• In the March 27 story headlined “Fossil fuel measure stirs debate at Town Meeting,” a speaker was misidentified. It was Fred Hopengarten, not Mike Frankston, who attempted to submit an amendment to the fossil fuel motion. 
• In the March 27 story headlined “Town to move ahead on community center, which could open in 2026,” Select Board member Jonathan Dwyer’s first name was written incorrectly as James. Both stories have been corrected.

(Editor’s note: this story was updated on March 28 with a correction in the last paragraph.)

Although the measure passed with only a handful of “no” votes, a first step toward limiting fossil fuels in new construction attracted the most attention and debate out of the 40 warrant articles at the Annual Town Meeting on March 26.

The “yes” vote on Article 31 directs the Select Board to seek a home-rule petition from the state legislature that would (if granted) allow Lincoln to craft a new bylaw that would prohibit using fossil-fuel technology in new or substantially renovated homes. As originally proposed several weeks ago, the warrant article also included some suggested language for that bylaw, but the Green Energy Committee removed that part after pushback from the Select Board.

Any new bylaw will be written from scratch and must be passed by a two-thirds vote at a future Town Meeting. A home-rule request is required to allow that step because towns are not allowed to pass building codes that are more restrictive than the state’s. Brookline, Acton, Arlington, Lexington, and Concord have filed similar home rule petitions but the legislature has not acted on any of them yet. 

Gov. Baker signed a bill last year that aims to fight climate change by making state buildings net-zero in energy use by 2050, and Lincoln has a similar measure with a 2030 deadline for town-owned buildings. “The window to act is closing fast,” said Trish O’Hagen of Mothers out Front.

GEC Chair Paul Shorb noted that, if Lincoln is permitted to write its own bylaw, that bylaw can include exceptions for things like generators, gas fireplaces and other equipment. Wood pellet stoves would also be permitted since wood is not a fossil fuel. “That’ll be sorted out in round 3” after action by residents on Saturday and then the state legislature.

In contrast to the Select Board’s earlier objection, Barbara Low said she would be more comfortable voting yes if the specific bylaw language was discussed ahead of time. “There’s too much unknown to be going to the state for permission to do something,” she said.

Lincoln ultimately didn’t do that “mainly because of urgency” in starting the process now, Shorb said. “We didn’t think of it sooner and we’re sorry.”

Mike Frankston noted that because countries including China and Indonesia are responsible for much of today’s growing greenhouse gas generation, “why would this help in the least? It puts an expensive burden on the people of Lincoln but does nothing measurable to what greenhouse gases do.”

“I’ll turn the question back to you: how will we make any progress if no one takes a first step?” Shorb replied.

“We can blame other countries that are developing, but we should look at ourselves first,” said Alex Chatfield.

Frankston and others at Town Meeting also objected to the “coercive” nature of the proposal. “Why is this not voluntary if so many people want to do this?” he said.

“It’s not fair to depend on volunteers to cure this worldwide problem,” Shorb said. There are already many other requirements and restrictions in place to keep people safe, including drinking-water regulations and seat belt laws, he added.

“This is a one-size-fits-all solution that is short-sighted,” another resident said. “To demonize fossil fuels is really not addressing the problem” when the electric grid has vulnerabilities of its own.

Shorb agreed that the electricity generation and supply system, which itself relies heavily on fossil fuels, also needs to change. “We have to work these paths in parallel; we can’t pursue one and not the other,” he said. 

Although climate change is happening more slowly than sudden emergencies such as a house fire, “We need to deal with it immediately as an emergency… we need to make this as a first step of many others.”

Jackie Lenth described the substantial investment she recently made to improve her older home’s energy efficiency. Prohibiting fossil fuel heating systems for new houses “would be doing a huge favor for people building in the future, since it costs so much to make these changes after the fact,” she said. “If you make changes in the code from the beginning, they don’t have to go through the headache that some of us are going to have to go through if we really want a greener climate.”

