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

Capital Planning, Community Preservation spending approved

Voters approved a total of $441,760 in Capital Planning Committee (CapComm) expenditures and $740,936 for Community Preservation Committee (CPC) projects at the March 25 Town Meeting.

CapComm received 26 requests and recommended 14 of them for voter approval. along with three capital exclusions totaling $300,000 ($75,000 apiece for a bucket truck and dump truck and $150,000 for a community center feasibility study). Those three requests were approved at Town Meeting and Monday’s town election.

Among the requests not recommended by CapComm:

  • A new command vehicle for the fire chief ($47,000)
  • A school safety/security upgrade ($35,000 )
  • A library facility review ($13,750)
  • A speed display trailer for the Police Department ($1,500)
Capital projectCost
Instructional display and audio technology for schools$163,000
New marked police cruiser$45,185
New unmarked police cruiser$34,015
New operating
system for town IT servers		$30,000
New courier food
service van for schools		$29,000
Radio communications system for the DPW and Communications Department$25,055
Repair existing guardrail$25,000
Additional funds for a ramp and stairs at the end of
the Library Lane sidewalk		$20,000
Electronic vote tabulators$18,000
IT backup
system for town computer servers		$15,000
Replace library's public
access computers		$13,000
Design study for use of the library's first
floor		$10,000
Upgrade
Public Safety Building video recording system		$9,685
Two police cruiser radar units$4,820
Community Preservation requests

Four of the CPC projects totaling $40,000 are for work at the Pierce House (chimney repair, a new kitchen floor, renovated bathrooms, and exterior wood clapboard and trim).

The only item that provoked discussion was a $10,800 request by the library for historic preservation of an embroidered tapestry by Sophia Adams depicting her family register. Some residents questioned whether this was the best use of CapComm funds, but Planning Board Chair Margaret Olson said it was “a no-brainer when I saw it. It’s a very beautiful piece of town history.”

“It’s a rare opportunity for people of the town to see how important the history is of one of our families,” said library director Barbara Myles, noting that Adams made the tapestry as a Lincoln teenager in the early 1800s. Her family tree includes John Adams, the second president of the United States, and great-grandson Richard Adams Williams, whose widow, former Lincoln resident Cynthia Williams, donated the tapestry to the town.

“They really came back to us with a much sharper pencil,” said Chris Fasciano, chair of the CPC, in reference to the library’s original set of  historic preservation project requests. The slate of CPC requests was approved with only a couple of nay votes.

CPC funds come from a 3 percent property tax surcharge and a partial match from the state, and the fund replenishes annually by about $950,000. They may be used only for projects relating to historic preservation, conservation, recreation, or affordable housing.

Community preservation projectCost
Debt
service payment for town office building renovation project		$398,875
Debt service
payment on
Wang property acquisition		$135,500
Debt service payments on permanent
borrowing for previously voted CPA projects		$93,150
Housing reserve$55,257
Transfer to
Conservation Fund for open space		$40,000
Renovation of
two Pierce House interior bathrooms		$15,000
Preservation of
the Sophia Adams family register		$10,800
Replacement of Pierce House kitchen floor.$10,000
Replacement of Pierce House exterior wood clapboards and wood trim$10,000
Preservation of
the poll and estate tax assessments for 1861, 1863,
1864, and 1866 		$7,412
Preservation of
Lincoln School Records Box 7		$6,259
Preservation of Lincoln School Records Box 10$5,940
Restoration of Pierce House chimney$5,000
CPC administrative expenses$3,000

Town Meeting approves Wang purchase and solar initiatives

The site of the Wang land just south of Bedford Road’s intersection with Route 2 (click to enlarge).

Residents paved the way for a new athletic field, more conservation land, and a municipal solar power installation as well as easing rules on home solar installations with three Town Meeting votes last week.

Amid much clapping and cheering, residents unanimously approved purchase of 12 acres of the Wang property off Bedford Road. The town will purchase the land from the Rural Land Foundation, which (together with the Birches School) bought a 16-acre parcel from the estate of Lorraine Wang. Birches will use four acres including a large house to relocate its school from its current quarters in the Stone Church building. Three of the town’s 12 acres will be used to build a much-needed athletic field while the rest goes into conservation.

