Re: [LincolnTalk] Zoom: Select discussion on Town Meeting 12/18/2023

[Peter Buchthal]

There are currently 60+ towns in Massachusetts  using an electronic voting
system from a company called meridaars.

At the bottom of the page is a list of the communities.

https://www.meridiaars.com/electronic-voting-system-in-massachusetts-towns/

This is a proven solution and I wonder if we could rent from the company or
another town's clickers for our March Meeting to show everyone how well
they can work.

Merry Xmas to all,
Peter

‪On Tue, Dec 19, 2023 at 10:38 AM ‫ٍSarah Postlethwait‬‎ 
wrote:‬

> Like all things in Lincoln- if you want it, you’ll have to fight for it.
>
> The moderator is against change in general, and it seems that the
> “clickers” are unlikely to be purchased until after March, if at all. There
> was debate about town meeting being a time to “stand and make your voice
> heard” and the clickers make it anonymous.
>
> Sarah Holden Cannon and Kim Bodner said that we need a cooling off period
> after the Dec 2 town meeting. (I fully disagree- this is a perfect time to
> fix the process. The HCA vote was clearly rushed because the other two
> issues took so much of the day and the people in power had their finger on
> the scale. A fair meeting would not allow room for the atrocities that
> happened on Dec 2.)
>
> It sounds like there will be a forum at some point to discuss the issue.
> Then it will get kicked down the road more. Jim seemed on board for minor
> changes, but the others marked it up to “the vocal minority” outweighing
> those who are happy with the process.
>
> I actually like the idea of town meeting. But I really needs to be more
> accessible to more people. And people who aren’t able to spend their entire
> day there should still be able to have their vote counted.
>
> I think that the only way the select board and moderator will even
> consider changing anything is if another town is doing it already. So if
> you can find proof of other towns with a more progressive town meeting than
> ours, that would be really beneficial.
>
> Sarah P
>
>
>
> On Mon, Dec 18, 2023 at 1:49 PM Deborah Howe via Lincoln <
> lincoln@lincolntalk.org> wrote:
>
>> Hi, all --
>>
>> I am writing this post as a private citizen.
>>
>> Just to echo, for those who may not have seen it, Jim Hutchinson's good
>> post on tonight's Select Board meeting, at which the Selects will discuss
>> the recent Special Town Meeting and responses to it. According to Jim:
>>
>> "Our meeting starts at 6:30pm tonight, although I’ll warn you there are a
>> few things on our agenda before the above topic. See agenda here<
>> https://www.lincolntown.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_12182023-5384>
>> and zoom link below, and note this discussion will be during the “Special
>> Town Meeting Reflections” item, which we may pull forward to just before
>> the public comment period."
>>
>> So if you're interested in ways the Town Meeting may be made better for
>> all, this might be a good meeting to attend.
>>
>> Best to you all ~
>>
>> Deb Howe
>> 88 Wells Road
>> Sent from iCloud
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
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>> Change your subscription settings at
>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
>>
>> --
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> .
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>
>
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Re: [LincolnTalk] Wow 800 Lincoln folk vote at STM

[Peter Buchthal]

A town meeting is an all day plus affair which disenfranchises many younger
voters with families and other voters who are unable to attend all day
meetings.

At our last special town meeting in early December we had 878 voters
check-in with the following distribution of voters by age.
18-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80+
2% 5% 14% 16% 23% 24% 16%

With only 640ish cast ballots for preference votes for the Community Center
and HCA rezoning, we lost 16/% of our checked-in voters as many didn't stay
to participate in both important votes.  Please note that only 21% of the
vote is 49 or under.


With a poor representation of our younger residents, We need to revamp our
Town Meetings to better engage our 4876 registered voters.  Certain votes
require 2/3 of a town meeting and with such poor voter turnout, the power
of a few well organized groups can dominate the decisions of the town
unjustly.

I propose
1) The town should purchase electronic voting devices to speed up all town
meetings.  At least 60 towns in the commonwealth already successfully use
these devices.  I bet we could save at least a couple of hours at each town
meeting by using this proven technology. List of Mass Towns
<https://www.meridiaars.com/electronic-voting-system-in-massachusetts-towns/>


2)  We should explore Andy Wang's earlier suggestion of separating the
debate/amend parts of a Town Meeting from the voting part.  The town should
create a working group to explore the many different ways to increase voter
participation at Town Meetings.  Maybe we can even get this new style of
Town Meeting ready for our March meeting.

Many towns like Concord have town meetings that last several days and have
even poorer voter participation than ours Concord Town Meeting Participation
<https://concordma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/43398/TOWN-MEETING-VOTER-PARTICIPATION-1997-2023>.
The working group should explore separating the time consuming parts of a
Town Meeting from the voting part.   The first day of the Town Meeting
could work through, amend and debate all contentious warrants up to an
actual vote.  At a certain point when a warrant is ready to vote, the
moderator should table the vote until the continuation of the 2nd day of
the town meeting.  Information about the 1st day's work will be posted
online with a video that voters would be able to review.  The 2nd day of
only voting would be a couple of days after the first and begin at a set
time and be finished hopefully after only spending a couple of minutes per
vote if the Town purchases electronic voting devices.

Peter Buchthal
Weston Rd



On Tue, Dec 12, 2023 at 9:01 AM Andy Wang  wrote:

> As of March, according to the election results.
>
> Andy
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Dec 12, 2023 at 8:36 AM Garrick Niemiec <
> garrickniemiec...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> On Mon, Dec 11, 2023, 9:52 PM Garrick Niemiec <
>> garrickniemiec...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> 5000 voters are on record
>>>
>>> On Mon, Dec 11, 2023, 9:36 PM Barbara Low 
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I thought there were about 5000 residents, not voters.
>>>>  Does anyone know the actual number of voters?
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my T-Mobile 5G Device
>>>> Get Outlook for Android <https://aka.ms/AAb9ysg>
>>>> --
>>>> *From:* Lincoln  on behalf of Sara
>>>> Mattes 
>>>> *Sent:* Monday, December 11, 2023 8:22:46 PM
>>>> *To:* Garrick Niemiec 
>>>> *Cc:* Lincoln Talk 
>>>> *Subject:* Re: [LincolnTalk] Wow 800 Lincoln folk vote at STM
>>>>
>>>> Most towns do NOT do this.
>>>> Laws which govern Open Town Meeting towns  are the determining factors.
>>>> Perhaps all who want to come up with some new concepts should get
>>>> together, like LRHA, and research and propose to the town.
>>>> That would be really instructive and constructive.
>>>>
>>>> March will have a ballot, in addition to the TM vote -to approve the $$
>>>> for the Community Center.
>>>> One could skip TM and simply vote at the ballot box the following
>>>> Monday.
>>>>
>>>> Again, I urge all who are interested in this issue to form a study
>>>> group and see what options are available.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Sara Mattes
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Dec 11, 2023, at 8:09 PM, Garrick Niemiec <
>>>> garrickniemiec...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I couldn't disagree more...we need to make voting accessable...time for
>>>> change Sara.. time for change now. Let us vote ele

[LincolnTalk] HCA Lincoln Mall Development and By-laws

[Peter Buchthal]

Again, I am neither an architect, nor a builder.  I do believe I have some
common sense.  Not a lot, but maybe a little.

I have read everyone's posts about the HCA and the Lincoln Mall.  I believe
everyone should vote for option "E" because people on the Planning Board,
although well intentioned,
don't have a crystal ball and are unable to  predict all the many ways they
need to shape and control the re-development of the Mall through bylaws.

As we all agree that the Mall is a development of critical concern for the
town, I find it much safer for the Town to allow a negotiation to happen
between a future developer and the town upon the town receiving a request
for a special permit along with plans and drawings.   Plans C and D1-D3
force the Planning Board to try and guess with bylaws all the ways the mall
could be built by right.  The Mall isn't hidden away from everyone in the
town down a road like many of the many other  Multi Family Properties in
town.   The Mall is front and center in the middle of our transportation
hub of the future and must maintain sufficient parking to allow our
commuters and customers of the retail stores we profess to value.

Let's slow everything down with Option E, require a special permit for the
redevelopment of the Mall and allow the town to work with a developer
individually with plans in hand  so that everyone can be happy.  Plans C
and D1-D3 force the town to only request 10% of the units be affordable and
consider every possibility ahead of time.   Mistakes in the bylaws most
likely will  be made, let's give ourselves a chance to have a successful
redevelopment for the town through a town meeting and Option E.

We will do better with Option E.

Peter Buchthal
Weston Rd
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Re: [LincolnTalk] Community Center as part of the mall

[Peter Buchthal]

I respectfully disagree.  I don't believe the Planning Board can specify
the tenants and the terms for a future community center at the Lincoln
Mall  as the Mall under Options C and D1-D3 will be developed by right and
won't require a Town Meeting for a building permit.  I am not an attorney,
but using google, I did not find any examples of a Town being able to
pre-reserve space in a development built by right for the Town's use.  If
you want the possibility of a community center at the Lincoln Mall, choose
Option E.

Peter Buchthal
Weston Rd.

On Fri, Dec 1, 2023 at 2:53 PM Margaret Olson  wrote:

> The likelihood or not of the community center at the mall is irrelevant to
> which option is chosen. It is equally likely or unlikely with C as with E,
> or with any of the D options.
>
> On Fri, Dec 1, 2023 at 2:38 PM Karla Gravis  wrote:
>
>> Why would including the Community Center as part of the mall be a
>> "project killer"? We could sign a 10/20/30 year lease. Wouldn't a developer
>> jump at the chance to have a stable tenant instead of having to deal with
>> constant retail turnover? Or is this comment an indictment of the viability
>> of any commercial space at the Mall area?
>>
>> According to the town's economic feasibility study, a developer could
>> consider charging ~$3 per sqft in monthly rent. For a 10,000 sqft CC, that
>> would mean $360K in yearly rent. Compare that to the town's yearly debt
>> service payment of $0.77M - $1.54M for the proposed CC designs.  The
>> savings come from the fact that public buildings are much more costly to
>> build than what private developments cost.
>>
>> In relation to the argument that the CC cannot be in the mall area
>> because of LEAP, there is no need to have LEAP move to the mall. Remodeling
>> Pod C (where LEAP is currently hosted) has been estimated at $3.5M. The
>> non-LEAP portion of the community center designs being put to vote will be
>> costing the town $12.5M - $21.5M. If the annual cost of the community
>> center is $360k instead of $1M+, there will surely be some left to renovate
>> LEAP.
>>
>> To be clear, this is not Civico's plan for the mall. If Option C is
>> chosen, this synergistic combination will likely not happen. However, with
>> Option E, this could very much be part of the project presented to the
>> Town. We could tap TCB (The Community Builders - pun intended) to build a
>> community center and truly affordable housing.
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>> On Fri, Dec 1, 2023 at 12:47 Paul Shorb  wrote:
>>>
>>>> The CCBC has an FAQ linked here
>>>> <https://lincolncommunitycenter.com/2022/11/11/why-would-the-community-center-be-on-the-hartwell-campus/>
>>>>  that explains
>>>> why the community center should be located at Hartwell campus (as the Town
>>>> has voted to approve multiple times) rather than at the Mall.
>>>>
>>>> Putting a community center at the Town center would be much more
>>>> expensive, if it could be accomplished at all. As I noted in another
>>>> post just now, shared spaces are efficient, since (A) seniors tend to
>>>> use the facilities in the day and (B) school children do so in the later
>>>> afternoon, walking from the school buildings to participate in Lincoln's
>>>> Parks & Rec programs or LEAP.  Building a separate community center at
>>>> the town center would still leave the town with the need to renovate the
>>>> spaces that would remain at Hartwell; I have heard the estimate of about
>>>> $3.5 million for each of three pods at Hartwell.
>>>>
>>>> Also, I'm not sure how a community center at the Town center could
>>>> actually be achieved. The Town center does not have sufficient
>>>> available Town-owned space to build a community center. You therefore
>>>> suggested including the Community Center as a required accessory use
>>>> in the development of a future residential project at Lincoln Station.
>>>> However, despite the rosy theory provided by your urban planning contact, 
>>>> that
>>>> sounds like a project-killer to me.
>>>>
>>>> Dealing with climate change is a big motivator for me. That pushes me
>>>> in the direction of Option C, much more than getting a community center
>>>> somehow forced into a future development of the Mall. If I'm right that 
>>>> "required
>>>> accessory use" would be a project-killer, then we would thus not only
>>>> fail to get a community center built there, but also fa

Re: [LincolnTalk] Community Center

[Peter Buchthal]

I do hope there is a motion on the floor to add an additional choice of
"None of the Above" to the three choices of the Community Center.

I am not an architect, nor a builder, but I think I have some common
sense. The average  square footage being added to the Hartwell Campus for
the three Community Center choices is  15,933 square feet.  How many people
do we expect to visit the Community Center at any one time?  In order for
it to be fully used, not a white elephant, let's just say I hope we are
building the Community Center to host 50 to 100 people during many days and
times.

Where do we expect everyone to park?  We have approximately 50 spaces near
the new Community Center and they are well taken at many times of the day,
especially during drop off and pickup of Magic Gardens, after school,
pickup from Leap, and when any activity occurs at the main Hartwell
building that houses a new training facility for the School District and
the Hartwell Multi purpose room.  I believe the new community center (not
including Leap) will only be used from 9AM to 2PM for safety reasons to
avoid little children running in the parking lot.

In all three options being proposed for the community center, we are adding
only 13 spots along Ballfield road.  Where will everyone park?

I support the suggestion to move a new community center to the revitalized
Lincoln Mall.  Those 50 to 100 people who visit the community center at one
time will be great anchor users of Twisted Tree, Donelans, the Tack room
and other retailers who we claim to want to support.

