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

Letter to the editor: pursue a zero-waste lifestyle

To the editor:

It is an unfortunate reality that recycling is becoming harder to do, more expensive, and less effective. Plastic recycling for the most part has always been quite unsuccessful. Our oceans, rivers, food, and even our bodies are filling with plastics even though most of us have been optimistically washing and sorting our plastic for the recycling bin.

Mothers Out Front Lincoln is working to reduce the use of single-use plastic and aspiring towards adopting a zero-waste lifestyle. We have been inspired by the David Suzuki Foundation’s Zero Waste Pledge, which states the following.

We agree to adopt one or more of the proposed actions:

  1. REFUSE single-use plastic items that I can do without
  2. ASK for reusable cutlery and pass on plastic straws
  3. REPLACE single-use items with reusable items
  4. GIVE UP nonrecyclable plastic disposable items
  5. PROMOTE the choice of single-use items made of eco-responsible materials
  6. BUY items that contain recycled plastic
  7. PICK UP plastic debris in cities and natural areas
  8. REDUCE the amount in my recycling bin without increasing the size of the bin
  9. APPLY the 5Rs: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot/compost
  10. ASPIRE to a zero-waste lifestyle

We are excited to announce two new initiatives we are working on here in Lincoln that will help move our community towards a zero waste life style, apply the 5Rs, and reduce our disposable waste and carbon footprint.

  1. A zero-waste pop-up showcase — This year at Town Meeting, we will have a table showcasing some of our favorite zero waste products — things like shampoo bars, sunscreen in aluminum tins, cotton produce sacks, and plastic-free laundry pods. There are so many great everyday use products that don’t have disposable plastic. We will have a handout available with online sourcing. We are also hopeful that local businesses will start carrying some of these items so we can shop sustainably and locally.
  2. Town-wide composting with Black Earth Compost* — Lincoln can reduce its carbon footprint and significantly reduce our waste going to landfills and/or incinerators. It will be both easy and beneficial for Lincoln to adopt some form of commercial composting. Mothers Out Front Lincoln is excited about this endeavor and is figuring out how to make it happen in Lincoln.

*Black Earth Compost is a composting company based in Manchester, Mass., that offers environmentally responsible composting services ranging from residential pickup to site-based pickup to municipal-wide programs. They process all of their compost on site, do not mix in any outside waste, and forgo lawn clippings to keep chemicals out of their final compost product, which they would then drop off back in Lincoln for customers to use. They already serve all of the surrounding towns and have significantly reduced the amount of waste going to those landfills and/or incinerators. They are half the price of other composting companies because of their efficient and reusable bin system.

Please stop by our table at Town meeting to learn more about this exciting possibility and to check out our fantastic zero waste products. If you have any favorites or questions, please do share them with us in person or via email at lincolnMOF@gmail.com. Hope to see you Saturday!

Sincerely,
Staci Montori for Lincoln Mothers Out Front

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: vote “yes” on leaf blower bylaw

To the editor:

The leaf blower bylaw being proposed at Town Meeting by the Conservation Commission represents the culmination of six years of work involving research, education, events, and public forums. Its final form incorporates input from commercial landscapers and residents gathered during public meetings.

It allows the use of gas-powered equipment in the fall and spring seasons when more power may be needed for major cleanups while encouraging use of non-fossil fuel alternatives like electric tools, which are allowed year-round without restriction. Exclusions can be sought for public safety and emergency situations.

New models of electric blowers are much quieter than gas blowers. Their noise dissipates more readily and does not easily penetrate walls and windows compared with gas blowers. Toxic/carcinogenic exhaust is eliminated and greenhouse gas emissions reduced.

Passage of the proposed bylaw will help Lincoln preserve and protect the health and well-being of residents, protect our environment from excessive and harmful levels of noise and pollution, and take a modest step towards helping Massachusetts reach its greenhouse gas reduction targets. Importantly, it also contributes to Lincoln’s reputation in environmental stewardship. In passing the bylaw, Lincoln will join with nearly 100 communities in the US and worldwide who have taken similar actions around this particular lawn and garden tool.

