[LincolnTalk] Free patching plaster and Durham's water putty
Let me know directly if interested -- Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
[LincolnTalk] Ruth Ann Hendrickson Supports Option C
I support new and more affordable housing in Lincoln, and I’d like to see most of it in the area of the train station and the Lincoln Mall. I will therefore be supporting option C at the Special Town Meeting on December 2. 1) *Options C is the best hope for retaining the retail businesses at the Mall*. I remember when the roof caved in, and Donelan’s was out of business for over a year. We missed them terribly. If we even needed a pint of cream, we had to go out of town. Retail is struggling all over the country, but I notice that West Concord, (population 7,003 per Census data: ACS 2021) which developed a large apartment complex near the Nashoba Brook a few years ago, has managed to retain real retail, not just banks and restaurants. I am hoping that with enough new housing in the mall area, we also could have a thriving retail center. 2) *History shows that adding new housing enriches the Town.* Change is always worrisome. When Farrah pond village near where I live was proposed, the neighbors were violently against it because of traffic. The traffic has not materialized, and Farrar Pond Village has turned out to be a wonderful place for Lincoln people to retire. Recently, because of the cost of housing, it has also attracted families with children to the extent that they have built a playground. When the town developed Lincoln Woods, people were aghast; much denser than Farrar Pond Village and right there in the middle of town. And yet I know someone who works at Donelan’s who is able to live there, and a friend of mine, who has MS, is also able to live there to be near her mother. This complex has definitely given living options to Lincoln people who needed it. The proposed new housing would again add housing for our children and those who work here. 3) *Our Agricultural Heritage is safe.* Remember, 40% of the Lincoln is permanently in conservation. 40%! Those fields will continue to be farmed by local farmers. Codman farm belongs to the town and will also remain in perpetuity. The trails we love to walk will always be there. Adding some higher density housing near the train station will not affect that. 4) *Do not be fooled by Option E. *Some think that, if we chose Option E, we can slow down and develop housing at our own pace under the town meeting process. 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? The RLF will be unable to replenish their endowment and revitalize the mall in this new housing development environment. Please vote to allow the RLF to develop the mall/housing complex by right. The RLF is a non-profit whose mission is to assist the town of Lincoln in shaping its land-use destiny. History has show that they can be trusted to work to the Town’s benefit. -- Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
Re: [LincolnTalk] Last Night's Community Center Forum
I urge people not to put this project off. The escalation in building costs in the last few years has been breathtaking. If we put it off, we won't be able to afford it at all. The plan is not yet final. The Committee will hear and act on your ideas. Give them a chance. I am strongly in favor of separating out the costs for upgrading the Leap building. The charge to the Community Center Committee did not include the $3,000,000 needed to do this work. Reducing the size of the Community Center because we have to include this unforeseen project is not fair. I can see that doing the work on the Leap building at the same time as the Community Center will save the town a lot of cost, but I think that the Leap Project should be presented separately by the School Committee and voted separately. Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) On 9/13/2023 7:39 AM, Lynn DeLisi, M.D. via Lincoln wrote: Wednesday September 13, 2023 Dear LT, I am posting my personal views, not as a member of the Town Planning Board, but as one resident of this unique town. I want to thank the Community Center Building Committee and the Architects for their hard work for our Town over the last several months. However, after listening to the Community Center Building Committee’s Forum last evening, it has become very clear to me that the Town’s vision to improve facilities for the COA cannot be accomplished on the school site as “selected” by residents of the Town a few years ago. We hired excellent architects who have listened to the committee and the public now for several months and have come up with 3+ major plans, recommending the middle priced one that is at 75% the original very expensive estimate given to us last year. The lowest price option was shown to be inadequate for COA activities and would be only as one person said “moving the COA from one deficient site to another”. It was also clear that remaining on the school site means we “must”, according to the committee leadership, include in our community center renovating or rebuilding space for the after school program called “LEAP”, despite many residents giving input that this program is the school’s responsibility and not that of a Community Center. In addition there are safety issues related to traffic patterns, increased cars and children walking or on bikes to get to and from school and activities. Furthermore, it was clear from the lack of discussion on the topic last night, that there was no SERIOUS consideration by the committee of other sites throughout Town that could be appropriate for a community center, particularly COA functions. While Bemis Hall and the Pierce House have been visited, no details about what it would take to renovate them have been presented, nor has anyone taken the time to investigate whether the Town could use other buildings or space, historic or otherwise, along Lincoln Rd or nearby and renovate any of them for a community center that at least houses the COA. Mainly, the committee remains on the school campus because it is the best place for Parks and Rec to be and many people want to mix generations in a “Community Center for All”. I would like to propose that a new Town Committee be formed of concerned residents, who would still like to see the Town have a safe and up-to-date improved space for a COA, to conduct activities, but do not want taxes raised any further, and be a committee that SERIOUSLY examines existing sites that could be renovated, even if it means the cost of purchasing them for the Town. I would be happy to serve on such a committee. In the mean time until this committee does its work, we should put the Building Committee and architects on hold and not have a special Town Meeting to vote on the School site options in December. When Town’s residents selected the school site as the “best” for a community center, they did not know what we know now. Lynn DeLisi 125 South Great Rd -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
[LincolnTalk] FREE: Stained glass materials
Two boxes of material for making stained glass art. Glass of many colors, lead knife, lead came, foil. Who knows what all is in these boxes? My older son took lessons decades ago and has decided he can let these materials go. Contact me off line if interested. -- Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
Re: [LincolnTalk] FREE high quality marine ropes GONE
Two of them with metal loops in one and and properly ended on the other. Respond to me directly if interested. -- Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
Re: [LincolnTalk] Free archery bows - GONE
Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) On 8/15/2023 7:39 PM, Ruth Ann Hendrickson wrote: These fiberglass bows were used by my boys in Jr. High. Need new strings. Be mindful that arrows from even these light weight bows can kill a dog or a child. We had a hay-bale target with a hill behind it. If interested, contact me directly. -- Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
Re: [LincolnTalk] FREE: Chess set - GONE
Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) REpy to -- Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
[LincolnTalk] Free archery bows
These fiberglass bows were used by my boys in Jr. High. Need new strings. Be mindful that arrows from even these light weight bows can kill a dog or a child. We had a hay-bale target with a hill behind it. If interested, contact me directly. -- Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
Re: [LincolnTalk] Community Center - more in-depth analysis and observations. Is it time for a course correction?
