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

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Clarification

As originally published, the April 7 article headlined “Town Meeting now eyed for May 30; further postponements possible” may have given the mistaken impression that the school project vote plays a role in deciding when the Annual Town Meeting will be held. That meeting will include a vote on adding back items that were removed from the project, and officials had hoped to have that vote take place some weeks before construction is due to start in June. However, the Board of Selectmen clarified on April 9 that public health concerns, not school project deadlines, will be the determining factor in deciding whether the meeting needs to be postponed beyond May 30. The original article has been updated.

 

Town Meeting now eyed for May 30; further postponements possible

(Editor’s note: this article was updated on April 9.)

Lincoln officials plan to postpone the Annual Town Meeting (ATM) until at least May 30 as Lincoln’s Covid-19 caseload has risen to nine residents, including two at The Commons.

Public Health Nurse Tricia McGean reported on April 6 that there were eight “lab-confirmed” cases reported so far (the ninth was reported in a town communique on April 7). This does not include cases “where the doctor says ‘It sounds like Covid’” but the patient has not been tested, she said. McGean added that she would not be informed of cases among town employees who don’t live in Lincoln; however, the public health nurse in their towns of residence would do contact tracing for those patients, which would include co-workers but not customers who hadn’t been in close contact with the person.

  • Click here to see previous Lincoln Squirrel articles about Covid-19 in Lincoln

Five of the eight cases reported as of April 6 have recovered; one is in the hospital and the other two are in isolation, McGean said. Lincoln emergency response personnel who were in contact with individuals who subsequently tested positive have subsequently tested negative.

McGean noted that, at the recommendation of the state Department of Public health, some towns have stopped publicly posting their case numbers because the figures underrepresent the true number of cases in the community and may lead to a false sense of security. However, Lincoln officials will continue to report the figures.

“We don’t believe there would be any complacency,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said at the April 6 Board of Selectmen meeting.

“As much information as we can provide to the community is critical. I don’t see a downside to doing it,” said board chair Jennifer Glass.

Continuing to report cases “provides some measure of the spread rate of the virus and one additional data point for residents to consult when making personal health decisions,” McGean said in the April 7 update.

The Commons has taken extra protective measures for residents in their memory care unit as outlined in a March 31 letter to families. This builds on measures outlined in an earlier letter, when there was one case reported at the facility. These include:

  • assigning dedicated staff to care for memory care residents
  • utilizing a separate entrance into the community, where possible, and having them avoid visiting other communal areas
  • implementing enhanced employee and resident engagement activities to maintain safety, structure, dignity, and connection for memory care residents
Town meeting

Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden this week postponed the Annual Town Meeting to May 23 with the ultimate goal (for now) of postponing to May 30. The change has to happen in two steps because state law allows postponements of no longer than 30 days at a time. Towns are required to hold their ATMs no more than 30 days after the lifting of the governor’s state of emergency, which currently extends to May 4. 

“Public health and safety will be the determining factor in deciding whether we need to postpone beyond May 30. The moderator and the selectmen will not bring people together before the state has lifted the state of emergency and large gatherings are allowed,” the board said on April 9.

The Special Town Meeting for voting on restoring items to the school building project and the ATM will now be combined into a single streamlined meeting, which may include an online budget presentation that residents can watch ahead of time. The meeting will almost certainly be limited to votes on financial items, with the rest of the agenda postponed to a Special Town Meeting in the fall.

The town had originally hoped to have the school vote before June 1. If construction begins as scheduled in June and the fate of the school items is still up in the air, it might be possible to start without those items but include them later by creating a change order. It wasn’t clear on Monday what additional cost, if any, that process would incur.

The local election is now tentatively planned for June 1. State election officials have said that towns can postpone local elections to an undetermined date as long as they occur by June 30. Local voting normally must be done in person only, but early voting by mail will now be allowed.

Schools closed until May 4; distance learning to be rolled out

Gov. Charlie Baker announced on March 25 that all public and private schools in Massachusetts as well as nonemergency daycare facilities must remain closed until May 4.

“This is not an extended school vacation,” Baker said. “During this long-term closure, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will work with school districts to further develop educational programming students can use at home… This will allow school districts to provide the best possible opportunities for remote learning to all students.” Click here for remote learning and other educational resources from the state.

