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

Farm store thief busted after being caught on camera — twice

Security camera images of the thief on his November 28 visit to the farm store (click image to enlarge).

A brazen thief who was twice caught on camera stealing food from the Codman Community Farms store — once when farmer Pete Lowy was in the room with him — was caught by police and banned from the store for life.

A security camera first recorded the unidentified man gathering various items and leaving without paying on November 28. The farm store does not have checkout staff and operates on an honor system whereby customers scan and pay for their items using a credit or debit card or put cash in an envelope through a slot. Lowy wrote about the first incident in a December 2 email to CCF members asking them to be on the lookout for the thief, and then breathlessly related the whole story in a December 15 e-newsletter to CCF members, along with some subtle plugs for the merchandise (scroll down for the latest):

It’s been a couple of weeks since we shared the news of the theft in the farm store. Many, many folks emailed us offering both support and a bit of concern about the way we handled this latest intrigue at the farm. It is never fun to share these complicated matters with the public, but we find it’s important to provide this information when the situation merits. In this case, it did, and as confident as I was about the intention of the theft at the time, some in the public were less inclined. Many offered their theories which were kinder and based on the supposition that we are all good people and no doubt this was an innocent mistake. Alas… I have most unfortunate news for those who thought this kind fellow was experiencing a mere lapse of judgment or perhaps some other more serious medical issue. In the end, we were right and this whole ordeal is about honesty and trust and well, it’s just another interesting Codman farm-life story.

And if you are reading this, you are also part of this story. Because you are part of our community. We are grateful to you all for your interest and your continued support and kindness.

Oh yes, and it’s still all about a dude stealing because he can — and our journey toward making things right. Read on for the conclusion of this winding tale… Kick back and enjoy. Cancel that morning meeting. Refill that cup of hot joe. I have a story for you…

OK, so here goes. As we all know, the original theft occurred on November 28th at 8:40 p.m. We have the camera footage and massive amounts of video showing that our friend did not pay for the items he took from the store. He walked confidently out of the store without any attempt to pay. We were unable to locate him or track his car and license plate so we turned to you, Joe Public, to assist us with finding him. We received lots of feedback and a tip of sorts that someone had indeed seen him in the store another time — but this person did not know him so, the lead was a dead end.

Until one day — December 6 at 1:01 p.m., to be exact — I, me, mwah (Farmer Pete) was just returning to the farm from a three-hour trip bringing some pigs into freezer camp. I was a bit tired from the long drive and was walking home to refill my coffee and sit down for a few minutes to relax. But as I was walking through the parking lot towards the house, I noticed a car pulling into the parking lot. I did a double-take and thought to myself, “Hey, that car kinda looks familiar — it looks like the car that guy was driving that fateful night.” The car had the same profile, brake lights, wheel rims, and so on. As I maintained my gaze at the car and watched the driver’s door slowly open, out came our gray-haired friend in his same blue puffy jacket!

I nearly dropped my empty coffee cup. My stomach turned in knots. Wait, what!? This could not be — I just happened to get back to the farm and happened to be walking in the same direction as the guy whom I had been searching for, and he happened to be getting out of his car right as I was walking by? No way. The gods of petty larceny were shining brightly on me that day! Without a hint of hesitation, I approached him as he walked towards the store. “Excuse me,” I said. He looked down at me (I’m not very tall). I said, “I believe you were here last week and didn’t pay for your items.” (It never pays to be a total jerk; I like the kinder approach to accusing someone of being a thief.) He said, “Oh, really? No problem, I’m happy to pay for the items now.” I also said, “We can also call the police if you like.” And he replied, “Oh no, no need for that.” I then did the smartest thing of all — I said, “OK, before we head into the store, I want to take a photo of your license plate.” And I did.

OK, people, now is not the time to think “See, I told you, it was an honest mistake, Pete… he did mean to pay, he just forgot. You are such a mean guy for thinking he was dishonest!”