Five years or so ago, the assigned committees did an EXHAUSTIVE search for potential sites for a new Community Center including multiple open charettes to discuss locations. The overwhelming choice of the large group of participants was to have the Center at Hartwell. The motion at town meeting was worded to develop options for a Center near Hartwell. That is the CCBC's charge. They are not charged with considering new locations. If a large group of people want to propose a different location, please form yourselves into an ad hoc committee and do the work to flesh out your ideas. You can get a head start by looking at the previous studies that considered other locations. Then ask the Selects if you can present your findings at the fall State of the Town Meeting. It is easy to say there are spaces at the Mall. It is much harder to be specific - which spaces and what needs could be accommodated there. I look forward the hearing your proposals. New ideas are always worth consideration. Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) On 5/10/2023 3:43 PM, Peter Buchthal wrote: We have started a robust discussion on LincolnTalk about the new community center. It appears that after spending a short amount of time looking at the other available properties in the town, the committee has decided to only focus resources going forward on building a new facility on the Hartwell campus. *Underused town resources require maintenance* We are a small town with many underused town resources. Some of our town buildings are in need of overdue maintenance. Shouldn’t all town buildings be ADA and handicap accessible? Bemis needs a refresh and it will require ongoing maintenance even if we build a community center. Shouldn’t we figure out how much this future underused building will cost the town to keep it in good shape? Or are people suggesting the plan is to take it down at some point? The Pierce House has so much deferred maintenance that it may become unsafe in the near future. The interior reminds me of Miss Havisham’s home from Great Expectations. Without a Pip or Estella to maintain it, we have allowed this generous gift from the Pierce family to fall into major disrepair. As a key town property, we need to properly maintain the Pierce House and the grounds. Why not create a better use of the building than a Wedding Factory? The world also appears to be going more and more digital. Could some of the space of the town library be re-purposed for other town needs? At a minimum, the town needs to properly plan for Bemis and Pierce House maintenance (ADA compliance). As a homeowner, I know nothing gets maintained or fixed by itself. Would these spaces meet some, many or most of the needs of COA with some investment? ** *Time to take a LEAP?* The current LEAP facilities are in dire need of an upgrade. Our brand new school is way too large for our needs; we should investigate options for adding new community usage within it. For most Lincoln residents who are not familiar with the layout, Lincoln School Interior Final Plan <https://lincolnsbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Lincoln-School_1-23-2019-Interior_FINAL.pdf> is the final interior plan from the school building committee website. The school’s 165K square feet should be able to host 1,000 students (based upon Mass State Building Standards)It is very important to note that the school was designed for 650+ students and currently has only 550 (PK-8). Enrollment has consistently been going down and we don’t expect a reversal in trend where we would all of sudden have a need for an additional 100 students. We have significantly more classrooms than number of sections. I propose we take a careful look at how our school’s 165K sqft are being used and repurpose some of it to be part of a new LEAP. Leap is 100% after school and could take advantage of all of the bathroom, playgrounds, hvac and other facilities in the school at minimal cost. Some will argue that we cannot use school facilities because projects/materials, etc will be disturbed but there are empty/underutilized spaces given the school was built for a much higher enrollment. If Leap needs even more space, then let’s add space to the school as I believe having after Leap in the school just makes more sense. Adding new space would be materially cheaper than hosting it in a new community center or updating Hartwell B. Reconfiguring some of the existing classroom/hub layout would even be cheaper than any other building option for Leap. *Does a stage belong in the new community center?* Many of you all don’t know this, but the old Smith Gym used to have a stage at the end of the gym. In the new school, the old stage was redesigned as the K-4 Music Room. From the CCBC presentations, one of the users of a new stage at the Community Center would be the Smith School Musical productions. I think it would be much les
Re: [LincolnTalk] Comparable water usage??
I should not have said we wouldn't have enough revenue to run the department. I was just being amusing, but not so amusing as it turns out. We would raise the rates to ensure we have enough money to support our operating budget and our capital plan. We are self-funded only from water bills, so we must set the rates accordingly. Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) On 8/4/2022 8:29 PM, Ruth Ann Hendrickson wrote: Yes, of course some people don't water their lawns and others have little or no lawn and then some have vast lawns and water them lavishly. We have not recently run the data to see the percentages. Let's just say that if all the lavish waterers stopped irrigating, we wouldn't have enough revenue to run the water department. The base charge only covers part of the cost maintaining and operating the water infrastructure. For leak detection, professionals drive through the town in the early morning hours when very little water is consumed, and they use special highly-sensitive acoustic equipment to hear the sound of running water. The water department also attempts to measure or calculate other non-metered water use, such as main flushing, firefighting, etc. They measure the water pumped out into the system, subtract the water read by the meters, and the water used in known activities mentioned above and the result is the unaccounted for water (UAW). They always find a number of leaks, some quite substantial, and fix them quickly. A UAW of 25% is not uncommon. Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) On 8/4/2022 10:46 AM, Andy Wang wrote: I'm curious, is it that some folks are going WAY over 65 gal/per person/per day and throwing off the average or is that most households are going over that per day? Just curious if it is largely a systemic issue or just a few outliers that are pulling the numbers high. That seems like the water department or the town has that data since they are billing people. Is that information public record? Seems like an interesting dataset to go through. Also, 25% water loss seems huge. What is the mechanism to detect loss of water? I presume you know how much is being cumulatively pushed through all the meters in Lincoln (the out), but are there multiple points to measure the input flow? Or even localize? I know when the town suspected a leak near our house, they hired someone with acoustic equipment to find the leak. it worked, but probably not cost effective on a large scale. Andy On Thu, Aug 4, 2022 at 10:23 AM RAandBOB wrote: The state restricts us in three ways: we are supposed to meet 65 gallons per person per day overall. We have a maximum amount of water we may draw from the well and from the pond. Our unaccounted for water should be less than 10%. We don’t meet any of those metrics. We are not over by a lot in water usage, but we are always over. We are under during the winter months, and significantly over during the summer months, so you know that the extra water usage is from outdoor watering. With regard to the leaks, we have a leak detection program that was yearly and is now going to be multiple times per year, but we still