.m.) — Hanscom security forces requested assistance in locating a missing child. Officers responded and found the child on the property hiding in a recycling bin.

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (5:15 p.m.) — Business owner called regarding a past theft of approximately $1,000 of property. Officers investigated and summonsed two parties to court for larceny under $1,200. The property was recovered.

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (5:19 p.m.) — Officers responded to a one-car crash near Bedford Road, no injuries. State police were on the scene.

Old Sudbury Road (10:19 p.m.) — Caller reported two people standing on Old Sudbury Road. Officers located the parties and assisted them with arranging to get back home to Wayland.

January 19

Bypass Road (12:23 p.m.) — Report of a suspicious car in the driveway. Officers spoke to the parties and they were sent on their way.

Wells Road (1:13 p.m.) — Caller requested assistance with a civil matter involving another party. Officers assisted and informed the resident of their legal options.

January 20

Wells Road (11:41 a.m.) — A resident of Watertown requested a wellbeing check on a Lincoln resident. Officers checked and all is fine.

Concord Road (6:30 p.m.) — Officers stopped a person who was found to have an arrest warrant out of Clinton District Court. Aricelma DeOliveira, 42, of 657 Main St. in Clinton was arrested and later bailed to appear in Clinton District Court.

January 21

Short Hill Road (3:12 p.m.) — Caller reported being locked out of her house. Fire Department assisted the party in gaining access.

January 22

Sandy Pond Road (6:33 a.m.) — Caller reported a truck idling on Sandy Pond Road. It was gone on police arrival.

Wells Road (6:46 p.m.) — Caller reported hearing a loud noise. Officers checked and found it was a mechanical issue; maintenance was contacted and will handle.

Minebrook Road (9:13 p.m.) — Caller reported hearing gunshots. Officers checked the area and all was quiet.

January 23

Bedford Road (2:28 a.m.) — Officer observed a vehicle parked in the driveway with its car door open. Officer secured the door; appears to be neglect.

Tower Road (10:44 a.m.) — MBTA reported an employee was on the tracks with a deer that had been struck by a train. MBTA work crew to handle.

Oakwood St., Dorchester (2:59 p.m.) — Investigators arrested Robert Barr, 50, of 30 Oakwood St., in Dorchester on a warrant stemming from a breaking and entering case from 2019.

DeCordova Museum (1:57 p.m.) — Caller reported a car on fire in the parking lot of the deCordova Museum. Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire.

Concord Road (9:18 p.m.) — Caller reported an outside odor of natural gas. Fire Department responded and investigated and found nothing.

Lincoln Road (10:26 p.m.) — Caller requested information on a relative who was last seen at the Real restaurant a few days ago. Officers found that his relative was in custody in the Norfolk House of Corrections.

COA, Selectmen seek to change their names

By Alice Waugh

Two town government organizations — the Board of Selectmen and the Council on Aging — are hoping to change their names to keep up with changing times.

The Council on Aging (COA) wants to change its name to the Council on Aging and Human Services to reflect how its mission has expanded to serve Lincoln residents of all ages. A group of residents is proposing an update from Board of Selectmen (BOS) to Select Board to promote gender inclusivity and equality, in the same spirit as other title changes such as chairman to chair, fireman to firefighter and mailman to postal carrier. Both changes require Town Meeting approval in March.

Residents including Ellen Meyer Shorb, Stuart Rose, Kim Bodnar, Emily Haslett, and current Selectman Jennifer Glass organized a citizen’s petition to change the name of the BOS. The board itself is also sponsoring a warrant article that, if approved, aims to ensure that all language in the town by-laws is gender-neutral. Selectmen will discuss the issue at their next meeting on January 27.

According to the measure’s background document (which is based on similar measures enacted in 30 other Massachusetts towns including Bedford, Concord, Lexington, Sudbury, and Weston), the term “selectman” traces its history back to the early days of America. In the new open town meeting form of government, every citizen could voice opinions and vote on town matters — but “every citizen” referred to every land-owning male citizen. Soon, the notion of calling every man in town together to decide daily matters proved too cumbersome, and a group of men were selected to manage the details of town governance.