Peter Buchthal
Weston Rd

On Fri, Dec 1, 2023 at 7:54 AM Ken Hurd  wrote:

> Hello LincolnTalkers,
> With apologies for expressing yet again my strongly held opinion as an
> architect concerned with what we build in Lincoln, I want to remind
> everyone why I and many others believe we should not build a community
> center on the school campus.  I still believe it should be located in
> Lincoln Station, particularly now that our small commercial area is in play
> because of the Housing Choice Act.
>
> As I wrote last year, "I fully support building a new facility, but it
> has long been my opinion that such a major investment by the town should be
> deployed where it is most needed - namely in the Lincoln Station area.  For
> more than ten 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.  A community center in such a location would be the equivalent of an
> anchor store in a retail setting, and by virtue of attracting more people
> on a regular basis, it would create more opportunities for a clustered
> cross-current of activities spawning greater social interaction."
>
> As many will recall at last year’s Town Meeting, there was serious concern
> about the cost to build it, and I am of the opinion that there are better
> ways to accomplish this than spending anywhere from $18 to $24 million of
> taxpayer money to do so.  As was recently suggested to me by an experienced
> urban planner, why not include the Community Center as a required
> accessory use in the development of a future residential project at
> Lincoln Station?
>
> As he said, “With clear program requirements and project parameters to
> guide the design of a new project, developers can be very efficient in
> realizing a good project on time and within budget.” Moreover, “It would
> be a plus to any potential developer's proforma to have a confirmed tenant
> (assuming COA long-term lease) for … an active community use in purposely
> designed ground level space. This strategy would minimize the cost to
> Lincoln upfront financing for design and construction, replace public
> project inefficiencies with professional development expertise, and as such
> the new Community Center facility may be more affordable to the town's
> stressed taxpayers."
>
> As I also wrote last year, I believe  it would constitute the classic
> suburban planning error to create a new facility that stands alone at the
> school and, like the suburban mall, accessible only by car.  In addition,
> because of school protocols, there would be very limited inter-generational
> co-mingling until after school hours, if at all.  And, even if there
> weren’t a greater  awareness about the effects of climate change, wouldn’t
> it make far more sense to locate a community center where there are already
> other crucial services such as the post office, grocery store, cleaners, a
> cafe and restaurant, not to mention the potential for more housing?
>
> Earlier this week I wrote t

Re: [LincolnTalk] Ruth Ann Hendrickson Supports Option C

[Peter Buchthal]

I would like to respectfully disagree with some of the points made on this
thread.

"1) *Options C is the best hope for retaining the retail businesses at the
Mall*."
If the Town really cared about the retail businesses at the Mall they would
locate a new Community Center in the Mall or near the Mall (maybe commuter
parking lot?).  The amount of retail activity generated by the daily
different Community Center participants ( 100+?) far exceeds the retail
activity of new housing.   The new zoning laws being contemplated by the PB
do not set a reasonable floor on the amount of retail businesses reserved
for the Mall.   Unless Option E is selected, new bylaws that cater to the
interests of maximizing residential housing at the expense of retail space
will be adopted at the same time as Option C in March.  RLF may have
pledged that they will protect the commercial interests of the Mall, but
the current draft bylaws do not support those words.

*"In general, the need for a Town Meeting approval - no matter what town -
is seen as a roll of the dice with a high risk of failure at the last
minute. Further, Lincoln's history in that regard does not inspire
confidence." *
The State has changed the voting requirements of Town Meetings approvals
for Multi Family housing projects.  The project must simply garner a simple
majority of residents at a town meeting which is a much lower threshold
than a 2/3 vote previously.  If a project deserves town approval, a simple
majority is not an unreasonable bar.  The Town of Lincoln has no history of
rejecting multifamily projects that could not garner a simple majority.

*"Most of the towns around us, however, will have designated large areas as
multifamily “by right”.**What developer in his right mind would risk
thousands of dollars to take a proposal to town meeting, only to see it
voted down, when he could easily go to the next town, and develop something
by right? *
HCA zoning approvals for our neighboring towns do not have to be submitted
to the state until December 2024.  So,, we really don't know what other
towns are doing yet. We have no evidence that developers will prefer other
projects and chose to not redevelop the Mall at the right price. I  think
there are few if any large areas being rezoned for that can be easily
acquired in 1 transaction like the Lincoln Mall.  If a developer has to
acquire several parcels  within an HCA district for a project, that
increases the cost for the developer even the project can be developed by
right.The Lincoln Mall is a critical and visible part of the town of
Lincoln and Lincoln residents should demand more oversight on this
redevelopment that the HCA  provides.  RLF has tried to provide verbal
assurances to the Town that there will be outreach, site plans and
communication but the only teeth in restricting the wishes of a future
developer/owner are our future zoning bylaws that are proposing 4 floors
and 48 feet of building.  PB members are apparently trying to make the
redevelopment even more attractive by offering up our commuter lot to the
owner of Lincoln Woods as a quid pro quo for them to allow the Lincoln Mall
increased usage of the Lincoln Woods waste treatment plant.   Shouldn't the
town get the full picture with all of the details BEFORE deciding on
rezoning the Mall by right?  *Only Option E provides a path forward for the
redevelopment of the Lincoln Mall with town oversight and full disclosure.*

Peter Buchthal
Weston Rd

On Wed, Nov 29, 2023 at 7:57 AM Pastor Allen  wrote:

> Ruth Ann is absolutely correct, and I 100% agree with her logic and
> endorsement of option C.
>
> I also think it important to emphasize and expand upon the concerns she
> raises about "Option E," and the town meeting process in general.
>
> Those who invest in large projects are not looking to run a substantial
> risk of losing the major upfront investments and commitments they must make
> in any project before it gets to the point of final approval.  That's
> reasonable: we would not ask our friends or neighbors to throw a pile of
> their money and years of effort on the table and risk it all on a roll of
> the dice, and we would be resentful if they asked it of us.
>
> In general, the need for a Town Meeting approval - no matter what town -
> is seen as a roll of the dice with a high risk of failure at the last
> minute. Further, Lincoln's history in that regard does not inspire
> confidence.
>
> And so, with plenty of other nearby towns competing for those same
> investments, investors and developers have no need to ever put Lincoln on
> their shortlist of possible project opportunities. This will become even
> more true as more and more communities conform to the HCA.
>
> Developers look for an approval process that they see as fair and
> predictable. (And it's that perception that counts, not our convictions to
> 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Mass. Investment in Communities that Build Around Commuter Rail Stations

[Peter Buchthal]

It will take at least 10+ years before optimistically the commuter rail
becomes efficient and reliable.  If we push the goal posts out and require
a greener, electric, non diesel commuter rail, I hope to be still alive at
that point.

For a brief moment, let's think about other ways to get people off the
roads and onto Mass Transit from Lincoln. The red line will get better
before the commuter line.  So, let's see if we can move Lincoln commuters
efficiently to the red line.

https://128bc.org/schedules/alewife-route-a-south/
There are at least four buses that in the morning shuttle passengers from
the Alewife red line station to big office parks in Waltham/Lexington,
right on the Lincoln border.  They all return to Alewife to pick up their
next set of passengers completely empty.  The afternoon is the exact
opposite.  Lincoln commuters travel to Boston in the exact opposite to the
office park workers. If we work together with our neighbors, maybe Lincoln
commuters could get an express bus from Lincoln to Alewife in the morning,
and an express bus from Alewife to Lincoln in the afternoon.

Running optimally (hopefully in a few years), the red should take 15 to 20
minutes from Alewife to downtown Park Street.  Add in an express bus
to/from Alewife and that takes 15  minutes and we have a viable, efficient
mass transit link to the city that would actually reduce our carbon
footprint instead of waiting 10+ years

Let's open a discussion to improve Mass Transit to all Lincoln townspeople
with creative solutions, instead of putting all our eggs in the commuter
rail basket.

Peter Buchthal
Weston Rd.




On Tue, Nov 21, 2023 at 9:11 PM DJCP  wrote:

> I understand people have had bad experiences in the past but Governor
> Healey has hired a new General Manager, Philip Eng, and he's already doing
> great things. Sure, those things are catching up on a backlog of regular
> maintenance and fixing the Green Line Extension screw up where the tracks
> are too narrow, but I believe Healey is committed to making public
> transportation better. That was my point in posting the Radio Boston
> segment - an actual statement from a state official looking forward,
> instead of looking backward and relying on intuition.
>
> Diana
> Giles Rd
>
> On Tue, Nov 21, 2023, 8:14 PM slsweet830 via Lincoln <
> lincoln@lincolntalk.org> wrote:
>
>> What about the lack of handicapped accessibility? Years ago, as my
>> daughter struggled to get on the train here in Lincoln, a helpful.
>> conductor said that the plans to make the Lincoln stop handicapped
>> accessible was years away. She suggested we drive to Waltham's handicapped
>> accessible station.
>>
>> A certain number of housing units must be handicapped accessible, but our
>> train station is not. This is a problem.
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from my Galaxy
>>
>>
>>  Original message 
>> From: Kathleen Lomatoski 
>> Date: 11/21/23 8:00 PM (GMT-05:00)
>> To: Margo Fisher-Martin 
>> Cc: Lincoln Talk 
>> Subject: Re: [LincolnTalk] Mass. Investment in Communities that Build
>> Around Commuter Rail Stations
>>
>> I was a dedicated MBTA (via Alewife) and then a commuter rail rider for
>> many years from Lincoln to North Station. I tolerated decidedly not great
>> service and schedules, losing a lot of my daily time to delays, broken
>> trains, etc. (You don’t get the time back!) Generally many of us support
>> public transit yet admittedly the system needs massive resources to
>> improve/maintain the infrastructure and more. I do not see significant
>> improvements coming anytime in the near future, which is unfortunate. My
>> work in Boston was public facing; relying on the commuter rail was a
>> precarious choice, due to the frequent delays, odd train mishaps, and
>> frequently occurring out of service trains or staffing issues. Planning
>> some housing near transit makes sense yet I do not see that choice as one
>> that will compel necessary improvements in the short term especially.
>>
>> Kathleen Lomatoski
>>
>>
>> klomato...@gmail.com
>>
>> On Nov 21, 2023, at 7:25 PM, Margo Fisher-Martin <
>> margo.fisher.mar...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> 
>> It’s not getting better even if we do comply.
>> I hate to say it, but it’s true.
>> And then if we do comply, we have a congested center with lousy service.
>> The system is corrupt. Just like the RMV.
>> Why should it get better just because there are new units there? The
>> state cannot manage funds. Hence the nickname Taxachusetts.
>> Sorry to be so negative, but the system is just going down the tubes.
>> They will have to address safety issues before they even look

Re: [LincolnTalk] Mass. Investment in Communities that Build Around Commuter Rail Stations

[Peter Buchthal]

While I am happy to see some recognition that our MBTA needs investment,  I
would like to point out the magnitude  and likelihood of the dollars we are
talking about.  Regrettably, we are many, many years away from a properly
functioning and reliable MBTA and commuter rail in Lincoln.


According to the Boston Globe:

"The MBTA needs a gobsmacking $24.5 billion to repair and replace its
decrepit track, stations, trains, signals, and other assets, an agency
analysis released Thursday shows, providing the long-awaited tally of how
broken the transit system is."

"The next most expensive is the commuter rail system, at about $8 billion,
with the bulk of investment needed for stations, followed by the Green and
Mattapan lines — which need $4.7 billion."

[image: image.png]

List to the article:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/11/16/metro/cost-to-fix-mbta/


On Tue, Nov 21, 2023 at 10:55 AM DJCP  wrote:

> After she was appointed permanent Transportation Secretary last week,
> Monica Tibbits-Nutt directly stated on Radio Boston that the Commonwealth
> would invest in communities that build around Commuter Rail stations.
>
> At about 7:10 in the segment linked here, Tiziana specifically asks about
> HCA, and at 8:50 the Secretary says Mass. will put the money where "the
> cities and towns do what needs to be done":
> https://www.wbur.org/radioboston/2023/11/13/monica-tibbits-nutt-massdot-sagamore-bourne-tobin-mbta-sumner
>
> At 5:20, the Secretary also talks about how the "inner core" needs to
> invest in housing so we can invest more in connecting places like
> Worcester.
>
> I think the whole segment is worth listening to, as she directly links
> housing to transportation.
>
> Diana
> Giles Rd
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>
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Re: [LincolnTalk] Housing Choice Act and Exclusionary Zoning Report-the HAC will make us even more exclusive.

[Peter Buchthal]

We try to teach our children that "Actions speak louder than words."  Yet,
the words "support and maintain our small commercial center" sounds like a
good goal.
If only the actions of the Town really followed through on the goal.