have almost 25% water loss. My personal suspicion is that it is from leaking service lines between the street and the house. Very hard to detect especially for houses that are far from the street. Be a good scout for the water department. If you hear running water or see swampy areas in your yard or in the woods, call us. The last two major leaks that we fixed were reported by alert citizens. Ruth Ann (She, her, hers) On Aug 3, 2022, at 3:06 PM, Ursula Nowak wrote: If you are referring to my email, I didn't say we are using more than our neighboring towns. We are using more than the goal set by the state for us which is 65 gallons per person per day. At least that is my understanding of why we are a level above the state drought restrictions but perhaps a member of the water commission could shed more light on this. I attended part of their meeting on Friday and was impressed with their dedication and diligence. I am grateful for the work they do on our behalf! Ursula On Wed, Aug 3, 2022 at 2:45 PM Pat Gray wrote: First, is the data correct? Sent from my iPhone > On Aug 3, 2022, at 2:42 PM, Elaine Hawkes wrote: > > Having read that our town uses more water than others, and not noticing that we, or our cars, are any cleaner than average, I am wondering in what ways we are using so much water. > Does the data give any information? > Thanks, > Elaine > 🤔 > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > Search the archives
[LincolnTalk] INFO: Electronic Water Department "bill stuffer", updated to current Stage 4 Drought
For all those condo owners who never see the water bill, here is an electronic copy (updated) of the document included with the current bills. On the back, it has updates on PFAS, TTHMs, and toxic green algae among other things. The front has a chart showing the watering restrictions for each drought level. You could cut this out and paste it inside a cupboard door for future reference. You might suggest that your Condo Association distribute this document to all the units. Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) Chair, Water Commission On 8/5/2022 2:02 PM, MARY ROSENFELD wrote: Dear Ruth, Thank you for sending the Outdoor Water Ban information to all households. Now I'd like to ask that you send the information on contaminant levels (that goes out to all billed households) to the rest of us as well (as iterated in LT yesterday). Thank you! Mary Rosenfeld 4 Greenridge Lane #2 -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
Re: [LincolnTalk] Comparable water usage??
No, I'm not. This is just a natural outcome of the tiered water rates intended to discourage water use. Just like the town tax rate is set by dividing the revenue from the property taxes by the assessed value, the water rates are set by dividing the revenue by the amount of water used. One could also say that the town relies on the very expensive houses to fund the town government. At the end of the day, the Water Department must set the rates to provide the revenue needed. Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) On 8/4/2022 8:53 PM, Sara Mattes wrote: WOW-Are you saying we relying on “over-use” to fund the Water Dept? So, the rest must cut back even further to allow this use and to provide revenues? Perhaps I have misunderstood. I hope so. -- Sara Mattes On Aug 4, 2022, at 8:29 PM, Ruth Ann Hendrickson wrote: Yes, of course some people don't water their lawns and others have little or no lawn and then some have vast lawns and water them lavishly. We have not recently run the data to see the percentages. Let's just say that if all the lavish waterers stopped irrigating, we wouldn't have enough revenue to run the water department. The base charge only covers part of the cost maintaining and operating the water infrastructure. For leak detection, professionals drive through the town in the early morning hours when very little water is consumed, and they use special highly-sensitive acoustic equipment to hear the sound of running water. The water department also attempts to measure or calculate other non-metered water use, such as main flushing, firefighting, etc. They measure the water pumped out into the system, subtract the water read by the meters, and the water used in known activities mentioned above and the result is the unaccounted for water (UAW). They always find a number of leaks, some quite substantial, and fix them quickly. A UAW of 25% is not uncommon. Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) On 8/4/2022 10:46 AM, Andy Wang wrote: I'm curious, is it that some folks are going WAY over 65 gal/per person/per day and throwing off the average or is that most households are going over that per day? Just curious if it is largely a systemic issue or just a few outliers that are pulling the numbers high. That seems like the water department or the town has that data since they are billing people. Is that information public record? Seems like an interesting dataset to go through. Also, 25% water loss seems huge. What is the mechanism to detect loss of water? I presume you know how much is being cumulatively pushed through all the meters in Lincoln (the out), but are there multiple points to measure the input flow? Or even localize? I know when the town suspected a leak near our house, they hired someone with acoustic equipment to find the leak. it worked, but probably not cost effective on a large scale. Andy On Thu, Aug 4, 2022 at 10:23 AM RAandBOB wrote: The state restricts us in three ways: we are supposed to meet 65 gallons per person per day overall. We have a maximum amount of water we may draw from the well and from the pond. Our unaccounted for water should be less than 10%. We don’t meet any of those metrics. We are not over by a lot in water usage, but we are always over. We are under during the winter months, and significantly over during the summer months, so you know that the extra water usage is from outdoor watering. With regard to the leaks, we have a leak detection program that was yearly and is now going to be multiple times per year, but we still have almost 25% water loss. My personal suspicion is that it is from leaking service lines between the street and the house. Very hard to detect especially for houses that are far from the street. Be a good scout for the water department. If you hear running water or see swampy areas in your yard or in the woods, call us. The last two major leaks that we fixed were reported by alert citizens. Ruth Ann (She, her, hers) On Aug 3, 2022, at 3:06 PM, Ursula Nowak wrote: If you are referring to my email, I didn't say we are using more than our neighboring towns. We are using more than the goal set by the state for us which is 65 gallons per person per day. At least that is my understanding of why we are a level above the state drought restrictions but perhaps a member of the water commission could shed more light on this. I attended part of their meeting on Friday and was impressed with their dedication and diligence. I am grateful for the work they do on our behalf! Ursula On Wed, Aug 3, 2022 at 2:45 PM Pat Gray wrote: First, is the data correct? Sent from my iPhone > On Aug 3, 2022, at 2:42 PM, Elaine Hawkes wrote: > > Having read that our town uses
[LincolnTalk] ALERT: Water bills in the mail with info insert
Your water bill should arrive in your mail box in the next few days. The insert in the water bills contains up to date info on TTHMS. PFAS, and Cyanobacteria, among other hot topics. Check it out. *The Stage 3 water restrictions* announcement in the insert is *OBSOLETE.* Just days after the document was sent off to be inserted into the bill envelop, the State announced a Severe Drought *so _we are now at _**_Stage 4_.* For more information on the watering restrictions and the special exceptions, please look at the front page of the towns website and scroll down to see the latest drought information. http://www.lincolntown.org/ Ruth Ann Hendrickson Chair, Water Commission -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
Re: [LincolnTalk] Comparable water usage??
