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Committees offer guidelines in advance of June 9 school vote

The Finance and Capital Planning Committees made some recommendations about a school project at the last public forum before the June 9 Special Town Meeting vote, but neither one endorsed a specific design option.

The FinCom recommended that the town stay within its state-mandated 5% debt cap, which would limit new borrowing to about $97 million. This eliminates the most expensive school concept—Option FPC at $109 million.

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At the May 15 forum, chair Jim Hutchinson repeated the other guidelines that members agreed on at their May 3 meeting. Members recommend that the town not wait until construction costs are more favorable, and judged that the estimates for square footage per student and construction cost per square foot re in line with those from other Massachusetts Schools.

Hutchinson also presented updated borrowing impact information and comparisons to neighboring towns (Bedford, Carlisle, Concord, Lexington, Sudbury, Wayland, and Weston), with ranges depending on which school option is chosen and whether the bond interest rate is 4% or 5%. Those figures include:

  • Tax increase — On a home valued at $997,500, taxes would go up by $1,329–$2,983 in the first year.
  • Average tax bill — At $15,185, Lincoln now has the second-highest average single-family fax bill after Weston at $19,380, and it would remain that position. The average bill would climb to $16,300–$18,014.
  • Tax rate — Lincoln currently has the second-lowest tax rate; it would go up to the fourth- or fifth-lowest.
Capital Planning Committee weighs in

Capital Planning Committee Audrey Kalmus presented her group’s recommendations:

  1. The town should consider designs that are easily scalable in case school enrollment rises faster than projected.
  2. To meet its “current basic needs,” the school should have a full kitchen as almost all other schools now do (this would eliminate the $49 million repair-only Option R).
  3. The building should be capable of achieving net-zero energy use (this eliminated Options R and L1).
  4. To “maximize the school’s value for teaching and learning,” it should include the educational enhancements as recommended by the School Committee and administration, such as “hubs” for each grade if possible.

The only options that meet all four of the CapComm criteria are L3 and C.

A group of Lincoln architects presented a proposal to the School Building Committee meeting on May 2 for a revised Option L2 that they said would meet most of the educational objectives of Option L3 (including hubs for grades 3–8) but at a lower cost. “L2 is really a substandard scheme, not well developed like the other schemes,” Ken Hurd, one of the architects, said at the forum.

“The SBC appreciates the efforts of our town design professionals,” SBC Vice Chair Kim Bodnar said this week. “In addition to their memos that have stimulated thinking in the SBC and within the design teams at SMMA and EwingCole, Ken Bassett, Peter Sugar and Doug Adams volunteered to be on our SBC Design Team Subcommittee last summer.  Their engagement has been extensive and appreciated.”

At the SBC’s request, SMMA Architects also presented on May 2 a compact option costing $85 million (about halfway between L2 and L3 in price). However, with that constraint, the plan would not include the auditorium, which best meets the legal requirement for a Town Meeting assembly site within the town’s borders.

The May 13 blog post by the SBC outlines the committee’s reaction to the idea, as well as some of the differences between options L2, L3, and C. Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall noted that the June 9 vote will establish only the building’s footprint and cost limit, so through SMMA’s work in the summer and fall on the chosen concept, “we can design more efficient spaces in the building” and rearrange things internally to some extent.

Town Meeting format

“We’re expecting near-record turnout” on June 9, so registered voters can check in starting at 8:15 a.m. and go into either the auditorium or the Reed Gym. More than 700 people packed into the auditorium and lecture hall for the 2012 school project, and a few had to be turned away at the door due to fire safety concerns. (The vote was 370-321 in favor of the project, or 54%–45%, which did not meet the required two-thirds majority).

The first vote via voting machine will ask which of the six school concepts they prefer, and a second standing vote will ask then to express a preference for one of the two top finishers in vote #1. The winning concept will then go into the schematic design phase in preparation for a bonding vote at a Special Town Meeting on December 1 (which requires a two-thirds majority) and a town election on December 3, which requires a simple majority.

After Selectman Jennifer Glass outlined the procedure for June 9, several resident had questions and suggestions. One wondered what would happen if the town approved a plan that did not meet the town’s 2030 bylaw on energy efficiency; another asked why residents would be voting on both building shape and price rather than just cost.