Why is the town asking to spend 15 to 25 Million on a new Senior Center at
Hartwell instead of putting their aspirational 100+ or so daily visitors to
the Senior Center in the center of the Lincoln Commercial District. *I
believe the economic benefits to our small commercial retail businesses of
a 6000 square foot senior center and their 100+ daily visitors would exceed
10 to 20 times the economic benefits generated by the six new multifamily
units (1000 square foot per unit) using the same space in or near the mall.*

Where is our town master plan that combines the benefits of these two
projects? (hint: There are no cross project benefits)

*If we could only vote for more and different plans than C, D1, D2 and D3
for our HCA Compliance rezoning! Maybe plans that maintain the oversight to
the public through town meetings for the future development of Lincoln
Mall.*

*If we could only vote not just for the size of a new community center, but
a different location!*


Peter Buchthal
Weston Rd


On Sun, Nov 12, 2023 at 11:05 AM Karla Gravis  wrote:

> I thought the premise of locating 100% of rezoned units around the train
> station and giving away our town meeting negotiating power was to "support
> and maintain our small commercial center" and "promote decarbonization
> and climate change adaptation by rezoning near transportation and
> amenities.
>
> But we are now being told that the plans for the mall will reduce
> commercial space and that we may not even be able to keep Donelan's. So why
> do we insist on putting all rezoned housing into the same spot where there
> are likely to be fewer amenities in the future? The train schedule is
> limited and unreliable enough that it is naive to think people will take
> the train to do a grocery run. It sounds like a situation where the cure is
> worse than the disease.
>
> *It is not true that much of the study was conducted at noon on a public
> holiday.* The consulting team conducted field studies across 8 days, none
> of which were public holidays. (April 12, 13, 16, 17, 24, 27, and 29, and
> May 8, 2013. Page 25 of the study).
>
>
> https://www.lincolntown.org/DocumentCenter/View/65765/Lincoln-Station-Planning-Study-3-27-2014bwfinal
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, Nov 12, 2023 at 11:02 AM melinda bruno-smith <
> melindabr...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I too thought the town was interested in developing or at least
>> maintaining its commercial center.
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> Melinda Bruno-Smith
>>
>> On Nov 12, 2023, at 10:44 AM, Margaret Olson 
>> wrote:
>> 
>> We have no guarantees that the RLF will maintain Donelan's either. If
>> Donelan's is not sufficiently profitable they will leave, and the RLF may
>> or may not be willing and able to set their rent at a level that keeps them
>> profitable.
>>
>> A note on the 2014 study: much of the research on the impact of the train
>> was conducted at noon on a public holiday.
>>
>> On Sun, Nov 12, 2023 at 10:07 AM Karla Gravis 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I want to emphasize that the Mall is currently a profitable concern.The
>>> RLF disclosed a rental profit of $164,571 in 2022. Details here
>>> <https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/46132391/202341749349301024/full>.
>>> However, if we rezone it by right, Civico would get to decide what
>>> mix of commercial and residential to build. As a private enterprise, they
>>> will choose to build whatever leads to the highest profits, which we know
>>> is residential. Ms. Barnes mentioned that commercial space will be
>>> reduced during the forum on Wednesday. We have no guarantees that
>>> Civico would maintain Donelan's or any of the existing commercial space. 
>>> This
>>> outcome would be at odds with our goal of supporting our commercial center
>>> and reducing the town's carbon footprint. This is one of the reasons why it
>>> is so important that the Mall redevelopment goes through Town Meeting.
>>>
>>> It is also important to puncture the myth that building units at Lincoln
>>> Station would do much to boost the commercial prospects of the area:
>>>
>>>- The Planning Board released a Lincoln Station Planning Study in
>>>2014. The study concluded that each 100 units added would only support
>>>2,500 sq ft of space. For reference, Donelan's footprint is 20,387 sq ft.
>>>Study  here
>>>   

Re: [LincolnTalk] Housing Choice Act and Exclusionary Zoning Report-the HAC will make us even more exclusive.

[Peter Buchthal]

Along similar lines, how can the town ensure commercial space stays
commercial as the new owners could easily decide to raise very high or not
renew any commercial lease in order to build more luxury residential units
by right as long as the project has unused housing units within the zoning
allotment.


Peter Buchthal
Weston Rd

On Sat, Nov 11, 2023 at 12:27 PM David Cuetos  wrote:

> How can the RLF guarantee that any particular commercial space will remain
> once they sell the land to Civico? Are they planning to include
> a requirement for a supermarket in the deed? Anything else would just be a
> "recommendation".
>
> On Fri, Nov 10, 2023 at 6:09 PM Margo Fisher-Martin <
> margo.fisher.mar...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> We know that a zoning change does not “dictate” that anything be built or
>> changed, but we also know that major changes WILL happen in Lincoln, should
>> this pass. Do any of you remember many years ago when zoning changes were
>> made that impacted any changes an owner could make (as much as a bay
>> window) without ZBA approval on pre-existing non-conforming lots? Some
>> people who are pushing for the re-zoning here are the same people that
>> tried to instill the fear of “mansionisation” should we allow any changes
>> to homes on less than 2 acre lots. At town meeting, they showed pictures of
>> dense mid-rise housing from other towns to scare people into taking away
>> the rights of the pre-existing (grandfathered) non-conforming lot owners.
>> Now some of these same people are advocating for providing similar dense
>> mid-rise housing that they were adamantly opposed to. What happened to the
>> “stewards of the land?”
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Margo Martin
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Nov 10, 2023 at 5:27 PM Margaret Olson 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Michelle Barnes from the RLF can confirm, but I believe Donelan's will
>> remain after the mall redevelopment.
>>
>> A reminder: zoning affects what the property owner has a right to do with
>> their property. It does not dictate that anything be built or changed.
>>
>> On Fri, Nov 10, 2023 at 4:38 PM Terri via Lincoln <
>> lincoln@lincolntalk.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> If I am reading  the rezoning plans correctly the  Reducition in
>>> retail includes eliminating Donelans and the  Bank.
>>>
>> Is this correct?
>>>>
>>>> Theresa K
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Friday, November 10, 2023 at 11:25:26 AM EST, Sara Mattes <
>>>> samat...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Is the alternative for the nation area to fill it with dense housing,
>>>> while we are told there will be reduction in retail?
>>>> And, that housing will only reflect the wealth gap-only 10% affordable,
>>>> and the rest, high-end?
>>>>
>>>> What happened to the concept of a “vibrant commercial center?”
>>>> What happened to a “walkable village?”
>>>> What will everyone walk to as retail is reduced?
>>>> Each other's units?
>>>>
>>>> Let us be more creative in what we can develop.
>>>> As Ken has suggested, we have done it in the past.
>>>> We seem to have lost our mojo.
>>>> Let’s get it back.
>>>>
>>>> The HCA is NOT the answer.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Sara Mattes
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Nov 10, 2023, at 10:55 AM, Ken Hurd  wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Hello LincolnTalkers,
>>>>
>>>> During the discussion on the Zoom forum hosted by the HCAWG on
>>>> Wednesday evening, I mentioned the recently released report on the history
>>>> of exclusionary zoning in the Boston area.  And also, for those of you who
>>>> couldn’t stay to see it following the Wednesday morning forum at Town Hall,
>>>> below is the link to hear the presentation sponsored by The Boston
>>>> Foundation.
>>>>
>>>> Unless we know our history, it is known that history has a tendency to
>>>> repeat itself. With respect to objections raised to the options offered by
>>>> the Housing Choice Working Group, I do hope that current residents can
>>>> follow the example of earlier Lincoln leaders from the 1970’s who worked
>>>> with, rather than against, the 40B mandate from the state to provide mo

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Peter Buchthal]

At the previous planning/hcawg meeting of October 24th, we learned that RLF
is planning to hire a consultant to draw potential renderings of a new
Lincoln Mall and present them to the town at some point.   It is really
hard for town residents to evaluate the potential impact of the proposed
changes to  the Lincoln Mall zoning without a detailed discussion.  I
understand the planning board is considering further zoning amendments for
the new overlay districts to better protect the town's interests.I
foresee several problems with this strategy.

1)  Any drawings or renderings will be purely hypothetical and not binding
on the RLF or any future owner of the Mall as there is no requirement that
they be actually submitted to the town for a building permit.
2)  Assuming a HCA Overlay district is passed at the March Town meeting, I
see very few obstacles to building whatever the developer chooses to build
as the town will have NO ability to influence a future developer to do
anything unless they need a variance for something.
3)  Hypothetically, one day after the HCA Overlay district passes the March
Town Meeting, CIVICO could submit drawings to the Town of Lincoln Building
Department and the current zoning rules would apply to their project
without the ability of the town to influence the project.  As long as
CIVICO starts construction within  12 months of submitting building plans,
the rules at the time of plan submission would govern the project. period,
full stop.  Any future safeguards that the town might want to impose on
development within the Mall area wouldn't apply to plans that were
submitted prior to the acceptance of any future zoning changes at a
different town meeting

To approve any of the current plans with the Lincoln Mall being part of a
new overlay district without any zoning amendments to be approved  at the
same time, opens the town for an unnecessary disaster.  It would be better
for the Town to NOT include the Lincoln Mall in an HCA overlay district so
that a normal vetting of plans at a town meeting will ensure that everyone
in the Town is happy with the project.  This strategy will allow more
affordable units, ensure commercial development is actually built, and will
allow a negotiation between the town and the developer for a *development
of importance to the Town.* There is no logical way to skip that
negotiation to safeguard the town that we know and love.


Peter Buchthal
Weston Rd.


On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 5:12 PM Sara Mattes  wrote:

> Please let us know exactly what legal teeth site plan review has.
> I have asked for that repeatedly and have heard….crickets.
> Yes there will be some wetlands protections, but not Lincoln’s set backs.
> Yes, there will be some set backs.
> But please, do tell what legal options will we have to actually control
> the look and feel of major redevelopment.
>
> The repeated reference to “existing regulations and site plan review” is
> cold comfort.
>
> The whole point of the HCA is to get around our existing bylaws…to make it
> easier for developers to create  larger, denser housing development than is
> currently allowed.
>
>
>
>
> --
> Sara Mattes
>
>
>
>
> On Nov 6, 2023, at 5:02 PM, Rich Rosenbaum  wrote:
>
> I think it is misleading to use statements such as "the developer can do
> whatever they want".
> Existing regulations and site plan review give the town oversight.
>
> After all, residential property owners have the by right ability to build
> a new home but cannot build whatever they want.
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 4:05 PM Sara Mattes  wrote:
>
>> Once rezone with the HCA, the property owner can put up pretty much
>> whatever they want.
>> That is the point of the HCA-to get around our normal process for
>> managing development in Lincoln.
>> No proposals are required for the town to see.
>> The development is *BY RIGHT*, they just need to comply with some very
>> basic zoning-wetlands setbacks, other set backs, etc.
>>
>> And, as was made clear in a public presentation, dense housing is the
>> most profitable use of the land, not retail.
>>
>> The discussion about the Mall is confusing as concepts were discussed and
>> proposals were to be offered at a later date.
>> In addition, the RLF said they were looking to most lily sell and were in
>> discussion with a local developer-CIVICO.
>> Regardless of what is discussed now, as it stands now, once rezoned the
>> owner, either the RLF but most like a new owner, can do whatever they see
>> fit with that land.
>>
>> That is why this is all so difficult and generating so much debate.
>>
>> It is important that we all learn as much as possible and attend each and
>> every meeting to better understand what is being proposed and wh

Re: [LincolnTalk] HCA General Information Video

[Peter Buchthal]

Peter Buchthal 
11:43 AM (27 minutes ago)
to *Margaret*, Barbara, 
I would like to point out that the town will not have any real "sticks" or
tools to cajole a developer into building more affordable units.

As mentioned below, the town could attempt to get state Mass Works grants
to help pay for additional units, BUT, the town can only apply for one such
grant at a time, and it is presumptuous of the HCAWG to think that the town
would not have other high priority projects that are equally or more
important for the community such as building sidewalks for important unsafe
roads within the town.  The HCAWG has also mentioned that the town planned
to apply for a Mass Works grant to help RLF's Lincoln Mall developer
upgrade the Lincoln Woods sewage treatment plant.   So, I'm confused how
this tool will be that effective.

As for spending the town's Affordable Housing Fund to help build additional
affordable units, I do not think that would get us very far.  The town will
have to make developers whole on the difference between market value and
what we consider affordable.  That value will be in the multiple hundreds
of thousands per unit.  Given the size of the fund, we will only have the
ability to subsidize a handful of units across town.  *How many units does
the Affordable Housing Fund think it will be able to afford* with new
condos costing 500-700K+? As a datapoint, Oriole Landing recently sold for
32 Million (for 64 units) or 500K per unit.

I also still don't understand why we are including public parcels such as
the DPW lot into the HCA district.  Once we put a public lot into the HCA
district, the percentage of affordable units is limited to 10%.  With the
town wanting a higher percentage of affordable units,  I have trouble
reconciling the town's wish for increased affordable units and the benefits
of rezoning these public lands at this time.

On Mon, Oct 30, 2023 at 8:57 AM Margaret Olson 
wrote:

> The town has an Affordable Housing Trust and yes increasing the % of
> affordable units at Oriole Landing was one of the recent uses of those
> funds. More information on the Affordable Housing Trust is available here:
> https://www.lincolntown.org/DocumentCenter/View/35223/Affordable-Housing-Trust?bidId=
>
> On Mon, Oct 30, 2023 at 7:48 AM Susanna Szeto  wrote:
>
>> Hi Margaret,
>> On % of affordability, is this the reason why the town paid the developer
>> Civico $1 million dollars?  Or is this the reason at one of the recent
>> board meeting that someone said there should be 2 million dollars in
>> reserve (for what)?
>> Hope you can shed some light on this!  Thank you!
>> Susanna Szeto
>>
>> On Oct 30, 2023, at 7:39 AM, Margaret Olson 
>> wrote:
>>
>> 
>> All of the town presentations are available on the town HCA website:
>> http://www.lincolntown.org/1327/Housing-Choice-Act-Working-Group
>>
>> The recording of the October 24th Planning Board meeting (presentation of
>> new D options) is available here:
>> https://cloud.castus.tv/vod/lincoln/video/653aaa9262e4d80008b6ad96?page=RECENT
>>
>> On 10% affordability: While the 10% is the maximum affordability we can
>> mandate in an HCA zone, the town has a number of tools to increase the
>> number of affordable units when we have an actual proposal from a
>> developer. Our current zoning requires 15%; Oriole Landing is at 25%. Our
>> tools include assistance in getting state grants (no town money) and the
>> town's Affordable Housing fund.
>>
>> Margaret
>>
>> On Sun, Oct 29, 2023 at 10:40 PM Barbara Peskin 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Dear Lincoln,
>>>
>>> I have lived in Lincoln since 1995. I cherish it. It is unique and
>>> special. It takes care of people and wildlife.
>>>
>>> I have had the privilege of working with some very smart people in
>>> trying to understand HCA.  I hope this video helps us all approach the HCA
>>> Mandate thoughtfully.
>>>
>>> In the end, I hope we continue our commitment to the land and wildlife,
>>> the people who live here now, and that new residents have affordable and
>>> diverse living options, and can live in nature as is our legacy.
>>>
>>> Thank you for watching the 15 minute video.
>>>
>>>
>>> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L2rRPHPBlelQBx9Jkjco_j95P6kRAzX6/view?usp=drive_link
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ~
>>> Barbara Peskin
>>>
>>> *My Moments in Nature Photo Gallery: barbarapeskin.com
>>> <http://barbarapeskin.com>*
>>> --
>>> The LincolnTalk mailing list.
>>> To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org.
>>> Browse the archive

Re: [LincolnTalk] Inaccuracies in rezoning proposals submitted to the State

[Peter Buchthal]

I believe I speak for many residents that we are all concerned with not
just the problems of our state submission, but with the process, and
messaging of the HCAWG.