The town’s $2 million expenditure—$800,000 for the land plus $1.2 million for athletic field construction—will come from bonding $1.3 million over 15 years, to be repaid with anticipated income from the Community Preservation Act (CPA). Another $500,000 will come from the general balance and $200,000 from Lincoln Youth Soccer (LYS).

CPA funds come from a 3 percent property tax surcharge and a partial match from the state. The fund replenishes annually by about $950,000, so there will still be money left over for other capital projects in coming years.

Cars will access the site only from Bedford Road, though walkers will be able to get there via conservation trails. The town will also get a permanent easement for use of the future Birches School parking lot as well as a bathroom accessible from the field.

LYS and Park and Rec sponsored an engineering study of the town’s athletic fields that confirmed they were in bad shape from overuse and lack of irrigation. “There’s very little topsoil and the field are incredible compacted” to the point that aerators have gotten broken, Parks and Recreation Department Director Dan Pereira said at Town Meeting.

Adding the new field will help somewhat, but the other fields on the school campus will still need help, ideally from installing irrigation. However, given the ongoing drought and other upcoming expenditures, “it’s not a great time to be considering that… we’re under no misconception this is a simple fix,” Pereira said. Park and Rec is working with the Water Commission to investigate solutions such as using reclaimed water, he added.

Solar installation atop landfill

The nine acres of new town conservation land connects two other parcels of existing conservation property but also serves another purpose. It will allow the town to make a “land swap” so some of its transfer station property can be taken out of conservation and turned into a solar photovoltaic facility that could supply as much as half of the town’s publicly used electricity.

The solar installation on 7.1 acres of the capped landfill next to the transfer station could generate 650-980 kilowatts for the town. It’s unclear how much savings that will translate into because the tax credit situation is “in flux right now,” said John Snell, chair of the Green Energy Committee (GEC). Any agreement with a solar installer must be at least revenue neutral for the town, “but we think we can do better than that,” he added.

Although the landfill is “obviously not the crown jewel of Lincoln open space,” said resident Bob Domnitz, “this asset isn’t something we should give away without something coming back to the town… Please make sure the town gets some significant financial benefit from this project.”

The amended bylaw also calls for the town to “devote reasonable efforts” to use the existing driveway from Route 2A rather than a possible new entrance from Mill Street.

Once the town gets formal permission from the state for the land swap, officials will look for a solar developer in the hope of starting construction next year.

Relaxing rules for home solar

Solar installations on private homes will be less restrictive after another Town Meeting bylaw amendment vote. A 2013 change allowed rooftop solar installations but said that they had to have a setback from the roof edges of at least one foot. This requirement made some smaller projects uneconomical by reducing the available roof area “by a fairly significant margin” (44 percent in one case), said GEC member Jim Hutchinson.

The amended bylaw removes that setback requirement and increased the maximum allowed height for ground-mounted solar installation from 10 to 12 feet. The Planning Board may also now grant waivers to the solar installation requirements on a case-by-case basis.

Council on Aging activities for April

Lincoln Academy with members of the First Parish: Seeing the Arizona-Mexico borderlands for ourselves
April 3 at 12:30 p.m.

Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, April 3 at 12:30 to hear members of First Parish discuss “Seeing the Arizona-Mexico Borderlands for Ourselves.” Members of the First Parish group that traveled to “the wall” on the Arizona borderlands last November will present and then discuss Janet Boynton’s stunning 20-minute video showing photographs and interviews from the participants’ experiences with the complex issues of migration and border security. The Council on Aging provides beverages and dessert. The lectures last about an hour, including a question and answer period. Participants are welcome to stay after the program to continue their discussion. All ages welcome.

Hand drumming for fun and wellness
April 4 at 9:30 a.m.
Come learn to do hand drumming from cultures around the world in a six-week course with acclaimed drummer Mike Connors from the Concord Conservatory of Music. The class will be held for six Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. at Bemis Hall beginning on April 4 at a cost of $60 for the course, payable to the Concord Conservatory of Music. Topics to be covered include technique for hand drumming, rhythms from Africa, South America, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe, developing a rhythmic vocabulary for improvisation and exercises to improve internal pulse. No need to bring a drum but bring one if you have one. Sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811.

