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

A few more things to know about Town Meeting

Water Department seeks $2.2 million in bonding

At Annual Town Meeting on March 23, the Water Department is hoping to begin a multiyear process of replacing an aging and leaky town water main by asking for $2.2 million in bonding to fund the first segment.

Article 26 on page 22 of the Motions list outlines four capital spending requests from the department that will need a total of $2.4 million in borrowing. The department and the Water Commission have commissioned a study of which of five segments of the main running beneath Lincoln Road from Bedford Road to Codman Road should be replaced first.

The entire project is estimated to cost at least $10 million over several years. “This is not the first ask,” commission member Steve Gladstone said on Wednesday.

The project will require a “moderate” water rate hike for four to five years, he added. This will be the first time since 2020 that rates will go up. In April of that year, usage rates went up by 28% and the quarterly base charge rose from $35 to $50.

The Water Department’s capital budget in fiscal 2024 was $315,000 and $142,500 in fiscal 2023. The fiscal 2025 projected operating budget is $2.02 million. In the former year, the department received $1.45 million from the ARPA program that granted federal aid to respond to the public health and economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. That money paid for a replacement well on Tower Road and several other projects without the need for a customer rate hike. 

Groups will get time to present positions

Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden said on March 20 that she will grant the request from a group of 300+ residents who asked for 10 minutes to present the perspective of the Lincoln Residents for Housing Alternatives (LRHA) when Article 3 (the Housing Choice Act rezoning) is discussed.

Proponents of Article 3’s passage will also get 10 minutes of speaking time from the floor if they request it, Holden said. This is in addition to the Planning Board presentation by chair Margaret Olson. 

Dozens of residents at the March 19 Select Board meeting asked that a representative get podium time and the ability to show slides, but Cannon demurred.

Two other members of the Planning Board, Ephraim Flint and Lynn DeLisi, voted against endorsing the measure in Feburary, and Flint afterwards had asked for speaking time as well. However, since Olson “will be giving public voice to the minority report, it’s not really necessary for you to repeat your reasons from the podium,” Holden told Flint on Wednesday.

The full text of the proposed zoning bylaw amendment can be found here.

Planning Board endorses Article 28

The Planning Board has endorsed a citizen’s petition that would require the town to notify individual property owners when their property is part of an area being considered for rezoning. 

If Article 28 is approved at Town Meeting on March 23, town boards and committees must notify by mail property owners, residents (including renters) and abutters in the area of rezoning 14 days prior to their first public meeting at which the zoning change would be discussed. Similar notice would also be sent for any future meeting at which the decision on rezoning may be made as well as any Town Meeting where a vote on rezoning would be conducted. See details on page 23 of the Motions list.

Article sponsor Barbara Peskin said many people whose properties were marked for possible rezoning weren’t aware of it going into the State of the Town Meeting in September 2023, which offered three options to residents for feedback. “When informed in advance, people can become engaged and included in the process early and invested in the result,” she said.

Though there were some concerns among board members about how to define “first” discussions, Olson said at their March 19 meeting that she agreed with the idea. “For something this significant, we really should not be springing votes on people,” she said. 

If the measure is approved, the board will meet with Peskin and others to work out specifics of how the requirement will be implemented. 

Rides for seniors

The Council on Aging & Human Services is offering rides to Town Meeting for Lincolnites age 60 and over. Capacity is limited; book now by calling 782-259-8811.

Anonymous mailbox flyer argues against Housing Choice Act

Ratcheting up the tension even further, one or more people left unsigned anti-Housing Choice Act flyers in mailboxes around town on the night of Tuesday, March 19, stirring disgust and police complaints by some of the recipients.

“It got to the point that multiple people were calling,” said Acting Police Chief Sean Kennedy. He cited calls from residents on Codman Road and Wheeler Road, “but in talking with the dispatcher, it sounded like it was all over town.”