1) How 18 extra acres of lots were included in our submission to the State
without anyone on the HCAWG, Town Administration or Util Consultants
checking the work.

2)* I believe few people in the town understand (I know I didn't until
David's email), that unless we are careful, builders will be able build by
right (without Town approval) up to the maximum number of units which is
total acres including wetlands multiplied by the density factor. * So, even
though Lincoln Woods has just 7 buildable acres, a developer would be able
to build 400+ units (20 acres multiplied by 20 Units per Acre (density in
Option C)).  Granted, it may be difficult to build that many, but any new
buildings could be built up to 36 feet tall, which would allow three floors
and parking could be below ground or on the ground floor with two or three
floors above.   So, I have learned the modelled number of units is NOT a
maximum but a calculated number that should be used for HCA compliance
purposes only.

*3) I would like the HCAWG to invite David Cuetos to be a member of the
group to make sure the public is well informed and the submissions are
correct.  A healthy debate will only lead to better outcomes for everyone
in the town.  *

Best,

Peter Buchthal
Weston Rd

On Fri, Oct 27, 2023 at 8:11 AM Susanna Szeto  wrote:

> Good questions Karla!  We need someone to ask these questions at the board
> meeting!  WHO will do it?
>
> Susanna
>
> On Oct 27, 2023, at 6:02 AM, Karla Gravis  wrote:
>
> 
>
> There are a lot of details here (which I encourage everyone to read) but 3
> very important questions require answers:
>
>
>- Why did we submit 18 more acres in parcels to the State than what
>was approved by town boards for Option C?
>- Why are we unnecessarily zoning Lincoln Woods to a much higher
>number of units than we have currently, thus creating an incentive for TCB
>or another developer to come in and rebuild? The current affordability
>requirement ends in 2032.
>- Why are we including so many parcels that give us no compliance
>credit with the State but enable developers to build many more units than
>is required for compliance?
>
> Karla
>
>
>
>
>>
>> -- Forwarded message -
>> From: ٍSarah Postlethwait 
>> Date: Thu, Oct 26, 2023 at 13:16
>> Subject: Re: [LincolnTalk] Inaccuracies in rezoning proposals submitted
>> to the State
>> To: David Cuetos 
>> CC: Lincoln Talk 
>>
>>
>> It’s concerning that we are paying Utile at least $20k to come up with
>> these proposals on the town’s behalf and they have submitted it with this
>> many inaccuracies.
>> What is also is concerning is that, according to the minutes page, the
>> HCAWG has not had a working meeting since the end of August- right after
>> the guideline changes were announced and before option C was formed. No
>> meetings were held in September and the two October meetings were multi
>> board meeting presentations.
>>
>> *Is the full HCAWG reviewing the current proposals and what is being
>> submitted to the state?*
>>
>> Including an additional 18 acres of land in the state proposal that has
>> not been presented to the town and the Select board and planning board is
>> unacceptable.
>>
>> *The HCAWG needs disbanded for the following reasons:*
>>  •2 members are representing the best interest of the RLF LLC (aka trying
>> to get the highest density possible allowed by right so they can sell the
>> property to Civico for more money).
>> •The proposals presented to the town all include unnecessary land that
>> does not count towards the HCA compliance target.
>> •Option C has been submitted to the state with this many inconsistencies
>> that has been pointed out by David, and 18 acres of land being added that
>> were not approved by the Select board or Planning board or the town.
>> •The Open meeting law has been violated numerous times by the HCAWG; and
>> a meeting mentioned in the select board minutes is missing from the HCAWG
>> minutes page entirely.
>>
>>
>> Better ways to comply with the HCA have been proposed. Stop rushing to
>> get a RLF centric rezoning passed and get a better Working group in place.
>>
>> *This rezoning is going to shape the future decades of Lincoln- let’s do
>> it thoughtfully and purposefully. *
>>
>>
>> Sarah Postlethwait
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Oct 26, 2023 at 10:37 AM David Cuetos 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> *Executive Summary:*
&g

[LincolnTalk] HCA Working Group - Please disclose submitted documents

[Peter Buchthal]

Could the HCAWG please post the embedded documents (model and GIS maps)
that were submitted to the state for Option C? Like others have noted
already, the links in the pdf are broken. We shouldn't have to wait for the
state to fix the links as the town has already submitted the documents.

It is important for residents to understand the details of what was
submitted, particularly prior to the upcoming meeting on Oct. 24th.

None of the links below in the PDF work, but the HCAWG and/or town admin
should be able to post the documents directly to the website without having
to wait for the state.

[image: IMG_4963.jpg]
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Re: [LincolnTalk] Community Center- size considerations

[Peter Buchthal]

*I respectfully disagree with your conclusion.*

*We have been told the LEAP is a critical part of our student offering and
it must be on the Hartwell Campus.   I agree an extended day offering is
very important to all school districts at this time.  However, I believe
Leap could be relocated to the school since the scheduling of the School
and Leap perfectly fit together with no overlap.  In fact, Leap could share
space with the school like many other after school programs do today
without a problem.  If Leap MUST have some dedicated space, we apparently
have not done any analysis of our current School with our NEW
administration to see if they are able to provide some dedicated space to
Leap.  NOTHING has been done, and reported to the community.*

*Two days ago, we learned that during construction, Leap may have to be
relocated to the School.  WOW.   AGAIN, the School and Leap schedules fit
perfectly together without any overlap. S**o I guess it is possible that
the Community may not have to spend at least 3.4 Million dollars to provide
Leap with a new home if we share some space and find some additional
dedicated space.   Has anyone been in the new Library at the School?  It is
half empty.  Maybe we can repurpose or reconfigure some poorly
designed/used space to be dedicated for Leap  now that we have had
experience with our new school.   The TAXPAYERS should require at least
some effort by the interested parties (including the Lincoln Taxpayers)
before just concluding that Leap needs a brand new home in Hartwell.*

*Have we benchmarked our Neighboring communities to show how they provide
after school care?  No.  We believe our current offering is superior to an
in-school location without any analysis.  I called up Concord to find out
more about their after school programs.  Each of their three
elementary schools have an afterschool program within their buildings.  On
their short Wednesdays, Concord buses their children  to a common program.
We have enjoyed 40+ years of Leap at Hartwell and the useful life of the
Pod-C building is now over, so I believe we should explore alternatives to
save the town some money.  There has been no suggestion that Leap in
Hartwell improves the students academically over an in-school program.  *

*Shouldn't we at least explore looking at what  our neighbors offer after
school, or should we just agree to higher taxes without any measurable
benefit?*

Peter Buchthal
Weston Rd.

On Sun, Oct 1, 2023 at 11:26 AM llas902551--- via Lincoln <
lincoln@lincolntalk.org> wrote:

> Hi Kristine thank you for your offering of why LEAP can't go into the
> school. These same reasons is why it is difficult  to have COA  have
> programming in many venues.
> Thank you
> Lynne L
>
> Sent from AOL on Android
> <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aol.mobile.aolapp>
>
> On Fri, Sep 29, 2023 at 3:09 PM, Kristine Barker
>  wrote:
>
> Good afternoon,
>
> I am a Lincoln resident, a parent to a student who attended Lincoln School
> and an educator in a neighboring district.   I believe this is a unique
> perspective as I can see things from the perspectives of a parent, a
> resident concerned with the town’s finances and an educator.
>
> My son, now a junior at LSRHS, attended LEAP for seven years. As a full
> time working mother, LEAP was a blessing.  My child was nurtured, educated,
> fed, loved and provided with various opportunities to increase his social
> and communication skills.  He was exposed to new people, new experiences
> and appropriately and supportively challenged to engage in activities he
> may never have had the chance to try otherwise.  My only child had a chance
> to just have fun playing with children his age, something he never got to
> do at home or where we live in South Lincoln that doesn’t allow for
> neighborhood play opportunities.  When I would pick him up, he’d often ask
> for “a few more minutes” because he was excited by the opportunities
> provided to him by LEAP staff.  The staff were incredible.  They talked
> lovingly about students, they demonstrated enthusiasm for their work and
> they understood the responsibility of helping to raise other people’s
> children.  I never once entered the LEAP building without an exuberant and
> cheerful greeting from Katie, the tireless and dedicated director of LEAP.
> And somehow, the LEAP team has managed to do all that with a dilapidated
> physical environment that does not even remotely meet their needs.
>
> I completely understand why the notion of moving LEAP into the school
> building makes sense to those who may not spend much time in a school
> building.  Unless the school can provide LEAP with dedicated, *not shared*,
> space that can be fully accessed during the school day, it just won’t
> work.  The LEAP staff deserve opportunities to set up their lessons, access

Re: [LincolnTalk] Community Center- size considerations

[Peter Buchthal]

The school is too big by any standard.  We have 550 students with a
declining school population.  The architect and school administration at
the time told us the building was designed for 650 students.  More
recently, the school architects publicly told fellow architects that the
school was designed for 700 students.  9 grades (k-8) each have 4 separate
classrooms.   Only 2 of the 7 grades have enough students for 4
simultaneous classrooms.  Applying the state education sizing guidelines
for a new school, our 165,000 square feet should support over 1000
students.

It would be helpful to our discussion if people can agree on certain
facts.

What exactly do people like about Plans A, B or C?   I like none of them as
I believe the premise of intergenerational mingling  as a goal  won't be
accomplished with the limited available hours for senior programming  at
Hartwell because of the parking, traffic and safety concerns.  The new
community center will have senior programming by design only from 9 to 2:30
on M, Tu, Th, Fr and 9 to 12 on Wed.

The CCBC presents parking as ample with 50 spots nearby without telling the
community that the current users of Hartwell may already be using many if
not most of the 50 nearby spots.  So, we may only have 5 to 10 open spots
at any given time or maybe even fewer if there are events/meetings going on
at the main Hartwell building's multi purpose room, training room or School
business office.

I am afraid that the CCBC is sticking with a Community Center based in
Hartwell for the wrong reasons.  The town has an obligation to its seniors.
I  just don't want to build a core town building in a location that comes
with so many restrictions/limitations.

Peter Buchthal
71 Weston Rd

On Wed, Sep 27, 2023 at 10:58 AM John Mendelson 
wrote:

> You write as if everyone agrees the school has too much space.  I, for
> one, don't.
>
> In my view, if there are lessons to be learned from the school building
> project, it is wise to examine the reasons why the town voted down the
> project in 2012, thereby rejecting $20.9 million in state funding.  Hubris,
> perhaps well-intentioned but overly wrought disagreements about site and
> design, concerns about cost?  Likely, all of the above.
>
> To my ear, this dialogue sounds very similar, and I cannot help but
> believe that if we kick this down the road, costs are only going to
> increase and the impact of the project diminished.
>
> I trust the work the CCBC has done and will very likely support their
> recommendation.
>
> John
>
> On Wed, Sep 27, 2023 at 7:22 AM Peter Buchthal 
> wrote:
>
>>
>> People of course are allowed to have their own opinions, but I don't
>> believe this building project is about accepting our responsibility for
>> taking care of our elders.  As I have mentioned before, my father lived to
>> 97 and was a big user of his local Council on Aging.  You apparently
>> believe that if one does not support the CCBC's decisions, you don't
>> support our Council on Aging and its mission.  This is far from the truth.
>>
>> Many on Lincoln Talk  and others in town simply question the Council on
>> Aging Hartwell generous building space requirements.   Residents simply do
>> not want to build a building that is bigger than our needs like we did with
>> the school. There is also a healthy debate on whether it makes sense to
>> build a COA/Community Center on the Hartwell Campus without sufficient
>> parking and limited hours to protect the pre-school Magic Gardens and
>> school age (5+)  dropoff/Pickup from automobile running child parking lot
>> mishaps.  I am also not aware of any community center anywhere that
>> intentionally colocates a senior center and  daycare using a small shared
>> parking lot.
>>
>> Many on Lincoln Talk and the town would hate to see the town build a huge
>> building that is underutilized and repeats the lack of parking at Bemis
>> Hall.
>>
>> As a small community with limited resources and the highest per capita
>> debt in the commonwealth, we need to look at large projects with many eyes
>> and many voices.  It is a shame that up to now, the CCBC really hasn't
>> listened to the public's concerns.
>>
>> In an effort to lower the cost and save between 3 and 4 million, I have
>> previously asked why Leap can't be relocated into the school where it
>> belongs.  Almost all other school districts have extended day offerings
>> within the school as the hours of a school and after school program
>> dovetail perfectly.  Maybe we should ask our new Superintendent if he could
>> house Leap within the school?
>>
>> Does anyone know where Leap is going to run while the Hartwell Project is
>> under construction?
>>
>> Pe

Re: [LincolnTalk] Community Center- size considerations

[Peter Buchthal]

People of course are allowed to have their own opinions, but I don't
believe this building project is about accepting our responsibility for
taking care of our elders.  As I have mentioned before, my father lived to
97 and was a big user of his local Council on Aging.  You apparently
believe that if one does not support the CCBC's decisions, you don't
support our Council on Aging and its mission.  This is far from the truth.