Lincoln elected Beth Ries as its first female Selectman in 1977; nine other women have since held that office.

“My personal thinking on ‘why do this and why now’ is that language matters and how we speak reflects who is included, and I’m glad that our town and towns around us are finally formalizing language that reflects this,” Shorb said.

Council on Aging

When the COA was first established, its mission was to serve seniors exclusively, but more recently, it’s been administering the Emergency Assistance Fund and the fuel assistance program, which are both open to all residents. In the past two years, the COA and other town officials have seen “a significant increase in the number of residents of all ages in various kinds of crisis,” and many of them were coming to the Council on Aging for help, COA Director Carolyn Bottum said.

in response, the town funded a community nursing position starting in 2018, and last year, with the help of grants, the COA began administering two more services for all ages: a town social worker and mental health clinics. Then in October, the Rental Assistance Program was launched in collaboration with the Housing Commission to provide help to residents of all ages who need assistance with rent. 

“The current name no longer reflects the fact that a considerable portion of our services are human services provided to residents of all ages. It also doesn’t reflect the fact that the town nurse, town social worker, AARP tax aide, SHINE [a program that helps Medicare recipients with health insurance], and veterans agent, all of whom serve residents of all ages, are all housed in the COA building and organized by the COA,” Bottum said.

“In addition, we do find that younger residents, especially, are confused and sometimes reluctant to work with us because they think we only serve older adults. Finally, we do think it may help when we go to apply for grants that are for services for younger people, since gran-tmakers might be confused as to why a Council on Aging is asking for funds for a program for younger people,” she added.

The name change must be approved at Town Meeting in March. In December, the Board of Selectmen were supportive of the plan.

“It’s a signal to people of where to turn if they don’t fall into that [senior] category but need some help, so it’s a benefit to the community in that way,” Selectman Jennifer Glass said.

“It’s more comprehensive and more transparent,” Selectman Jonathan Dwyer said.

Several other Massachusetts towns including Littleton, Taunton, Foxboro, Seekonk, Norton have also updated the name of their Council on Aging “simply because there is no other human services department in town,” Bottum said.

Regardless of the change, “it’s extremely essential to note that adding Human Services to our name does not denote that we are in any way no longer focused on seniors.  We are here to be the second home, voice, and advocate for Lincoln seniors just as much as we always were. Our focus is still on seniors; we have just added a service component for other ages and the name change reflects that. But we will always be a Council on Aging first,” Bottum said.

Commuter parking fees to go up

Starting February 1, the daily charge for non-resident parking in the commuter rail lot near Donelan’s will rise from $3 to $5.

The Board of Selectmen voted the increase in December — the first price hike in about 15 years. Lincoln’s fee was considerably lower than those for other towns with commuter rail lots. Selectmen briefly debated raising the price to $4, but the lots still accept only cash payments, and “I’m looking at four folded one dollar bills stuffed into the slot vs one five dollar bill,” Selectman Jennifer Glass said. 

The town will explore getting a pay-by-phone app this spring after the Annual Town Meeting, said Director of Planning and Land Use Jennifer Burney. Selectmen are also considering ways to increase the number of spaces by restriping, removing islands or changing the traffic circulation. 

The South Lincoln Planning and Implementation Committee has also hired a consultant to study the idea of creating fund as part of a new parking benefits district, which would require Town Meting approval.

Police log for week of January 10, 2020

January 10

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (12:16 a.m.) — Officer reports a dead deer on Rte 2. MassDOT notified.

Lincoln Public Library (10:42 p.m.) — Officer checked on two people sitting in a car outside the library. The parties check out OK and are moved along.

January 11

Sandy Pond Road (10:35 a.m.) — Caller complained of cars parked on Sandy Pond near Baker Bridge. The group is part of a charity run; officer spoke to the group and they’re leaving.

Greenridge Lane (6:40 p.m.) — Officers assisted a resident with a civil matter.