Below are some statements extracted from our research findings on leaf blowers and health:  

  • Children’s Environmental Health Network – Noise from sources such as lawn mowers and leaf blowers can result in hearing loss, stress, high blood pressure, headaches, sleep disturbance, reduced productivity, mental health problems, and reduced quality of life.
  • Harvard Medical School – The noise that causes sensorineural hearing loss is usually not one deafening bang but decades’ worth of exposure to the high decibel accessories of daily life: leaf blowers, car horns, traffic, movie theater sounds, and so on.
  • Massachusetts Medical Society – Gasoline-powered leaf blowers pose health risks to both workers and the general public.
  • Medical Society of the State of New York – Recommends guidelines that would dramatically reduce the toxic emissions and noise level of gas leaf blowers for reasons of health.
  • Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC – Leaf blowers create large volumes of airborne particulates, many of which are respirable. Inhalation of these small airborne particles can provoke asthma and other respiratory diseases in children and can increase the severity of chronic lung disease in our elderly. Some of the other potential pollutants from leaf blowers and internal combustion power tools are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and, even, ozone formed from some of these other pollutants. Even lower-level exposures have been associated with respiratory and central nervous system effects.
  • The intense, high-frequency noise that [gas] leaf blowers generate can cause loss of hearing in the workers who operate these machines and can also affect hearing in children and other persons
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Being around too much loud noise — like using a leaf blower or going to loud concerts — can cause permanent hearing loss.

A copy of the bylaw proposal, an FAQ sheet, and supporting resources are on the Leaf Blower Study Committee’s web page.

Sincerely,

Jamie Banks (chair of the Leaf Blower Study Committee)

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.
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Election ballot includes marijuana question

For the first time in recent memory, the March 25 town election does not feature any contested races—but there’s a ballot question that will decide whether marijuana retail establishments will be allowed in town.

Because Lincoln residents voted in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana in the 2016 state election, a ban on retail establishments in town requires two things: a two-thirds majority at Town Meeting, and a simple majority at the ballot box. The ban passed by a vote of 73–27% (140–53) at a Special Town Meeting in October 2018. Monday’s election is the second step needed to enact the ban. A “yes” vote will affirm the ban that was approved in October.

The regulatory path for banning marijuana businesses is a one-way street; a ban can always be reversed in the future, but once legalized, they can’t be prohibited later. A retail ban would not affect the statewide legalization of possession (in limited quantities) and private use of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes.

Click here to see a previously published list of residents running for town office. A sample ballot appears below; click on the image to see larger versions.

Water Dept. needs to borrow more than $1 million

New state requirements and deferred maintenance mean that the Lincoln Water Department is asking to borrow just over $1 million.

Of the $1.01 million to be requested via bonding at the March 23 Annual Town Meeting, $817,000 is earmarked for regulatory compliance items required by the state Department of Environmental Protection’s 2018 Sanitary Survey of the Lincoln system. Another $128,000 will pay for for overdue maintenance and replacement of failed equipment (curb boxes, gate valves and hydrants), and $60,000 for a standby generator for the Tower Road well.

The department also plans to transfer another $155,000 from its retained earnings fund to pay for other overdue maintenance items including a truck, repairs to the pump station, office furniture, communications upgrades, and paving work after last year’s Bedford Road water main break, bringing the total planned capital investment to $1.165 million. (See page 46 of the Town Meeting Financial Section and Warrant for details.)

The bond will be repaid entirely from user fees and the Water Department’s retained revenue. The department operates as an enterprise fund, meaning that revenues are expected to meet or exceed expenditures on a year-to-year basis and its budget is separate from the rest of the town’s. In January, the Water Commissioners approved a rate hike (the first since 2015) and a three-tiered system of charges to encourage water conservation.

As required by the Safe Drinking Water Act, DEP surveys are done every three years to inspect surface water system’s facilities, operations, and record keeping. “This year they recorded a lot of violations,” said Water Commissioner Packy Lawler. “I can’t explain why in 2015 none of these things showed up… if [the items] had been demanded at that time, we would have known about it.”

Lawler said he couldn’t comment on whether previous Water Department Director Greg Woods was remiss in being unaware of the problems or failing to address them. Woods was succeeded by current director MaryBeth Wise in March 2018.