The anonymous flyer left in the mailbox of several Lincoln residents. Click image to enlarge.The flyer lays out arguments for voting against the HCA rezoning measure, but contains a number of factual errors:

  • It says the state is requiring affected towns to put in “many low income” housing units, when in fact the law does not have any such requirement and in fact limits the portion of affordable housing in HCA districts to 10%.
  • It says that Lincoln has never applied for a state grant other than for the school, when in fact it has applied for and received several grants in recent years, including regional planning grants and $400,000 for designing expansion of the Lincoln Woods wastewater treatment plant.
  • It incorrectly states that “we are looking at 800 units” and assumes those units will be filled with families of at least three people all at the same time, leading to a “sudden massive 50% increase in the town’s population” and a $30.8 million budget deficit for the town.

The flyer also implies that illegal immigrants could occupy some of the new housing.

One of the flyer recipients said other residents had sent him copies of a different flyer expressing similar anti-HCA sentiments that was left in mailboxes, though it’s unclear if the two versions were produced and distributed by different people.

After word spread about the incident, several residents — including several who oppose Lincoln’s HCA measure that will be voted on at Town Meeting on March 23 — decried the act on LincolnTalk.

Kennedy said he would speak with Lincoln’s postmaster, since leaving non-U.S. mail in people’s mailboxes is technically illegal, though there is no law or bylaw specifically forbidding it. He added that police had identified a person of interest who was seen putting papers in mailboxes on Wheeler Road. “We’re following up with a party to let them know that the postmaster doesn’t want them doing that,” he said.

Officials offer more information about Town Meeting

From Assistant Town Manager Dan Pereira:

Annual Town Meeting is this Saturday, March 23, and we anticipate a very large turnout. The town is providing as much information as possible in advance to ensure a smooth experience for all.

Website

  • Please visit our Annual Town Meeting web page for up-to-date meeting information. It contains links to meeting procedures and materials, services, and background on the key articles being presented. 

Logistics

  • Voter check-in begins at 8 a.m. and Town Meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. sharp. We are opening doors earlier than originally planned to spread out the arrival window and shorten the line to check in.  
  • We have doubled the number of poll pads to move you through as quickly as possible, but we strongly encourage you to arrive early, just in case.
    • You will be given a voter card at check in. You must keep this card with you at all times as you will not be permitted to vote without this card.
  • We expect parking on the Ballfield Road campus to be over capacity, so please carpool, arrive early, or walk!  If you arrive and the campus has been closed to more cars, you will be directed to park in nearby parking areas such as Town Hall.
  • We will have three seating areas this year: the Brooks Auditorium, the Reed Gym and the school learning commons. The auditorium and Reed Gym/Field house are expected to be very full, so we have added the school learning commons to facilitate more socially distanced viewing. All three spaces will be fully participatory and moderated.
  • We have maps detailing campus parking and the building entrance.
  • We are planning for a half-hour food break at some point in the early afternoon. Coffee and treats will be served by the Lincoln Girl Scouts, but a full lunch will not be served. We have a very busy day and want to keep the meeting moving, so please plan accordingly.

Services

  • We have reserved parking closest to the entrance for handicap and mobility-impaired residents. 
  • We provide the option for fully interactive, socially distanced seating in the Lincoln School Learning Commons.
  • Childcare is being provided by LEAP (Lincoln Extended-day Activity Program), click here to sign up.
  • Assisted listening devices are available — just approach AV personnel in any room and they will assist you.

Editor’s note

A reader took issue with the March 19 headline “LRHA proponents demand podium time at Town Meeting” in a story comment and emails to the Squirrel asked that it be changed, particularly the verb: “The use of ‘demand’ is prejudicial and indicates a negative view of the petition signers, many of whom are my neighbors who simply want more information. They are not members of LRHA but just people who want to learn about the opposition to Article 3 before they vote. Are you playing to a perceived audience? I hope not!” The original headline has been changed.

It is true that the word “demand” has a different connotation than the word “request,” so the verb in the headline has been changed. However, the Lincoln Squirrel feels it is disingenuous to think that a sizable portion of the 300+ signers of the letter cited in the article have not made up their minds, as opposed to “[simply] wanting more information,” so we have let stand “LRHA proponents” (which include Smith, according to the organization’s website). The text of the letter to the Select Board is below. 