“We often hear ‘How can you design something without a budget?’ but it’s hard to name an amount of money if you don’t know what you get for it,” School Committee Chair Tim Christenfeld said.

Between the June 9 vote and the Special Town Meeting in December, there will be more forums and surveys as the SBC continues to meet and the architects present details on the building’s design and cost. “The conversation is going to continue,” he added.

Tree removal hearing on May 21

A public hearing will be held by the tree warden, deputy tree warden and/or their designees will hold a public hearing on Monday, May 21 at 7 p.m. at the DPW office (30 Lewis St.) to consider the removal of the below trees in the public right of way. The cutting and removal of the following trees has been made at the request of Eversource Energy. The trees have been marked with hearing notices and are being considered for removal because they are dead, in decline, or otherwise pose a safety or operational hazard to the safe and reliable operation of the Eversource Energy electrical system. The trees are marked as to size and type along the following roads:

  • Mill Street, 30″ oak, between poles 17/13 to 17/14
  • Mill Street, 30″ oak, between poles 17/13 to 17/14
  • Mill Street, 30″ oak, 40′ East of pole 17/14
  • 130 Lexinton Rd., 26″ hickory
  • 126 Lexington Rd., 33″ oak
  • 116 Lexington Rd., 18″ oak
  • 90 Lexington Rd., 20″ pine
  • 84 Lexington Rd., 33″ oak
  • Lexington Road, at pole 22/55, 22″ maple
  • Lexington Road, between poles 22/63 and 22/64, 35″ oak
  • 83 Page Rd., 33″ oak
  • Page Road, between poles 13/30 and 13/31, 20″ oak and 33″ oak
  • Page Road, between poles 13/31 and 13/32, 20″ oak
  • Page Road, at pole 13/35, 16″ oak
  • 44 Page Rd., 28″ oak
  • 40 Page Rd., 28″ oak
  • 83 Page Rd.across from 29, 15″ pine and two 26″ pines
  • 29 Page Rd., two 26″ pines
  • Page Road, at pole 13/49, 34″ locust
  • 49 Lincoln Roa Rd., 33″ maple
  • 100 Lincoln Rd., 33″ oak
  • Lincoln Road, between poles 24/45 and 24/46, two 20″ oaks
  • 233 Lincoln Rd., 33″ oak
  • Lincoln Road, across From 237, 20″ oak leader
  • 237 Lincoln Rd., 33″ oak
  • 244 Lincoln Rd., 36+” oak
  • 260 Lincoln R Rd.oad, 28″ oak

The following marked trees, are also being considered for removal by the DPW because they are dead, in decline, are posing a safety operational hazard, or at the request of the abutting property owner. These trees are marked as to size and type along the following roads:

  • South Great Road, two 21″ maples, across from pole 7/77
  • 80 Tower Rd., 30″ pine
  • 80 Tower Rd., 36″ pine
  • 80 Tower Rd., 36″ pine
  • 80 Tower Rd., 12″ Tree
  • 82 Conant Rd., 30″ pine

Town Clerk transition coming; Deputy Town Clerk sought

With the impending retirement of Town Clerk Susan Brooks on June 30, Deputy Town Clerk Valerie Fox will serve as interim Town Clerk until the position is up for election at Annual Town Meeting in 2019. The town is therefore inviting applicants for the open position of full-time Deputy Town Clerk starting on July 1.

The Deputy Town Clerk provides supervisory and administrative support to help the Town Clerk discharge the duties of the office including, but not limited to:

  • Maintenance of vital records
  • Licensing and permits
  • Records management
  • Cemetery and Town Archives support
  • Election administration

Thorough knowledge of Town Clerk operations and service functions preferred. Candidates for this 40-hour-a week position must demonstrate exceptional verbal communication and interpersonal skills, customer service skills, multitasking ability and management support skills. 

A bachelor’s degree is preferred, along with several years of office and customer service experience, preferably in a municipal setting. Candidates should have demonstrated organizational skills and the ability to prioritize workflow, accuracy and attention to detail, and proficiency with MS Office applications.

Regular hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m., with a 40-hour, four-day work week during July and August. Some evening and occasional Saturday hours will be required for special events such as Town Meetings and early voting. Salary range (grade 11) is $26.16/h0ur to $33.12 hour.