Fred Hopengarten tried to submit an amendment to the motion but the question was called before he could submit it. Residents voted to cut off further debate, though Hopengarten protested that he was trying not to interrupt Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden. “Am I to be punished for my courtesy?” he asked.

To all concerned Lincolnites:

It’s been two years since we voted together to elect Bob Domnitz to the Planning Board, something we should all be proud of.  

He’s doing a great job, the best he can given the circumstances. The problem is that there’s still a majority among the five Planning Board members who believe the town needs more development, no matter the cost or impact on the town’s character.

Given their way, they’d add hundreds of more units of housing to the area around the Mall and train station, and spend millions of taxpayers’ dollars to do so. Remember, it was just two years ago that the Planning Board wanted to be able to make development decisions without Town Meeting approval. Without Town Meeting even having a say.

This is the year we can ensure that Town Meeting doesn’t lose its vote. We can let town officials know that decisions impacting the rural character of Lincoln can only be made by town residents. Not ideologues on any Town board.
 
We can do this by re-electing Ephraim Flint to the Planning Board. [Editor’s note: Flint is not running as an incumbent in this election.]
 
Eph served previously for five years and understands the workings of that Board. And why not? He grew up in Lincoln and knows the town and its history better than anyone running. He learned from his father, Warren Flint Sr, who was a Selectman and Planning Board member while many of us were attending elementary schools. Remember, it was Eph’s dad who was one of the leading proponents back in the 1950s of the 2-acre zoning regulations and conservation land purchases that define our town now.
 
Ephraim is thoughtful, experienced and collaborative.  He’s the best person to heal the mistrust that has developed between residents and the PB. A mistrust caused by those members who have dissembled in their communications with, and not listened to, town residents. He’s committed to Town Meeting having the final say.
 
Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m the only one who cherishes Lincoln as it is and wants the town to retain its current rural-like feel and atmosphere. But I don’t think so!
 
So, I’m asking you to bullet vote for Ephraim Flint and to tell your neighbors and friends to do the same The best way to ensure Ephraim’s elected is to vote only for Ephraim. Let those other two candidates duke it out over the remaining seat. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. I hope to see you at Town Meeting Saturday or at the polls on Monday.
 
Always thinkin’ of Lincoln,

Neil Feinberg
104 Concord Rd., Lincoln

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Check-in begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 26 for Annual Town Meeting, which kicks off at 9:30 a.m. Some notes and reminders from the Lincoln Public Health Team:

• Although the location of the auditorium has not changed, the school renovation has reconfigured the entrance. Click here for a map of the new entryway.
• The new school spaces will be open for viewing before the start of the meeting.
• Officials strongly encourage residents to test themselves for Covid-19 before and after the meeting to reduce any chance of transmission. The town has free at-home test kits available to all residents that can be picked up at the Select Board’s Office, the Council on Aging & Human Services, and the Public Safety dispatch window.
• The Board of Health has lifted the indoor mask mandate but continues to encourage individuals who are at increased risk of severe Covid-19 disease because of age or medical conditions, or who have a household member at such increased risk, to wear masks when indoors. All members of the community are encouraged to wear masks based on their personal comfort level.
• Masked individuals can choose to sit anywhere they like, but there will be a section of seating in the auditorium that will only be for people wearing masks. This location will be closest to the entry doorway and will be marked A map of the room can be viewed here.
• Attendees are asked to leave two empty seats between parties while inside the auditorium. Please work with others in your row to maximize safe seating opportunities.
• The meeting will be broadcast live to the Reed Gymnasium for those who would like greater social distancing. Those in the gym will be able to view, listen and vote, but they will not be able to make comments. To comment, they will need to come to a microphone location in the auditorium.
• Officials are making full use of the “consent calendar” to expedite the voting process and have posted all presentations and meeting materials in advance on the Town Meeting webpage. Presentations on Saturday will be brief to allow the meeting to focus on discussion and help reduce the overall length of the day.  
• For those unable to attend the meeting in person, there will be a live feed through cable TV (Verizon Channel 33, Comcast Channel 8) and on the Town Meeting webpage.