“These registered voters of the Town of Lincoln request of the Town Meeting Moderator, Planning Board and Select Board: Ten (10 ) minutes at the podium at the March 23, 2024 Town Meeting to present the perspective of the Lincoln Residents for Housing Alternatives (LRHA). As the LRHA proposal garnered a substantial percentage of the vote in the previous Town Meeting, and in light of the Planning Board’s 3-2 split vote on February 26th, we respectfully ask that the democratic process be honored. As such, we request a designated spokesperson be allowed to present the perspective of the LRHA to Article 3.”

My Turn: Vote no on the “bluntest instrument” for HCA compliance

By Randy Harrison

I am planning to vote no (for now) on Option C. Here’s why.

The Housing Choice Act (HCA) has given us a unique generational challenge and opportunity. At this point in the process, I’m hearing lots of winner-take-all, us-versus-them sentiments coming from all sides: “If you vote yes, you don’t care about Lincoln’s love of the environment and history of stewardship of the land” and “If you vote no, you are anti-development, anti-transit, and anti-diversity,” etc. Having lived in town for 30 years, raised our son, and gotten to know so many wonderful folks here, I’m hard-pressed to believe that either assumption is correct.

I originally thought that Option C might be the best solution, but with the information now at hand, the clarity I have personally sought has been elusive. Option C now appears to me to be the bluntest instrument to meet our HCA obligation. Even the Planning Board is split on this issue, which indicates that we still have work to do.

No matter what the outcome, don’t we and the generations that follow deserve to know that we have done everything we can to find a solution that embraces and unites the best of our community? This is where my “No (for now)” vote comes from and why I will be voting for Sarah Postlethwait for Planning Board.

“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.

My Turn: COA&HS board urges passage of community center measure

By Sally Kindleberger

We on the Board of Directors for the Council on Aging and Human Services ask you to vote for the Lincoln community center. The staff and volunteers at the COA&HS provide so many services across age groups, including exercise classes, lectures, help with taxes, housing, and debt relief. needed transportation, therapeutic groups as well as individual therapy, and much much more.

Beautiful Bemis Hall no longer meets the needs of the COA&HS community. Built in 1880 it is not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Many of the spaces are cramped, windowless, and don’t offer needed privacy. There is no air conditioning on the second floor, which makes the room unbearable during summer months. And the pods on the school campus have long outlived their useful life.

Given thoughtful and careful scheduling, a new community center will provide dedicated spaces for LEAP, Parks and Recreation, and the COA&HS as well as shared spaces to be used by many other groups. The building will welcome families and help to forge intergenerational connections.

Please join us in supporting this necessary and exciting venture. A new community center will serve folk for generations to come and will be an amazing asset to our town. And please make a pledge that will reduce the cost of the building if you haven’t already done so.

Sally Kindleberger on behalf of the Council on Aging Board:

Dilla Tingley, chair
Laura Crosby, vice chair
Sally Kindleberger
Wendy Kusik, LICSW
Don Milan, JD
Terry Perlmutter
Jane O’Rourke, LICSW
Kathy Ramon
Donna Rizzo
Mark Sandman
Peter Von Mertens
Hope White

“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.

LRHA proponents ask for podium time at Town Meeting

(Editor’s note: The verb in the headline was changed on March 20 from “demanded” at the request of an LRHA proponent.)

The heated controversy over the Housing Choice Act took another turn when more than 300 residents asked the Select Board and other town officials to allow a representative opponent of the measure to speak from the podium at Saturday’s Town Meeting “to present the perspective of the Lincoln Residents for Housing Alternatives (LRHA).”

More than 50 residents also attended the March 18 meeting of the Select Board, which turned the matter over to Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden.

Other residents in favor of Article 3 have also requested speaking time, she said. Her decision: each group may choose one speaker to represent them who may have five minutes to make their case from the floor microphones before other residents speak (longer than the usual two-minute speaking limit), but without the ability to show slides. The groups must identify their speaker at the in-person moderator’s meeting on Wednesday, March 20 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. 

Holden also ruled that the representative speakers would not be allowed to answer questions from the floor after their speaking time was finished, in the interest of “keeping the line moving,” since heavy attendance is expected.

“I think this is actually giving a lot in terms of our transitions and how we run things,” Holden said. “There are lots of things that have changed [about Town Meeting in recent years] but we have to be very careful how we change things” in terms of setting a precedent.