Many on Lincoln Talk  and others in town simply question the Council on
Aging Hartwell generous building space requirements.   Residents simply do
not want to build a building that is bigger than our needs like we did with
the school. There is also a healthy debate on whether it makes sense to
build a COA/Community Center on the Hartwell Campus without sufficient
parking and limited hours to protect the pre-school Magic Gardens and
school age (5+)  dropoff/Pickup from automobile running child parking lot
mishaps.  I am also not aware of any community center anywhere that
intentionally colocates a senior center and  daycare using a small shared
parking lot.

Many on Lincoln Talk and the town would hate to see the town build a huge
building that is underutilized and repeats the lack of parking at Bemis
Hall.

As a small community with limited resources and the highest per capita debt
in the commonwealth, we need to look at large projects with many eyes and
many voices.  It is a shame that up to now, the CCBC really hasn't listened
to the public's concerns.

In an effort to lower the cost and save between 3 and 4 million, I have
previously asked why Leap can't be relocated into the school where it
belongs.  Almost all other school districts have extended day offerings
within the school as the hours of a school and after school program
dovetail perfectly.  Maybe we should ask our new Superintendent if he could
house Leap within the school?

Does anyone know where Leap is going to run while the Hartwell Project is
under construction?

Peter Buchthal
71 Weston Rd

On Tue, Sep 26, 2023 at 6:03 PM john gregg via Lincoln <
lincoln@lincolntalk.org> wrote:

> I am so surprised that a community that encourages acceptance and
> tolerance would further not doing the right thing like providing a place
> for kids, adults and elders should be able to congregate.
>
> It is about space, about money, about having to be held accountable for
> past neglect like providing a school for children. A place where the kids
> would be provided safe care at LEAP for parents who work. A place where
> adults could allow care for the ones who actually took care of them if they
> move back home.
>
> This is the same discussion when deciding about a new school, a bunch of
> intellectuals debating why things should not be provided to others like was
> provided to them.
>
> Best Regards,
> John Gregg
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Re: [LincolnTalk] we need some numbers

[Peter Buchthal]

The problem is that we don’t have any solid numbers. We do not know our
current usage  and  we lack any sensible projections for future
state/growth. How do we know if we’re building the right size for now or
for the future?

One thing we do know is that towns the same size or much bigger than ours
in total population (not just seniors) are building community centers
smaller than what we are proposing. Bear in mind that these towns also have
tax bills lower than Lincoln's yet are being more modest with the burden
they’re asking their citizens to carry.

If we push our town's and residents' finances to the limit on a single
building, there will be little left over to actually fund valuable programs
and services.

The residents of this town are being presented with another FALSE CHOICE.
Previously, residents voted for our oversized new school because the old
school was in bad shape and was presented to the town as we
either repair the old school which wasn't sensible or build a new school.
  Like the school building project, we  need a new Council on Aging.  But,
do we need the new building  at the Hartwell campus?

At Hartwell, I have many concerns.
1) COA will only be able to use the building from
9-2:30 M,Tu,Th,Fri and Wed 9-1 to minimize the possibility of traffic
related accidents/issues.
2) No one has shown how many parking spots will be left after
all the school employees, school visitors/parents, Magic Garden employees,
Leap employees, and tennis players park their cars during the day.  What is
the maximum number of seniors that can even attend COA programming based
upon available parking?  The building they are proposing is being sized to
serve 85+ people at one time (my guess: Staff 5, Volunteers 5, Dining 50,
other rooms 25+).  Even if my numbers are a bit high, I am trying to make
the point that  building a new facility with limited hours and parking
doesn't seem like a good plan.  Most people drive in Lincoln to events, to
think otherwise is silly at this point.

If we want a real community center, I would renovate the Pierce House, add
a wing with handicap bathrooms, offices, meeting rooms, AND repurpose
the large open fields as soccer/play fields.  The town needs additional
fields and every Saturday, the 250+ families in town who use the sports
fields could get together and enjoy the new Pierce House.  To me, that
sounds like a better Community Center than what is being proposed.

Peter Buchthal
71 Weston Rd


On Fri, Sep 22, 2023 at 8:02 AM john gregg via Lincoln <
lincoln@lincolntalk.org> wrote:

> The important numbers to be concerned about are realizing a Community
> Center is used by all ages, COA is just part of the programs. LEAP, Magic
> Garden as well as Parks and Rec programs which can be provided at a
> community center base.
>
> I have heard the talk about the cost and the burden is due to the School
> Project, replacing the school was needed. It is important to remember that
> the original cost from Lincoln was rejected on a Town vote which included
> @50% from the State, it would have been an out of pocket expense of @$25
> Million. It then re-applied and was rejected and eventually cost the Town
> @$93 Million of a well NEEDED school. So when saying a school is the reason
> why the Town cannot afford a Community Center it is actually the vote to
> reject State subsidized financial aid.
>
> This financial aid would be to replace a school that was not functional
> for education and hazardous to the children and staff who had leaky
> ceilings, overflowing toilets, an outdated infrastructure, systems and
> layout for education where the Town of Lincoln pays one of the highest
> amounts per student. Building the school makes the Town of Lincoln more
> attractive to new buyers who want things like a functioning school and
> things like a Community Center.
>
> Please see the below from the Lincoln Squirrel to document the school
> debate:
>
> Four years earlier, the MSBA offered to pay $21 million toward a new
> school costing $49 million if residents agreed by a two-thirds majority to
> fund their share. But the margin at a Special Town Meeting in November
> 2012 was 370-321 votes (54 percent to 45 percent), so the funding offer was
> withdrawn and the town had to begin the process all over again. The MSBA
> also declined to offer funding in 2013 and 2015. At Town Meeting in March
> 2016
> <https://www.lincolnsquirrel.com/residents-vote-to-try-for-school-funding-again/>,
> residents overwhelmingly approved the latest application to the MSBA.
>
> In 2014, consultants Dore and Whittier determined that the school
> needed immediate work costing $8.4 million
> <https://www.lincolnsquirrel.com/school-needs-at-least-27-5m-even-without-cafeterias-architects-say/>
>  including
> a new roof for the entire building, a new exterior 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Last Night's Community Center Forum

[Peter Buchthal]

My late father lived till he was 97 and was a big user of his local Council
on Aging.  They were fantastic and helped us out is innumerable ways as my
late mother suffered from dementia.  My father enjoyed his weekly senior
lunch followed by a competitive game of scrabble with a local policeman.

I support all Council on Aging programs, period.

What I think the Community Center's committee hasn't yet made the case for
is the following:

1) Without real average and mean numbers to COA's programs,  I can not get
behind the size of program rooms requested to provide all ongoing programs.
The COA has only provided min and max numbers with huge variations that
make over building very likely.  Lincoln has a tendency to over build, that
is why our school is much, much larger than we really needed by any
standard.

2) The town has yet to disclose other competing capital expenditures in the
pipeline for the town's tax resources.  I have heard rumors that we soon
will need to replace the drinking water pipes along many parts of the
town.  I have heard other rumors on lincoln talk, that our repaving and
roadside path/bicycle safety  wishes may also require additional town
borrowings.

3) The arguments for the Hartwell Community Center being made to the town
is a bit of a False Choice.  We need to separate building or renovating a
Senior Center of the correct size with "If you don't support this project,
the town will never get a community center/ senior center that meets its
needs."

I want to build a new or renovated facility that is the correct size for
our Senior Community. I have continuing doubts that it should be on the
Hartwell campus.  My late father was a terrible driver and I can't imagine
purposefully placing our young children near senior drivers navigating
parking lots.  I keep reading in the newspapers that seniors drivers often
have unintended accidents  driving into buildings that involve putting
their foot down on the gas pedal instead of the brake.   Why are we
unnecessarily setting ourselves up for a potential tragedy.

Let's stop this rush to build and build a newly renovated Council on Aging
somewhere else in town like the Pierce House.



Peter Buchthal
71 Weston



On Thu, Sep 14, 2023 at 12:12 PM sally kindleberger 
wrote:

> Thank you John Gregg for your thoughtful ideas about the Community
> Center.  We desperately need a Community Center that meets the needs of the 
> *whole
> community.*  This Build is a long time coming!  If the town votes on a
> 50% or even 75% reduction in size from the original proposed 100%
> it will be a huge mistake.  Programs won't be possible in the smaller
> spaces.  Why build something that does not meet the needs of the town?  And
> prices will only increase over time.  If we continue to quibble and bring
> up the same arguments and the same suggestions over and over, again we will
> never have a Community Center.  Prices will never come down.  We need to
> bite the bullet and build a useful space that works for the community.
> Visit community centers in other towns like Arlington,Bedford, Belmont,
> and Wellesley,(And yes I know these are towns with bigger populations and
> more money.)   But we can build something that meets our needs if we just
> do it.  There are folks in this town with big houses and expensive cars.
> Let's all dig deep and fund the build.
>
> On Thu, Sep 14, 2023 at 9:44 AM Laura Crosby 
> wrote:
>
>> Thanks John , a lot to think about  here. And yes, a good, well
>> researched plan is being picked apart to such a degree that it may never
>> happen. All of Lincoln could benefit greatly from a Community Center.  And
>> it will never cost less than it will if we move forward now.
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Sep 14, 2023, at 7:53 AM, john gregg via Lincoln <
>> lincoln@lincolntalk.org> wrote:
>>
>> 
>> If you build it they will come.
>>
>>
>> You have services but no facility which makes it harder on the Parks and
>> Rec staff or LEAP to provide quality services to everyone. You build a
>> school with up to date facilities to help encourage people to move to
>> Lincoln with children, you provide elderly services to keep families in the
>> town, or even as families grow older the parents need more assistance and
>> move back with the kids to help provide the necessary help instead of
>> living alone. It gives flexibility and leverage to attract people to the
>> town and then keep those people there instead of chasing people away
>> because the overall view of Lincoln is they are concerned with themselves,
>> not others, not a very diverse community of people live in the town.
>>
>> Lincoln is a beautiful town, lots of history. close to Boston but from
>> the outside people do not want to 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Last Night's Community Center Forum

[Peter Buchthal]

Lynne, Karla and David make excellent points.  One of the challenges the
town faces with the community center is the lack of trust in the building
committee to size
a COA/ParksRec building to meet our needs and not our wishes.  I believe
the major hill the community is trying to climb is how many seniors
actually use the facilities today.
Parks and Recreation has provided actual attendance figures for all of the
activities.  COA has provided only maximum and minimum numbers without
means or averages.   The maximum and minimums for a particular activity can
vary greatly with the maximum being sometimes triple the minimum
headcount.  For residents who are not awash in money, in may be hard to
justify building a larger council on aging  for the occasional activities
that may need more space once every three months.   Wayland, a town with
twice the senior population compared to Lincoln  just built a new Senior
Center for 11 Million dollars.  Their building that meets the needs of a
town with twice the senior population is 12,900 square feet.  Our small,
medium and large Community Center proposals are 16K, 18K or 20+k.

I believe the Building Committee should ask Fincom or the Select board to
fund a consultant to provide average and mean numbers from the COA computer
system so that the community can see the actual consistent usage of today's
COA.  As someone who is familiar with computers, I believe the town could
easily also find several residents (representing different groups within
the town) who might volunteer their time to provide the needed computer
expertise to extract the needed average and mean numbers from COAs computer
system and generate more meaningful usage statistics for the community.

Let's not overbuild a public building again.

Peter Buchthal
Weston Rd.


On Wed, Sep 13, 2023 at 3:13 PM Michael Dembowski 
wrote:

> Reinforcing Lynne's point - there are not insignificant costs req'd of
> re-use of existing buildings- especially those anticipating assembly type
> spaces with higher use and occupancy.
> These start w/ the design team fees for professional assessment and
> recommendations to which cost estimates must be produced. The various
> building system upgrades required to meet and satisfy current building,
> energy, plumbing codes and more oftentimes (quite easily) exceed the
> threshold by which MA Building Code then (rightfully so) requires
> accessibility upgrades- including improvements to site, entries,
> provision/install of an accessible elevator, toilet room resizing for added
> fixtures and increased clearances, new building and room signage, revised
> mounting height of fire alarm devices, light switches throughout -
> and more. None of this invalidates the potential reuse of existing
> buildings, only the thinking that this alternative is a 'slam-dunk' for
> significant cost savings.
> Michael Dembowski
> Conant Road
>
> On Wed, Sep 13, 2023 at 2:12 PM llas902551--- via Lincoln <
> lincoln@lincolntalk.org> wrote:
>
>> To those interested. All available  existing town bldgs have been looked
>> at MULTIPLE TIMES and need much renovation at considerable expense.
>> Unfortunately because not only LEAP but P need space. So the cost has
>> now increased.
>> By using other bldgs their is rent and owner requirements.  And would not
>> belong to town.
>> And Their are many state/ town / school requirements at the ONLY sight
>> available on school grounds.
>> I'll add that the planning of the CC was well thought out for many yrs .
>> Hopefully when more of you need elder services we will have an appropriate
>> space.
>> Thank you.
>> Lynne LaSpina  FLCOA & HS
>> Sent from AOL on Android
>> <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aol.mobile.aolapp>
>>
>> On Wed, Sep 13, 2023 at 10:42 AM, Forest Brown
>>  wrote:
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[LincolnTalk] Community Center - more in-depth analysis and observations. Is it time for a course correction?

[Peter Buchthal]

 *must *be relocated to the new
community center. I have been to vaccine clinics at the school gym and they
have worked flawlessly. I am not sure if First Parish vaccine clinics are
different than the ones held at the school, but could they not all continue
to be held at the school? Are we suggesting, by labeling these as “cannot
stay” that unless we build a community center, we will have to stop vaccine
clinics? Does this apply to all the other activities in the “cannot stay”
section?