My reply would be, “Don’t be naïve — what else would someone who intentionally stole say? Come on! Do you think he would blurt out, ‘Oh dang, busted! I did steal that stuff, and I was gonna steal again just now, but I guess I won’t because you caught me.’” No, what he said is exactly what I would expect him to say. He acted slightly surprised but with a bit of contrition. I asked him to follow me into the store so he could pay for the items, and he did.

Once in the store, I quickly gathered my thoughts and went into the farm kitchen to grab the piece of paper where I previously made the list of all the items he stole. I saw Tillie and said, “He’s here! The guy who stole, he’s here!” She was like, “Wait, what, he’s here?!” The drama, I tell you! Dripping with drama!

I gathered my list [of the items stolen in November] which included the boneless breast (pasture-raised), steak (grass-fed), Side Hill yogurt (whole milk), SAP seltzer (made with local maple syrup), bacon (OMG tasty), and a few other items totaling around $80. While I was running around, our friend decided to do a bit more shopping — he grabbed an empty Side Hill farm yogurt box and moseyed around the store grabbing apples (from Apex orchard), random bulk produce (organic), Brewers Crackers (up-cycled from brewers’ grains), and he even went into the inner farm store to grab a half- gallon of very fresh High-Lawn milk — before coming back out to where I was gathering my info. As I got my sh*t together so he could pay for his last non-purchase, he decided to self-check out for the new items he had gathered into his box. Oh wow, he appeared to know how to use the scanner and system. Shocked, I tell you! I saw him scan the items one by one, then eventually press the button to “pay by check or cash using envelope” — which means you actually are paying by cash or check, and then, most importantly, you deposit the money/envelope into the pay box. That is kinda the point, right? You actually then pay for the items? OK, just checking you understand the system.

Next chapter…

After I saw him get a receipt, he went and found an envelope and I even saw him put the receipt (around $19) and a $20 bill in the envelope. I was relieved that he planned to pay for these items. He then followed me into the inner store so I could scan in all the items from last time and then he would use his credit card to pay. He was kind enough and followed me. I then scanned all the items while he stood patiently behind me with his box of items sitting on the butcher block table. Once all the items were scanned in, he then came up and inserted his credit card into the terminal and completed the transaction. Easy peasy! I reminded him that we operate an honor store so he needs to pay for all his items from now on; he agreed and then grabbed his box of goodies and swiftly left. Whew, I thought. I caught the guy, he paid, and I warned him not to do it again. No way he would do that again, right? All is good in the world! Let the sun shine! Case closed. Time for a drink!

Oh, well, um, not so fast…

What happens next is truly the stunner. The cherry on top. The icing on the cake. The pièce de résistance (say this last bit with your best French accent).

I walked away from the whole transaction feeling good, but in the back of my head, I had a little kernel of doubt. I could not quite pinpoint this feeling so I just let it pass. Until, until… just the other day, when I went to collect the envelopes from the previous week. We usually do this once a week or so since most folks pay using credit these days and so we have relatively few envelopes to collect. So I went and collected the envelopes from both payboxes and started to tally up the sales, and I noticed something odd. I could not find the envelope that I knew should be there. The $19 from our friend. For sure I saw him put the receipt and money into the envelope. Where could it be? I checked the boxes again, the pile of envelopes… nope, nothing. Not there. What the…?

So what did I do? I went back to the security cameras, and there, voila. I found it. In the video footage, I found myself running around like a nut case getting my list together, his shopping, me talking to him, him self-checking out and putting the money into the envelope. I knew I wasn’t crazy, I did see him pay and put the money in the envelope. But I still didn’t know where that darn envelope went. But then, I did see what happened. I could not believe what I was seeing. As I was scanning items into the system for him to pay, he was waiting behind me… still holding the envelope. Okay, I thought, that’s curious, why is he still holding the envelope? Why didn’t he already put it in the pay box? And then it hit me. He never intended to pay. And then, boom, there it was…

He coyly looked at the cameras, then down, then at the cameras again, and then, slowly, then quickly and smoothly, the envelope moved from one hand to the other. And then? And then? Is your heart sinking? Are you ready for this? Seriously? What did he do? He quickly folded the envelope in half… and stuffed it into his puffy jacket pocket. Yes! You heard me right! Just as he was about to be asked to pay for the items he stole last time… he stole again right behind my back! OMG. Are you freaking out? I was! I still am. When I saw the footage my heart truly sank. I could not believe it. It was — and it is shocking.