To apply, submit a cover letter and resume to the Town Clerk’s office, 16 Lincoln Rd., Lincoln, MA 01773, or email as a Word document or PDF to brookss@lincolntown.org by June 1.

Lincoln Democrats hear from state candidates in 3rd District

By Barbara Slayter

More than a dozen Lincoln Democrats attended the annual breakfast of the 3rd MAD (Middlesex Area Democrats) on May 12 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Waltham to hear from candidates for the upcoming September 4 primary and the midterm elections in November.

Participants gave an enthusiastic welcome to State Sen. Mike Barrett, who has been battling leukemia. “Democrats have a personal challenge and responsibility for addressing Trumpism,” Barrett declared. “Our work is cut out; it is not going to be easy; let’s get to it!”

The two Democratic candidates for governor, Jay Gonzales and Bob Massie, both emphasized their immigrant roots, strong support for a single-payer health care system and welcoming safe communities, and concerns about renewable energy, climate change, and a range of other progressive issues. Gonzales, who worked with former Gov. Deval Patrick, asserted that Gov. Charlie Baker is bad about standing up to hate and discrimination, while Massie proclaimed that if Democrats can win in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Alabama, surely they can win in Massachusetts.

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Cambridge-born political humorist Jimmy Tingle and Quentin Palfrey, a lawyer and policy maker from Southborough and Weston, are vying to be the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor. Tingle spoke movingly about the opioid crisis and the faltering public transportation system in Massachusetts, which lacks a high-speed train between Boston and Springfield or a link between North Station and South Station. Palfrey emphasized his long-term commitment to the fight against poverty and inequality through his work in the Poverty Lab at MIT, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, and in President Obama’s White House and Commerce Department.

All four candidates stressed that Democrats in Massachusetts must take back not only the corner office in the State House but also the leadership of our country. Massachusetts has been a leader in progressive change, and under Baker, the state is failing in this role and needs to re-assume its progressive mantle for leadership and change, they said.

Candidates for Governor’s Council Marilyn Devaney (candidate from Waltham who has served on the council for nearly 20 years) and Nick Carter (a lawyer from Newton) addressed the guests, as did Donna Patalano, a candidate for Middlesex County District Attorney. Patalano, who is challenging incumbent Marian Ryan, is focusing her candidacy on the need for reforms within the criminal justice system, which she says is characterized by gross disparities along racial lines.

Other speakers at the breakfast included Democratic candidates for the 14th and 15th Massachusetts House districts in Middlesex County to replace Cory Atkins and Jay Kaufman, respectively, and Secretary of State Bill Galvin, who offered information on scheduling and procedures for voting in Massachusetts, including early online voting, automatic registration, and same-day voter registration. Guests also heard from Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim, who is running against Galvin for secretary of state.

News acorns

Reed Wentworth to speak at LLCT

The annual meeting of the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust with a keynote address by Rand Wentworth, author of Finding Hope: The Future of Land Conservation in America, takes place on Monday, May 14 from 7–9 p.m. at St. Anne’s in-the-Fields church. LLCT members and friends are invited. Come learn how communities around the country are accelerating environmental protection in spite of federal rollbacks. Wentworth is the Louis Bacon Senior Fellow in Environmental Leadership at Harvard University and president emeritus of the Land Trust Alliance in Washington, D.C.

Hydrant flushing may affect tap water

The Lincoln Water Department will be flushing fire hydrants as part of its program to improve water quality starting Monday, May 14. Flushing will take place during the day from 8 a.m.–3 p.m. on weekdays. If tap water is used during flushing, it could be discolored and contain sediment. This discoloration only affects the appearance of the water; it does not affect the taste or water quality.

If you encounter discolored water, shut the water off and wait several minutes. After waiting, check the clarity by running cold water only for a few minutes, allowing new water to work its way into your pipes. In some cases, there may be slight discoloration for a few hours. The water may also have a milky appearance due to tiny air bubbles; they will dissipate over time and are not harmful.

