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

My Turn: Green Energy Committee introduces “Climate Minute”

By Michael Moodie

(Editor’s note: This is an expanded version of a piece that appeared in a LincolnTalk email on November 15.)

The Lincoln Green Energy Committee (GEC) works to help residents and others reduce their greenhouse gas emissions through energy conservation and the use of appliances and vehicles powered by renewable electricity. Periodically, the GEC will issue a “Climate Minute,” a short message explaining and encouraging efforts to reduce emissions. Below is our first.

Climate Minute #1 – getting to zero

To reduce emissions from our homes (ultimately to zero), we need to conserve energy and move from fossil fuels to electric systems. Current Massachusetts and federal incentives help reduce the up-front cost of this change. Getting your home to zero emissions has three main components: (1) insulate, (2) electrify, and (3) obtain electricity from renewable sources.

  1. Insulate — Tighten up the thermal envelope of your home by sealing openings, increasing insulation, and improving windows. See the MassSave site for details on rebates and loans for air sealing and insulation and for windows.
    • 75%–100% rebates on air sealing and approved insulation. A Lincoln resident had cellulose insulation blown into exterior walls at a total cost of about $3,000; after rebates she paid only $750.
    • $75 off each triple-pane window replacing a single-pane one.
    • $25,000 “HEAT” loans at 0% interest for 7 years for approved insulation and for triple-pane windows replacing single panes.

Federal incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) include up to $1,200 in upfront discounts and $1,600 in tax credits for such work, depending on income. Tax credits reset each year for up to ten years. This calculator will estimate the IRA incentives available to you.

  1. Electrify — Convert from fossil fuels to electric power for the major systems in your home: heating/cooling, water heating, vehicles, cooking and clothes drying. Significant financial incentives will ease the transition. HEAT loans help cover the cost of heat pumps and heat pump water heaters.

IRA incentives again include significant upfront discounts and 30% tax credits for all of the systems listed above. A family of two with $160,000 in income would qualify for over $34,000 in incentives. Consult the calculator mentioned above for more details.

“Electrify Everything in Your Home” is a free, accessible, and informative guide to thinking about and planning for this transition. This guide helps you preview the process of replacing systems and planning the transition, with an emissions-free home at the end. The authors of this book estimate that moving three systems to renewable electricity would eliminate 85% of your house/vehicle emissions (50% for cars, 25% for heating/cooling, and 10% for water heating).

Here are some links to information about heat pumps and electric vehicles on the GEC’s website:

  1. Obtain electricity from renewable sources — Finally, you’ll need to obtain 100% renewable electricity, such as through Lincoln Green Energy Choice.

“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

L-S alumni soccer game

The Lincoln-Sudbury alumni soccer game will be held on Saturday, Nov. 26 at noon. It’s a casual game for alumni from any era. RSVP on this Facebook page. Questions? Email Tim Mangini at tim_mangini@wgbh.org.

String and voice concert

“Celebrating Collaborations: Sings and Strings” with Music Street will take place on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Music Street Artistic Director Diana Katzenberg Braun celebrates her work as a collaborative pianist in a concert with award-winning Boston musicians Li-Mei Liang (violin), Alan Toda-Ambaras (cello), Hannah Meloy (soprano), and David Mather (baritone). Sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.

Learn about the history of nutcrackers

“Nutcrackers: A Colorful History” will take place via Zoom on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 11 a.m. You may never have given those funny painted statues much thought, but the history of nutcrackers involves the development of tools from the Stone Age to the Industrial Age. Led by art historian Mary Woodward, who serves as a guide at several Historic New England properties. Register for the Zoom link here. This virtual event is hosted by the Tewksbury Public Library, in collaboration with several Massachusetts libraries. Sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Library.

Help families affected by abuse

Each year the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable sponsors a family for the holidays. Families in shelter for the holidays face a sad and difficult time as they are separated from family and friends and are hiding from their abusers. Sponsoring a family can be a wonderful way to help as a family or organization. Three local agencies offer services and programs for families affected by domestic violence. Holiday drives start early so agencies have time to process donations. In some cases, gift cards are being collected so families can shop and wrap their presents. For more information about how to help, please contact:

My Turn: Looking for a community center

By Sally Kindleberger

It has been ten years since the idea for a Lincoln community center was launched. Over this decade, many committees have met, large community meetings have discussed ideas and town meetings were presented with potential plans. Folks at the COA and the Lincoln Select Board have patiently promoted this idea. When it became evident that the Lincoln School needed to be rebuilt, the community center was put on hold.