This is where I must tell you, and I don’t take pride in saying this: I told you. I was right. I knew it all along. He stole intentionally. And here he is, he stole again. He’s not honest. It was not a mistake. All is not always good in the world. Some people do bad things. But hey, I’m sure he is otherwise a really nice dude. But to us, in this situation, he did something wrong. That’s the fact, Jack.

After feeling totally despondent and informing some other staff at the farm, who were equally shocked and dismayed, I contacted the Lincoln police. It was time to get the police involved and stop this from ever happening again. And God love our Lincoln police officers —especially my go-to police officer, who knows who he is. Love him! He quickly came to the farm and took care of things. He went to our friend’s house in Weston, and long story short, our gray-haired, blue-puffy-jacketed friend will not be visiting the farm again, ever. We hope. He and his family know he was caught in the act, he has paid up, and he has been warned to not visit the farm again. Case closed! (until next time…)

* Epilogue *

What a story, right? Crazy.

We share all of this because it’s true. It’s the life we live here at Codman Farm. We share what we live, the good the bad, and the ugly. It’s exactly these tales that make life on the farm so interesting, each and every day. We work hard, we care about each other, and we care about you and the community. We value deeply the land we manage, the animals in our care, the soils beneath our feet that feed us. And we care about your interactions with us. We trust you, and we hope you trust us. For we are a community farm after all and we need to rely on each other so we can achieve our greatest goals together — eating well, living a healthy life, and sharing good times and bad. We understand sometimes people do dumb things. Folks make mistakes. We get that. We forgive and forget. But honesty is truly the best policy. We hope you agree.

We remain grateful to you, to each other, to our community. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday! Onwards!

Click here to watch the video of the second theft. The sequence where he pockets his cash envelope without paying starts at the 1:40 mark. 

Police Chief Kevin Kennedy said on December 15 that when confronted by police, the man paid for all of the stolen items and was not arrested. “He ended up making full restitution and I believe the farmer did not want to pursue it. They were made whole,” he said. If the thief is seen again at the store despite the ban, “we could probably charge him with trespassing,” he added.

The thief (a Weston resident who drives an Acura, according to Lowy) appeared to be unfazed by being caught red-handed. “I told him we had cameras. And he saw me take a photo of his license plate and I told him I was doing so — right in front of him,” Lowy told the Lincoln Squirrel on December 15. “I can’t say why he didn’t pay the second time — probably thought he was smarter than me, I guess. I don’t know why people do this other than they think they can get away with it.  Obviously not a very honest guy.”

Property sales in October 2023

150 Lincoln Rd. — Prince Teabo to Wombat Real Estate Invest LLC for $801,000 (October 31)

25B South Commons — Brett Cramp to Merna Sorial and Marcus Luke for $272,000 (October 31)

13 Oak Meadow Rd. — Debra Peattie to Christopher Hallett and Cara Slaby for $1,400,000 (October 28)

172 Bedford Rd. — Debra Orr Trust to Michael Sonier Revocable Trust for $1,499,000 (October 27)

10 Hiddenwood Path — Edward F. Koehler Trust to Wonho and Youngsheen Jhe for $790,000 (October 19)

11A South Commons — Marisa Gregg to Judith Wong for $551,000 (October 18)

2 Concord Rd. — Andrew H. David Trust to Walden Woods Project for $1,300,000 (October 17)

20R Indian Camp Lane — Gary Davis Trust to Abbie Paley and Jatinder Gill for $700,000 (October 16)