The two recent water main breaks (the Bedford Road incident in August 2018 and another along Route 2A between Hanscom Drive and Bedford Road last month) don’t mean that the system as a whole is about to fail, despite the age of its pipes, Lawler said. Officials hope in the future to proactively replace the mains a bit at a time, but a study done several years ago indicated that the cost would be prohibitive at $1 million per mile (Lincoln’s 55 miles of water mains).

Newer technology to reline pipes from the inside without digging up the roads is coming along, Lawler said. “I’m keeping my fingers crossed that that cost will come down to the point where we could begin to proactively repair the mains in place.”

Letter to the editor: contribute to Codman campaign

To the editor:

We write to ask you to consider supporting Codman Community Farms (CCF) with a donation to our Vision 2020 Capital Campaign via our website or a check mailed to Codman Farm at 58 Codman Rd.

Over the last three years, CCF has undergone a transformation. We hired Pete Lowy as Farm Manager in 2016, and under his guidance, the farm has evolved from a small-scale barnyard and hay operation to a vibrant pasture-based livestock operation. Pete and his staff utilize cutting-edge rotational grazing practices with thousands of animals on fields across Lincoln to grow healthy, organically raised eggs, meat, and produce.

This transformation has brought stability to our farm operations, and we are now turning our focus to strengthening our community outreach and education programs, lowering our carbon footprint with a net-zero solar installation, and addressing some of our aging infrastructure. The Vision 2020 Capital Campaign will fund these efforts. You can read more about the projects supported by this campaign, and make a donation by clicking here.

CCF was founded as a non-profit in 1973 by a dynamic group of Lincoln residents who were passionate about preserving the historic property and maintaining its character as a genuine working farm. Today, as it has been since its founding, CCF finances its operations by the sale of farm products, membership support, community events, grants and a relatively small endowment. CCF does not receive any operational funding from the town of Lincoln other than maintenance of town-owned buildings.

We have raised more than 85% of our $350,000 Capital Campaign goal, and as we enter the home stretch we reach out to you, the community of Lincoln, to help us raise the funds needed. Please consider supporting the sustainability and future of this farm with a donation to our Capital Campaign.

Sincerely,

Codman Farm Capital Campaign Committee:
David Alperovitz, Nancy Fleming, Pete Lowy, Jeff Patterson, Ginger Reiner, and Drew Shilling

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Changes to town bylaws are up for votes at Town Meeting

(Editor’s note: mousing over phrases in italics show where the specified language can be found in the Zoning Bylaw, General Bylaws, and Historic District Bylaw.)

Residents will be asked to approval several changes to town rules on zoning and historic districts at next Saturday’s Annual Town Meeting.

Solar energy

In Article 28, the Planning Board is seeking to change the zoning bylaw on [simple_tooltip content=’page 53 of the Lincoln Zoning Bylaw‘]solar energy systems[/simple_tooltip] in three ways. The most important change would allow the sale of energy to the grid or another third party — a necessity for the school project’s solar energy plans.

The change would mean that property owners (whether private or public, as in the case of the Lincoln School and the mall in South Lincoln) can enter into a Power Purchase Agreement (meaning they don’t have to front the cost for designing and installing the solar array) and can sell any excess electricity they generate.

If approved, the amendment would also add requirements for stand-alone canopy/carport structures, and for surety for abandonment and removal of commercial solar systems.

Zoning

The amendment to Article 29 concerns property that’s taken by [simple_tooltip content=’page 2 of the Lincoln Zoning Bylaw‘]eminent domain[/simple_tooltip]. The current law says that when nonconforming lots are decreased in size, they lose their nonconforming protection. The proposed change would allow an exception for property that’s gotten smaller as a result of a taking, acquisition by, or donation to the town or other governmental entity for a public purpose — such as for the recent Route 2 project. Without this amendment, those property owners wouldn’t be eligible for a special permit to make changes but would instead have to get a Zoning Board of Appeals variance, “which is a much bigger lift,” noted Planning Board Chair Margaret Olson.

Article 30 on the warrant is being passed over, but that amendment would have established a Parking Benefit District affecting usage of fees collected from nonresidents at the commuter lot. The change would mean that a portion of parking fees for parking lot maintenance, beautification, lighting and roadway, public realm, and biking and walking improvements.