Be careful what you wish for. If the high use people use less water, which I hope they will, the water rates for everyone will have to go up to provide the revenue needed to keep the water clean and safe. Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) On 8/4/2022 8:36 PM, Joan Kimball wrote: Perhaps we should find a way to fund our water that does not depend on excessive water usage. On Thu, Aug 4, 2022, 8:29 PM Ruth Ann Hendrickson wrote: Yes, of course some people don't water their lawns and others have little or no lawn and then some have vast lawns and water them lavishly. We have not recently run the data to see the percentages. Let's just say that if all the lavish waterers stopped irrigating, we wouldn't have enough revenue to run the water department. The base charge only covers part of the cost maintaining and operating the water infrastructure. For leak detection, professionals drive through the town in the early morning hours when very little water is consumed, and they use special highly-sensitive acoustic equipment to hear the sound of running water. The water department also attempts to measure or calculate other non-metered water use, such as main flushing, firefighting, etc. They measure the water pumped out into the system, subtract the water read by the meters, and the water used in known activities mentioned above and the result is the unaccounted for water (UAW). They always find a number of leaks, some quite substantial, and fix them quickly. A UAW of 25% is not uncommon. Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) On 8/4/2022 10:46 AM, Andy Wang wrote: I'm curious, is it that some folks are going WAY over 65 gal/per person/per day and throwing off the average or is that most households are going over that per day? Just curious if it is largely a systemic issue or just a few outliers that are pulling the numbers high. That seems like the water department or the town has that data since they are billing people. Is that information public record? Seems like an interesting dataset to go through. Also, 25% water loss seems huge. What is the mechanism to detect loss of water? I presume you know how much is being cumulatively pushed through all the meters in Lincoln (the out), but are there multiple points to measure the input flow? Or even localize? I know when the town suspected a leak near our house, they hired someone with acoustic equipment to find the leak. it worked, but probably not cost effective on a large scale. Andy On Thu, Aug 4, 2022 at 10:23 AM RAandBOB wrote: The state restricts us in three ways: we are supposed to meet 65 gallons per person per day overall. We have a maximum amount of water we may draw from the well and from the pond. Our unaccounted for water should be less than 10%. We don’t meet any of those metrics. We are not over by a lot in water usage, but we are always over. We are under during the winter months, and significantly over during the summer months, so you know that the extra water usage is from outdoor watering. With regard to the leaks, we have a leak detection program that was yearly and is now going to be multiple times per year, but we still have almost 25% water loss. My personal suspicion is that it is from leaking service lines between the street and the house. Very hard to detect especially for houses that are far from the street. Be a good scout for the water department. If you hear running water or see swampy areas in your yard or in the woods, call us. The last two major leaks that we fixed were reported by alert citizens. Ruth Ann (She, her, hers) On Aug 3, 2022, at 3:06 PM, Ursula Nowak wrote: If you are referring to my email, I didn't say we are using more than our neighboring towns. We are using more than the goal set by the state for us which is 65 gallons per person per day. At least that is my understanding of why we are a level above the state drought restrictions but perhaps a member of the water commission could shed more light on this. I attended part of their meeting on Friday and was impressed with their dedication and diligence. I am grateful for the work they do on our behalf! Ursula On Wed, Aug 3, 2022 at 2:45 PM Pat Gray wrote: First, is the data correct? Sent from my iPhone > On Aug 3, 2022, at 2:42 PM, Elaine Hawkes wrote: > > Having read that our town uses more water than others, and not noticing that we, or our cars, are any cleaner th
Re: [LincolnTalk] Comparable water usage??
Your water bill, about to arrive in your mail box, shows your useage. Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) On 8/4/2022 10:42 AM, Anne Warner wrote: Please forgive me if this has already been asked and answered (there are so many emails on this topic I've lost track) but where can we find the water usage data for our own homes, please? Anne Warner On Thu, Aug 4, 2022 at 10:12 AM RAandBOB wrote: Check out the water rates. Those in the bottom tier, which is equivalent to 65 gallons per person per day, pay $6.52 per 1000 gallons while those in the top tier and all those with an irrigation meter pay $32.13. Ruth Ann (She, her, hers) On Aug 3, 2022, at 7:51 PM, Sara Mattes wrote: Remember, that is an average PER PERSON/day. Many use much less. Town data tells who is using what. I hope there is some enforcement pressure on those who exceed that 65 gallons! Sent from my iPad On Aug 3, 2022, at 2:01 PM, Elaine Hawkes wrote: Thank you for clarifying, Ursula. Your email might have stuck wrong in my head! It would be interesting to compare, if only to get ideas from towns who are doing better than we on how they are able to. But that might not be possible. Thanks, E On Wed, Aug 3, 2022 at 3:06 PM Ursula Nowak wrote: If you are referring to my email, I didn't say we are using more than our neighboring towns. We are using more than the goal set by the state for us which is 65 gallons per person per day. At least that is my understanding of why we are a level above the state drought restrictions but perhaps a member of the water commission could shed more light on this. I attended part of their meeting on Friday and was impressed with their dedication and diligence. I am grateful for the work they do on our behalf! Ursula On Wed, Aug 3, 2022 at 2:45 PM Pat Gray wrote: First, is the data correct? Sent from my iPhone > On Aug 3, 2022, at 2:42 PM, Elaine Hawkes wrote: > > Having read that our town uses more water than others, and not noticing that we, or our cars, are any cleaner than average, I am wondering in what ways we are using so much water. > Does the data give any information? > Thanks, > Elaine > 🤔 > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. > Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. -- Anne Taubes Warner warneran...@gmail.com-- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
Re: [LincolnTalk] Comparable water usage??