But many of the 48 residents in person and on Zoom at the March 18 meeting strenuously objected to her decisions. “As long as you stick within your time limit, what is the downside of allowing slides?” Bob Domnitz asked. Sara Mattes also asked why the moderator’s meeting couldn’t also be shown on Zoom with viewer participation disabled.

Faced with the protests, Holden left open the possibility that she would amend her rulings. “I’m not going to answer you on the spot. I’m going to think about it,” she replied to Domnitz. “It’s not wise for me to just tell you something off the cuff.”

Residents challenge Holden

Another resident asked if the March 20 moderator’s meeting — which is intended for logistical planning for presenters, not a discussion of any actual issues — would be available on Zoom, but Holden demurred. “The meeting will go more smoothly” with only the participants speaking; otherwise, “there will be so many people I can’t really run it, and that’s always the way it’s been done.”

Mattes also said that at previous Town Meetings, groups in addition to the presenting board, such as the Rural Land Foundation, have been allowed to speak from the podium, as happened at the contentious 2012 Town Meeting about the first failed school project.

“The RLF may speak if they’re responding to a question but I don’t know that they’re going to be up there on their own,” Holden said. “The group that spoke at the school meeting didn’t set any precedent.”

“Why not? It happened,” Mattes shot back.

“I’d be happy to talk to you in private,” Holden responded, eliciting some dry chuckles from attendees.

“Are people afraid to hear the other side?” said Lynne Smith, who helped circulate the petition asking for podium time. “Visual stuff stays with people; it allows them to really see and understand something… I’m begging you to reconsider.”

The town’s presentation is “going to be very ‘pro’,” said Sarah Postlethwait, who is challenging incumbent Gary Taylor in the March 25 election for a seat on the Planning Board. “There are plenty of things wrong with the [proposed] bylaw and we need to hear both sides.”

But not everyone agreed with letting the LRHA present its case. “I look to the people on the podium… who have done the work and thought it through, and that what they’re presenting to me will be truthful and factual,” Tricia O’Hagan said. “They have more gravitas, and as an audience I feel like they’ve been vetted by the town.”

Issue evokes strong feelings among hundreds

The HCA issue has stirred more passion in town than any other issue since the 2012 school vote, if not before. Roadsides are peppered with a variety of signs urging residents to vote “No for Now” or “Heck Yeah!” and LincolnTalk has been inundated with emails on the topic. Two content-heavy websites have also sprung up — the Lincoln Residents for Housing Alternatives (which has rebranded itself as “Lincoln HCA Info” on its home page) and HCA-yes.org, which was created by Jonathan Soo, one of the those who circulated an earlier letter urging passage of Article 3.

Town Meeting structure will be the subject of at least one public forum led by Holden and Select Board Chair Jim Hutchinson later this spring. Whatever new procedure is followed will be “a sort of trial or test,” Hutchinson said. Some other towns have very specific bylaws about the ATM process while others are more general, “and Lincoln falls into that latter category,” Holden said.

Town Administrator Tim Higgins agreed that having written Town Meeting policies “would eliminate some of the tensions we’ve been having… but making a decision to change the Town Meeting process so close to Town Meeting is really not a good practice.”

Laurie Gray, who advocated Option E before the December Special Town Meeting and helped circulate the latest petition, reiterated the LRHA’s request for more podium time, slides, and Q&A from the audience, and warned about consequences if the demands weren’t met.

“If people feel they weren’t heard, it’s going to last a long time,” she said. “I’m really worried that five minutes isn’t enough. I don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s going to be upsetting. We’re going to lose Lincoln.”

My Turn: Vote for Jennifer Glass for a third term on Select Board

Dear Lincoln neighbors,

We are writing to ask for your vote to reelect Jennifer Glass to the Select Board. We believe that Jennifer is one of the most effective Selects in the history of our town. She has significant experience on several Boards and Committees, serving as Chair of both the School Committee and the Select Board.

Jennifer will continue to bring to the Select Board:

  • Extensive experience as a town leader with a record of effective action
  • Broad knowledge of Lincoln, our values, our needs, and how to move forward
  • Keen intelligence, ability to research, analyze, and solve complex issues
  • Awareness of the value of contributions of residents and town staff
  • Understanding of the regional issues that affect Lincoln through her participation with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and the Massachusetts Municipal Association
  • Proven ability to solve problems and find solutions.