Avoid washing laundry during scheduled flushing times. Wait until the water runs clear at the tap, then wash a load of dark clothes first. Flush your hot water tank by running the hot water tap for a few minutes after the cold water clears; hot water tanks can hold discolored water for some time after the cold water runs clear. Customers may also notice a more pronounced chlorine taste or odor in the water during springtime flushing. This will dissipate when water is left in an open container in the refrigerator. For additional information, call 781-259-8997.

Club Codman this weekend

Club Codman, the spring fundraising night for Codman Community Farms, kicks off on Saturday, May 19 at 8:30 p.m. in the Codman Barn with live music from DADDA. Sport the great fashions of the past and dance to music from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and beyond. No costumes necessary, but there will be much respect for the biggest hair and most polyester. Tickets are $45 for CCF members and $60 for non-members and are available online. This event sells out every year, so buy your tickets now. 

Film about borderlands trip at First Parish

The First Parish in Lincoln will show a short documentary film about a trip its members took to the Arizona borderlands on Tuesday, May 22 at 7 p.m. in the Stearns Room.  This film was produced by Lincoln resident Janet Boynton after the November 2016 trip. The film will be followed by a welcoming town and diversity discussion, co-facilitated by First Parish Ministerial Intern Terry Cumming and Peter Pease of the Lincoln Welcoming, Safe Town Committee of Lincoln.

Last community forum before school vote is May 15

There’s one more community workshop and two school tours before the milestone vote to decide which school project scheme the town should pursue.

The public forum on the six current concepts will be on Tuesday, May 15 from 7–9:30 p.m. in the Reed Gym. This session will focus mostly on audience Q&A with the School Building Committee (SBC) and other officials, and attendees will also be asked to informally rank the concepts in order of preference.

At the forum, SBC members will walk attendees through the process they used to generate and then narrow down the concepts from 12 at the start to the current six.

Last week, the committee considered two additional school design options. One of them had been in the mix before and one was a concept that the SBC requested from the consulting architects at a set price point of $85 million. However, “after discussion, it was determined that neither one of them brought anything incremental when compared to what we already had,” SBC Chair Chris Fasciano said.

The Board of Selectmen has yet to issue a recommendation on the options, though members are hoping to provide some guidance without being “overly directive,” Selectman Jennifer Glass said at the board’s May 7 meeting. The Finance Committee also debated the matter last week but decided not to recommend any of the options over the others, though they may yet recommend a dollar amount to keep in reserve when the town votes on bonding.

At its May 16 meeting, the SBC will finalize the concepts to be presented on June 9. Members will discuss on May 30 how they would rank the six options and why.

The June 9 Town Meeting will feature two votes: one using the voting machines and the second being a stand-and-count vote. In the first vote, registered voters will be asked to choose one of the six school options and possibly also what factors were most important in their decision. The votes will then be tabulated by machine, and the two options receiving the most votes will be presented for the final standing vote.

The SBC is hosting tours of the new Hanscom Middle School and the Lincoln School on Monday, May 21, where school officials will point out the educational benefits of various design attributes in both buildings. Anyone interested in the Hanscom tour must email Janice Gross at jgross@lincnet.org by noon on Monday, May 14, as all Hanscom Air Force Base visitors must provide in advance their full legal name as shown on their driver’s license and date of birth.

Visitors on May 21 must travel to the base with the group by bus, which will leave the Hartwell lot at 9:30 a.m. and return by noon, with lunch provided in the multipurpose room. A tour of the Lincoln School follows at 12:45 p.m. Anyone who just wants to tour the Lincoln School should email Gross and meet at the Smith office by 12:45 p.m.

The last mile (Lincoln Through the Lens)

Fran Doyle (center) is thrilled with the completion of a new Lincoln Road sidewalk between the Ryan Estates, where she lives, and the Cambridge Trust Co. building, making it much safer for her and others to walk to the mall and other South Lincoln locations. The sidewalk is one of several planned roadway improvement projects in town. With her are (left to right) DPW Superintendent Chris Bibbo, traffic consultant John Vancor, and DPW Foreman Steve McDonald.

Lincoln Kitchen shuts its doors; ingredients for a successful business debated

Lincoln Kitchen shortly before its opening in early 2017.

Just 15 months after it opened, Lincoln Kitchen shut its doors last week, leaving Lincoln once again without a restaurant.