Positive Psychology practices class
April 5 at 9:30 a.m.
Positive Psychology is the scientific study of strengths and “what is working” to create transformative change, build increased happiness, and lead a more meaningful life. The Ogden Codman Trust is generously supporting a free, eight-session course beginning Wednesday, April 5 at 9:30 at Bemis Hall on daily practices that build on concepts presented in the fall. No need to have attended the fall class. Learn proven tactics to try in your daily life. Instructor: Alyson Lee, co-active life coach, social worker and certified Positive Psychology instructor. Call the COA at 781-259-8811 to sign up!

Domestic Violence Services Network office hours
April 5 at 10 a.m.
If you are experiencing violence or abuse by a family member, whether physical, emotional, or sexual, or you are concerned about someone who is, come to Bemis Hall on Wednesday, April 5 between 10 a.m. and noon to have a confidential discussion with an advocate from Domestic Violence Services Network, Inc. Come find out more about domestic violence, and how to cope with it, as well as learn about available resources in a supportive, non-judgmental environment. All conversations are completely confidential.

Meet with an aide to Congresswoman Katherine Clark
April 5 at 1 p.m.
Jimmy Santos, constituent services and military liaison for Congresswoman Katherine Clark, will hold Office Hours at Bemis Hall on Wednesday, April 5 from 1-2 p.m. on federal benefits and other concerns. No need to sign up.

Coffee with photographer Ed Robson
April 6 at 2:30 p.m.
Join Lincoln photographer Ed Robson on Thursday, April 6 at 2:30 p.m. for a reception to celebrate his exhibit that will be in Bemis Hall through April. “I’m a hobbyist photographer who lives at Battle Road Farm in Lincoln,” says Ed. “I enjoy trying to capture and edit creatively what catches my eye, whether it’s people or animals, or scenes in the city or in nature.” The photos in the exhibit range from flowers and trees to a spider and pet pig to Walden Pond and the Boston Women’s March.

Pastels class
April 10 at 10 a.m.
Express your most vibrant self with the brilliant colors of pastels in a class with Juliet Rago. She will begin with a short introduction to drawing for those who feel they need it. The class will meet from 10 a.m. to noon on April 10, 14, 21, 24, and 28 at Bemis Hall. No experience is necessary. All materials will be furnished. Please sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. The fee is $40. Limit of six people.

Lincoln Academy with Josh Grindlay: Designing and building a Harvard-MIT student instrument to map an asteroid in 2019
April 10 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, April 10 at 12:30 to hear Josh Grindlay discuss “Designing and Building a Harvard-MIT Student Instrument to Map an Asteroid in 2019.” Over the past five years, students at Harvard and MIT designed and then built an X-ray imaging spectrometer that is one of five instruments on the OSIRIS REx mission launched in September 2016 to rendezvous with an asteroid in 2018. The REXIS instrument will make X-ray maps of the concentration regions of elements (iron, magnesium, etc.) on the asteroid surface in 2019 to help in choosing a location to gather a sample for return to Earth in 2022. Dr. Grindlay will describe how this project developed, from initial concept to the harrowing schedule to deliver the instrument to the spacecraft for final integration and launch, and the work now underway to prepare for the data. The Council on Aging provides beverages and dessert. The lectures last about an hour, including a question and answer period. Participants are welcome to stay after the program to continue their discussion. All ages welcome.

Free elder law clinic
April 10 at 3 p.m.
Got a question about issues such as estate planning, MassHealth, protecting assets for a loved one with a serious disability, guardianship, conservatorship, or probate? The COA is pleased to provide a monthly legal clinic with elder law attorney and Lincoln resident Sasha Golden on Monday, April 10 from 3-4 p.m. at Bemis Hall. There is no charge for the 30-minute consultation, but please sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811.

Free wellness clinic for all ages                                     
April 11 at 10 a.m.
Meet with a nurse at Lincoln Woods on Tuesday, April 11 from 10 a.m. to noon. Blood pressure, nutrition and fitness, medication management, chronic disease management, resources, and more. Funded by the Ogden Codman Trust and provided by Emerson Hospital Home Care. 