As a single woman, I took a deep breath and decided to support the school’s efforts, even if it meant delaying the community center. Growing up, I was taught the importance of paying it forward — to always support the younger generation that follows. With the school project, my taxes went up along with other homeowners in town, and though I have never had kids, I was more than willing to support the schools.

The schools are completed and finally, it is time to make the dream of a Lincoln community center come through. I have listened to and read about the concerns and questions of folks in town. Some of them are as follows…

Why do we need a new building?

One only has to enter Bemis Hall to recognize how it no longer serves the needs of a growing and aging population. There aren’t enough private spaces to provide adequate room for counseling or socializing. The air quality in the basement is poor, therefore making large meetings unhealthy. Parking is very limited and it is perilous to cross or back out onto Bedford Road.

What does the Council on Aging and Human Services do? Why is it important?

The role of the COA&HS has always been a great boon to the town, but before I retired, I had no idea what it did. Next time the COA&HS newsletter shows up in your mailbox, take a moment to read it before you toss it into the recycling bin. I think you will be surprised by the plethora of activities that occur. Classes, groups, lectures, plays, films, and trips provide education and entertainment. Outreach across the community is extended to those in need. Among these services are individual therapy, groups which problem-solve, fuel assistance, housing needs, help with water bills and transportation… and the list is always growing.

Why do I need a Council on Aging? I’m not old yet. 

The name Council on Aging can be a real turnoff — a vision of old people nodding off in wheelchairs comes to mind. But our COA&HS is hardly that. The attendees, volunteers, and staff that work at Bemis are energetic and enthusiastic participants. Merging the Recreation Department with the COA&HS into a community center will help to remove old negative connotations and stereotypes.

That is why we need a community center that spans all ages. With careful planning of space and programs, a community center can meet many needs. I would love to see new intergenerational programming evolve. Older adults could perhaps mentor middle schoolers. Perhaps “grand-friends” could forge relationships with little kids. Tutoring and/or game nights could happen and yoga classes with all ages would help to build relationships across the community. Building on the school grounds will make it easier for these connections to develop.

How can we afford a new building?

There are many wealthy folks in town who could perhaps afford to help fund it. Creative thinkers can gather and find ways to lower taxes through private donations. Let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water.

In closing, much work and planning have been devoted to this worthy vision. We aren’t starting from scratch. As a town, we are creative and thoughtful. Let’s figure out a way to make the community center happen. I have visited several community centers in the surrounding areas, and many are exciting vibrant places while some are small and drab. We need a community center which reflects the vibrant and creative nature of our town —  a place that is welcoming to all — a place where wonderful creativity happens.

“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.

Police log for Nov. 7–13, 2022

November 7

Lincoln train station (9:24 a.m.) — A person walked into the station to report that the railroad gates went down and then went back up without a train passing through. Moments later, the gates came down again and then a train passed through the crossing. The party was informed that Keolis has workers on the rail which is causing the gates to come down when there isn’t a train passing through.

South Great Road (11:30 a.m.) — Report of a two-car crash at Route 126. One person was transported to Lahey Clinic and vehicles were towed from the scene.

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (4:18 p.m.) — State police requested an ambulance for a crash. Fire Department responded and the patient refused transport.

November 8

North Great Road (6:24 a.m.) — Caller reported hitting a deer. No injuries; the vehicle was able to be driven from the scene.

Red Maple Lane (7:52 a.m.) — Caller reported someone dumped building/concrete material along the side of the road. An officer responded and contacted the DPW.

November 9

Wells Road (9:26 a.m.) — A party called requesting a well-being check on a resident. An officer responded and the involved party asked the Fire Department to transport the person to Emerson Hospital.

Baker Bridge Road (11:48 a.m.) — Caller reported someone going door to door stating they were checking the gas meter. An officer responded and checked the area but was unable to locate the person.

Old County Road (1:53 p.m.) — Eversource and Verizon were contacted regarding a tree on the wires on Old County Road.

South Great Road (2:56 p.m.) — A party came into the station to report being the victim of a scam involving cryptocurrency. An officer took a report; an investigation is ongoing.

Deerhaven Road (3:29 p.m.) — A party came to the station saying that someone fraudulently wrote out a check out of their bank account. An officer took a report and an investigation is ongoing.

Hanscom Drive (6:07 p.m.) — Caller reported a vehicle driving around the area without their headlights on. An officer checked the area but was unable to locate.