19 Conant Rd. — Nancy M. Harris Trust to Dudley Hollow LLC for $1,355,000 (October 10)

91 Weston Rd. — 91 Weston Rd. Realty Trust to 91 Weston Rd. Realty LLC for $1,775,000 (October 5)

39 Old Sudbury Rd. — David R.W. Harris Trust to Manley B. Boyce II Trust and Karen K. Boyce Trust for $850,000 (October 2)

Remembering the Destruction of the Tea 250 years ago

By the Lincoln250 Planning Committee

In May 1773, the British Parliament passed the widely unpopular Tea Act, and in December that same year, nearly 100 patriots dumped an entire shipment of East India Company tea into the Boston Harbor.

Four days after the Destruction of the Tea and again a week later, Lincoln’s Town Meeting took up a request from Boston leaders for the town’s support. The town’s own Committee of Correspondence drafted a reply, and Town Meeting members deliberated over the draft text. They were cautious about endorsing the destruction of private property, but they nevertheless approved a stirring response: “We cannot therefor but Commend the Spirited behaviour of the town of Boston in Endeavouring to prevent the sale of the East India Company’s teas by Endeavouring to perswade the Consigners to Resign their office or any other Lawfull means.” In addition, Lincoln residents resolved neither to purchase nor use tea so long as there was a duty on it, and to “hold and esteem such as Do use such tea Enemies to their Country.” 1

On December 16, 2023, Boston will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Destruction of the Tea (the “Boston Tea Party” phrase was coined in the 1830s). On this day at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston, 46 tons of tea (valued at £9,659 — roughly $2 million today) was dumped over the sides of three British ships. Britain retaliated by passing the Coercive Acts, which were meant to end the rebellion in New England, but the opposite happened. Within months the “shot heard around the world” rang out in Concord. This marked the beginning of the American Revolution.

To learn more about the history of the Boston Tea Party or see upcoming events to celebrate the 250th, please click on the links below:

Thank you to the Lincoln Library for recently hosting two events to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party! To learn more about Lincoln250 or watch for upcoming events in or around Lincoln to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the historic battles of Lexington and Concord, see the Lincoln250 website.
 
1 MacLean, John C. (1987). A Rich Harvest: The History, Buildings, and People of Lincoln, Massachusetts (Lincoln Historical Society).

My Turn: A fond farewell to an extraordinary partner

By Jacquelin Apsler

On December 15, 2023, Chief Kevin Kennedy will retire from Lincoln’s Police Department — a public servant greatly admired by his peers, deeply respected by his constituents, and very much cherished by his colleagues and friends. The phrase “he will be missed” doesn’t capture the extraordinary loss of his leadership.

As a resident of Lincoln, I have known Chief Kennedy nearly 30 years since he was a young pup new to Lincoln and policing, but always mature, focused, and clear-sighted from the beginning. Students who knew him as a Juvenile Officer recall him as “leading by example,” “a silent hero who takes good care of the community without any fanfare,”and  a professional who modeled community policing long before it became a prominent tenet in the policing world.

Lincoln Police Chief Kevin Kennedy

For the past 18 years, I have had the honor of working alongside Chief Kennedy as a partner in our never-ending fight against domestic violence. As a strong proponent of community and police partnerships, he has supported every aspect of DVSN’s work to the very best of his ability and to the extent resources would allow.

For over a year, while our advocate office at the Bedford Police Department is being renovated, the Lincoln police have welcomed us into their building, generously sharing their one meeting room with us, and embracing our staff and volunteer advocates with tremendous kindness and thoughtfulness. The department’s core values of “integrity, mutual respect, and problem-solving through cooperation and collaboration” have been on display every minute of every day. We are extremely grateful to Chief Kennedy, the dispatchers, and the officers and staff for sharing their space with us and for their exceptional embodiment of respect and kindness.