“We are working to put a more extensive plan in place to support student learning during this extended closure,” Superintendent of Schools Rebecca McFall wrote parents in an email on Wednesday evening. Parents are being asked to complete an online survey by Friday, March 27 at 7 a.m. (doing so multiple times for more than one child in the schools) about what they and their children need to make home schooling successful, such as help with using online resources, making a schedule, or creating longer-term projects for children. Faculty and administrators will use the feedback to design the next phase of supports and will share plans and our progress early next week. 

Before Baker’s announcement, Massachusetts Commissioner of Education Jeffrey Riley met with teacher, superintendent, and school committee organizations but offered little guidance about remote learning curricula or requirements, according to a Wednesday night email to parents from Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Principal/Superintendent Bella Wong.

“Since the order to close all schools effective March 15, 2020, there has been lack of sure guidance offered by state leadership for what is permissible for delivery of alternative education beyond what we are currently offering. What we are allowed to offer is affected by state and federal rules designed to ensure equitable access for all our students. The purpose of the meeting was to impress upon the commissioner the urgency for guidance given a likely extension of school closure. Now that the order for closure has been extended to May 4, the urgency for guidance is all the more imperative. Commissioner Riley suggested guidance would be provided last week, and now states it will be by this Friday.” 

In the meantime, L-S staff have been working together to develop “meaningful learning experiences for all our students,” Wong wrote. “L-S teachers will continue with the lesson plans already developed for the remainder of this week. Whether we receive guidance this week as suggested or not, please be assured our planning teams have already considered the possibility of and will adjust for a longer-term of school closure.”

School lunch assistance

In an earlier email to parents on Wednesday, McFall appealed for donations for meal assistance that the schools are providing to needy students. As with most school districts, the Lincoln Public Schools’ regular food service program is not funded in the operating budget. Costs are recouped through federal grants and revenue from student lunch purchases. The federal government is reimbursing districts for providing meals only if 50% or more of the students receive free or reduced lunch and Lincoln doesn’t qualify, so expenses meal assistance during the Covid-19 closure aren’t covered.

Lincoln schools are now providing 55 students in 32 families in Lincoln, Boston, and at Hanscom Air Force Base with lunch for each weekday at a cost of $3.10 per meal, or about $850 per week. The district is seeking donations in any amount to help cover costs. Go to this UniPay site, scroll down to select Lincoln Public Schools, and click the Meal Assistance bar on the left.

Click here for other sources of food assistance in Bostb and MetroWest. Click here for mental health contacts and resources for Lincoln chuldren and families.

Technology devices

The schools last week distributed 47 devices (laptops, Chromebooks and iPads) on loan to families and another 90 on March 25. Anyone in need of technology support may email support@lincnet.org.

MCAS testing

The state has postponed the grade 10 English language arts assessment scheduled to begin on March 24 and the start of the grades 3-8 English language arts assessment window scheduled for March 30. Gov. Baker has asked the legislature to waive the high school competency determination for seniors and all other MCAS requirements for this school year. More information will be shared as it becomes available.

Businesses close due to Covid-19, but town services carry on

Businesses
Town government
Social services
Police and fire
Schools
(Editor’s note: This story was posted Tuesday evening and updated at 11 p.m. to include more information from the schools.)

By Alice C. Waugh

All nonessential businesses are closed in Massachusetts until April 7 as ordered by Gov. Baker on March 23, but the town’s vital services are operational, officials reported at a Board of Selectmen meeting conducted online via Zoom on March 23.

Public safety/law enforcement, health care and public health, water and sewer services, and public works are all exempt from the order. “For many of these offices, emergency operations are second nature,” with protocols already in place in case of natural disaster or national emergencies like 9/11, Town Administrator Tim Higgins said.

Here are some of the brick-and-mortar business categories particularly relevant to the Lincoln area that are closed:

  • Landscaping services (except emergency tree work)
  • Gift and antique shops
  • Dry cleaners (laundromats and laundry services may operate)
  • Barbershops, hair and nail salons
  • Professional offices (law, real estate, architecture, accounting, etc.) Exceptions: legally mandated activities and critical sector services, or those where failure to provide such services would result in “significant prejudice”
  • Gyms, fitness centers, indoor pools
  • Indoor arts and recreation (video arcades, bowling alleys, movie theaters, museums, etc.). The outdoor deCordova Sculpture Park is open and free, but no restrooms are available.