Using iPhones, iPads, and social media
April 13 at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m.
Andy Payne will be at Bemis Hall on Thursday, April 13 at 10 a.m. to give you information on the operation and features of iPhones and iPads and answer your questions. If you have tips for using your iPhone or iPad, bring those, too. At 11:30 a.m., Andy will also discuss how to use social media—Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Instagram and such—to get the word out about events and issues and stay in the know. All ages welcome to both classes.

Making ourselves anew in our later years
April 14 at 9:30 a.m.
Join the Reverend Lilian Warner, spiritual director/chaplain of Newbury Court, on Friday, April 14 at 9:30 when she leads a discussion of how, even in our elder years, our spiritual creator, however perceived, can help mold us into new beings, mending and using us in different ways to be of value. She will also touch on her “Triple L, Double C of Living,” or how we must “listen, learn, love, care and connect” with others. Continental breakfast will be served. Call the COA at 781-259-8811 to sign up.

Senior dining
April 18 at 11:30 a.m.
Lincolnites 60 and older are invited to enjoy a delicious gourmet meal with new friends and old at 11:30 on Tuesday, April 18 at St. Anne’s Church. Please reserve by calling the COA at 781-259-8811 at least a week ahead even if you have previously attended. The cost of each meal is $5. Caregivers are welcome to come with those for whom they are caring. Let the COA know if you need transportation or a seating partner. The lunch is co-sponsored by the COA, the Friends of the COA, Minuteman Senior Services, Newbury Court, St. Anne’s, and the Lincoln Garden Club.

The COA science group: how the Internet works
April 20 at 10 a.m.
How does a web page get from a web site to your browser? Come learn the workings of the Internet when Tom Aprille comes to Bemis Hall on Thursday, April 20 at 10 a.m. Don’t worry, it will be a high-level talk with occasional dips into medium-level explanations. Several applications will be discussed, including World Wide Web page capture, email and streaming. Packet routing and your home network (called an Ethernet network) will also discussed. All ages welcome.

Coffee with a cop
April 20 from 1 to 3 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Thursday, April 20 from 1-3 p.m. to meet privately with a police officer. Do you have a security concern regarding yourself, a family member, or neighbor? An idea for the Police should try? Would you like guidance about a situation? Come on down! No need to make an appointment. An officer will be at Bemis each third Thursday of the month.

Manage your pain with alternative and complementary methods
April 21 at 10 a.m.
Learn about different modalities and treatments used by therapists to help decrease pain and improve one’s functional ability when Pete Frye, doctorate in physical therapy and Emerson Hospital rehab director, comes to Bemis Hall on Friday, April 21 at 10 a.m. In addition, learn about home remedies that you can do to decrease pain and improve your functional ability.

Paying for long-term care with Medicare, MassHealth, and VA benefits
April 21 at 12:30 p.m.
Many people rely on Medicare and MassHealth/Medicaid to pay for long term care, yet these benefits are usually quite limited. Find out what Medicare and MassHealth/Medicaid actually cover, for how long, and at what out-of-pocket costs when Minuteman Senior Services SHINE—health benefits counseling program comes to Bemis Hall on Friday, April 21 at 12:30 p.m. They will discuss benefits from the traditional Medicare program as well as supplemental plans, what to ask when considering long term care benefits in those plans, and more. In addition, Priscilla Leach, Lincoln’s veterans services officer, will explain long term care benefits for veterans. Bring your questions and concerns! The program is co-sponsored by the Lincoln COA and Minuteman Senior Services.

Amalgamates a capella concert
April 23 at 2 p.m.
The COA invites all ages to a family-friendly a capella concert by the award-winning Tufts University group The Amalgamates on Sunday, April 23 at 2 p.m. at Bemis Hall. The Amalgamates perform the latest pop hits to oldies rock to spirituals and more in venues from baseball stadiums to street corners to Barcelona, Spain. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultutral Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Lincoln Academy with Christina Thompson—Sea people: the puzzle of Polynesia
April 24 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, April 24 at 12:30 to hear Christina Thompson discuss “Sea People: The Puzzle of Indonesia.” Christina Thompson, editor of Harvard Review and the author of Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All, shares her quest to understand who first settled the islands of the remote Pacific, where they came from, how they got there, and how we know. The Council on Aging provides beverages and dessert. The lectures last about an hour, including a question and answer period. Participants are welcome to stay after the program to continue their discussion.