Yes, of course some people don't water their lawns and others have little or no lawn and then some have vast lawns and water them lavishly. We have not recently run the data to see the percentages. Let's just say that if all the lavish waterers stopped irrigating, we wouldn't have enough revenue to run the water department. The base charge only covers part of the cost maintaining and operating the water infrastructure. For leak detection, professionals drive through the town in the early morning hours when very little water is consumed, and they use special highly-sensitive acoustic equipment to hear the sound of running water. The water department also attempts to measure or calculate other non-metered water use, such as main flushing, firefighting, etc. They measure the water pumped out into the system, subtract the water read by the meters, and the water used in known activities mentioned above and the result is the unaccounted for water (UAW). They always find a number of leaks, some quite substantial, and fix them quickly. A UAW of 25% is not uncommon. Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) On 8/4/2022 10:46 AM, Andy Wang wrote: I'm curious, is it that some folks are going WAY over 65 gal/per person/per day and throwing off the average or is that most households are going over that per day? Just curious if it is largely a systemic issue or just a few outliers that are pulling the numbers high. That seems like the water department or the town has that data since they are billing people. Is that information public record? Seems like an interesting dataset to go through. Also, 25% water loss seems huge. What is the mechanism to detect loss of water? I presume you know how much is being cumulatively pushed through all the meters in Lincoln (the out), but are there multiple points to measure the input flow? Or even localize? I know when the town suspected a leak near our house, they hired someone with acoustic equipment to find the leak. it worked, but probably not cost effective on a large scale. Andy On Thu, Aug 4, 2022 at 10:23 AM RAandBOB wrote: The state restricts us in three ways: we are supposed to meet 65 gallons per person per day overall. We have a maximum amount of water we may draw from the well and from the pond. Our unaccounted for water should be less than 10%. We don’t meet any of those metrics. We are not over by a lot in water usage, but we are always over. We are under during the winter months, and significantly over during the summer months, so you know that the extra water usage is from outdoor watering. With regard to the leaks, we have a leak detection program that was yearly and is now going to be multiple times per year, but we still have almost 25% water loss. My personal suspicion is that it is from leaking service lines between the street and the house. Very hard to detect especially for houses that are far from the street. Be a good scout for the water department. If you hear running water or see swampy areas in your yard or in the woods, call us. The last two major leaks that we fixed were reported by alert citizens. Ruth Ann (She, her, hers) On Aug 3, 2022, at 3:06 PM, Ursula Nowak wrote: If you are referring to my email, I didn't say we are using more than our neighboring towns. We are using more than the goal set by the state for us which is 65 gallons per person per day. At least that is my understanding of why we are a level above the state drought restrictions but perhaps a member of the water commission could shed more light on this. I attended part of their meeting on Friday and was impressed with their dedication and diligence. I am grateful for the work they do on our behalf! Ursula On Wed, Aug 3, 2022 at 2:45 PM Pat Gray wrote: First, is the data correct? Sent from my iPhone > On Aug 3, 2022, at 2:42 PM, Elaine Hawkes wrote: > > Having read that our town uses more water than others, and not noticing that we, or our cars, are any cleaner than average, I am wondering in what ways we are using so much water. > Does the data give any information? > Thanks, > Elaine > 🤔 > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. > Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.na
[LincolnTalk] ALERT: OUTDOOR WATERING BAN EXCEPTIONS
OUTDOOR WATERING BAN EXCEPTIONS At the Water Commission meeting on Friday July 29, the Commissioners voted the following exceptions: Members voted to allow the following exceptions, and only between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.: * Vegetable gardens may be hand-watered as needed, since they fall under the state food production exemption. * The town pool, tennis courts, and playing fields may get the minimum amount of water needed to ensure they can continue to operate because they are considered “essential to the mission” of the body that oversees them (the Park and Recreation Department). However, the toddler fountain at Codman Pool will be turned off. LaFalam had previously suggested that Parks and Rec use a pool cover when Codman Pool was closed to reduce evaporation. But Parks and Rec was reluctant to do so for safety reasons in case someone used the pool illegally and got trapped under the cover, he said. However, he will ask them look into using aliquid chemical solar cover <https://poolonomics.com/liquid-solar-blanket/>. * Recently planted landscaping that needs more frequent watering to become established may be watered by hand or with drip irrigation as required, preferably just once a week. No new flora may be planted during this time. People establishing new trees should consider buying some tree watering bags; you put one on each tree and fill it once a week. It slowly releases water over a 5 or 6 hour period. * Conservation agencies (i.e., the Conservation Commission and the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust), which install and maintain native plants to keep invasive species at bay, may also water those plants as needed. * Power washing houses and decks is not allowed, nor is window washing using water spray, but if a painting or repair job has already been scheduled or is underway, the homeowner may ask the Water Department for an individual exemption. Please also do your best to reduce indoor water use. Capture waste water, such as running the faucet to get hot water, laundry rinse water, cooking water to use on outdoor non-edible plants. >>>PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW - VERY HARD TO GET THE WORD OUT<<<< The sandwich boards are up and we will be doing a town-wide mailing. There is information in your new water bill, but that says Stage 3, but that is obsolete because the Extreme Drought pronouncement came after the billing process started. The Stage 4 restrictions are in the Stage 4 column. Ruth Ann Hendrickson Water Commission Chair -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
[LincolnTalk] Drought article