Jennifer has constantly shown her dedication, thoroughness, and professionalism in her work as a town official. Beginning with a study on classroom size in 2007, moving on to the School Committee, and then to the Select Board, she has been an outstanding leader. As a member and then chair of the School Committee, she assisted in securing state aid to fund 40% of the 2012 school project. When the town voted not to go forward with that project, Jennifer worked assiduously for five years to bring the town together to agree on a new project. Then, as the the Select Board’s member of the School Committee Building Committee, Jennifer worked tirelessly to keep the project on time and on budget, and led the Property Tax Study Committee to explore new options to mitigate property taxes.

While she was serving as a Select, she also served on the Water Commission; helped found the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Antiracism Committee (IDEA), and led the Housing Choice Act Working Group. To facilitate further communication with residents, she instituted a regular “Ask a Select Board member” drop-in sessions held around town. She is editor in chief of the Select Board newsletter. Through her 17 years of leadership and commitment on these boards and committees, she has developed an extraordinary understanding of the town and a proven ability to get things done.

A vote for Jennifer is a vote for:

  • Effective leadership
  • Wisdom and experience in action
  • Commitment to Lincoln’s wellbeing

We support Jennifer Glass for Select. Please join us — vote for Jennifer.

Abigail Adams
Sarah Andrysiak
Chris Andrysiak
Dea Angiolillo
Jacqueline Apsler
Robert Apsler
Lisa Baer
William Barclay
Ken Bassett
Alex Benik
Laura Berland
Becky Bermont
Sarah Bishop
Cathy Bitter
Hans Bitter
Paul Blanchfield
Rebecca Blanchfield
Pam Boardman
John Bordiuk
Rory Bordiuk
Janet Boynton
Stephen Brand
Julie Brogan
Gus Browne
Kim Buell
Larry Buell
Sarah Cairns-Smith
Annie Calhoun
Karen Carlson
Tom Casey
Ted Chan
Alex Chatfield
Lindsay Clemens
Buzz Constable
Elizabeth Creighton
Sandy Creighton
Tom Christenfeld
Doug Crosby
Laura Crosby
Priscilla Damon
Rosamond DeLori
Moha Desai
Penny DeNormandie
Tom DeNormandie
Jona Donaldson
Brianna Doo
Rachel Drew
Jeff Eaton
Andy Falender
Becca Fasciano
Jon Ferris
Kristen Ferris
Lorraine Fiore
Nancy Fleming
Jim Fleming
Amy Funkenstein
Asli Grace
Matt Grace
Rob Graves
Jennie Morris Grundy
Gina Halsted
Emily Haslett
Tom Haslett
Alan Hein
Jim Henderson
Nancy Henderson
Ruth Ann Hendrickson
Lis Herbert
Zach Herbert
Shira Horwitz
Ken Hurd
Pam Hurd
Brian Jalet
Kimberly Jalet
Steve Johnson
Jon Kelman
Joan Kimball
John Kimball
Chris Klem
Sue Klem
Steve Kropper
Stephen Kutenplon
Judith Lawler
Patrick Lawler
Barbara Leggat
Jackie Lenth
Dave Levington
Mollye Lockwood
Todd Lockwood
Mary Helen Lorenz
Sara Lupkas
Scott Lupkas
Rachel Mason
Lucy Maulsby
Chris McCarthy
John Mendelson
Kenny Mitchell
Tara Mitchell
Richard Mollica
Staci Montori
Buffer Morgan
Terri Morgan
Rachel Neurath
Craig Nicholson
Katie Nicholson
John Nolan
Trisha O’Hagan
Jane O’Rourke
David Onigman
Katherine Hall Page
Candace Pearson
Terry Perlmutter
Christopher Plonski
Dana Robbat
Joe Robbat
Stuart Rose
Travis Roland
Allen Rossiter
Selina Rossiter
Joanna Schmergel
Lucy Sachs
Jena Salon
Kathleen Shepard
Ray Shepard
Andrew Singer
Ellen Meyer Shorb
Paul Shorb
Barbara Slayter
Vicky Slingerland
Stephanie Smart
Tucker Smith
Jonathan Soo
Kara Soo
Nancy Soulette
Mary Stechshulte
Bill Stason
Susan Stason
Scott Steward
MingVi Steward
Susan Hand Taylor
Dilla Tingley
Margie Toph
Allen Vander Meulen
Peter Von Mertens
Katy Walker
Tom Walker
Heidi Webb
Ben Wells
Jean Welsh
Bryce Wolf
Bob Wolf
Krystal Wood
Louis Zipes
Tanya Zipes
 