Fireside chat: how we live our values
April 26 at 10 a.m.
How do we live out our core values? Do we even know exactly what our values are? How do they affect our daily interactions as well as our most consequential decisions? Join others in a lively but respectful discussion facilitated by Sharon Antia using questions and answers on Wednesday, April 26 at 10 a.m. at Bemis Hall. Our purpose is not to convince others of your opinion, but to share ideas so as to create dialogue and understanding.

Answers about long-term care insurance
April 28 at 12:30 p.m.
Is long term care insurance right for you? What does it cover? What might it cost? How do I go about choosing a plan? What are these new hybrid policies that I’m hearing about? How do I make sure it will really cover what it needs to when I don’t know what kind of care I might require? Find out the answers to these and other questions you might have about long term care insurance when independent agent and long term care insurance educator Tobe Gerard comes to Bemis Hall on Friday, April 28 at 12:30. Tobe has been involved with long term care insurance for 19 years and served on the long-term care committees of both the National and Massachusetts Associations of Health Underwriters for many years. Please call the COA at (781) 259-8811 to sign up so Tobe knows how many sets of materials to bring.

Lyrica Boston Chamber Music performs Schubert’s Trout Quintet
April 29 at 2 p.m.
The Friends of the Lincoln COA cordially invite those of all ages to a free concert by Lyrica Boston Chamber Music on Saturday, April 29 at Bemis Hall at 2 p.m. On the program will be Schubert’s beautiful and renowned Trout Quintet and other works in a surprising array of styles. A reception with light refreshments will follow the concert. The musicians will include Laura Bossert (violin), Annie Bartlett (viola), Mariel Bossert (piano), Mina Kim (cello) and Donald Palma (bass). The Lyrica Boston Chamber Music series was founded by Lincoln resident Laura Bossert to provide a launching ground for young emerging artists to perform alongside seasoned professionals.

Save the date:

Boston Symphony Orchestra matinee on May 5
Spend a delightful afternoon with the COA on a trip to a matinee performance of the Boston Symphony Orchestra on Friday, May 5. Andris Nelsons will conduct works by Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff and Mahler featuring pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and soprano Kristine Opolais. The program includes Shostakovich’s suite from the incidental music to King Lear, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 4, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. (Symphony Hall is handicapped accessible.) Participants will meet at the Donelan’s parking lot at 10:45 a.m. You may have a sumptuous buffet lunch at Symphony Hall or opt to arrange for your own lunch. The cost of the trip is $45.50 with lunch on your own, or $75 with the lunch buffet. This trip is funded by the Hurff Fund and is therefore open to Lincoln seniors only. Space is limited. To reserve a space, send your check made out to FLCOA/Trips to Marilyn Buckler, 12 Hiddenwood Path, Lincoln, MA 01773. Be sure to include your phone and email. Your reservation is complete when Marilyn receives your check. Questions? Contact Marilyn Buckler at 781-259-8886 or mbuckler1@comcast.net.

Watercolors class
Jane Cooper will offer fun dabbling in watercolor painting of scenes of nature, landscapes or some favorite sky. Two sessions of four classes will be offered Fridays and Mondays in May from 9-11 a.m. beginning May 1 and 15. Cost is $30 per session. Please call the COA at 781-259-8811 now to sign up. All materials are included in the fee. No prior experience necessary.

Town election on Monday

A sample ballot for the election on March 27, 2017 (click to enlarge).

Polls will be open in the Smith gym on Monday, March 27 from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the town election, which includes numerous town office races and three ballot questions. The expenditures in the ballot questions—$75,000 apiece for a used bucket truck and a dump truck for the Department of Public Works, and $150,000 for a community center feasibility study—were approved at Town Meeting on March 25 but must also garner a majority at the election.

Two of the town offices are contested: the one-year remaining term for selectman in the wake of Renel Fredriksen’s resignation, and the three-year term for Bemis trustee. Jonathan Dwyer is running unopposed for a full three-year term on the Board of Selectmen to replace retiring member Peter Braun. Links to past Lincoln Squirrel articles abut the candidates are below.