Public-facing businesses and employment categories that are exempt from the lockdown include the following (click here for a detailed list):

  • Restaurants (takeout and delivery only; no dining in)
  • Health care, including physicians, home health aides, social workers, dentists, veterinarians, medical lab personnel, assisted living facilities, and residential facilities for psychiatric and disabled patients
  • Pharmacies
  • Convenience stores
  • Farms and grocery stores (anyone involved in food production, inspection, distribution, and sales)
  • Stores that sell pet supplies, auto supplies, hardware and home improvement items, home appliances
  • Gas stations and auto repair shops
  • Liquor stores
  • Hotels
  • Bank ATMs (maintenance, armored cars)
  • Sanitation/garbage removal
  • Maintenance and construction for both public and private customers (plumbers, electricians, carpenters, exterminators, inspectors, etc.)
  • Funeral homes, crematoriums, cemeteries
  • Workers in medical and public health records, cybersecurity, and other information technology functions that can’t be carried out remotely
  • Providers of food, shelter, social services, and other necessities for economically disadvantaged or otherwise needy individuals
  • Medical marijuana dispensaries
    • No recreational sales, but the state Cannabis Control Commission is allowing health care providers to certify medical marijuana patients through a telehealth waiver, rather than requiring in-person visits

Police have been fielding questions this week about where people are allowed to go during the lockdown. The governor’s order does not forbid Massachusetts residents from leaving home or traveling, but the Department of Public Health has issued an advisory for those 70 and older or with underlying health conditions to stay at home except for “essential trips for food, medicine, and focused time for exercise and fresh air.”

As far as enforcing the business lockdown and other restrictions on public gatherings, “we’re relying more on education and cooperation rather than enforcement,” Higgins said.

Town government

Although Town Hall and Bemis Hall are closed, the town’s social services and Council on Aging (see below) are functioning via phone and email, as are the town’s financial operations and vital records management in the Town Clerk’s office. Except for the selectmen, Board of Health, Finance Committee, and School Committee, town boards and commissions have suspended their work.

As previously announced, the March 28 Town Meetings have been postponed until April 25. The Special Town Meeting was scheduled to vote on supplemental funding for the school project, and the Board of Selectmen will take a formal position on the issue before that vote.

“Once we know whether Town Meeting is moving forward on April 25, the appropriate meetings will be rescheduled. As events unfold, we will make sure that all decision points are transparent,” Selectman Jennifer Glass said. The School Building Committee is scheduled to meet virtually on March 25 to get an update on where the project stands, and to approve any necessary expenditures.

The town is keeping track of expenditures it’s making as a result of the epidemic, and those expenses can be amortized over several years, Selectman James Dwyer said. Higgins said that there will be federal and state money available in the future for reimbursements. The town’s reserve fund is somewhat larger than usual for this time of year because there has been so little money needed for snow removal this winter, he added. 

Social services

As they’ve done in the past during major storms and power outages, police and Council on Aging staff are keeping tabs on specific residents who are “considered vulnerable” with regular check-ins. The COA (which aims to change its name to the Council on Aging and Human Services) is handling calls from people of all ages who need help obtaining food or medicine because of Covid-related loss of income, COA Director Carolyn Bottum reported.

More than two dozen people have volunteered to make deliveries or reassurance calls to Lincolnites in need, and the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry “is literally working night and day” delivering food to cars and homes, as are local churches, and Minuteman Senior Services is still visiting homes when necessary, she said.

Police and fire

The police and fire departments are fully staffed around the clock in the usual eight-hour shifts, though they’ve worked out plans for going to 12-hour shifts to cover absences due to quarantine or illness if necessary, Chief of Police Kevin Kennedy said.

Lincoln and surrounding towns also have mutual-aid provisions in place when extra help is needed. Police departments in the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (comprising more than 60 cities and towns in Middlesex and Essex Counties) can also pool resources to provide extra manpower and specialized units.

Some police departments in the U.S have started to tread lightly when it comes to minor infractions, and Lincoln is no exception. For example, Lincoln police stopped issuing most traffic citations after March 15.

“What we’re trying to do is limit our contact with members of the public that we don’t necessarily need to have to have contact with,” Kennedy told the Squirrel on March 24. “They’re definitely out on patrol and vigilant, but it’s really a discretion thing. Obviously we’ll make a traffic stop or an arrest that needs to be made. I don’t want to say that police aren’t going to do X, Y, or Z.”