“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.

My Turn: Vote “yes” on HCA zoning and “no” on community center

By Ken Hurd

With apologies to all those who have worked to bring a new community center to Lincoln, I once again feel compelled to voice my strongly held opinion as an architect concerned with what we build in Lincoln, and I want to remind everyone why I and so many others believe we should not build a community center on the school campus. I still believe the Council on Aging component should be located in Lincoln Station and let the LEAP and the Recreation Department be located at the school.  

First and foremost, I believe that a $25 million investment by the town should be deployed where it would have the greatest positive impact — namely in the Lincoln Station area. For nearly 14 years since Town Meeting approved the Comprehensive Long-Range Plan, in which the revitalization of Lincoln Station was overwhelmingly one of the highest priorities, the area has lain dormant and in serious need of a catalyst to jumpstart its transformation into the compact, vital, walkable village center that was a stated goal at the time. Unless Lincoln is proactive in embracing change, the area will continue to decline.

Equally important, I believe that many of the decisions and commitments that led to the current community center proposal were well-intended but somewhat myopic, and to make matters worse, they now predate the new realities of post-pandemic life in the 21st century. Chief among these is our increased awareness of the effects of climate change as warmer winters, hotter summers, and earlier springs dominate our lived experience, suggesting that anything we can do to minimize our dependence on the automobile should be a very high priority.

I also never bought into the idea that mixing octogenarian driving skills with children on a playing field was anything but an accident waiting to happen. And in the new age of the AR-15, I would remind everyone that school shooting incidents in the U.S. have skyrocketed since 2015. In 2023 alone, there were 198 shooting incidents at K-12 schools, six of which involved active shooters. Of course, everyone believes it won’t happen here, just as everyone believed it wouldn’t happen when and where the shootings did occur. Why we would even consider locating an adult facility on a school campus in such an era of random and unpredictable violence is beyond me.

From a planning standpoint, the economic disruption caused by the pandemic combined with the dramatic increase in wealth inequality over the last decade has put increased pressure on the need for more housing in the region. For economic reasons, many seniors who might want to downsize are somewhat locked into staying in their larger homes until there are reasonable housing alternatives from which to choose. Thanks to the HCA, we are bound to see at least some increase in housing in the Lincoln Station area, and most professional planners I know would consider this a golden opportunity to locate the COA in the middle of such a potential concentration of housing. Doing so would not only create a symbiotic relationship among the multiple uses desired, but also between the primary users and the facility should the right mix and size of units be offered.  

Lastly, we learned at the recent informational session on March 7 that the current proposed zoning regulations for the HCA overlay district contain no language that would prohibit such a use. We also learned that the RLF has never been asked by the town if they would be amenable to incorporating the needed COA spaces into any development they do.

Frankly, if the COA component of the community center were incorporated in the RLF’s plan for redevelopment, it would represent a plus to any potential developer’s pro forma — namely, to have a confirmed tenant for an active community use in a purposely designed ground-level space. This strategy would minimize the cost to Lincoln in upfront financing for design and construction, and it would replace public project inefficiencies with professional development expertise. Doing so may make the new community center facility far more affordable to the town’s already stressed taxpayers. 

So, my hope is that voters will vote YES for Article 3 and vote NO on Article 4.That way, I believe it opens a door for the RLF and the town to work together on an overall masterplan that addresses many of these larger issues in a much more holistic fashion, ultimately helping to transform Lincoln Station to its full potential as a truly vital, walkable village center. Remember, we humans shape our environments at a moment in time, and then they shape us for decades to come.

“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.