November 10

Old County Road (6:18 a.m.) — An officer checked on a vehicle pulled to the side of the roadway. The driver said they had AAA responding to tow the car to Concord.

South Great Road (7:18 a.m.) — Party reported striking a deer near the Weston line. Officers responded and found that the crash occurred in Weston; police in that town were notified.

Boyce Farm Road (1:58 p.m.) — Party reported receiving a suspicious call stating they had to pay $10,000 to clear up a warrant. An officer spoke to the party and advised them that it was a scam call (there was no financial loss).

November 12

South Great Road (12:56 a.m.) — Caller reported they heard noises on the railroad tracks and saw lights and were worried that a car was on the railroad tracks. An officer responded and Keolis was notified. The officer reported Keolis had workers on the tracks.

Todd Pond Road (1:51 p.m.) — Caller asked to speak to the Water Department regarding discolored water. The Water Department was advised to contact the party.

Winter Street (4:38 p.m.) — A property owner stopped an officer passing by to report a vehicle pulled into their property. Officer checked on the individual w,ho was asked to leave as they’re on private property. The party left the area.

South Great Road (4:58 p.m.) — The Fire Department from Lincoln and neighboring towns responded to a reported fire at a residence. The fire was in the attic and was caused by a box fan. Route 117 was closed for a period of time and detours were set up.

Bedford Road (7:21 p.m.) — Caller reported two cars parked on the roadway, one facing the wrong way. An officer responded but they were gone on arrival.

November 13

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (12:34 a.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle pulled into the breakdown lane. The party was OK and went on their way

Codman Road (1:37 p.m.) — Caller reported their dog was missing. The Animal Control Officer was notified.

Lincoln Road (3:56 p.m.) — A party came into the station with questions about bicycle signs on Lincoln Road.

Silver Birch Lane (6:24 p.m.) — Caller reported that their neighbor’s dog was barking. An officer responded and all was quiet.

My Turn: Vote yes to move forward with community center planning

(Editor’s note: this piece appeared in LincolnTalk on November 17 but some figures have been corrected with permission of the writer.)

By Michael Dembowski

The town’s dialogue regarding the proposed community center is engaging, healthy, and vital. However, many of the comments being expressed would be made no matter what the budget — the initial $15.3 million to $16.2 million estimated cost, or the current COVID- and inflation-driven $24.6 million to $26 million. Many townspeople simply don’t want to see additional tax increases, don’t know fully the program needs and current condition of the COA and Parks and Recreation Department, or don’t know of the diligent work of the community center committees dating back to 2012. Many of the suggestions and recommendations being made — whether thinking “out of the box” or being “prudent and cost-conscious” seem to be out of step with the process, uninformed by the work completed to date, or are more direct in wanting to prematurely shut down further town-wide consideration of a community center.

I am surprised at the apparent lack of good faith that those who have been directing this project to date have not thought of (and heard) and evaluated each suggestion offered. Does no one think that the Community Center Committees have not examined Bemis Hall and the Pierce House? Not looked at concurrent uses with the school programs? Not researched relevant program use data and benchmarking from other towns? Not been mindful of costs, budgetary constraints and the community’s reception to property tax increases — especially following the school project?

Voting YES on the next week’s ballot only approves limited monies for the further development of the proposed community center — a process that I would expect would be as transparent and participatory as the school project had been — incorporating the myriad voices and concerns now being expressed while also allowing for the possibility of securing private funds to help offset any future potential tax increase.

We are all privileged to live in this remarkable town — but privilege should prompt responsibility. Lincoln’s uniqueness is inextricably intertwined with its large sized properties, extensive conservation lands, farms and network of trails — all of which are universally appreciated and valued. However, the same lack of population and housing density can make Lincoln an extremely challenging place to live well and thrive in as we age — as we all age.

The community center project embodies a vision that is lost in much of the current dialogue of costs, budgets and potential taxes — one that should be considered in the context of wanting Lincoln to be a community that has the amenities, facilities and services that make it a desirable and more manageable town to live in for all of one’s life.

“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 support for community center

By Dilla Tingley

The Board of Directors of the Council on Aging and Human Services is unanimously and adamantly in support of a community center for Lincoln and for the initial funding of approximately $325,000 for the owners project manager and architect for the proposed community center. The need was identified 10 years ago, and we are truly excited now that the school building project is completed and the community center project is moving forward.

The center will provide for the clearly documented needs of Parks & Recreation and the COA&HS but will also be for all residents of Lincoln. We envision a place where citizens of all ages gather for a variety of activities or just to meet and greet. We expect it to create a real sense of community in these isolating times.