Police officers continue to respond along with EMT firefighters to all medical calls in Lincoln, but in non-life-threatening situations, they’re now waiting on scene for the Fire Department to let them know if their help is needed. The Fire Department is also waiving the fee for outdoor burning permits, which residents can obtain in advance by phone. 

Residents shouldn’t let virus fears prevent them from calling for medical help, said Deputy Fire Chief Brian Young. EMTs wear masks on all calls, and the ambulances are regularly sanitized. “We’re fearful that people might sit at home and wait and wait and wait,” he said. “We don’t want to overwhelm hospitals, but people who need care can still call. It’s kind of a delicate balancing right now.”

The Police Department’s mental health and domestic violence staff are still at work, Kennedy said. Although court schedules have been adjusted since the Covid-19 outbreak, residents can still obtain restraining orders and harassment prevention orders, he added.

“The response as a community has been outstanding. People have been very cooperative and supportive and have been staying home,” Kennedy said. He also thanked Minuteman High School for its recent donation of personal protective equipment to police. Many of those supplies are on backorder even for first responders, “and I can’t thank them enough.”

Testing kits for Covid-19 are in short supply, but public safety and medical personnel with official ID can get drive-through testing at the CVS in Shrewsbury, he noted.

Schools

The decision to close the schools as of March 13 was made late in the evening of March 12, so there was almost no time to plan ahead, but since then the district has been working on three core areas: access to food, technology, and learning resources.

As of March 23, Lincoln Public Schools are providing free lunch deliveries twice a week for 52 students in 31 families in Lincoln, Boston and Hanscom Air Force Base who indicated their need in a survey, “and I’m expecting those numbers will rise as we move forward,” said Superintendent of Schools Rebecca McFall, adding that Donelan’s had donated 400 paper grocery bags for packing and delivering the food. The schools are also bringing loaned laptops, Chromebooks, and iPads to families who need them for educational purposes.

McFall told parents in a March 24 email that the schools are launching BrainPop, Dreambox, Lexia, and Newsela to additional grade levels. General-education classroom teachers have also been asked to offer one session via Google Meet (a videoconferencing app) for their students this week and two sessions per week moving forward. Instructions for parents on connecting with these resources will be forthcoming.

“The purpose of these Google Meets is to connect teachers to students and students to each other, to say hello, to talk about what students are doing, to practice mindfulness or other coping strategies, etc. Think of it as a morning meeting or advisory,” McFall wrote. Administrators and faculty are developing more structured methods that may include live and/or pre-recorded learning sessions with the goal of helping parents create a daily educational plan for children.

“This is new for all of us and we are building the plane as we fly it, continuing to make child-centered decisions about next steps,” McFall wrote. “While our beginning steps may not seem adequate at this time for long-term learning and I understand you may have a desire or an expectation for more, please know that we are working with faculty to continue to develop and define learning opportunities for students that are responsive to their needs.”

Minuteman donates protective equipment to police, fire departments

Police officers from Lexington and Lincoln arrive at Minuteman High School to pick up donations of personal protective equipment to assist in the coronavirus emergency on March 23 in the school’s automotive shop. (Minuteman Photo)

Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School on Monday donated more than 300 packages of various types of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Lexington and Lincoln police and fire departments, along with Emerson Hospital in Concord, to assist in the coronavirus response.

Minuteman joins several other vocational-technical high schools across Massachusetts that have donated items such as face and respirator masks, hospital gowns, gloves, eyewear, and hand sanitizer amid a global shortage of such items during the public health crisis.

Minuteman, like other vocational-technical schools, has PPE on hand for students in programs such as biotechnology, environmental science, health assisting, culinary arts, cosmetology, automotive technology, electrical, carpentry, and early education. Donations were also received from the nurse’s office, science classrooms, and administrative offices. 

“Thank you so much to Minuteman,” the Lincoln Police Department wrote on its Facebook page. “We’re certainly receiving this in a time of need, as such equipment is on backorder.”

“The police, fire, and medical workers in our communities are putting their health at risk everyday to care for us during this unprecedented emergency,” said Edward A. Bouquillon, Superintendent-Director for Minuteman. “At Minuteman High School, many of our students are the next generation of nurses and EMTs. Helping one another through any sort of crisis is part of who we are.”