Oak Knoll Road (10:56 p.m.) — Caller reported a suspicious vehicle driving in the area. Officers were unable to locate.

January 12

Lincoln Road (2:30 p.m.) — Caller reported a low-hanging branch. Officers locates it and contacted the DPW to remove it.

Bemis Hall area (3:40 p.m.) — Caller reports cars parked along Old Lexington Road causing a problem. An event at Bemis Hall was letting out and people are leaving the area.

Old County Road (9:28 p.m.) — Large tree down on Old County Road. DPW notified to remove it.

January 13

Wells Road (9:35 s.m.) — Caller complaining of a vehicle double-parked. Officers located the owner and advised to move the vehicle.

McLean Hospital, 5 Old Cambridge Turnpike (9:10 p.m.) — Caller reports finding suspected marijuana residue. Officers assisted the party and destroyed the residue.

January 14

Baker Bridge Road (3:59 p.m.) — Assisting a party with getting his belongings at the residence.

South Great Road (5:06 p.m.) — Caller reports an injured deer in the area of Drumlin Farm. Officer located the deer and it ran off into the woods.

St. Anne’s Church (20:37 p.m.) — Officer located a ladder up against the building; checked the area and all appeared to be in order.

January 15

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (1:54 a.m.) — Stephanie Zilonis, 31, of Gardner was stopped on Rte. 2 and arrested for OUI/liquor. She was later brought to the Concord District Court for arraignment.

Old Sudbury Road (5:08 a.m.) — Caller reports a deceased animal in the road. DPW notified to remove.

January 16

Hanscom Air Force Base, Vandenberg Gate (7:24 a.m.) — Jarrett Vasconcellos, 36, of Stoneham was arrested at Gate 1 for an outstanding warrant out of the Woburn District Court for a probation violation. He was brought to Concord Court.

South Great Road (5:18 p.m.) — Two-car crash at Rtes. 117 and 126. Officer assisted the parties with gathering each other’s information

Trapelo Road (9:57 p.m.) — Fire Department assisted party with gaining access to their home.

Cambridge Turnpike (2:22 a.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle parked in the Tracey’s service station lot. Driver pulled over due to being tired; said they were going to remain in the lot for a bit and then continue on to their destination.

LLCT hosts events tied to pollinator corridor action plan

The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust is creating a corridor of biodiversity and climate resilience throughout the town of Lincoln by rebuilding functionally diverse native ecosystems through pollinator habitat installations based on scientific study. The following events are free and open to all. For more information, visit lincolnconservation.org.

Threatened Ecosystems: The People-Plant-Pollinator Solution
Sunday, Jan. 26 from 1–2:30 p.m., Bemis Hall
Robert Gegear, professor of biology at UMass-Dartmouth and director of the Beecology Project, will give a foundational talk discussing the critical need to protect and restore native pollinator systems — native pollinators and native plants — for biodiversity and climate change resiliency. Dr. Gegear will discuss his plans for three years of scientific study of pollinator populations in Lincoln.

“Hometown Habitat: Stories of Bringing Nature Home” (film)
Thursday, Feb. 13 from 7:30–9 p.m., LLCT office (145 Lincoln Rd., Suite 102A)
This Valentine’s Day, send flowers to the ones you love, pollinators included This film highlights Hometown Habitat heroes who are reversing detrimental impacts on the land, one garden at a time. The stories illustrate the benefits of native plants and conservation landscaping. Narrated by renowned entomologist and author Douglas Tallamy (Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants).

“Designing Biodiversity: Toolkits to Create Pollinator Habitat and Connectivity”
Sunday, March 1 from 1–2:30 p.m., Bemis Hall
Evan Abramson, principal at LandscapeInteractions and architect of Lincoln’s pollinator corridor action plan, will discuss how to create and maintain functionally diverse native pollinator habitat, increase biodiversity, and improve the resiliency of landscapes. There will be plenty of time for questions.