However, a recent grant is enabling a study of the town’s commercial parking lots and commuter lots to determine opportunities for shared parking and commuter lot capacity. “We want to study it a bit further and take advantage of that grant and come back with a better proposal,” Olson said.

Historic properties

Article 31, proposed by the Historic District Commission and Friends of Modern Architecture, would add two properties (8 and 18 Moccasin Hill Rd.) to the [simple_tooltip content=’page 60 in the Historic District Bylaw‘]Brown’s Wood Historic District.[/simple_tooltip] Being part of a Historic District provides some measure of protection for the essential character of the exterior appearance of the house that might otherwise involve creating an expensive deed restriction.

Definition of demolition

The proposed amendment to Article 32 aims to clarify that encasing a substantial portion of a roof or building within another building or structure is an effective demolition under the [simple_tooltip content=’page 46 in the General Bylaws‘]demolition bylaw.[/simple_tooltip] “The question has arisen from time to time particularly from homeowners who are interested in building an entirely new roof structure over an existing roof structure,” said Lincoln Historical Commission Andrew Glass. “At the same time, the commission wanted to clarify for homeowners that routine repairs such as replacing siding or roof shingles are not subject to the demolition bylaw.”

News acorns

Gardening workshop at Farrington NatureLinc

Farrington NatureLinc will host “Practical and Beautiful Herb Gardening” with Jenny Hauf of Muddy River Herbals on Saturday, March 23 at 2 p.m. Click here for tickets. Other previously announced spring events at Farrington include the Galileo Star Party on April 13 and the fourth annual Fairy Festival on May 4.

Climate justice series film on Standing Rock

“Awake, a Dream from Standing Rock” will be shown on Tuesday, March 26 as part of the St. Anne’s in-the-Fields’ ongoing series of films sponsored by the Climate Justice Ministry. The film” captures the story of Native-led defiance that forever changed the fight for clean water, our environment, and the future of our planet. A light vegetarian supper is served at 6:30 p.m., and the film will begin shortly after 7 p.m. Discussion follows as time allows.

FELS talk features immigration stories

FELS, the Foundation for Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, will present its annual FELS Talk on Thursday, March 28 at 7 p.m. in the L-S lecture hall. The topic this year is “Five Immigration Stories” with panelists who will share their personal experiences about the challenges and opportunities that arise with being an immigrant to the United States. The goal is to illuminate the many different angles of immigration and give the audience a deeper sense what it is like to experience the United States as a newcomer.

The evening will begin with a short film, “The Danger of a Single Story,” followed by an opportunity for each panelist to share an overview of their personal immigrant journey, followed by audience questions. Admission is $10 ($5 for students). All proceeds will benefit FELS, a nonprofit organization that awards enrichment grants to L-S faculty and staff to pursue their professional and personal interests and passions.

Letter to the editor: vote Fox for Town Clerk

To the editor:

I write, as many of your readers may know, as a great fan of small town democracy and the opportunity presented at the March 25 Town Election to participate in affirming (or not) the town’s elected leadership for the coming year(s).

But I write this time as a great fan of a particular candidate for an office of which I am also inordinately fond. That is to say, I write to recommend to you Valerie Fox, candidate for the office of the Town Clerk on this year’s ballot.

The scope of public services provided by the Town Clerk’s office is deep and broad. It requires patience and speed; knowledge and experience; a thirst for understanding or what you might call a truly inquiring and perpetually-prepared-to-upgrade mind. Val is blessed with all these virtues and more. 

She has learned the job from the bottom up, first joining the office in 2011 and mastering over the ensuing years both the regulatory framework and the digital platforms associated with the ever-burgeoning array of service functions assigned to the Town Clerk’s office by law. She has delved deeply, with some excellent tutelage, into the town’s history. She has expanded the office’s historic commitment to bringing civic engagement opportunities to our high and middle school students with what is now the annual dog license election with Smith School students. And she has done all this while earning two advanced learning certificates from her professional association.

I will cast my ballot for Val as Town Clerk with great faith in the person I have come to know and to cherish in these last eight years, not least because of the deep-seated respect she demonstrates daily for the office of the Town Clerk and for every human being who enters it. Please join me in voting for Valerie Fox as Lincoln’s next Town Clerk.