Minuteman has also donated food to local organizations providing free food during the Covid-19 emergency.

 

Schools close; Town Meeting and election postponement likely

Lincoln Public Schools will be closed for the rest of the month, and the Board of Selectmen has scheduled an emergency meeting on Friday morning to discuss postponing the town meetings and election scheduled for March 28 and March 30.

The latest development in the swiftly progressing Covid-9 pandemic events came late Thursday night, when Superintendent of School Becky McFall contacted parents to tell them there would be no school on Friday, March 13 and schools would not reopen until at least March 30. Earlier in the day, she said the state Commissioner of Education had scheduled a Friday morning conference call for school superintendents where we “anticipate we will be given some direct guidance about school closures.” 

These were just the latest in a rapid series of communications from McFall about the virus in the last two days, starting with a March 11 notice about limiting access to the schools to students and employees only, while canceling field trips and athletic events.

“Since my communication this afternoon, we have seen a significant shift in the coronavirus outbreak and we have decided to take proactive measures to slow the rapid spread of the virus,” McFall said in a email to parents sent Thursday night at 10:12 p.m. announcing the school closures through at least March 27.

This came after the School Committee met Thursday evening and reviewed the latest information about the spread of the virus as well as closures by other school districts. Sudbury schools and Minuteman High School are also closed as of Friday; Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School is open Friday but will close after that for at least two weeks. Six other districts including Bedford and Lexington jointly announced closings as of March 13.

“It is important for families to understand that this is an initial determination, and as we monitor the outbreak, it may lead to a longer closure,” McFall wrote. 

Lincoln made its announcement amid widespread measures nationwide to restrict gatherings of people, and McFall urged families to follow that guidance in coming weeks. “If students and families continue to meet together in groups outside of school, this initial closure will not have the desired impact. It is critical that everyone refrains from meeting in large groups and practices social distancing as recommended by the CDC,” she wrote.

School administrators, teachers and technology specialists are developing “curated resources” for families and students during the closure. “These resources are not intended as a ‘virtual school,’ but rather will provide a bank of ideas for learning activities that families may find useful,” McFall wrote.

Information on preschools in Lincoln was not available Thursday night.

There were 108 presumptive or confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Massachusetts as of March 12, according to the state Department of Public Health. Middlesex County had twice as many cases as any other county in the state with 49. It’s unclear if are any cases in Lincoln yet.

Town meeting and election

The Board of Selectmen has scheduled an emergency meeting on Friday, March 13 at 7:30 a.m. to discuss the possibility of postponing the town meetings scheduled for March 28 and the town election on March 30. The agenda can be found here.

The Lincoln Squirrel will report on actions that result from that meeting and will post a story on Friday. We’ll continue to post on weekends when breaking news warrants.

Other cancellations

As the Lincoln Squirrel learns about cancellations due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the affected events will be noted as postponed in the calendar. However, if an event is still listed, don’t assume it’s happening —  check with organizers before going.

  • The Council on Aging has canceled or postponed all COA classes and activities through Friday, March 27. At that point they will review the situation. COA staff will be in their offices during regular business hours and we will continue to offer social work and other social services as usual. For more information, call the COA at 781-259-8811.
  • The Lincoln Public library has canceled or postponed the Friday morning book group on March 13 and will probably cancel some other activities as well, once they’ve talked with the presenters. Please check the library website at lincolnpl.org for the latest news.
  • The library has also canceled all children’s programming through the month of March. Please contact the library with any questions or concerns: 781-259-8465 ext. 4 or dleopold@minlib.net.
  • The Lincoln Family Association has suspended its weekly Wednesday playgroups through the end of March. 
  • The March 13 WHDH videotaping at the Lincoln train station described in the March 11 article headlined “TV station to film Lincoln MBTA activists on Friday” has been canceled.
  • The Old Town Hall Exchange will close for the time being. Saturday, March 13 will be its last day open until further notice.
  • The deCordova Museum will remain open for now, with increased cleaning protocols. However, events in March where more than 100 people are expected have been canceled. For the immediate future, if programs or events that you are registered for are canceled, you will be notified via email and issued a full refund. If you’re unsure of the status of the event, check the deCordova website at decordova.org and social media channels.
More information:

Covid-19 updates and cancellations

Restricted access to schools

Beginning March 12, access to the Lincoln Public Schools is being limited to students and employees only, with a few exceptions. Events that include invitations to parents, extended family members, and outside guests will be postponed, canceled or rescheduled, Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall said in a March 11 communication.