Clarification

The January 14 News Acorn about automatic voter registration should have said that only first-time registrants will be registered as unenrolled; anyone already registered will retain their current party affiliation. The original post has been updated.

Police log for December 28, 2019 to January 9, 2020

December 28

North Great Road (10:28 a.m.) — Two-car crash at Mill Street. One vehicle left the scene driving on flat tires. Concord police later stopped the vehicle; operator was summonsed for various motor vehicle offenses.

Sudbury Road, Concord (12:43 p.m.) — Concord police requested assistance with horses running on Rte. 117 just over the line in their town.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (3:55 p.m.) — Vehicle was stopped and a passenger (Alexis MacLeod, 35, of Hyde Park) was arrested on two outstanding traffic offense warrants. She was later bail to appear in Dedham District and Ayer District Court

Old Conant Road (9:10 p.m.) — Caller reported her daughter received several disturbing texts from an unknown phone number. Report taken; appears to be a prank.

December 29

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (1:42 a.m.) — Jonathan Alex, 22, of Lancaster was stopped and later arrested for OUI/liquor.

Winter Street (5:13 p.m.) — Caller reported a vehicle ran a red light in Waltham and is traveling towards Lincoln; concerned that the driver is intoxicated. Area checked; unable to locate.

December 30

Oak Knoll Road (7:30 p.m.) — Caller reported they can’t get up Oak Knoll Road due to icy conditions. DPW notified.

December 31

Trapelo Road (7:40 a.m.) — Caller reported a wire down on the road. Officer checked; it was a rope lying on the ground.

Minebrook Road (10:48 a.m.) — Caller requested a well-being heck on a resident. Officers checked and all is fine.

South Great Road (11:28 a.m.) — Caller requested a check of the house after seeing someone on their video camera at the house. Officers checked; appears to be a delivery driver.

Meadowdam Road (2:12 p.m.) — Caller reported receiving harassing texts. Report taken.

Trapelo Road (4:31 p.m.) — Caller reported a wire is down on the pole in front of their house. Officer check and found it belongs to Verizon; Verizon notified.

Beaver Pond Road (8:25 p.m.) — Resident reports fireworks going off in the area. Officers checked and unable to locate, all is quiet.

Beaver Pond Road (8:49 p.m.) — Resident reported fireworks going off again. Officers responded and spoke to a neighbor, advise them to stop.

January 1

Walden Pond Boat Ramp, 915 Concord Rd. (3:36 p.m.) — Walden State Park staff reported an injured deer near the boat ramp. Officers checked and were unable to locate the deer.

South Great Road (5:46 p.m.) — Concord Police requested assistance in looking for a shoplifter in their town. Officers given the information but unable to locate.

January 2

Meadowdam Road (11:07 a.m.) — Caller reported receiving harassing texts from a former friend. Officer followed up with the involved party. Report taken and person advised of their legal options.

Lincoln Road (4:59 p.m.) — Caller reported their vehicle was struck on Lincoln Road near Codman Road by a vehicle that didn’t stop. Report taken; unable to locate the other vehicle.

Donelan’s Supermarket (5:16 p.m.) — Caller complained about a bus parked in the Donelan’s Lot. Bus was legally parked.

Southborough, Mass (6:03 p.m.) — Det. Spencer assisted Southbourough police with an investigation.

January 3

North Great Road (3:24 p.m.) — Bicyclist who was operating without any lights was stopped.

January 4

Tower Road (12:14 a.m.) — Caller reported a pothole in the road. DPW notified.

Sandy Pond Road (12:17 a.m.) — Officer found a vehicle pulled over near the water treatment plant. Operator was sent on their way.

January 5

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound at Gerard’s Farm Stand (1:25 a.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle parked at the farm stand. Everything was fine; driver was making sure he didn’t have a flat tire.

January 5

Lincoln School (12:55 p.m.) — School staff reported a power outage at the school; Eversource notified.

Longmeadow Road (8:08 p.m.) — Caller reports hearing what sounded like a gunshot. Officers checked the area and found all was quiet, source of sound unknown.