Alice Waugh wrote a terrific article about the drought in the LincolnSquirrel. It has an interview with then superintendent Greg Woods, and some great photos of Flint's Pond, the Cambridge Reservoir and even the pond at Pierce Park during the 2016 drought. Alice tells me that if you are not a subscriber, you can still access 3 stories per year. Try this link: https://lincolnsquirrel.com/blog/2022/07/26/town-bans-almost-all-outside-watering/ -- Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
[LincolnTalk] DROUGHT: Hand watering
For the time being, the Water Department is allowing hand watering by hose of personal vegetable gardens and watering by bucket or watering can of non-vegetable plantings. Using water from rain barrels or excess water from household activities is preferred. I am impressed by the creative ideas for water collection you guys have sent me for sources of excess indoor water. Here is a smattering of ideas people have suggested: * Leftover water from cooking (better leave out the salt) * Water from the salad spinner * When you run the water to clear the pipes in the morning or to get hot water, catch the waste water in an empty gallon jug * Use water from dehumidifiers and central air conditioning drain pipes * Water from sump pumps * Keep a bucket in the shower with you The Commissioners and Water Department apologize for the confusion on drought rules. First time ever for us to deal with this. Our regulations conflict with the state regulations and many documents are not self-consistent. Please bear with us as we get our act together. A big thank you to the entire community for trying to do their best to curtail water use. Ruth Ann Hendrickson Water Commission Chair -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
[LincolnTalk] ALERT: COMPLETE OUTDOOR WATERING BAN
*OUTDOOR WATERING BAN CALLED BY STATE: LINCOLN GOES TO STAGE 4 WATERING RESTRICTION* On July 21, with the majority of the state currently experiencing elevated temperatures and forecasts predicting little to no meaningful precipitation, Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Beth Card today declared a Level 3-Critical Drought in the Northeast and Central Regions of the state. _This means Lincoln Water Department is moving to Lincoln’s Stage 4_ Drought Protocol, our highest level. We revised our Stage 4 this spring to bring it into compliance with the state protocols. Stage 4 now stipulates: >>>*NO NON-ESSENTIAL OUTDOOR WATERING, NOT EVEN HAND WATERING<<<* NOTE: Agricultural watering for commercial farming is considered essential *Don’t panic, an established lawn can handle a drought* like this. Below Is a link to a treatise on managing your lawn during a drought. It’s an ad I found on-line, but it’s very well written: https://theturfgrassgroup.com/turf-care/caring-for-your-lawn-before-during-and-after-a-drought/ Key points: 1.An established lawn can survive without water for 2 -3 weeks. It is better to let it go dormant than to keep it going with too little water. 2.A dormant lawn requires only ¼ to ½ inch of water every 2 – 4 weeks to keepit alive. Check the white area at the base of the plant. If it still off-white, it is OK. If it is starting to turn brown, time to give it a light watering as above so as to preserve it without bringing it out of dormancy 3.Stay off the grass while it is dormant. *Most established shrubs can also survive a drought.* A heavy mulch helps to preserve moisture. This will be a difficult time for all of us, but these actions are essential to save the rivers, streams, ground water, and native flora and fauna. *Summary of Restrictions * *Allowed Activity* *Time of day* *Stage 1* *Stage 2 *(2 days per week) *Stage 3 *(1 day per week) *Stage 4* *Handheld watering* 6PM-9AM Any day Any day Any day Not allowed *Above-ground/ in-ground sprinklers* 7PM-7AM Every By house number Even = Tues/Sat Odd = Wed/Sun By house number Even = Sat Odd = Sun Not allowed *Soaker hoses* Any time 2 days per week I day per week Not allowed *Drip irrigation* Any time 2 days per week I day per week I day per week *New lawns* Install Watering Any time Any time June, Sep only+20 days of daily watering Then 2 days per week only June, Sep only I day per week Not allowed *Washing vehicles* Any time Allowed Use commercial Use commercial Use commercial *Washing buildings, pavement* Any time Allowed Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed *Swimming pools, hot tubs, spas, Jacuzzis* Any time Allowed One fill per season for new or repair Topping off only 3” per month Topping off or refill Not Allowed *Car wash fundraisers* Any time Allowed Allowed Not allowed Not allowed *Games or toys with continuous water * Any time Allowed Allowed 30 mins/day on the assigned watering day Allowed 30 mins/day on the assigned watering day Not allowed *Lincoln Water Department* *Released by Ruth Ann Hendrickson, Water Commission Chair** * -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
[LincolnTalk] ALERT: OUTDOOR WATERING RESTRICTED TO ONE DAY A WEEK
*July 12, 2022:*Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Bethany Car declared a Level 2 – Significant Drought in the Connecticut River Valley, Central, _Northeast _and Southeast Regions Lincoln is therefore required to curtail non-essential outdoor watering to once per week as indicated in the chart below. We appreciate your cooperation in conserving our water resources during this extended drought period. *Summary of Restrictions * *Allowed Activity* *Time of day* *Stage 1* *Stage 2 *(2 days per week) *Stage 3 *(1 day per week)** *Stage 4* *Handheld watering* 6PM-9AM Every day Every day Every day Every day *Above-ground/ in-ground sprinklers* 7PM-7AM Every By house number Even = Tues/Sat Odd = Wed/Sun By house number Even = Sat Odd = Sun Not allowed *Soaker hoses* Any time 2 days per week I day per week Not allowed *Drip irrigation* Any time 2 days per week I day per week I day per week *New lawns* Install Watering Any time Any time June, Sep only+20 days of daily watering Then 2 days per week only June, Sep only I day per week Not allowed *Washing vehicles* Any time Allowed Use commercial Use commercial Use commercial *Washing buildings, pavement* Any time Allowed Not allowed Not allowed Not allowed *Swimming pools, hot tubs, spas, Jacuzzis* Any time Allowed One fill per season for new or repair Topping off only 3” per month Topping off or refill Not Allowed *Car wash fundraisers* Any time Allowed Allowed Not allowed Not allowed *Games or toys with continuous water * Any time Allowed Allowed 30 mins/day on the assigned watering day Allowed 30 mins/day on the assigned watering day Not allowed Per order of the Water Commissioners -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
[LincolnTalk] UPDATE: WATER OUTAGE
The water shutoff now extends along Lincoln Road all the way from Codman Road to Weston Road. Emergency crews are on site. The Department expects the outage to last until after midnight. All hands are on deck to restore water as soon as possible. Ruth Ann Hendrickson(She, her) Water Commissioner -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