Additionally, Chief Kennedy is a man of many amazing and varied talents — master provider of burgers, chips, beverages, and cookies for numerous community cookouts; renowned expert on juvenile law; dedicated teacher; enthusiastic mentor; diligent lawyer; masterful cabinet maker; avid skier; a very quick wit; a devoted family man; and an extraordinary public servant — truly the best of the best. I am deeply honored to call him friend and wish him much satisfaction and fulfillment in his retirement.

He most definitely will be missed.

“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.

News acorns

Talk on brain health

On Thursday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m., join an online talk with critical care neurologist Jonathan Rosand, M.D. about brain care and brain health prevention with an emphasis on lifestyle behaviors and modifications that can help delay or prevent the incidence of dementia and late-in-life depression. Click here to register for the Zoom link.

English handbell concert

The First Parish in Lincoln’s handbell choir will give its annual holiday concert on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Stone Church.

Film: “The Ice Storm”

The Lincoln Library Film Society presents “The Ice Storm” (1997, rated R) directed by Ang Lee on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. in the Tarbell Room. In the 1970s, an outwardly wholesome family begins cracking at the seams over the course of a tumultuous Thanksgiving break. Sign up for the mailing list by email to Lincolnlibraryfilmsociety@gmail.com.

Lincoln’s ladder truck is back in action

The view from Lincoln’s refurbished ladder truck.

The Lincoln Fire Department’s ladder truck is back after a refit. “Ladder one, or L1 as it’s shortened to, was sent to Pierce Manufacturing in Wisconsin, where it was then disassembled. From there, the main 105-foot ladder, along with its supporting system and substructure were completely rebuilt and inspected. The truck also had most of its lighting upgraded to LED, has repairs inside and outside performed, and then rebuilt,” according to the department’s Instagram page. Click on the page to see a drone video ascending the adder and surveying the landscape east of the building.

Coming up at the COA&HS

Holiday Doo-Wop Concert
Friday, Dec. 22 at 12:30 p.m., Bemis Hall
All ages are welcome to this musical event. Peter Stewart and Friends will share their talents with us singing familiar songs that will include a holiday theme. Clapping and singing choruses encouraged. The doo-wop group practices on Mondays at 10 a.m. if you feel like joining the fun.

New Year’s Celebration
Friday, Dec. 29 at 12:30 p.m., Bemis Hall
All ages are welcome to join us for a pre–New Year’s party with music, singing, and visiting with friends. Enjoy live music as Ken Hurd plays the piano. Refreshments provided.

A Gathering of Celtic & Christmas Music
Friday, Dec. 15 at 12:30 p.m. (Bemis Hall)
Come enjoy the magical sounds of Celtic instruments coupled with vocals. Musician Jeff Snow‘s knowledge of his Scottish heritage helps create a program of traditional and original songs. Sponsored by Friends of Council on Aging & Friends of the Lincoln Library.

The holidays and survivors of domestic violence

The holiday season can be an especially difficult time for survivors of domestic violence, and the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable invites everyone to attend “Winter Workshop: Supporting Survivors This Season” on Tuesday, Dec. 19 from 1-2 p.m. on Zoom to learn how to support yourself or those in your life who may be experiencing this. Topics will include self-care, grief, safety planning, how to support someone you know, and more. Click here to register. Questions? Email infodvrt@gmail.com. Sponsored by the Roundtable featuring presenters from The Second Step and REACH Beyond Domestic Violence.

Property sales in September 2023

181 Bedford Rd. — Benjamin Shiller to James and Caroline Gately for $1,415,000 (September 20)

203 Concord Rd. — Laurence D. Herthel Trust to  Mary Garlock Living Trust for $675,000 (September 6)

35 Sandy Pond Rd. — Richard Chesworth to Marc Bazin and Jennifer Lachey for $2,500,000 (September 1)

Lincoln Green Energy Choice prices to decrease in January 

The Mass. Department of Public Utilities requires the town to publicize an announcement about the new prices for Lincoln Green Energy Choice. Following is the text of the announcement.