January 6

Hanscom Air Force Base — Hanscom security reports someone at Gate 1 with an arrest warrant for traffic offenses. Officers arrested Samantha Lopez, 43, of 189 Main St. in Maynard.

Mill Street (10:22 a.m.) — Caller who was out of state reported that the temperature in his house was higher than what he set it at. Fire Department checked; all is fine.

Sudbury Road, Concord (10:29 p.m.) — Concord police requested assistance for a possible burglary in progress. Units cancelled; Concord officers found that the person on site was an employee.

January 7

Sandy Pond Road (11:53 a.m.) — Caller reports her dog was bitten by another dog on the trails behind the deCordova. Animal control officer notified and will follow up with both dog owners involved.

Old Road To Nine Acre Corner, Concord (5:05 p.m.) — Concord police requested assistance in locating a vehicle traveling with no lights on the wrong side of the road in the area of Sudbury Road and Rte. 117. Officer checked Sudbury Road to Rte. 2 but was unable to locate the vehicle.

January 8

Tower Road (2:57 p.m.) — Caller reported goats running in the roadway. Animal Control notified.

Weston Road (5:46 p.m.) — Weston police requested assistance with a vehicle they stopped on Weston Road at Moccasin Hill after being involved in a hit and run.

January 9

Hanscom Air Force Base gate (1:55 p.m.) — Brandon Merkman, 37, of 11 Bayberry Rd. in Buzzards Bay was arrested for an outstanding traffic offenses warrant. He was bailed to appear in Natick District Court on 1-10-2020

Hanscom Air Force Base gate (3:20 p.m.) — Heidi Saddler, 54, of 74 Wells Rd. in Lincoln was arrested for an outstanding traffic offenses warrant. She was bailed to appear in Concord District Court.

South Great Road (5:59 p.m.) — Caller reports striking a deer. Officers responded and took a report; vehicle was towed from the scene.

Lexington Road (7:58 p.m.) — Officers delivered paperwork to a resident.

Baker Bridge Road (8:05 p.m.) — Officers attempted to make contact with a party regarding a civil matter.

July 4 fireworks canceled due to school project

The traditional Lincoln Fourth of July fireworks show in Codman Field has been canceled this year because of the upcoming school construction project and won’t resume until work is done.

In a letter to the Lincoln community posted by the Lincoln Police Department and the Parks and Recreation Department, Chief of Police Kevin Kennedy and Parks and Rec Director Dan Pereira said the school campus won’t have sufficient parking or pedestrian access while construction is going on. There isn’t any other site in town that can accommodate the show, which attracts over 5,000 spectators and 1,000 cars each year, they said.

Construction work on the two-phase school project is slated to begin this June and be “substantially complete” in June 2022.

“An event of this scale cannot be run safely in the reduced space. We have not yet determined when the campus will be ready to resume this tradition, but will keep you informed,” the letter said.

All July 4th morning activities (the road race, reading of the Declaration of Independence, children’s bicycle parade, main parade and Boy Scout lunch) are expected to run as usual, and the Codman Pool will remain open and free for community use that day.

“We are always looking for new energy and ideas to invigorate our public events, especially during the temporary loss of this beloved tradition,” the letter says. Anyone interested in helping out should contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 781-259-0784.

Farmers protest sudden end to lower water rates

By Alice Waugh

The Water Department recently stopped allowing rate caps for agricultural users of town water, but after farmers were taken by surprise and objected, officials decided this week to study the matter further.

The issue of water rates is a sore subject for the town. To help pay for an array of capital projects and new equipment, residents voted to approve bonding totaling about $2 million at Town Meetings in March and November 2019, and the department has been in a financial and staffing crisis for some time.

Because of the expenditures, water bills went up by 25% last year, and another significant increase is expected when next year’s rates are set. The Water Commission plans to propose the new rates on January 21 and hold a public hearing on February 4.