[LincolnTalk] INFO: MANDATORY OUTDOOR WATERING RESTRICTIONS AS OF MAY 1ST
As of May 1^st , the Water Department has imposed _MANDATORY Stage 2_ restrictions on residential and commercial outdoor watering as required by the Mass Department of Environmental Protection. (Agricultural water use is considered “essential”. Those customers who meet the definition of “farmer” according to Lincoln’s Right to Farm Bylaw and Mass. General Laws c.40A § 3 are exempt from water use restrictions.) *Summary of Restrictions * *Allowed Activity* *Time of day* *Stage 1* *Stage 2 (2 days per week)*** *Stage 3 *(1 day per week) *Stage 4* *Handheld watering* 6PM-9AM Allowed *Allowed*** Allowed Allowed *Above-ground/ in-ground sprinklers* 7PM-7AM Every *By house number Even = Tues/Sat Odd = Wed/Sun*** By house number Even = Sat Odd = Sun Not allowed *Soaker hoses* Any time *2 days per week*** I day per week Not allowed *Drip irrigation* Any time *2 days per week*** I day per week I day per week *New lawns* Install Watering Any time Any time *June, Sep only+20 days of daily watering*** *Then 2 days per week only*** June, Sep only I day per week Not allowed *Washing vehicles* Any time Allowed *Use commercial*** Use commercial Use commercial *Washing buildings, pavement* Any time Allowed *Not allowed*** Not allowed Not allowed *Swimming pools, hot tubs, spas, Jacuzzis* Any time Allowed *One fill per season for new or repair*** Topping off only 3” per month Topping off or refill Not Allowed *Car wash fundraisers* Any time Allowed *Allowed*** Not allowed Not allowed *Games or toys with continuous water * Any time Allowed *Allowed 30 mins/day on the assigned watering day*** Allowed 30 mins/day on the assigned watering day Not allowed The Water Commissioners will assess the water situation every month and may increase the restrictions depending on the level of the water in Flint’s Pond and other criteria mandated by the DEP. For questions, contact the Water Department at 781-259-2669 or email to bola...@lincolntown.org -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
[LincolnTalk] ISO: Septic design engineer
We had a plan done for a new septic system some years ago, but we never proceeded to build it. Now I find the designer is no longer in that business, so I need a new plan. Anyone have a recommendation for good septic engineer, especially someone mellow enough that he might be able to at least get a faster start by looking at the plan I have? -- Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
Re: [LincolnTalk] New striping on Farrar road
I walk on Farrar Road a lot. Several years ago, the town installed sloping asphalt shoulders to control erosion of the dirt shoulders and to visually narrow the pavement to encourage lower speeds. The speeds remained the same, but with the narrower pavement there was no longer room for 2 cars to pass while walkers were on both sides of the street. It's hard to walk on the sloped edges now to get off the street when two cars pass. Not mowing the roadside would make the situation worse. I think the new striping is worth trying; many people do walk the Farrar Rd-Oxbow Road- Rte 126 sidewalk loop. How much to mow is a judgement call. Along the side walk, mowing prevents bicyclists from decapitation and keeps the path open for walkers. At the intersections, the aggressive trimming has greatly improved traffic visibility. Along the roadsides, do we want the margins to eventually fill up with shrubs and small trees that scrape the sides of cars and makes it even harder for walkers? Food for thought. Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) On 4/11/2022 7:41 AM, Sara Mattes wrote: By trimming trees and brush along roadsides, and by mowing, we create the visual appearance of a wider road. My observations have been that traffic has sped up when that mowing is done. Would we consider NOT doing that aggressive cutting, esp. with the machine that works on the vertical? It would be a low-cost, low-tech way of creating a visual narrowing-save on mowing, no cost of painting. That is something the RTC could discuss. Sara -- Sara Mattes On Apr 10, 2022, at 8:50 PM, Margaret Olson wrote: By Massachusetts law, the speed limit must be set at the speed at which 80% of the traffic is traveling. Regardless of signage, people drive at the speed that appears to be safe. This is why visually narrowing the road slows down traffic and visual widening speeds it up. We can not slow down traffic by changing the posted speed limit and attempting to enforce it. That approach is both illegal and ineffective. Lowering road speeds is a difficult and frustrating exercise. If the new striping on Farrar Road does slow down traffic the town will be able to lower the posted speed limit. This requires a traffic study to prove to the state that the speeds on the road are now slower. Margaret On Sun, Apr 10, 2022 at 5:52 PM wrote: Oddly the speed limit is 30 mph on Farrar Rd. Perhaps lowering it to 20 mph with moderate enforcement could improve safety conditions for bikers and pedestrians. On Apr 10, 2022, at 5:33 PM, Leslie Turek wrote: People who are considerate drivers will be considerate drivers with the new striping. And people who are inconsiderate drivers will probably be inconsiderate drivers even with the new striping. Might there be a few people who will be influenced by the striping to take pedestrians and bikes into account? Perhaps. Not sure how to tell. Leslie Turek On Sun, Apr 10, 2022 at 3:41 PM Arthur Gleiner wrote: I think it is working well. I walk, drive and bike on Farrah and Oxbow Roads, and I feel more comfortable with all 3 activités with the new painted reminders. I will add that whenever I am in my car and I see a biker or pedestrian, I think it is my duty to ensure that they do not feel threatened by my vehicle, regardless of right of way rules. I slow down, or if needed come to a complete stop to facilitate this. The extra 15 seconds it takes me to get to my destination feels more than compensated by the peace of mind I create for someone else. The new lanes assist in raising consciousness. To my way of thinking, too many people are creating needless stress, burning excessive fuel, and polluting the air needlessly by careless driving. We would all be well served by slowing down and being kind. Everyone wins. Art Gleiner. Sent from my iPhone > On Apr 8, 2022, at 7:30 PM, David Clapp wrote: > > It is ok —certainly not great...but what about making it one way on Oxbow road and the other way on Farrar road. diane clapp > >> On Apr 8, 2022, at 5:07 PM, Stephanie Smoot wrote: >> >> The new “unilane” seems to be working well. There is one shared car lane and two shoulders for non vehicle pads and bikes. I haven’t noticed any conflicts and It’s a nice compromise to chopping down all the trees to put in sidewalks. What do other people think? >> >> -- >> Regards, >> Stephanie Smoot >> >> 857 368-9175 work >> 781 941-6842 personal cell >> 617 595-5217 work cell >> 126 Chestnut Circle
Re: [LincolnTalk] mailbox damage from plowing?