Beginning in January, prices for Lincoln Green Energy Choice, Lincoln’s electricity aggregation program, will decrease by more than 6 cents/kWh for all program participants. The new prices will take effect as the current electricity supply contract with First Point Power ends and a new, 24-month contract with First Point Power takes effect. Most participants will also receive more electricity from renewable sources and a price that is lower than Eversource’s winter residential Basic Service price, though future savings compared with Eversource cannot be guaranteed.

The new prices and associated renewable content for each option are as follows:

Lincoln Standard Green – Lowering to 16.093 cents/kWh. Participants in Standard Green already receive an additional 32% of their electricity from renewable sources, “additional” meaning above the minimum required by state law. With the new contract, that additional amount will increase to 38% in 2024 and 44% in 2025. Most participants are enrolled in Lincoln Standard Green.

Lincoln 100% Green – Lowering to 17.348 cents/kWh. This option will continue to provide 100% of participants’ electricity from renewable sources.

Lincoln Basic – Lowering to 14.631 cents/kWh. This option will continue to provide an additional 2% of participants’ electricity from renewable sources.

Lincoln prioritizes helping to build demand for new renewable energy projects on the New England grid. As a result, the additional renewable energy that is purchased for each program option, over and above the minimum amount required by state law, is from new renewable projects in the New England region (MA Class I RECs).

The new prices are designed to provide long-term stability and are fixed for 24 months, from January 2024 to January 2026. In addition, the Lincoln Green Energy Choice Standard Green and Lincoln Green Energy Choice Basic prices are below Eversource’s January 1 residential Basic Service price of 17.25 cents/kWh. However, Eversource’s Basic Service prices change and future prices are unknown. As a result, future savings compared with Eversource cannot be guaranteed.

Lincoln Green Energy Choice has a track record of providing measurable value to participants, including providing price protection during last winter’s volatile electricity market. Lincoln Green Energy Choice has saved participants more than $1.4 million since the program’s 2021 launch through September 2023. In addition, because all program participants buy more electricity generated from renewable sources than is required by law, Lincoln Green Energy Choice has helped the community to avoid more than 12 million pounds of CO2 emissions. This is equivalent to the emissions associated with more than 1,211 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles for a year.

No action is required for current Lincoln Green Energy Choice participants. All active program participants will automatically be enrolled into the new First Point Power contract with their January 2024 meter read. The new program price will first appear on February 2024 Eversource electric bills, and the electricity supplier will be listed as “Lincoln Green Energy Choice.”

Participants will be enrolled in the same program option they have in the current First Point Power contract. However, participants may choose a different program option or leave the program before the new First Point Power contract takes effect, and at any time in the future, with no penalty or fee.

To enroll, make changes to enrollment, or get more information, please visit the program website at LincolnGreenEnergyChoice.com or contact customer support with Lincoln’s program consultants at 1-844-651-8919. Large commercial accounts are subject to special terms and conditions.

My Turn: With measured success, officials grapple with HCA vote at multi-board meeting

By Lynne Smith

On December 2, Lincoln residents voted with the recommendations of the Planning Board (PB) and the Housing Choice Act Working Group (HCAWG) to adopt Option C. On December 4 at a multi-board meeting, the two groups were aware that the vote was not an overwhelming majority. In fact, Option C received 55% of the votes while Option E, developed by the grassroots organization Lincoln Residents for Housing Alternatives (LRHA), received 38%. Select Chair Jim Hutchison expressed his view that he would like to see a higher level of support for the proposed rezoning by the March 23 Town Meeting, even though only a majority vote will be needed.

To gain greater support, the Planning Board and the HCAWG have work to do to create Lincoln’s option for compliance with the Massachusetts Housing Choice Act. The PB must develop the bylaws and the HCAWG must communicate them to residents who are now more fully aware of the impact such development can have on the Town.