*Other thoughts*

Wayland, a much larger town than ours is building a new senior center that
is much smaller than the proposed plans.  Wayland expects to host 200
people at a time in their community center for both COA and Parks and Rec
programs in this much smaller building – do we really expect the need for
more space in Lincoln? There is a disconnect somewhere that needs to be
explained. Let’s not make the same mistake we did with our
disproportionately big school and build a 23K+ sqft community center
without really understanding what usage it will get.

Having a community center on the Hartwell campus would mean a large
increase in traffic. Do we really want all these additional drivers
navigating around pre-school Magic Garden children running into the
road/parking lot? I assume our school liability insurance would go up as a
result.  Has anyone investigated this?

I want to be clear, I think we need to invest in the COA.  Let’s see if we
can make it wonderful while being responsible with our resources and
meeting our long standing commitment to our beautiful buildings.


Peter Buchthal

71 Weston Rd.
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Re: [LincolnTalk] Class Sizes Does Matter

[Peter Buchthal]

The Department of Education has conducted research that bolsters the case
that our small class sizes should be reevaluated when our new
Superintendent becomes the CEO of our district.



The paper you cited (from 2012) should be compared with the more recent
2017 Massachusetts Secretary of Education policy brief provided as a
resource to all districts in the Commonwealth.  This 2017 Massachusetts
Class Size and Policy Brief
 was
written by Amy Ellen Schwartz
,
the current dean of the Biden School of Public Policy at the University of
Delaware. In short, this brief supports larger classes, stating that
“reducing class size can have unanticipated negative impacts on average
teacher quality” and that “most modern studies” on class size “show much
smaller impacts than the STAR experiment or no effects at all.”

What’s more, smaller classes require more teachers and perhaps
surprisingly, teachers are becoming increasingly hard to find for our
school. The Lincoln Middle School had a difficult time staffing a class.
They ended up promoting someone internally without any relevant education
or teaching experience. Until we pay more, we may continue to have
difficulties finding teachers.



I haven't done much research at our peer school districts besides our
neighbor Weston.  To be sure, their average class sizes are larger than
ours, and their test results are  superior when compared to Lincoln.

Peter

On Fri, Mar 24, 2023 at 8:41 AM Benjamin Shiller 
wrote:

> I would like to push back against recent claims that smaller classes do
> not improve outcomes.  A recent study in a top journal (implying the study
> was highly scrutinized and passed) shows that exogenous changes in class
> size have meaningful impacts on a variety of long run outcomes.  Smaller
> class sizes are found to be better, and pass some notion of a cost benefit
> analysis.
>
> Link to final published study:
> https://academic.oup.com/qje/article-abstract/128/1/249/1839904
>
> Link to earlier version of the paper that is not behind a paywall:
> https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/6857958.pdf
>
> While I fully agree with the notion that we should look hard at how to
> improve the outcomes of our students (both for parents and because better
> schools = higher property values), larger classes seem to hinder that
> effort.
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[LincolnTalk] Is it time to re-evaluate the Lincoln School classroom size policy? Mass Dept of Education says maybe

[Peter Buchthal]

Dear Lincoln Residents,

Hi again, this is Peter Buchthal and I am running for one of the two open
Lincoln School Committee spot. In my previous email, I showed everyone data
that a high percentage of Lincoln Parents of school age children are
dissatisfied and have withdrawn their children from the school district.
Lincoln loses students, more than our neighboring communities.Until we
dig a bit deeper, we won’t know the reasons.

I have written previously on Lincoln Talk about how small the Lincoln Class
size compares to many of our well performing peer communities like Weston.
When I came to Lincoln 10 years ago before the birth of my eldest, my
broker and the locals I met said the school is small and we are incredibly
lucky to have such small class sizes.   Now that my children are all a bit
older and in 3rd, 2nd and Kindergarten, I am starting to challenge that
premise.  On Thursday, I wrote  that I grew up in one of the best public
schools in the nation.  They paid their teachers really well and got the
best.  I fondly remember my 3rd grade teacher, Mr. Shoe (Shoemaker), my 5th
grade teacher Mr. Gosen,  and many others.  They were simply amazing.

I believe we should spend generously in our school to ensure that every
student reaches his or her full potential. However, I am partial to
spending resources thoughtfully. We have been making active policy choices
that lead to a cost per student at least 25% higher than our peers based on
DESE data.  Unfortunately, these policy choices are not providing us any
visible advantage versus our neighboring towns. In fact, rather the
opposite, judging by last spring’s survey results (and our latest winter
iReady results: 38%, or more than 1 out of three students in the Lincoln
campus has “Relative overall placement is one or more grade levels
behind”.  In a future post, I will discuss a potential action plan that
needs to be considered based upon our recent iReady results.

Let’s zoom in on class sizes. Our current policy was apparently established
by a study
<https://www.lincnet.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=4978=10863=5.5.CSRC%20Final%20Report.pdf>
conducted
in 2015 by a Class Size Research Committee appointed by the Lincoln School
Committee. That Committee endorsed small class sizes. The Committee based
its conclusions on a 1980’s study conducted in Tennessee (project STAR),
which had class sizes of 15 students rather than a more standard 22.
Lincoln has since then had average class sizes that are approximately equal
to those recommended by project STAR.

If small class sizes are truly so superior why aren’t more towns taking
this approach? Well, according to the Massachusetts Department of Education
(DOE), the small class size advantage is a costly myth. In particular,
project Star has been replicated in modern studies with disappointing
results. I will just copy paste their paper’s key findings:
<https://www.doe.mass.edu/research/reports/2017/12class-size.docx>

*Small classes are popular, but evidence of their positive impact on
student outcomes is disappointing—and the choices districts make about
class size have real, though often hidden, costs. This policy brief
explicitly aims to help inform district class size choices by summarizing
the research evidence on class size and putting those findings into the
Massachusetts context.*

*In this brief, we highlight findings from the research literature on class
size:*

§  *Early evidence from the Tennessee STAR experiment (the same study the
Town of Lincoln used to base their small class policy) was promising, but
studies using other data and settings more similar to the current education
policy context suggest little effect.*

§  *Most modern studies show much smaller impacts than the STAR experiment
or no effects at all.*

§  *Little convincing evidence in the current educational context shows
that small classes generate greater improvements in student outcomes for
black or low-income students.*

§  *Reducing class size can have unanticipated negative impacts on average
teacher quality.*



So after all, we may be spending all those resources for naught. It sounds
like we are shooting ourselves in the foot by spreading ourselves thin and
as result compromising our average teacher quality and our ability to
supplement our school’s offerings.

How do we sort out this mess? We need to start a dialogue with the new
Superintendent and identify all of our policy choices.  I am not suggesting
we start axing teachers. The first thing we need to do is to stop hiring
additional staff. The outgoing Administration appears hungry to add to its
numbers and is proposing we add another 2.5 FTEs for next year (page 28).
<https://www.lincnet.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=11409=26412=8.1.1%20FY24%20Lincoln%20Public%20Schools%20Preliminary%20Budget%20book2022.11.28.pdf>
Having
stopped or delayed the hiring, we need to rethink how we deploy our
resources. An ob

[LincolnTalk] Peter Buchthal for School Committee - Discussion of high attrition at our schools

[Peter Buchthal]

Dear Lincoln Residents,

My name is Peter Buchthal and I am running for one of the two open Lincoln
School Committee Seats.   I believe in the value of a great public
education.  I feel lucky that I grew up in Scarsdale, New York, which has
one of the strongest Public School systems in the country.   After
Scarsdale, I went to Carnegie-Mellon University and graduated at the top of
my class.  I then worked at IBM and Oracle Corporation for a couple of
years. I left Oracle to serially start two successful Oracle related
businesses that I grew from nothing, hired employees, raised capital, built
a product, gained customers around the world and eventually sold the
businesses to public companies.   I know how to see and understand the
needs of customers and solve problems.

Even though Lincoln is only K-8, I believe Lincoln could be one of the best
school districts in the Boston area.  However, I am troubled by the high
attrition of current students when compared against many other school
systems in our area.  I have been told by many that some Lincoln families
pull their children out of the school and send their children to Private
School. Some of these neighboring districts (i.e. Weston, Lexington) are
also very affluent like Lincoln, but their students do not leave their
school systems in similar numbers.As a School Committee member, I would
prioritize learning the reasons families are voting with their feet and try
to improve our school to meet more of our school family needs.  I promise
to be open and transparent with our findings.

The data below comes from here
https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/statereport/attrition.aspx and reflects % of
attrition by grade (students not returning following year). Given how low
the turnover of housing is in Lincoln, the root cause is not people moving
out of town. In case anyone hypothesizes that our high attrition is due to
our higher METCO percentages, the conclusions don’t change even when we
isolate METCO out.  I believe it is very important for School Committee
members to not only look at Lincoln data (as normally provided by the
School administration), *but also the data from neighboring towns.*

*District Name*
*2*
*3*
*4*
*5*
*6*
*7*
*Average*
Lincoln - Lincoln School
5.4
6.8
11.3
6.7
11.5
9.4
8.5
Concord
2.8
7.8
7.4
6.7
8.2
6.5
6.6
Newton
5.5
6.4
5.3
8.9
6.3
5.1
6.3
Wellesley
4.5
5.5
6.1
13.4
2.3
3.4
5.9
Dover-Sherborn




7.5
3.8
5.7
Belmont
4.2
5.8
4.6
7.1
7.1
4.6
5.6
Weston
2.8
7.0
6.7
5.6
6.0
2.0
5.0
Needham
2.7
3.9
4.7
3.9
6.0
5.7
4.5
Lexington
5.9
3.2
3.6
5.5
4.0
2.8
4.2
Sudbury
3.6
4.2
4.4
4.7
4.1
3.1
4.0
Carlisle
1.8
5.6
8.7
1.4
1.7
1.6
3.5
Winchester
1.7
2.2
3.8
4.3
4.3
3.2
3.3
Wayland
3.4
4.1
2.4
4.5
1.5
1.0
2.8
Dover
2.2
1.2
4.1



2.5
Sherborn
0.0
3.2
1.7



1.6

ReplyForward
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Re: [LincolnTalk] Let's not rush choosing our new Middle School Principal

[Peter Buchthal]

Andy,

In today's email I also said

"I feel strongly that It is not fair to ask a new Superintendent to make
important decisions before she is a full time employee of the town."

Three of the four candidates are already  employed in other school systems
through the end of the school year.

The current plan forces the new Superintendent to make a decision without
having enough time to properly evaluate the applicants, and the needs of
the  middle school.  All four of the candidates still have other day jobs
consuming most of their time and attention.  I am of the opinion, we
shouldn't rush the hire.  Let's think about naming an interim Principal
instead.


Please email the schooc...@lincnet.org to tell them to postpone the new
hire.

Peter Buchthal



On Fri, Feb 3, 2023 at 1:50 PM Andy Wang  wrote:

> All,
>
> I wanted to call out a nuance in Peter's email regarding the inclusion of
> the incoming superintendent in the process that I want to make sure people
> are aware of.
>
> In Becky's Dec 21 Letter From The Superintendent (
> https://www.lincnet.org/Page/5798), she says this:
>
> "I hope to create a process that *will allow the newly appointed
> superintendent to participate in the finalist stage and make the final
> decision to appoint a principal*. This means that the process will likely
> be completed in late February or early March." (emphasis is mine).  She
> echoes those sentiments in the letter Peter linked as well.
>
> The superintendent decision was planned for Feb 7, so this lines up with
> that schedule.
>
> Peter's interpretation was "Our incoming Superintendent will only have a
> token opportunity to bless the candidate selected by the current
> Administration team."
>
> I'll leave as an exercise to the reader on the judgement on the accuracy
> of Peter's interpretation of the process.
>
> - Andy
>
>
>
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Re: [LincolnTalk] Responding to this morning’s dialogue about the MS principal search committee

[Peter Buchthal]

Just to clarify.  Inclusion is important.  I find it difficult to
understand why I am getting jumped upon for pointing out that a single
Boston Parent cannot represent all of the interests of the school community
by herself.   A Lincoln resident parent and a resident-at-large should also
have been included.  Shouldn’t those two groups deserve a seat at the table
when 80% of the students are from the town of Lincoln?

Peter Buchthal
Candidate for School Committee




On Fri, Feb 3, 2023 at 12:27 PM sally kindleberger 
wrote:

> Kristin Ferris - what a great letter so important to fight against
> institutional racism!  You write very well- stay in the fray!
>
> On Fri, Feb 3, 2023 at 12:19 PM Kristen Ferris 
> wrote:
>
>> I am not a regular LT user and so apologies, I can’t figure out how to
>> respond directly to this morning’s thread, but wanted to add to the
>> discussion.
>>
>> I value the discussion and debate in the LT community, and appreciate the
>> sentiments expressed around that. At the same time, I think virtual forums
>> can allow us to be more hurtful and lacking in empathy than we would be in
>> other in-person discussions, and I think we have to guard against that.
>> Statements that are personally hurtful should not be allowed here.
>>
>> In that vein, I think calling out any Boston resident parent of our
>> school community as "not a Lincoln parent" is hurtful, especially in the
>> context of this person making such a generous commitment to our shared
>> school community. We know our Boston resident students and families
>> experience less belonging in our school and town communities, and this
>> impacts their daily experiences and outcomes. These sorts of statements
>> move us in the wrong direction.
>>
>> Yes, every parent brings their own perspective. And, I think we should
>> all recognize that for many, many years in our decision-making, the Boston
>> resident community has been under-represented. And, that this is a
>> community that it is particularly important to design for, in the context
>> of the data we have on belonging in our district.
>>
>> I know many of us are grappling with how to reckon with the ongoing
>> structural racism and other forms of institutionalized privilege around us.
>> Beginning to over-represent those that have been historically
>> underrepresented seems like a great way to start.
>>
>> Kristen Ferris
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
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Re: [LincolnTalk] Let's not rush choosing our new Middle School Principal

[Peter Buchthal]

Andy,

Jessica is not a Lincoln parent nor a Lincoln resident.  She is a Metco
parent.  I'm a bit shocked why we didn't have at least a couple of Lincoln
resident parents to represent the 400+ students from the town of Lincoln.

