By Alice Waugh
Town officials have released amended wording for a school project measure at Town Meeting that more closely ties a $750,000 feasibility study with Lincoln’s acceptance into the state funding process.
[Read more…] about Amended motion for school project released
By Alice Waugh
Lincoln resident Richard Card wants to open a combination bookstore, coffee shop, and wine and cocktail bar in the South Lincoln business district that would offer “an ambience that promotes higher-minded conversations,” he says.
[Read more…] about Resident aims to open bookstore with food, coffee and cocktails
Editor’s note: shorty after this was published, town officials released
By Alice Waugh
Just days before the annual Town Meeting, officials are scrambling to tweak the wording of one of the warrant articles relating to the school building project.
A montage of Jane Layton’s bird carvings (click to enlarge).
One of the exhibits at the Town Office Building looks like it could almost take flight.
Jane Layton has been carving birds and working part-time for the Lincoln Conservation Department for 26 years. Her carvings at the library, which are on display until April 1, include local favorites such as the white-breasted nuthatch and the chickadee as well as puffins, a golden-crowned kinglet and more. [Read more…] about Carvings reflect conservation ranger’s love of birds
To the editor:
The Town of Lincoln has been fortunate throughout its history to have been served by individuals who care deeply about its direction. Through careful planning and respect for all its resources, they have created a place we can all be proud to call home.
As a member of the Planning Board, Bob Domnitz has embodied the ethics and pragmatism that have guided this community for the past 260 years. He has served the town of Lincoln exceptionally well, and I endorse him wholeheartedly.
Sincerely,
Margaret Flint
Lexington Rd.
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, 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 Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.
Editor’s note: Article 45 is a citizens’ petition that asks voters if they support a resolution “that urges town boards, commissions and committees to consider, in relevant cases, and report in their minutes, the impact of their decisions on climate change; or take any other action relative thereto.”
To the editor:
Lincoln has a long history and a national reputation for being a progressive, proactive community in conservation and environmental protection that is reflected in our landscape. The town must now continue with this tradition of creative and innovative planning in finding effective ways to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
[Read more…] about Letter to the editor: support warrant article on climate change
Editor’s note: Town Meeting Warrant Articles 37 and 38 ask Lincoln voters if they will amend the town’s zoning by-law to (1) permit a greater variety of commercial uses in the Lewis Street district, and (2) relax the parking requirements for businesses. See the complete warrant for details.
To the editor:
I am writing as a former member of the Board of Selectman who was liaison to the Planning Board for 12 years. I worked closely with the board on many critical development challenges that threatened our rural, small-town character in our residential neighborhoods and our fragile retail district.
From that perspective, I am writing to urge support for Articles 37 and 38 at Town Meeting, and to urge all to better understand the work of our Planning Board in implementing the Comprehensive Long Range Plan (CLRP) and caring for neighborhood character through site plan review.
The Planning Board takes it direction from the values and concerns that the town articulates through Town Meeting actions, the CLRP, planning forums, and the numerous comments from applicants and residents that are received at Planning Board meetings every year.
As to proactive work in planning and implementation of aspects of the CLRP, Articles 37 and 38 will do just that. Many in town believe that we must take actions to preserve and promote a vital retail district in the Lincoln Station area. The Planning Board conducted a study as to how best advance this objective. In addition, they held meetings with local business owners to gather their ideas about promoting the district. A business district is made up of private property owners who cannot be compelled to make investments. But they can be encouraged and welcomed. That is what Articles 37 and 38 are designed to do.
Other objectives identified in the CLRP are dependent upon voluntary actions of other boards and committees, and cannot be mandated or regulated by the Planning Board.
Several letters to the editor have taken issue with the work of the Planning Board, specifically regarding site plan review.
Site plan review is not unique to Lincoln. It is used across the Commonwealth to preserve community character.
While property owners have rights, those who live in the neighborhood also may have legitimate concerns that deserve consideration. It is the Planning Board that is charged by the town, through the town’s zoning bylaws, to protect neighborhoods. It is a balancing act that I have observed has been taken very seriously and very sensitively by the Planning Board.
The Planning Board works hard to ensure that all new development receives full and fair vetting by the town, and by the neighborhoods that will experience the most immediate impact. When the Planning Board reviews a large project, they are acting in all our interest to ensure we all have a voice in shaping and managing change and the character of our community for years to come.
Sincerely,
Sara Mattes
71 Conant Rd.
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, 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.
Editor’s note: Patricia Miller attempted to get on the ballot for election to the Board of Health, but she did not have a sufficient number of certifiable signatures (e.g., legible signatures of Lincoln registered voters), according to Town Clerk Susan Brooks. The same is true for Susan Harding, who intends to run for reelection to the Cemetery Commission. The specimen ballot can be found here.
To the editor:
Patricia Miller has been a wonderful addition to the Board of Health since she was appointed a year ago. We have been delighted to work with her. I speak for Dr. Fred Mansfield, my other colleague on the board, as well as myself in asking Lincoln voters to support her for a full term and write in her name at next week’s election.
Steven R. Kanner, M.D. (Board of Health member)
12 Bypass Rd.
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, 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.
CorrectionA March 23 letter to the editor headlined “Letter to the editor: vote ‘yes’ on Articles 30 and 31” carried the wrong signature. That letter was written by Douglas Adams, not Steven Perlmutter. The Squirrel had previously published a letter from Perlmutter on March 17 headlined “Letter to the editor: ‘focus like a laser’ on getting state funding for school.” The March 23 letter has been amended online to reflect this correction.
In the March 20 Lincoln Squirrel story about the school building warrant articles to be voted on at Town Meeting, there was a sentence that stated in part: “If the town were to borrow $30 million and also approve the campus master plan expenditure, there would be an increase in median tax bills of 3.9 percent.” That percentage refers only to the tax increase for fiscal 2016 including the effect of the school feasibility studies, not the year-over-year tax growth with $30 million of borrowing. A decision to borrow and how much to borrow by the town would come after a feasibility study.
Editor’s note: Since the revised agreement first came up for voting by district towns a year ago, 10 of the 16 towns have approved the new agreement while five (Belmont, Boxborough, Dover, Lincoln and Sudbury) have deferred their votes and one (Wayland) has voted no.
To the editor:
On Saturday, March 28, voters in the town of Lincoln have a unique opportunity to assist Minuteman High School, an institution with which the town has been associated for the past 40 years. Voters at Town Meeting can act to approve Article 34, ratifying a new Minuteman Regional Agreement.
As a Lincoln resident and long-time educator, I am urging Town Meeting voters to say “yes” to the new agreement.
Why should the Town of Lincoln approve the new Regional Agreement now? There are several reasons:
If the new agreement is not approved, there’s increased risk that the building project will fail—and we’ll lose 40 percent state funding. If that happens, we still have a building to fix or replace. Lincoln will continue to be responsible for those capital costs—with or without financial help from the state.
Further, if the new agreement is not approved, Lincoln will probably have no workable option to withdraw from the district. Without a change in the existing agreement, the town will need to secure approval from all 16 current members.
Of course, the easiest decision for the Town of Lincoln is to do nothing—to continue to “pass over” this issue. But that’s not the right decision, either for Minuteman High School or for our town.
I ask my fellow voters to say “yes” to Article 34. On behalf of the school, I ask for your support and leadership.
For more information about the agreement, please visit these Minuteman websites.
Sincerely,
Edward A. Bouquillon, Ph.D. (superintendent, Minuteman High School)
10 Mill St.
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, 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.