Damage to mail boxes from snow plows is a common problem that occurs
when a plow comes by pushing a huge wave of heavy wet snow that hits the
mailbox. It's not the plow that does the damage, it's the snow. Many
years ago, my clever husband mounted our mailbox on a single bolt driven
into the top of the support post. When heavy snow is expected, he turns
the mail box so the back faces the on-coming plow. This minimizes the
surface area presented to the snow wave. He turns it back once the
threat of a plow run is over, which might be a few days, re-orienting it
only briefly when the mail delivery is expected. Our mailbox has rarely
suffered damage since this change.
Ruth Ann Hendrickson
(She, her)
On 1/8/2022 10:10 PM, Steve Hirsch via Lincoln wrote:
Thanks Sara. I'll contact DPW on Monday. A couple people replied to me
privately that they had mailbox damage as well.
-Steve
On Saturday, January 8, 2022, 08:07:46 PM EST, Sara Mattes
wrote:
In tha past, if you contact DPW directly, they assist.
Historically, they have been very responsive
Sara
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 8, 2022, at 8:05 PM, Steve Hirsch via Lincoln
wrote:
I'm asking about street plowing specifically.
--Steve('s iPhone)
On Saturday, January 8, 2022, 7:40 PM, Dan Paul
wrote:
Are referring to the sidewalk plow?
Our mailbox was definitely hit/damaged by the sidewalk plow —
it’s set too far back for anything else to have hit it.
On Jan 8, 2022, at 7:27 PM, Steve Hirsch via Lincoln
wrote:
I'm looking for anecdotal evidence to support/refute a theory.
Did anyone have mailbox damage from street plowing after
Friday's storm?
The front door of our mailbox got taken out, and I'm suspecting
it's our plower. I find it unlikely that street plowing would
have caused it given small amount of snow we got from the storm
combined with it being the first of the season.
Thanks,
Steve
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[LincolnTalk] Hendrickson to run again for Water Commissioner
Dear Lincolnites, I am announcing my intention to run again for Water Commissioner and ask for your vote at the town election on Monday, March 28. I will run for the two years remaining on Jim Hutchinson’s seat rather than the three-year seat that will also be open. Jim brought an impressive knowledge of municipal finances that greatly benefited the Commission. We are sad to see him go, but we are committed to using his ideas to improve Water Department operation and long term planning. In 2020 I was elected to a 2-year seat, and I did not expect to run again. I have been finding, however, that the knowledge I have gained during the last 11 years on the Commission has been very useful to the new superintendent. Also, with Jim stepping down early, we will have a new Commissioner to integrate into the board. I believe my presence will provide the continuity and institutional knowledge needed as we reshape the Commission. During these next two years I will focus on completing the water treatment facilities upgrade we launched 4 years ago, on taking advantage of the ARPA funds available to update our aging water delivery systems, and on developing a long term funding structure that will be both fair and fiscally responsible. Above all, I am committed to ensuring the delivery of abundant, safe drinking water to all of our customers. I truly enjoy working on the Water Commission, and I am committed to help in preserving this important natural resource for the benefit of the town. I hope the voters will give me another opportunity to serve the town I love so well. Ruth Ann Hendrickson (she, her) 253 Concord Road -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
Re: [LincolnTalk] water tastes bad
This happens every fall when the cooler nights cause the cooled top layer of water to sink, thereby churning up the water and bringing up some of the organics from the bottom. It should improve in a few days. The water is still safe to drink. Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) Water Commissioner On 10/28/2021 2:37 PM, Anne Warner wrote: The water coming out of our tap tastes and smells like rotten fish. Is anyone else experiencing the same? Ick. -- Anne Taubes Warner warneran...@gmail.com -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
[LincolnTalk] Water Superintendent voted State Director of the New England Water Works Association
I was asked how we "snagged" this excellent new employee. All the credit belongs to the dynamic team of Dan Pereira and Jim Hutchinson who doggedly pursued qualified candidates, reading many resumes and having multiple interviews until we found the right person. It took longer than we hoped, but they were committed to toughing it out until we found a really good person. Dan especially deserves kudos, since he was the acting water superintendent until we hired someone. Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) Water Commissioner -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
[LincolnTalk] Water Superintendent voted State Director of the New England Water Works Association
The Water Commissioners are delighted to report that our new Water Department Superintendent, Darin LaFalam, has been voted MA State Director of the New England Water Works Association. Having him in such a high position in this important organization will allow Lincoln to influence the direction of the NEWWA programs and stay current on state of the art activities in the management of public water systems. Darin has represented NEWWA as the Chairperson for the AWWA Scale & Corrosion Control Chemicals Standards Committee since 2016. He is a longtime member of the Filtration Committee, co-instructor of the Filter Surveillance Workshop, a member of the Operator Meritorious Service Award Committee, Chairperson of the Scholarship Committee, and a two-time participant in the Mentoring program. He also volunteers with the Association of Boards of Certification, Massachusetts Water Works Association (MWWA), and American Water Works Association. Darin is a past recipient of the NEWWA Operator Meritorious Service Award and the MWWA Pride Award. Darin graduated Fitchburg State College with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. He has 23 years of direct involvement with municipal drinking water operations and has been a NEWWA member for 22 years. -- Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) Water Commissioner -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
[LincolnTalk] smokey skies
I am staying inside today because of the air quality alert due to the smoke from the western wild fires. It brings back a memory from my childhood. When I was living near Pittsburgh, PA, in September 1950, a huge plume of smoke from extensive wild fires in Alberta, Canada, descended on the area. At mid afternoon, it was so dark it looked like night time. I remember going outside with my grandmother to look at the dark sky, noticing that the street light had come on. I have never forgotten the eerie sight. Let's hope our current smoke plume doesn't get that bad! -- Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her) -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