 

Voters give the go-ahead to school project and community center planning

(Editor’s note: Additional stories about the March 25 Annual Town Meeting will be published this week.)

Lincoln will move ahead with feasibility studies for both a locally funded school project and a community center as a result of votes at Saturday’s Annual Town Meeting.

Residents voted unanimously to release $750,000 that was put aside in 2015 for a new feasibility study that will lead to another town-wide vote a year from now on a specific project to pursue. The money was originally allocated for a project that specifically would have included state funding; in the wake of repeated denials from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, Saturday’s vote means the money can now be used for a project funded solely by the town.

As a result of the vote, residents passed over another warrant article that asked whether Lincoln should apply once again for MSBA funding. School officials have said that the chances of Lincoln getting invited into the funding pipeline again were extremely slim because the Lincoln School is not structurally unsafe or severely overcrowded.

“There seems to be a growing sense of community readiness to move forward,” School Committee Chair Jennifer Glass said. “This will also provide clarity for other decisions in town” such as the community center.

Glass and Finance Committee Chair Peyton Marshall reviewed information they presented at multi-board meetings on January 30 and March 8 about why a major school project is needed, how much it might cost, and the tax implications of various levels of borrowing to pay for it. Consultants Dore and Whittier said in 2014 that basic repairs and required code upgrades for safety and handicapped accessibility will cost at least $30 million.

“That’s a lot of money, but there really is no ‘do nothing’ option,” Glass said; that level of spending would result in a building that’s “safe, accessible, has better air and light, no leaks and comfortable temperatures” but has no other improvements. Depending on what additional options are chosen such as educational upgrades, cafeterias and site work pr even an entirely new school, the project could cost up to $68 million.

“The point of the feasibility study is to narrow [cost estimates] down to some number that we bring to the town, and the town votes on which one of these project concepts to we develop into a real project” at a vote in spring 2018. After that, detailed plans and costs will be finalized and the project will come up for a bonding vote perhaps as soon as Fall 2018, Glass said.

Asked by a resident whether the town could simply reuse the 2012 feasibility study, Glass said, “I recommend not doing that.” That study resulted in a plan that failed to win a two-thirds bonding majority in 2012 for various reasons, including cost and the layout of the new school building and campus. This time around, residents will have a chance to choose form one of two or three design concepts before the funding is put to a vote.

The silver lining of the 2012 defeat is that “we’ve learned some things since then—how to be even more creative with spaces in the building and a sense of how the campus maintains a feeling that everyone is happy with,” Glass said.

Community center vote

With only a handful of “nay” votes, residents also voted to spend $150,000 for a feasibility study for a community center to house the Council on Aging and the Parks and Recreation Department as well as other town groups. A 2015 report by the Community Center Study Committee and its consultant said that a two-story, 22,000-square-foot facility on the Hartwell side of the school campus would cost about $13 million.

The $150,000 appropriation must also win a simple majority at the March 27 town election to move forward.

The feasibility study would result in a conceptual site plan and an updated cost estimate, but there is no timeline for when construction might start. However, the school and community center building committees and architects would work closely together to coordinate planning for the two projects as much as possible. This collaboration would ensure that a community center “can be added to the campus at the right time and in the right location and configuration,” and its construction would “follow at a time that is fiscally responsible,” Selectman James Craig said.

Asked if the two building committees would join to hire a single architect, “the answer is a big maybe,” Glass said. Such a firm would need to have expertise in both types of projects “and they’d have to be a good fit for our endearing and occasionally idiosyncratic town. “If two different firms are used, town and school officials can make collaboration between those firms “a foundational requirement for getting hired,” she said.

Several residents recommended combining the feasibility studies as well as using a single architectural firm. Staff members at a school and community center provide many of the same teaching and counseling functions, said Doug Swain. “Their educational and quality-of-life goals for people in the town of Lincoln are exactly the same and their building needs are almost identical.”

A completely shared space isn’t possible because of state regulations designed to limit access to school children by non-school staff.

Resident Ken Hurd, an architect, said he supports both projects but was not in favor of developing separate schematic drawings for the school and community center. In talking to other architects and engineers, “most of them think this is a bad idea to have two teams working in parallel in trying to master-plan a [campus] site,” he said.