Once the Superintendent gave notice that she is retiring, the scope of her
work responsibilities automatically changed.   The document you linked to
never considered the unusual conditions of Superintendent responsibilities
during the period after giving notice until a new Superintendent comes on
board.  I feel strongly that It is not fair to ask a new Superintendent to
make important decisions before she is a full time employee of the town.

Best,
Peter Buchthal
Candidate for School Committee


On Thu, Feb 2, 2023 at 3:27 PM Andy Wang  wrote:

> Peter,
>
> Was that accurate to say 'by a Committee that shockingly does not include
> a single Lincoln parent or resident-at-large'?  Jessica Llaverias is listed
> as a parent.
>
> *Search Committee:*
>
> Superintendent – Becky McFall
>
> Assistant Superintendent – Jess Rose
>
> Middle School Principal – Erich Ledebuhr
>
> Lincoln School Principal – Sarah Collmer
>
> Administrator for Student Services – Lisa Berard
>
> Interim Student Services Coordinator/Special Educator – Keriann Gilman
>
> Classroom Teacher – Julie Barkin
>
> Classroom Teacher – Amanda Sykes
>
> Classroom Teacher – Karen Sheppard
>
> Administrative School Secretary – Maureen Belt
>
> Parent – Jessica Llaverias
>
> Also, I believe the staffing responsibility for principals falls on the
> superintendent, not the school committee.  (
> https://www.lincnet.org/cms/lib/MA01001239/Centricity/domain/3/public_documents/process/SCSupRoles.pdf).
> There is a clear separation of roles listed.
>
> - Andy
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Feb 2, 2023 at 3:09 PM Peter Buchthal  wrote:
>
>> Dear School Committee Members and Lincoln Talk,
>>
>>
>> *If you agree with my email below, please forward this email to the
>> schoolc...@lincnet.org  with your agreement that we
>> should hold off on hiring a new Middle School principal*.
>>
>>
>>
>> I believe we are about to make a big mistake. In our hurry to find a new
>> Principal for the Middle School, the School Committee has forgotten about
>> the importance of our new Superintendent getting the opportunity to build
>> his/her own team. As many of you know, our Middle School principal Sharon
>> Hobbs is retiring at the end of this school year. Our current plan
>> <https://www.lincnet.org/Page/5815> is to have our retiring
>> Superintendent run point on the search, selecting candidates and conducting
>> interviews before we have even had a chance to select our new
>> Superintendent. The retiring Superintendent will be assisted by a Committee
>> that shockingly does not include a single Lincoln parent or
>> resident-at-large. Our incoming Superintendent will only have a token
>> opportunity to bless the candidate selected by the current Administration
>> team.
>>
>>
>>
>> Given the immense importance of getting this candidate right and ensuring
>> that our new Superintendent is set for success, I strongly encourage the
>> School Committee to put this process on hold. Our new Superintendent should
>> have an opportunity to become acquainted with our school to
>> properly determine the specific skills required for the job before
>> beginning this process. At a future time,our new Superintendent should have
>> the opportunity to lead this process and have a say on the Search Committee
>> members and the candidates selected. Said Committee should make a real
>> effort to get a strong contingent of Lincoln parents and residents
>> representing a broad spectrum of views. Our new Superintendent might decide
>> that the school would be better served by placing an interim Principal and
>> in my opinion that would be fine. We will be better off waiting for the
>> right person who can work together effectively with our new Superintendent
>> than rushing to make a subpar decision that impairs our school.
>>
>>
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Peter Buchthal
>>
>> Candidate for School Committee
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>>
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[LincolnTalk] Let's not rush choosing our new Middle School Principal

[Peter Buchthal]

Dear School Committee Members and Lincoln Talk,


*If you agree with my email below, please forward this email to the
schoolc...@lincnet.org  with your agreement that we
should hold off on hiring a new Middle School principal*.



I believe we are about to make a big mistake. In our hurry to find a new
Principal for the Middle School, the School Committee has forgotten about
the importance of our new Superintendent getting the opportunity to build
his/her own team. As many of you know, our Middle School principal Sharon
Hobbs is retiring at the end of this school year. Our current plan
<https://www.lincnet.org/Page/5815> is to have our retiring Superintendent
run point on the search, selecting candidates and conducting interviews
before we have even had a chance to select our new Superintendent. The
retiring Superintendent will be assisted by a Committee that shockingly
does not include a single Lincoln parent or resident-at-large. Our incoming
Superintendent will only have a token opportunity to bless the candidate
selected by the current Administration team.



Given the immense importance of getting this candidate right and ensuring
that our new Superintendent is set for success, I strongly encourage the
School Committee to put this process on hold. Our new Superintendent should
have an opportunity to become acquainted with our school to
properly determine the specific skills required for the job before
beginning this process. At a future time,our new Superintendent should have
the opportunity to lead this process and have a say on the Search Committee
members and the candidates selected. Said Committee should make a real
effort to get a strong contingent of Lincoln parents and residents
representing a broad spectrum of views. Our new Superintendent might decide
that the school would be better served by placing an interim Principal and
in my opinion that would be fine. We will be better off waiting for the
right person who can work together effectively with our new Superintendent
than rushing to make a subpar decision that impairs our school.



Best,

Peter Buchthal

Candidate for School Committee
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Re: [LincolnTalk] Lincoln School Projected Class Size

[Peter Buchthal]

Hi All,
I have a suggestion to offer regarding Lincoln Talk and reducing the
possibility of the Open Meeting Violations.  As Lincoln Talk operates as a
listserv emailing discussions to all subscribers, if only two School
Committee Members subscribed and participated in Lincoln Talk, no
quorum would be reached in any discussion and thus no Open Meeting
violations.   The other members would unsubscribe from Lincoln Talk to
ensure that a quorum would never be reached.   If a subject matter required
further discussion with the full School Committee, those two School
Committee Members could put the issue(s) on the next open meeting's agenda
to report back to the full committee about the issues and opinions during
an Open Meeting, and  more quickly and efficiently incorporate the public
into very important decisions.

I'm not a lawyer, but I thinkTown Council could help the Lincoln School
Committee establish rules to ensure that there's better and more frequent
two way communications between the public and the Committee using Lincoln
Talk while avoiding any Open Meeting violations.  The public in Lincoln
uses Lincoln Talk to communicate and debate.  Lincoln's governmental
committees need to figure a way to more actively participate with Lincoln
Talk.

Best,
Peter Buchthal




On Wed, Feb 1, 2023 at 7:56 PM David Cuetos  wrote:

> Hi Andy,
>
> I would say the School Committee is falling short of informing and
> engaging school parents and the wider resident community. I am going to
> suggest two complementary schemes that would go a long way to correct this
> deficit without violating Open Meeting Laws.
>
> There is nothing preventing the School Committee from sending out *a memo
> that addresses in depth all the issues raised in the LincolnTalk discussion
> and explains their choices with a proper cost reward analysis.* The Community
> Center Building Committee did something similar when they started to get
> push back from this forum. It would be very helpful for the community to
> get more transparency in the decision making process for these
> important school policy choices. I have watched the School Committee
> meetings in which the budget was discussed. Unfortunately, there was no
> substantive debate on any of these important decisions during those
> meetings. All of these choices were taken for granted.
>
> Right now, there is no forum where town residents can debate with the
> School Committee and the School Administration on matters of import. I
> realize there is a public comment section at the beginning of most School
> Committee meetings, but it isn't a two-way communication format. Residents
> have three minutes to talk, everybody is silent and at the end of the
> intervention nobody opines and nothing is heard about the issue ever again.
> To give you an example, Peter Buchthal and I are concerned about the
> *Hanscom's** school's OPEB liability*. For those not in the know, the
> town has accrued an approximately $5M retirement liability with Hanscom's
> employees. If we are not able to renew the contract with the DoD after 2025
> in terms that are favorable to Lincoln, my understanding is that we are on
> the hook for that $5M. That liability figure is very sensitive to different
> assumptions like future returns or salary growth for existing and future
> employees, meaning the actual number could be much larger (or smaller).
> Right now we are only funding that liability $200k per year on average.
> Peter's question to the School Committee and the Administration during
> Public Comment was simple: given how rich the current contract with the DoD
> is and how little visibility we have about its renewal, why aren't we
> funding that liability much more aggressively while we can? No response was
> provided during that meeting and no follow-up has occurred since. I can
> give you another example, I am trying to understand *why Lincoln pays $1M
> in employment retirement contributions while Hanscom only pays $160k
> despite its 15% larger staff*. The Administration (both the town's and
> the school's) have gone silent on the matter, and the School Committee,
> which is copied in my correspondence with the School Administration, has
> declined to participate*.*
>
> *My suggestion for the School Committee is to make themselves available to
> the overall community in a proper open forum where all issues concerning
> our school can be debated.* Again, this would not be unprecedented. The
> CCBC conducted a similar exercise ahead of the Special Town Meeting.
>
> I want to thank everyone who has participated in this thread for taking
> time out of their busy lives to engage in a civic public debate.
>
> Best,
>
> David Cuetos
>
> On Wed, Feb 1, 2023 at 6:32 PM Andy Wang  wrote:
>
>> Peter (and anyone else following along),

Re: [LincolnTalk] Lincoln School Projected Class Size

[Peter Buchthal]

Jennifer,
I never mentioned decreasing "services."  I tried to say that we have lost
20 % of our student body over the last 10 years and our school expenditures
has gone up 25% during that
time (not counting inflation). Maybe we should start to look at optimizing
the things we do to be able to offer more, not less to our students.  If
there's money left, we can use it to defray
next year's budget override, as I doubt that the teachers union will accept
the 1% salary increase predicted in next year's Budget.  I am all for
paying the teachers and staff well, maybe just
a fewer number of them.

Special Education is super important for so many reasons, so don't worry.

Peter

On Tue, Jan 31, 2023 at 9:46 PM Jennifer Saffran 
wrote:

> You mentioned decreasing “special” services. If you mean special
> education, understand that there are complex state and federal laws and
> regulations that govern these.
>
> The good news is that the additional staff that is demanded, particularly
> in-classroom aides and paraprofessionals lower the student to staff ratios.
> Also, funding for special education is a combination of local, state, and
> federal dollars. The LEA (local school district) is not responsible for
> paying for all of it.
>
>
>
> On Jan 31, 2023, at 9:18 PM, Andy Wang  wrote:
>
> Peter,
>
> I was just keying off of something you said "The recently approved FY24
> Budget contradicts the chart as it funds 4 classroom teachers per each 6, 7
> and 8 grade. "  What are you keying off of in the budget?  How are you
> counting teachers where there are ones that teach sections across grades
> and specialists?  I was just pointing out that while there were 4
> homeroom teachers in 6th, but there are only 3 sections for the kids.
> Those teachers don't 'just have homeroom duties', like my kid's homeroom
> teacher is also his ELA teacher.
>
> Parents can certainly voice concerns.  Gifted children want extra
> attention, and parents of gifted kids advocate for that.  Struggling
> students want extra attention, and those parents advocate for them.  It IS
> complicated in the sense that you need to optimize across a wide range of
> students and abilities, and philosophical stance on what it means to be a
> student at Lincoln Public Schools and there are trades that need to be
> made.  I mean, do you KNOW that the administration hasn't looked at ways of
> optimizing things?
>
> When it comes down to it, I'm happy to wax philosophical on Lincoln Talk
> all day long (clearly), but my parting point was just that the school
> committee is elected and folks should be electing people who they think
> represent their views.  There are many ways to focus the school.  We could
> teach more to the MCAS and increase that ranking, we could make larger
> classes, remove special programs, decrease special services, increase
> gifted programs, decrease spending.  All of those things come with
> trade-offs and those decisions are not going to be made here.  And only
> foot stomping this stronger now cause deadline to pull papers is tomorrow.
>
> - Andy
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jan 31, 2023 at 8:53 PM Peter Buchthal 
> wrote:
>
>> Andy,
>>
>> I don't see your distinction between listed teachers who have classrooms
>> for core subjects and other teachers who apparently just host homeroom
>> students and have other classroom duties.  Our  school population has
>> decreased by 20 % in the last 10 years and apparently the administration
>> and school committee can't even consider *optimizing* the staff to offer
>> additional academic services the students and parents want while lowering
>> the ongoing costs of running the school.  Every year, without much debate,
>> the School Committee asks and gets the maximum 2.5% raise over the previous
>> year and that is considered success even though our school population keeps
>> going down.Our student teacher ratio is significantly lower than almost
>> everyone (37% more teachers than the state average),  Our MCAS scores are
>> middle of the pack, our cost per student is 6K higher than almost every
>> other school except for Weston and the School says basically, "we can't cut
>> a thing, you don't understand, it's complicated."
>>
>> 
>> ReplyForward
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Jan 31, 2023 at 6:14 PM Andy Wang  wrote:
>>
>>> Peter,
>>>
>>> Not to jump in on a conversation between you and John, but since you
>>> posted publicly, I figure it would be okay.
>>>
>>> I wanted to point out, that in the middle school, there is a distinction
>>> between the listed teachers (from the enrollment report) and sections that
>>> are on 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Lincoln School Projected Class Size

[Peter Buchthal]

Andy,

I don't see your distinction between listed teachers who have classrooms
for core subjects and other teachers who apparently just host homeroom
students and have other classroom duties.  Our  school population has
decreased by 20 % in the last 10 years and apparently the administration
and school committee can't even consider *optimizing* the staff to offer
additional academic services the students and parents want while lowering
the ongoing costs of running the school.  Every year, without much debate,
the School Committee asks and gets the maximum 2.5% raise over the previous
year and that is considered success even though our school population keeps
going down.Our student teacher ratio is significantly lower than almost
everyone (37% more teachers than the state average),  Our MCAS scores are
middle of the pack, our cost per student is 6K higher than almost every
other school except for Weston and the School says basically, "we can't cut
a thing, you don't understand, it's complicated."