Everyone who uses town-supplied water must pay according to how much water they use each quarter. There are three usage tiers: 0–20,000 gallons, 20,001–40,000 gallons, and 40,001 gallons or more. As an incentive to conserve water, the fee climbs steeply from one tier to the next: $5.08 per 1,000 gallons for users in tier 1, rising to $10.71 for tier 2 and $25.03 for tier 3. Local farms can use more than 100,000 gallons per quarter in the growing season.

In keeping with Lincoln’s agricultural character, former Water Department Superintendent Greg Woods (who left about two years ago) capped the rate at Tier 1 for some farming operations in Lincoln. The policy was on an informal case-by case basis; Lincoln does not have a written policy regarding rates for agricultural water use.

Water Department Superintendent MaryBeth Wiser drafted a proposal with suggested criteria for an agricultural rate last year, but in June 2019, the commission voted not to adopt it and to discontinue the water rate caps for farms. Water customers were notified in their July bills that farms would no longer receive special treatment and would be charged according to water usage the same as everyone else starting October 1, 2019. Since farms use a lot of water, the change could mean added costs amounting to tens of thousands of dollars a year. The only alternative is to pay for digging a private well, which can cost upwards of $20,000.

Although the notice went out in July, some farmers didn’t realize a change had been made until they got their water bills in November, as there was no outreach or publicity from the Water Department aside from the notice in the summer bill.

“Agricultural water rates are important to the viability of farms in Lincoln,” Agricultural Commission co-chair Ari Kurtz said at the Water Commission’s January 7 meeting. “Farmers use town water to wash vegetables, maintain community gardens, and water crops when wells are not available or treated water is required. Building wells is a significant expense that many small farmers cannot absorb and would discourage small startup agricultural operations… If water conservation or the need for increased revenue for the Water Department were significant drivers of the decision to rescind agricultural water rates, we would like to have the chance to examine alternatives that are less damaging to the farming community.”

Kurtz was reading from a letter that he and Agricultural Committee co-chair Louise Bergeron wrote to the commission.

“These will be crippling rates for many people,” said Steven Kanner, who owns Kanner Family Orchard on Bypass Road, which supplies fresh fruit to customers including the Lincoln schools and Codman Community Farms (CCF).

“For us, the situation is critical,” said Pete Lowy, manager of CCF. “We would have to double or triple rates for garden plots.” CCF leases more than 100 community gardening plots to residents.

The Water Commission approved an interim agricultural rate structure in 2017, though it’s unclear who now qualifies for that rate. After extending an exemption for Brian Turnbaugh of 153 Lexington Rd., the commission approved an interim fee structure whereby Tier 2 would encompass 20,001–100,000 gallons per quarter. This was proposed as an “interim measure” by commission member Packy Lawler, who advocated a rate structure for agricultural use that encourages water conservation, according to meeting minutes.

“We’ve had agricultural water rates on our agenda or list of things to do for about five years,” commission member Ruth Ann Hendrickson said at this week’s meeting.

Wiser’s June agricultural proposal wasn’t useful for Lincoln, Hendrickson said. “It was sort of a generic proposal that MaryBeth had picked up from various sources on the Internet. It was really more appropriate to a place like the Midwest,” with its massive amounts of livestock and farming acres. “It was more complicated than we needed.”

As the commission was discussing the issue this week, it was apparent that they did not have current data on the number of farms in town, how a farm is defined, how much water they use, and which have separate water meters for agricultural uses such as watering animals and irrigating crops as opposed to regular indoor use. This stems in part from difficulties some officials have had in using Munis, the town’s financial data system.

 “What we really need is some data,” Hendrickson said. “How much water are we talking about? It’s a balancing act between supporting the town in its desire to have farms vs. asking to what extent do our customers want to subsidize the farmers. That’s the question we’re going to have to wrestle with… Every year we already overdraw our [state DEP] permit. We’re between a rock and a hard place.”

The commission decided to appoint a subcommittee to study the issue of agricultural water rates, chaired by member Michelle Barnes and including Agricultural Commission members. But they’re under a tight deadline, with the public hearing on new rates set for February 4.