“We really need to hire one architect with two teams in its firm, as well as a good land architect. This is a site and campus planning exercise as well,” said resident Owen Beenhouwer, also an architect. Any firm that’s qualified to design a school “will have more than ample experience in dealing with a smaller building as well.”

“Nothing is off the table in terms of the firm” to be hired, Craig said. “The goal is to have these [projects] be in concert with each other.”

Moving forward, planning for the community center will include refining the exact needs of the COA and PRD in terms of their programming and space usage, as well as considering future uses for Bemis Hall.

Cost implications

Right now, Lincoln is in a good borrowing position compared to other area towns in terms of property tax rate growth and its debt-to-operating-budget, Marshall said. The town could borrow up to $80 million to pay for school and community center projects without endangering its AAA bond rating, he said.

Assuming a 30-year bond at an interest rate of 5 percent and the current median property value of $972,200, the maximum annual average tax increase during the repayment period would range from $929 (for a $30 million bond) to $2,478 ($80 million). The median taxpayer would see a hike of $275-$310 per year for every $10 million the town borrowed, according to page 11 of his handout. The median property tax bill in fiscal 2018 is $13,613.

Recap of background stories for Town Meeting

In preparation for the March 25 Town Meeting, the Lincoln Squirrel is publishing an updated and expanded expanded recap of news stories and letters to the editor on some of the issues to be voted on. The full warrant list can be found here.

Wang property acquisition (article 11)

News stories:

Letters to the editor:

Accessory apartments (articles 12-14)

News stories:

Letters to the editor:

School project (articles 33 and 34)

News stories:

Letter to the editor:

Community center feasibility study (article 35)

News stories:

Letter to the editor:

Landfill solar initiative (article 36)

News stories:

Letter to the editor:

Agricultural bylaw amendment (article 38)

News story:

Water bottle/plastic bag ban (articles 41 and 42)

News stories:

Letters to the editor:

Letter to the editor: Solomon asks for your vote

letter

To the editor:

Hello. I, Stan(ley J.) Solomon, am a candidate for the three-year Bemis Trustee opening. My wife is Susan Solomon. We have lived at The Commons for approaching six years. Before that, we lived in Lexington for 50 years. I spent my spare time with BSA Troop 119. Susan was a Town Meeting member and on the Conservation Commission and Tree Committee and was president of the Lexington League of Women Voters. Both of us were Garden Club members. I grew vegetables!

We were serious hikers and less serious cross-country skiers. I added downhill skiing and white-water paddling. We have hiked Lincoln trails for some 40 years; I inherited the leadership of Professor Dirk Struik’s Appalachian Mountain Club walk behind Walden in the (now) conservation land when he aged. I was born in eastern Ohio (Youngstown) and Susan grew up in South Brookline. I came to Boston for MIT while Susan went to Simmons. I am a physicist and worked in industry on semiconductor process development. My name is associated with ion implantation and also solar cell development. Susan worked in factory automation. Her name is not associated with the famous Lucy episode and she is not MIT’s Professor Susan Solomon.

I am again a candidate for Bemis Trustee. I was invited to run last year and discovered that I was running against a Lincoln fixture. Former Lincoln residents here at The Commons said I did quite well finishing second.

The Bemis Trustees operate the Bemis Free Lecture Series, a legacy created in 1892 by native Lincolnite George Bemis to bring enlightenment via lecturers to town residents. Its funds were supplemented by another Lincolnite, John Todd, in 1982. Past speakers included Robert Frost, Betty Friedan, Issac Asimov, Margaret Mead and a host of notable others.

The trustee’s function is to select one or more desirable, affordable and available individuals or groups to perform in Lincoln. (It has been explained that the job also includes physical management of that appearance.) What I believe I can add, if elected, is potential speaker names from the technical world.

The ability to harmoniously work within a group would seem to be a prime requisite for this position. I think I can answer the call there.

Inasmuch as the town manages the trust’s funds and speakers are paid from these funds, I can promise that if elected, my actions will not increase your taxes. As I am approaching 86, I can also promise that I will not be rattling around Lincoln politics 15 years from now. Please consider voting for me.