[image: Screenshot 2023-01-31 at 7.42.59 PM.png]
ReplyForward


On Tue, Jan 31, 2023 at 6:14 PM Andy Wang  wrote:

> Peter,
>
> Not to jump in on a conversation between you and John, but since you
> posted publicly, I figure it would be okay.
>
> I wanted to point out, that in the middle school, there is a distinction
> between the listed teachers (from the enrollment report) and sections that
> are on John's chart. I have a son who is in 6th grade  (60 in his class).
> In the enrollment report you linked to (the 2022 Enrollment Report), it
> indicates that there are 4 groups, what I'll call 'homerooms' each led by a
> teacher (4 listed there).  But when they go to class, he says they only
> have 3 sections, of about 20 in each section.  This seems to match the
> chart that John included in his email, which specifies sections.  I think
> in the middle school, the teacher ratio gets a little more confusing since
> some subject teachers teach one grade, some multiple, and also specialists
> (who could teach multiple grades) as opposed to in the elementary school
> where the 'homeroom' teachers, for the most part, teach all subjects to
> their class (but also some specials here too).  While I understand your
> argument, I don't think it's quite as simple as just cutting a section.
>
> As a staffing side note, the town probably also doesn't want to get into a
> situation where, say you decide to cut a section of a grade and then have a
> teacher who teaches across the middle school grades with a < 1 FTE load. To
> which I think the natural tendency for those teachers would be to go look
> for other employment when they can get a full time position. So there is a
> balance there as well. Just some food for thought.
>
> To a large extent, while public Lincoln Talk discussions are entertaining,
> real change happens in the committee, which is an elected position. I'll go
> back to the statement that if folks are unhappy with the direction of the
> school and want some impact, the more productive course of action is to run
> for a seat, state your opinions and views, and see if there is a large
> enough group of folks who share that view.  That's the real mandate for
> change, otherwise, the committee really has no idea if this is like 1/2 the
> town feels this way or it is just a select vocal minority.
>
> - Andy
>
>
>
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[LincolnTalk] Testing the waters if I should run for School Committee

[Peter Buchthal]

Hi all,
I hope most everyone enjoys hearing my thoughts about our school and my
desire to have a really great school for my children.

I am thinking of taking Andy Wang's advice and running for School
Committee.

I need a big push.  If you think I should run, please email me privately.

Thanks
Peter
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[LincolnTalk] Jake Lehrhoff for School Committee on our schools, budget, and outcomes Inbox

[Peter Buchthal]

Thank you Jake for engaging in a discussion about our school and the
issues.  Lincoln Talk is a great way for the town's voters to learn more
about the issues our town faces.  Through online debate and open meetings,
hopefully, our town will get better and stronger.

I'm not sure I follow your reasoning.  At one point your email says: "if
you keep hunting for new data, you can inadvertently bend the data to your
will and draw a biased conclusion" but further down you also mention "I am
confident that there is more data out there explaining the value of our
towns investment and the exemplary outcomes for Lincoln K-8 students."

Could you please define "exemplary outcomes" and how would you
approach looking for this new data without drawing a pre-ordained, biased
conclusion that you didn't want to make in your first sentence above.

Do you have other examples in mind when you say that high-schools have a
lower cost per student. Using the DESE data from our neighbors, four out of
five elementary/middle schools have lower cost per student than their
corresponding high-schools.  The DESE data for Lincoln includes Hanscom and
Lincoln together.

[image: Screenshot 2023-01-25 at 10.37.26 PM.png]

This has been debated in the past, but I would argue that  Lincoln's
district is unique because of Hanscom and  a higher percentage METCO
population as both are paid for by third parties.   If you look exclusively
at students paid for by local taxpayers we are way more expensive than
Weston.

Do you think our ultra small class sizes in the middle school is a good use
of taxpayer funds?  We currently have 4 sections each of 7th and 8th
graders where the average class is only 13 students.  Our maximum
recommended  class size in 7th and 8th grade is 24 students.  Why shouldn't
we drop a section in each grade?  Do you think it's possible that  our poor
engagement numbers from our middle schoolers may come from the fact the our
classes are too small and students don't have enough of their friends with
them in class all day?   Do you support rubber stamping next year's school
budget that maintains this year's ultra small classes in our middle
school?   Is there something in our demographics that gives you (and our
other current school committee members) optimism that our middle school
will soon get a significant increase in students that warrants maintaining
4 sections in 6th, 7th and 8th grade?  Only the current 4th graders have 4
sections.  K,1,2,3,5 all are running with 3 sections.

I believe candidates for any elected office should have opinions about what
is going well and what needs improvement in their soon to be governed
organizations.

I admire your optimism that everything is great and the future will only
get better.  But, as a candidate running for school office without ever
having a child in our school, may I suggest you talk to as many parents
with children of different grades as possible so that they share with you
their experiences as a parent at the Lincoln School.  This will allow you
to further develop  priorities and ideas to improve the school.  We all
look forward to learning more from you and asking further questions on the
issues.

Thank you so much,
Peter
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[LincolnTalk] Lincoln School Committee Followup Question

[Peter Buchthal]

Hi all,



I am the parent of three young children who attend the Lincoln Public
School. My wife and I moved to Lincoln right before my eldest was born in
large part because we believed our children would receive a strong public
education.  I went to a great public school in NY and there’s no good
reason why Lincoln shouldn’t have one too.



I want to thank Karla for sending her letter to the community. If you
haven’t read it, please do.  It confirms much of what I have observed
through my children's own experiences. The data, both academic and
otherwise, is clear: our school is underperforming our outsized
investment.  *We overspend every town nearly 2:1 to achieve results no
better than our neighbors.*  In 2012, Lincoln K-8 educated 500 children who
lived in Lincoln, In 2022 we were down to 412 students from Lincoln, a
reduction of 20 percent.  *During that time, our K-8 school expenses have
gone up the maximum allowed, or around 2.5% annually without an override*.
In 2014 we had 31 K-8 sections, in 2023 with 20% fewer Lincoln students, we
still have 31 K-8 sections.  Moreover, almost all other school districts in
the Commonwealth are anticipating further enrollment declines. For
instance, in Newton, MA, they are planning for a 5% decline in enrollment
between 2021 and 2026.  With Lincoln's high tax burden and high home costs,
it is reasonable to assume further enrollment declines.



*With academic results currently no better than our neighbors, why do we
continue to overspend on our school when our enrollment continues to
decline?  Have we reached the point to start to right-size our school
expenses to lower the tax burden to our community? *



*It is clear our community needs to reform our school so the level of
results corresponds to our level of investment.* I am glad to hear we
already have three candidates competing for two open seats in the School
Committee. I want to thank Matina, Jake, and Adam for their generosity in
running for this volunteer role. I hope to use this public forum to ask
them a very straightforward question:



Matina, Jake and Adam, as you are all running for the School Committee, *could
you please share your ideas that will *

*a) reduce the fiscal burden of our schools, *

*b) improve the educational experience of our students, in ways that
translate both into better academic outcomes and higher student engagement?*



I look forward to all of your responses. Best of luck to you all.



Peter Buchthal

71 Weston Rd
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[LincolnTalk] Community center marriage of COA and Parks and Recreation

[Peter Buchthal]

Now is the time to vote NO on Warrant 1.

I believe it is a false choice to think there are no other options for the
town except Warrant #1, for $325,000.

People seem enamored with the name "Community Center" without really
looking at the space needs of both the COA and the Rec Department together.

As the parent of three kids, most of the Parks and Rec Department
programming that we use and love today is outdoors on a sports field,
tennis court, pool, or school gym.  I can't imagine allocating a new indoor
12,500 sqf  facility  (1/2 of the Community Center) to the Parks and Rec
program offerings.   Most indoor oriented Parks and Rec usage
forecasts appear aspirational, not addressing defined needs.  Most of the
offerings that are indoors, could surely be located in the new school after
school hours at minimal extra cost.  From the 2018 Community Center Final
Report "The PRD runs some programs on weekdays during school hours, such as
exercise classes for adults, but most of its offerings are held for
children after school, on weekday evenings, and on weekends."

It is clear that the combination of Parks and Rec with the COA is a
marriage of convenience and may not be a good use of tax dollars.  With few
indoor activities outside of facilities provided today by the Gym, Parks
and Rec hasn't justified their need for 12,500 sqf of new space.

I propose a 2nd Warrant of 50K-75K that could be voted upon that would fund
a proper current needs analysis.   The output of this study should be a slimmed
down COA that is no longer an architectural statement but a functional,
clean and enjoyable COA.  This building could be a renovated Pierce, Bemis
or new facility at Hartwell.

A No vote on Warrant 1 is not a NO for everything, just this oversized, ill
conceived marriage of COA and the Parks and  Recreation department called
"Community Center"
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[LincolnTalk] Fwd: Community Center - Financial Big Picture

[Peter Buchthal]

Let me try and explain to everyone why these population numbers are so
important.

The Federal Census in 2020  is the most comprehensive census in the nation
and it involved knocking on every door in the town and calculated a total
population of 6,868  for the town of Lincoln including all the military
affiliated people living on the base.  Lincoln residents on the base do not
cost the town in any way.  The Department of Defense  covers almost all of
the costs a normal town would provide to their residents.  For example,
within the base fire, police, snowplowing, road maintenance, and schooling
costs are all paid for the Department  of Defense.  So we feel it is
important to get an accurate measure of the total number of Lincoln
residents, not including the residents that live on the base for comparison
per capita purposes with other towns in the Commonwealth.

Here is the population number from Lincoln, inclusive of Hanscom AFB
(6,868)
https://censusreporter.org/profiles/06000US2501735425-lincoln-town-middlesex-county-ma/
Here is the 2020 population number for Hanscom AFB, (2,119)
https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US2528425-hanscom-afb-ma/

As per the September 8th, 2022 minutes of the Lincoln School Committee, 96%
of Hanscom housing is full.

>From the following current hanscom housing website, it states that there
are 731 homes within the base and 2,375 residents.
https://www.hanscomfamilyhousing.com/news/hanscom-family-housing-team-awarded-for-housing-excellence
.

So, our 2020 number of 2119 is not that far from today's 2,375.

Let's try and test the two hanscom population numbers to see which one is
more reasonable.
There are 419 children attending Hanscom K-8 schools.
There 95 Military dependents from Hanscom attending Bedford High School
(9-12)

So, having 731 homes  that are 96% occupied with 514 school age students
living on the base not counting any children who aren't yet in school and
typical two parents yields a Hanscom population number easily over 2000.

The Town of Lincoln's presentations have most recently used a  Hanscom
population number of 1,276 in their calculations.
This number  seems way too low considering Hansom has  514 students
residing in  731 multi bedroom homes.  I assume most families at Hanscom
have two parents.

We as a community need to figure out a way to agree on basic population
numbers.

Benchmarking our numbers against our peer communities only works if we all
can agree on our own population numbers.


So, like David, I calculate 6,868  (total residents including hanscom) -
2119 (hanscom residents)  - 7 (Bedford barracks)

= 4,767 approximate Lincoln residents as of 2020.



The Town of Lincoln's  population estimate  of approximately 5,608 Lincoln
residents not including Hanscom seems way off base and inflated.  That
number doesn't pass a reasonableness test after one considers Hanscoms own
population count of over 2,000.

The Town of Lincoln should provide us with their detailed backup population
analysis if they insist on continuing to use 5,608 Lincoln Residents as
their official numbers as we further benchmark our town governements versus
our peers.


-- Forwarded message -
From: *David Cuetos* 
Date: Fri, Nov 18, 2022 at 18:07
Subject: Re: [LincolnTalk] Community Center - Financial Big Picture
To: Lincoln Talk 


Andy,

I thought we had already settled this population debate. As I explained to
you in my last email, I believe your population numbers are inaccurate. My
population numbers come from the US Census Bureau, specifically the Annual
Community Survey.

Here is the population number from Lincoln, inclusive of Hanscom AFB
(6,868)
https://censusreporter.org/profiles/06000US2501735425-lincoln-town-middlesex-county-ma/

Here is the population number for Hanscom AFB, (2,119)
https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US2528425-hanscom-afb-ma/

All of the Hanscom residents live in Lincoln, with the exception of a small
barrack located at 75 Grenier St, Bedford. *I called the Bedford Town Clerk
to confirm this. There are 7 Bedford registered residents living in that
address.*

 6,868 - (2,119 - 7) = 4,756 Lincoln residents exclusive of Hanscom

The numbers you quoted in our conversation come from our Town voter
registration, and as I have already explained to you, the methodology used
is not consistent and probably undercounts Hanscom residents as the Town
clerk herself acknowledged to Peter Buchthal when he visited her.

I stand by my analysis and believe it provides an accurate picture.

David



On Fri, Nov 18, 2022 at 5:32 PM Andrew Payne  wrote:

David,

You posted:

*Lincoln has the highest budget expenditure per capita among our group of
nine peer towns.*


As I explained to you very directly when we met in person, and in
my followup emails, your analyses use a non-Hanscom Lincoln population
number that's significantly lower than actual.

With an assumption that's ~15-20% too low, all of your Lincoln per-capita
data will be ~15