Sincerely,

Susan F. Brooks
138 Bedford Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Correction

Due to a typographical error, an incorrect phone number for OARS was given in the March 12 edition of News Acorns. The correct number to call for more information about the Wild & Scenic Film Festival on March 27 is 978-369-3956.

Town seeks about $2 million for capital, community preservation items

A new roof for the Hartwell building and an irrigation system for the playing field next to the Codman Pool make up about half of the dollars requested from the Capital Planning Committee (CapComm) and the Community Preservation Committee (CPC). The items will be put to a vote in three warrant articles at Town Meeting on March 23.

A new roof for the Hartwell building will cost $600,000, comprising the lion’s share of the $875,898 requested by CapComm (see full list below). The CPC is seeking $826,306 for a list of items for recreation, housing, and historic preservation purposes (see below), plus another appropriation of up to $400,000 for the irrigation system. Because that item is large and requires more explanation, it’s been put into a separate warrant article, Parks and Recreation Department Dan Pereira said.

The town eventually plans to install irrigation systems in all of its athletic fields, but it’s starting with Codman field because it’ll be the only one available on campus during the upcoming school renovation project and will thus be very heavily used, Pereira noted. (The central ballfield will be occupied by temporary classrooms, while the field behind Smith will be a construction zone.)

Parks and Rec is asking for up to $400,000, but the actual cost next year may be significantly less than that — it all depends on the water supply that’s found. Engineers have identified several sites on the campus that look promising, but the exact yield of water won’t be known until well-drilling starts.

If a well site close to the Codman field yields enough water for that field and no more, the immediate cost might be only $200,000, Pereira said. If the well doesn’t produce enough water to irrigate on demand, there would be an added cost of about $100,000 for an underground holding tank where water can accumulate.

On the other hand, engineers might locate a single well site that could supply enough water for all the fields. In that case, a larger underground tank would be needed at an additional cost of about $200,000 — but there would be no further costs down the road for digging a second well.

“We would only spend that $400,000 if we got a  great opportunity to save a ton of money later,” Pereira said.

Officials considered using town water but rejected the idea because of cost. The Water Department charges a fee for providing water that’s treated to make it safe for drinking — an unnecessary expense for irrigation water. “If we were paying annual water bills, our budget would be destroyed,” Pereira said. Drilling a well is a one-time expense, and Parks and Rec would pay only for electricity and occasional maintenance in the future.

The department uses town water to moisten the clay tennis courts on the south side of the campus so they don’t dry and dissolve, “but a ballfield needs an inch a week — that’s a mammoth amount of water” in comparison, he said.

After the new Wang field opens this spring and the school project is finished, the town will have enough fields to be able to take one out of service each year to let it rest and let the annual application of grass seed take hold. Having the fields irrigated will also greatly improve the quality of the grass.

To avoid wasting water, moisture sensors in the soil will trigger the irrigation system so the fields get water only when needed, and not in the heat of the day, Pereira said.

Capital Planning Committee requests

Capital itemCost
ANew pickup truck for the Department of Public Works$42,000
BReplacing outdated mobile radios for the Fire Department$14,000
CUpdating the Council on Aging phone system$6,500
DFacilities condition assessment at the library$30,000
ENew Kubota tractor for Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School$6,897
FReplacing marked police cruiser #1$37,063
GReplacing marked police cruiser #2$41,938
HPhase 1 of the public safety radio communications project$37,500
IReplacing the roof on the Hartwell building$660,000
TOTAL:$875,898

Community Preservation Committee requests

(click here for a detailed explanation of each item)

CPA projectCategoryCost
ADebt service payment for the town offices renovation projectHistoric preservation$386,275
BReplacing the Codman Farm Barn B, C, and office roofsHistoric preservation$110,000
CRental assistance program for residents at riskCommunity housing$30,000
DPreservation of First Book of Records 1754-1806Historic preservation$20,825
ERepair the headwall over the culvert on the Pierce House propertyHistoric preservation$6,000
FA new water chemistry controller system for the Codman PoolRecreation$42,500
GDebt service payments due on permanent borrowing for previously voted CPA projects—$127,550
HCommunity Preservation Committee administrative expenses—$3,000
SUBTOTAL:$726,150
IHousing reserve$100,158
GRAND TOTAL:$826,308