This means that events like plays and musicals (including the middle school performance of “Frozen Jr.” that was scheduled for the evenings of March 19 and 20) may be performed for a student audience during the school day but will not be open to parents and community members. “We will do our best to take steps to allow parents and family members to view the performances via video or other measures. Performances may also be rescheduled to later in the year,” McFall wrote.

Community events that are scheduled in school gyms and auditoriums or other large spaces will also be cancelled.

Other changes and cancellations
  • The Friends of the Library monthly used book sale (was Saturday, March 14 in Bemis Hall). Organizers hope to proceed with the next scheduled book sale on Saturday, April 11 but will keep LincolnTalk posted about plans. Donations are still welcome in the box at Bemis Hall.
  • “Coping & Understanding Hearing Loss” (was Saturday, March 14 at the library). Organizers hope to reschedule for later in the spring.
  • “Tough Guys and Gentle Men: Healthy Men in the Age of #MeToo” (was Saturday, March 14 at St. Anne’s Church). This was a half-day summit hosted by the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable. 
More information:

 

$3.5m cut from school project, but alternate funding is a possibility

By Alice Waugh

(Editor’s note: this story has been updated.)

Items including new trees, some of the playground equipment, and sunlight-controlling window devices totaling $3.5 million were chopped—at least temporarily—from the school project last week after construction bids came in at $3.5 million higher than budgeted.

The School Building Committee (SBC) got the bad news when bids were opened on January 29 and voted on February 12 to approve cuts to close the gap. The newly deleted line items include:

  • $1.2 million for planting new trees, concrete walkways and bike paths, half the playground equipment, an auditorium divider and theatrical rigging, and sunlight-controlling window devices
  • $1.5 million (of the $2.1 million originally budgeted) for furniture, fittings, equipment, and technology
  • $254,000 for auditorium seating, carpeting, and stage paneling
  • $782,000 for using a different foundation pouring method and less expensive new caseworks, as well as not demolishing and removing the temporary classrooms.

In a bit of good news, the $254,000 for the auditorium refurbishment was restored after it recently became clear that the work could be funded from the estate of the late Harriet Todd, a former Selectman who died in 2018 and left $500,000 to the town in her will. Her family agreed that some of that bequest could be spent on the auditorium; the rest will endow a scholarship for Lincoln students.

Some of the other items that the SBC cut may not be gone for good. After a flurry of meetings this week, the Board of Selectmen approved a Special Town Meeting (STM) to vote on restoring some of them with money from a different source. The STM will take place at the start of the Annual Town Meeting on March 28.

The three buckets of items the SBC hopes to restore to the school project. Items in peach are the SBC’s top priority, those in blue are second priority, and green is third priority. Click image to enlarge.

On February 26, the SBC went over its previous list of cuts and parceled them into “buckets” that they hope to offer for STM votes (see illustration). The three buckets, which total $2.08 million, are in descending order of how critical the SBC feels the items are. If the first set (peach) is approved, there will then be a vote on group #2 (blue), and then another vote on the third set (green) if group #2 is also approved. But if any bucket is voted down, there will not be a vote on the next set.

Residents approved a budget of $93.9 million for the school in December 2018. Since the school project cannot increase its previously approved budget, money to restore any of the cuts would have to come from another source and would therefore require residents’ approval. Those sources, as identified by the Finance Committee on February 25, include:

  • Free cash. Officials have already targeted spending $1.5 million from free cash to upgrade the town’s public safety radio system. However, that item on the ATM warrant could be passed over if residents at the STM decide to spend some or all of that money on the school instead. The first two buckets of potentially restored cuts add up to $1.499 million.
  • Tapping the town’s stabilization fund, which currently stands at $2.2 million (this would require a two-thirds majority vote at Town Meeting). Town Finance Director Colleen Wilkins said this week that depleting the stabilization fund even to zero would not affect the town’s AAA bond rating.
  • Borrowing via a capital or debt exclusion. This would require a two-thirds majority at Town Meeting plus a simple majority at the ballot box.