The COA&HS has sponsored many successful cross-generational activities over the past few years and eagerly await having the space to expand these activities.

We are pleased to be participating in the Community Center Fundraising Committee whose goal is to aggressively seek donations that will minimize the impact of the project on the Lincoln tax rate.

Dilla Tingley is chair of the Council on Aging & Human Services Board of Directors.

“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.

Residents and officials wrestle with options to control costs for a community center

After hearing concerns from dozens of residents about the price tag for the proposed community center, town officials promised to look at lower-cost alternatives if voters approve an initial spending measure later this month.

More than 100 people attended a November 16 Zoom meeting of the Community Center Building Committee (see video here) to ask questions and air their worries about spending an estimated $25 million so soon after completing a $93 million school project. A November 30 Special Town Meeting will decide whether to approve $325,000 for design costs including fees for architects and an owner’s project manager.

Several people suggested crafting the meeting motion to require the architect to come up with less expensive options for voters to consider in addition to fleshing out the two 2018 concepts, and/or specifying a limit on how much the town is willing to spend.

The November 30 vote requires a two-thirds majority to pass. Select Board member and CCBC co-chair Jonathan Dwyer warned that “a ‘no’ vote would halt the process… we really need a ‘yes’ vote to proceed and answer some of these questions.” However, while no one disputed the need for a facility — primarily but not only to house the Parks and Recreation Department and the Council on Aging and Human Services — some argued for a delay. 

“We’ll try to find as economical a design as we can put forth for each of the designs and explore where we can cut as much as we can within reason,” CCBC Chair Sarah Chester said at the start of the meeting. “We all share the surprise and dismay at the projected costs of our two designs and we want to reduce that as much as possible.”

Among residents’ comments:

  • “I’m having a real hard time with the scope of this project and its cost…how can we address the great concept at a much lesser scope?” (Peter Braun, former member of the Select Board Finance Committee and other groups)
  • “I’m incredibly concerned about the cost, which is not to say I don’t think there should be a better space for the community… It seems like we’re trying to build something that’s much bigger than a town of our size really needs.” (Rachel Shulman)
  • Assuming a tax hike of about 4% if the town borrows $20 million, “we are looking at a very significant increase in our taxes.” (Surendra Shah)

At the same time, officials vigorously reiterated the need for new facilities for the PRD and COA&HS, noting that the Hartwell pods and Bemis Hall are old, inadequate, and even unsafe, especially for seniors. Bemis Hall’s plumbing, layout, and lack of sufficient parking and air conditioning are also major problems that can’t be cured by renovations, and COA&HS services and programs therefore must take in several different locations in Lincoln as well. The Pierce House is not suitable for the COA&HS for many reasons (an elevator and other extensive safety improvements required by building code would be needed, among other issues). 

Several studies including the most recent one from 2018 have evaluated the space and programming needs of the two departments and studied other locations in town for a community center, as well as community centers in several neighboring towns for comparison. 

“One of the problems that Lincoln has in benchmarking anything is that we lack scale” due to the town’s small population, Town Administrator Tim Higgins said. “We’re always going to be high” when it comes to per-capita costs for town facilities such as a school or community center.

Another consideration: “The amount of money [you spend] for a building doesn’t mean much unless it’s tied to a specific scope and program,” CCBC member Tim Christenfeld said. In other words, cutting a building’s cost necessarily reduces what services it can offer and what needs it can meet.

Although the two design concepts developed in 2018 are “a good jumping-off point,” Higgins said, “those two options could frame one end of the price point spectrum.” Echoing what the School Building Committee did, the CCBC could direct architects to produce several choices: “one that would satisfy the existing needs and programs, one that would reflect current programs with some enhancements, and the 2018 designs to anchor the far end of the spectrum with comprehensive programming.”

The warrant article for the November 30 town meeting is intentionally vague; the actual motion to be put forward by the Select Board “will reflect the dialogue that’s happened in the meantime,” Higgins added. However, he noted that $325,000 will not cover more extensive  work duplicating what’s been done in the past, such as identifying the needs for a community center or looking at other sites.

“People are talking about the overall cost of the project when what they’re really concerned about is the tax rate impact,” said Dilla Tingley, a CCDC member and chair of the COAHS board of directors. Private fundraising already underway, along with tapping some of the town’s debt stabilization fund and perhaps other sources, means that the actual amount to be borrowed will be less than the full cost of the building.