Developer bylaws for 800+ units are key

At the meeting, members focused on the best ways to adopt bylaws to allow HCA development that will now be concentrated within half a mile of the MBTA station. The HCA model for Option C gives the town credit for 648 housing units, but the LRHA estimates that approximately 800 new housing units could be developed on a by right basis within that small area. The impact of this development on the town will depend in large part on the content of the zoning bylaws to be proposed by the Planning Board and presumably adopted by the town.

At Saturday’s Special Town Meeting, the Selects presented a chart listing the types of “guardrails,” including requirements for certain Planning Board approvals, which the town can impose on developments. It appears that the Planning Board and Selects expect the members of the HCAWG to be part of this process.

The content of these bylaws is extremely important and must be carefully drafted to impose appropriate standards for by right development that will win town support and pass HCA compliance requirements.

Outreach and input are important

Select Kim Bodnar emphasized the importance of a steady stream of communication to town residents, especially those most affected by the rezoning in and near the Option C parcels: Codman Road, Lewis Street, Lincoln Woods, Lincoln Road, and the mall. Margaret Olson, chair of the PB, suggested that HCAWG should manage outreach while coordinating with PB and the Selects.

PB vice chair Lynn De Lisi said that just outreach is not enough and that every meeting of the PB and HCAWG should allow public input. HCAWG member Terri Perlmutter said that there had been a “loss of trust” as residents felt that developers would be given a “free rein” because details of the zoning were not fully communicated. She felt this created a disconnect with residents. Communication with residents is a vital part of the work of the town-appointed groups.

Meetings and topics need organized scheduling

Between now and March 23, the PB plans to schedule weekly meetings to write and deliberate on the proposed bylaws. Craig Nicholson of the HCAWG suggested that the meetings could be organized by topic — for example, height of the buildings, setbacks, energy efficiency and sustainability, and overall design. This meeting format would help participants focus on the key bylaw provisions, allow residents to tune in to the topics of greatest interest, and help organizations such as the Green Energy Committee, FOMA, and LRHA to contribute expertise in a timely manner. Susan Hall Mygatt requested that draft guidelines be issued prior to the scheduled meetings.

All of these meeting suggestions would facilitate better discussions, shorter meetings, and greater resident participation.

Outside expertise still needed

Director of Planning and Land Use Paula Vaughn-MacKenzie said that Utile, the consulting firm that helped develop the C and D options, could continue its role up through the March Annual Town Meeting. If we run out of grant money for this service, we might have use town funds. Town counsel will continue to be consulted for zoning bylaws.

Officials at the multi-board meeting said that the Rural Land Foundation (RLF) needs to provide more information about the potential and proposed development at the mall. They also pointed out that residents need to know what it will look like, what the footprint will be, and the details of parking and traffic studies. Susan Hall Mygatt suggested that several residents in town be invited to sit on the HCAWG in an advisory capacity. Rather than commenting on the draft language from “outside” the Planning Board, they could actually help draft bylaws and develop models. This would increase participation in the process and would likely lead to increased public support for the proposed bylaws.

Voting tabulation at Town Meeting

With over 800 people attending the December 2 Special Town Meeting, the Select Board discussed the difficulty of tabulating ballots on the spot. As many residents who stayed for the entire eight-hour meeting noted, about three of those hours were spent wandering around while the votes were tabulated. While it was fun to get coffee and snacks from the Girl Scouts and eat sandwiches brought from home sitting in the hallways of the sparkling new school, it would be better if the time were spent actually discussing the issues at hand. More people could have participated if the meeting were shorter. Select Jim Hutchinson bravely faced the topic head on and said he would look into it. Good luck, Jim!

The multi-board meeting closed with 41 people attending on line and several in the Donaldson Room. Many Lincoln residents will be paying close attention to the Planning Board meetings where the drafts of bylaws will be discussed. Planning Board meeting dates, agendas, and minutes can be found here.

“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.