Asked why it closed, co-owner and Lincoln resident Jim White said simply, “It didn’t work. Perhaps I should have known better, because there were plenty of people who turned down an opportunity to put a restaurant in that space. The difficulty with it, now that I know a little bit more, is there is just isn’t enough population density and the location is out of the way. Maybe we’re wrong and didn’t know what we’re doing… I live in town and I’d love to see something succeed there.”

Lincoln Kitchen opened in February 2017, nine months after the closure of AKA Bistro. In summer 2016, White and his daughter, co-owner Elizabeth Akehurst-Moore, signed leases for that building as well as the former Whistle Stop Cafe property nearby. Trail’s End Cafe opened in the latter location in October 2016 but closed in February 2018. White said he was negotiating a termination agreement on the Lincoln Kitchen lease with the Rural Land Foundation, which owns both properties.

In 2016, Lincoln resident Richard Card made an offer for the AKA Bistro space, but the RLF went with White instead. Card had proposed a business called Blazes, a combination bookstore, restaurant, coffee shop, and cocktail bar that would also host music performances (a website for the proposal is still live).

Card said this week that he planned to reach out again to the RLF but was also seriously considering a different site in town that he declined to specify. The biggest issue with that site is the septic system, he said.

“I was disappointed in the first [AKA Bistro] situation and I don’t want to lead people on when we’re not far enough down the line to have any kind of concrete commitment,” Card said. “I thought we had a situation with the RLF and it didn’t work out, which was disappointing to me and a lot of other people. One of the reasons given to me was that they went with Lincoln Kitchen  because they had a track record and [the RLF] couldn’t afford failure. Potential restaurateurs are going to think twice about going in there, as am I.”

If Blazes does open somewhere in Lincoln, Card hopes that a more “community-based” business with events like music and poetry readings will draw enough customers to succeed. “The idea is to spark a conversation, not just go in and out,” he said. “It’s a struggle because it’s a small community, but it’s not just commercial—it’s who we are to each other.”

In the wake of Lincoln Kitchen’s closing, numerous ideas for the site have been floated on LincolnTalk, but White warned that even a small food-related business must comply with Board of Health regulations, including licensed servers. “It’s not as easy to set up as some people might think it is,” he said.

The bigger obstacle, he added, was “people wanting to see a viable commercial district conflicting with why we all moved to Lincoln in the first place: peace and quiet and open space.” To have staying power, any restaurant in Lincoln “is going to have to be subsidized in some way, either by the town, if that’s legal, or by a wealthy individual.”

L-S School Committee disputes lawsuit allegations

The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee released a statement on May 7 denying charges in a recent lawsuit that the high school discriminated against the victim of an alleged sexual assault on campus in 2013.

A former student identified only as “Jane Roe” filed suit last month, charging L-S with failure to train and supervise response to sexual assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and discrimination on the basis of gender in violation of Title IX. In addition to the school, the suit names Superintendent/Principal Bella Wong, Director of Special Education and Director of Student Services Aida Ramos, and East House Housemaster/Associate Principal Leslie Patterson as defendants.

According to the lawsuit, after Jane was sexually assaulted by two boys during a football game, the school did not adequately protect her from coming into contact with the boys at the school and did not provide her with sufficient educational and counseling resources. Jane later went to a therapeutic school and eventually graduated from Lawrence Academy, the suit says.

“These allegations were fully investigated at the time by the Sudbury Police and School District officials. Upon learning of the incident, School District personnel immediately provided the female student with the support and assistance necessary to pursue her studies in a safe and harassment-free environment. Appropriate measures were also taken against the alleged assailants,” the School Committee’s statement reads.

“Any allegations that the school district dragged its feet, was unresponsive to the student, or somehow tried to sweep the incident under the rug, are entirely false. Due to the nature of the incident and ages of all involved, the school district was obliged to maintain strict confidentiality.”

The statement includes a link to a 2017 letter from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which investigated the district’s response to the incident and said it found “insufficient evidence to support the complainants’ allegation” that “the school discriminated against the student by failing to respond promptly and appropriately.”

“The Superintendent-Principal and her administrative team have kept the School Committee apprised of the matters related to the incident and subsequent proceedings at all times,” the School Committee wrote, adding that it “stands behind its policies and unequivocally supports the administrators named in the lawsuit.”