If the $325,000 is approved, there will be another Special Town Meeting a year from now to select a preferred design option and budget and create detailed building designs. Votes to borrow money to fund construction (with approval requiring a two-thirds Town Meeting majority plus a simple majority at the ballot box) would occur in March 2024.

My Turn: In support of community

By Constance Lewis

On a beautiful days in early November, I had an appointment in Harvard Square and stopped for coffee at the Smith Campus Center (formerly the Holyoke Center). The plaza in front that faces Mass. Avenue has always been well used by a great variety of people — from Harvard students to Cambridge residents to visitors from near and far; and I have always enjoyed spending time there, sometimes just idly watching the passing parade. But on that Thursday, I looked at the plaza and the sidewalk in front of it in a different way because of the LincolnTalk discussion about the building of a community center. I saw people on their laptops pausing to chat for a minute or two with someone who stopped by. Other people were talking seriously or cheerfully with friends and often with strangers at the next table. People of different generations were playing chess. All around the plaza and even on the street, there was a subtle, but palpable, sense of community.

I thought about what a community center would contribute to the well-being of Lincoln residents of all ages and situations. Those of us who are primarily connected to the town through the Council on Aging and Human Services will inevitably become more connected to the schools and the students. Other adults who are focused on school activities and those whose children have gone on to high school may fall into conversation with strangers whose ideas are enlightening or annoying, both part of building and maintaining a strong community. Parks and Rec will have space to engage Lincolnites of all ages in old and new activities.

For me, a building, no matter how well planned, is just bricks and mortar until it is inhabited. Once people bring it to life, a building becomes something no one could have entirely anticipated; before long, people start to wonder how they lived without it.

Those of us who are familiar with the space constraints in town know how much we need more space for both administration and activities. Scattering activities around town is often difficult or impossible to arrange. A centralized community space makes it possible to manage activities creatively, and the Community Center Building Committee has made this case very well. Yes, building the community center will raise everyone’s taxes though probably not as much some people imagine. But this investment in the future will be well worth it if it makes Lincoln an even better place to live and thrive.

“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: Let’s give the Community Center Building Committee a chance

By Rhonda Swain

In the last few weeks, Lincolnites have engaged in a lively discussion on LincolnTalk about the pros and cons of building a new community center. Some voices urge a “no” vote at the November 30 Special Town Meeting to stop the town from spending $325,000 to hire an owner’s representative and an architect to flesh out the existing community center schematic designs.

To me, the idea of halting the project at this point fails to honor many aspects of the kind of democracy on which Lincoln prides itself. 

  • First, it would simply discard the decade of hard work that resulted in the designs we have in hand today, effectively saying “Everything has changed, so the work of the past is invalid.” This seems short-sighted.  The benefits of a community center have been well-documented and long promised to the residents of Lincoln.  It seems unlikely that things have changed so much that we need a hard stop at this point.
  • Second, it doesn’t give the current Community Center Building Committee a chance to work with professionals to come up with complete proposals on which the town can vote. Approving the expenditure to hire professionals to develop more complete designs doesn’t commit the Town to any design. Property taxes will NOT increase because of this vote. There will be another chance to vote on the final project, with much better information on costs, trade-offs against other town priorities, and property tax impacts. 
  • Finally, shutting the project down now does not give private fundraising a chance to tap into the generosity of Lincoln’s residents who may well be willing to make a significant contribution to the cost of the community center project in order to reduce the town’s portion of the cost and the consequent burden on property taxpayers.

I strongly urge everyone to come out to the Special Town Meeting on November 30 and vote in favor of moving the community center project to the next phase. In this way, we can give residents a chance to get a fair look at what a community center will provide and what it will cost.

Call the Lincoln COA&HS at 781-259-8811 if you need a ride to the Town Meeting.

“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.

Community center discussion dominates SOTT #1

The size and cost of a proposed community center was the focus of the lion’s share of discussion and questions at the first of two State of the Town meetings on November 14.

More than 200 people at one point were on Zoom to hear about that proposal as well as updates on the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Anti-Racism (IDEA) Committee and the public schools. Community Center Building Committee Chair Sarah Chester began by recapping the need for the facility based on several past studies that highlighted the increasing inadequacies of the current Hartwell pods for the Parks and Recreation Department (PRD) and Bemis Hall, headquarters of the Council on Aging and Human Services.