At their meeting on Tuesday, the Finance Committee also expressed concern about how town officials and contractors misread the market and didn’t build in enough bidding contingency funds. “The cost escalation moved very quickly [from an expected 5-6% to 8%], and we may not have understood the preference for new construction” by contractors bidding on Lincoln’s complex renovation project, SBC chair Chris Fasciano told Selectmen on Monday.

Finance Committee members voted 5-2 to “roll back” and reopen its deliberations on the large budget requests (e.g., public safety radio) for fiscal 2021 in anticipation of the SBC’s budget request. They will then deliberate those requests  at one or more meetings before Town Meeting and make a recommendation, which might include supporting the SBC’s request, supporting only portions, not supporting it, or having some other recommendation(s).

FinCom members Tom Sander and Elisa Sartori voted against the motion. “I would like to have voters vote at Special Town Meeting decide on whether they want to put additional money into the school project to preserve these important items that SBC was forced to cut and which otherwise will never be part of the building,” Sander said later. “And I actually personally favor funding these. But I see our role on FinCom as being neutral fiscal trustees of the town. And I feared that undoing our vote to fully fund the police and fire radio project for this coming fiscal year would not as concretely and objectively pose to residents what we (FinCom) would have planned to do with this free cash if it wasn’t put into the school. As long as it is clear to voters at Town Meeting that this is not simply $1.5 million of free cash sitting idle with no other planned uses for it, I’m fine with the vote that FinCom approved.”

“It’s a hard ask,” Selectman Jennifer Glass acknowledged at the SBC meeting. “But in my opinion, this is the moment to say to the town that we have a set of choices. We have a great project as it is, but we have some decisions that, if we don’t make them now, we’ve lost things as part of this project.”

News acorns

Birches School open house

The Birches School (100 Bedford Rd., Lincoln) will hold its winter admissions open house on Saturday, Jan. 11 from 1–3 p.m. Tour the new campus set on three acres of private woodlands and speak with faculty, parents, and current students about the school’s K-8 program centered on cultivating curiosity, creativity, empathy, and self-reliance. Children are welcome to attend. Click here to register.

Introduction to L-S for middle school parents

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School will host an information session and tour for parents of middle school students on Thursday, Jan. 16 (snow date: Tuesday, Jan. 21) from 6:30-8 p.m. in the high school library. Hosts will include L-S administrators Bella Wong and Virginia Blake as well as L-S veteran parents, who will talk about the school’s academic profile, enrollment projections, median class sizes, student clubs and activities, athletic teams, theater and music opportunities, college planning, the Global Scholars Program, and more. For further information, please contact L-S School Committee member Carole Kasper at carolemkasper@gmail.com or Virginia Blake at virginia_blake@lsrhs.net.

Free grief support group at hospice house

If you’ve recently lost your spouse or partner, join our experienced grief specialists for this support group at the Care Dimensions Hospice House (125 Winter St., Lincoln) on Wednesday evenings from February 19 to April 8 from 7–8:30 p.m. The group is free but registration is mandatory (the deadline is February 14). To register, visit www.CareDimensions.org/calendars (click on February 19), call 781-373-6530, or email grief@CareDimensions.org. Click here to see a list of other grief support groups.

L-S recognizes National Merit Scholar students

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School congratulates nine semifinalists and 23 commended students in the National Merit Scholarship Program. The semifinalists will continue in competition for approximately 7,500 scholarships that will be offered in the spring of 2020. Commended students are recognized for exceptional academic promise demonstrated by their outstanding performance on the 2020 qualifying test and are commended on their outstanding potential for academic success.

National Merit semifinalists are (left to right) Stephanie Lu, Laura Appleby,* Jonah Krasnow, Derek Nielsen, Justin Lewitus, Tea Baumgartner, Abigail Truex, and Ranen Leung.

 

National Merit Commended Scholars are (back row, left to right) Grant Bordner, Ethan Minkoff, Jason Huang, Keith Hylton,* Anny Fryling, Haydon Merrill, Jessie Li, and Caoilin Engstrom.* Front row, left to right: Arlene Leavitt, Abigail Ganz, Eric Feng, Aiden Pendergast, Allison Densel, Parker Simon, Benjamin Morris, Kelly Durning, and Julian Flack.

* Lincoln resident