Sincerely,

Stan Solomon
1 Harvest Circle #231

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: Glass has excellent experience and attributes

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To the editor:

I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working closely with Jennifer on the Lincoln School Committee for four years, and for three of those years as vice chair when Jennifer was chair (she has served for nine years on Lincoln School Committee but we only overlapped for four of those years).

She embodies all the attributes I would look for in great selectperson: extremely hard-working, fair, honest, tactful, transparent, asks tough questions, listens well, is collaborative, humble and great to work with, thinks deeply, and is strategic, analytic and persistent. A focus on student learning and engagement has been Jennifer’s lodestar. She cares deeply about Lincoln and its future. She was patient (far more so than I was) when the town narrowly failed to approve a school building project funded heavily by the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

Jennifer has persisted in the intervening years building broader support for a town-funded renovation or rebuild since MSBA funding has never rematerialized and explored how a school building project might be coordinated with a new community center to achieve some building cost savings. She has led contract negotiations with teachers, custodial and secretarial staff.  She has helped oversee two school building projects at Hanscom, and has worked with Hanscom base leadership and state legislative leaders to craft long-term financial solutions around Hanscom. She has worked well with BOS, the Lincoln Finance Committee and the Capital Planning Committee throughout her time on School Committee and formed valuable ties with her Sudbury and Wayland counterparts to find opportunities for cost sharing, joint trainings and experience sharing.

We are extremely lucky that Jennifer is willing to lend all her many talents to the role of Selectmen. She will serve the town very well.

Please join me in enthusiastically voting for her on March 27; I cannot recommend her highly enough.

Sincerely,

Tom Sander
100 Lincoln 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.

Letter to the editor: Vote for Jennifer Glass

letter

To the editor:

Please support Jennifer Glass for selectwoman. As a member of the School Committee, I have worked with Jennifer during all her time on the committee. As much as I will miss her willingness to listen, her vision for the schools and the children, her patience and her leadership skills, I believe her service on the Board of Selectmen will be of great value to the town as it considers the restitution of two of the town’s major departments.

With your help, I look forward to her election and service as a Selectwoman.

Sincerely,

Alvin Schmertzler
142 Chestnut Circle

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.

Water bottle, plastic bag issues may be tabled at Town Meeting

In the wake of some pushback against proposals to ban some uses of small water bottles and plastic grocery bags, one of the high school students behind the warrant articles wrote on Thursday that at least one of the issues will be withdrawn from a binding vote at Saturday’s Town Meting.

Students in the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School’s Environmental Club submitted two citizen’s petitions for Town Meeting in both Lincoln and Sudbury. One measure seeks to ban single-use plastic check-out bags at supermarkets and other retail stores. Thin-film plastic bags without handles that are used for meat, produce, newspapers, dry cleaning, etc., would not be affected.

The other measure would ban the retail sale of plastic single-use water bottles in town. Specifically targeted are polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles of 1 liter (34 ounces) or less containing non-carbonated, unflavored drinking water. Bottles could still be given away at any time or distributed in the event of a town-wide water emergency.

But some of the discussion on the town’s LincolnTalk email forum as well as letters to the editor of the Lincoln Squirrel took issue with the proposed bans for various reasons. Objections came from the owners of Donelan’s supermarket and two new restaurants in town, and residents on LincolnTalk urged more study and discussion of both issues before voting.

“We understand that although there are considerable environmental benefits to limiting plastic, there are also drawbacks when it comes to people’s convenience or to businesses that sell the non-reusable plastic bottles, making this subject controversial. For this reason, we are choosing to take a ‘sense of the town’ vote on the plastic bottle bylaw, and possibly also the bag bylaw, and revisit the issue at next year’s meeting in order to give voters a chance to [form] an informed opinion on the matter,” Lucy Bergeron, a junior at L-S, wrote in a post to LincolnTalk on behalf of the Environmental Club Thursday morning. “That said, we hope to get people thinking about this issue and begin the process of educating people.”

A “sense of the town” vote, which the Board of Selectmen had suggested earlier to the students, means that there will still be a presentation, discussion and vote on the warrant article, but the vote is non-binding and intended only to gauge where public opinion stands on the issue.