“Doing nothing to provide adequate facilities for the COA, PRD, and community organizations is not an option. The physical plants of both Bemis Hall and the pods continue to age, and it makes no sense for the town to continue to expend scarce tax dollars to fix up, patch up and make do with facilities that do not suit their purpose,” the Community Center Preliminary Planning and Development Committee said in its 2018 report.

By including an indoor/outdoor cafe, a community center on the Hartwell campus could be a hub for intergenerational socializing as well as a meeting place for many other community organizations, Chester said. The building would also have ample parking, modern bathrooms (an upgrade over the seriously outdated facilities in Bemis and the pods). The goal is to have the building be net-zero in terms of energy usage as well. She also said that there’s no intention of having the cafe take away business from Twisted Treem noting that the eatery already has a satellite location at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum.

At a Special Town Meeting on November 30, residents will be asked to approve spending $325,000 from the town’s debt stabilization fund to develop preliminary schematic design options. Those options will be based on two schemes on which residents were about evenly divided in 2018: a new building northeast of the Hartwell building with a larger green (estimated at $24.6 million in 2022 dollars), or an infill structure north of Hartwell that would encompass renovated pods A and C plus the space in between them ($26 million). Pod B would be used for LEAP in both scenarios. The schemes were created by Maryann Thompson Architects, which also designed the Walden Pond visitor center.

Starting in June 2022, the CCBC visited community centers in other towns, reexamined programming and space needs in the era of Covid, and prepared requests for proposals for an architect and owner’s project manager. Given the recent rise in inflation and interest rates, “we recognize that current economic conditions have changed substantially,” Chester said, and the CCBC will work with the chosen architect to research lower-cost options and reduce the overall price tag as much as possible.

Finance Committee Chair Andy Payne reported that right now, the town has the fiscal capacity to borrow another $30 million. This figure will grow over time as town income and spending increases while debt payments stay flat, so the capacity for additional debt will be about $40 million by 2025, he said. Assuming a bond interest rate of 4.5%, every $10 million of borrowing would add $309 to the median property tax bill for a hike of 1.8%, he said.

The amount to be borrowed will in all likelihood be lower than the construction cost because some of the debt stabilization fund can be applied, Payne said. There is also a “Friends” group in town that is raising private funds to offset some of the expense, Town Administrator Tim Higgins said.

In answer to a resident’s question about operating costs for the community center, Chester said it can’t be known until the design is fleshed out. The building will need a custodian and a receptionist (“a friendly face who knows what’s going on to greet people”), but “putting two staffs together from two energy-inefficient buildings” will realize some savings, she said.

As to the building’s size, Chester said the square footage per person as recommended by the state for Councils on Aging “is about equivalent to our current [proposed] designs” and would amount to about two and a half pods. As noted in Appendices C and D of the CCPPDC’s 2018 report, “every space will be used extensively — there are no blank areas,” she added.

The CCBC invites residents to learn more about the project, ask questions, and provide feedback at its next meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. Click here to join via Zoom (passcode: 570005). 

Anyone who missed the November 14 meeting can watch a recording here.

IDEA Committee

After sorting through 17 proposals from all over the country, the IDEA Committee has settled on two firms, Elite Research and Racial Equity Group, to move Lincoln forward on the DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion)  front. Over the course of the next 18 months, the firms will look at current town practices and policies and do a gap analysis, formulate short and midrange action plans, and identify evaluation metrics to measure progress. 

Consultants hired by many other towns focus exclusively on hiring and management practices, but  “no other town really scoped out what we wanted to do — to include not only town employees but all elected and volunteer board and committee members, and to do so in partnership with all of the other organizations in town that make Lincoln such a vibrant and wonderful community,” Stringer said. “We didn’t want just a 101 course on diversity.”

  • See slides from the State of the Town presentation by the IDEA Committee
Schools

Lincoln Public Schools officials discussed their strategic plan for 2022-23 which includes “establishing a culture that is built upon the intersectionality of social and emotional learning,

Antiracism, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (AIDE), student and adult learning, and fostering strong connections,” Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall said. The idea informs the schools’ culture and “portrait of a learner” — a student who is a collaborative leader, a critical thinker, equity-oriented, and growth-minded. 

School Committee Chair John MacLachlan offered an update on the search for a new superintendent of schools to replace McFall, who is retiring next year. The panel expects to make a hiring decision by the second week in February, he said. The Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee is likewise in the process of seeking a new superintendent to replace Bella Wong. As with the LPS search, there will be opportunities for the community to participate in this process via forums, surveys, and a search advisory committee, LSSC Chair Heather Cowap said.