Report: Deal struck on Rt. 2 cell tower property
According to reports received from one of the participants in the negotiations, space on the cell tower to be built on the Yagjian property on Rt. 2 has been leased. The primary tenant will be Cingular, with Verizon and Sprint also renting space for their equipment.  With tenant negotiations completed on this phase, the project can now go before the planning board for its approval.  Plans also exist for adding a second tower on the site.  Word of this deal on the Yagjian property comes even as the planning board has scheduled a public hearing for March 6th on its warrant article to add the neighboring Morrissey property to the 'wireless overlay district.'.

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Override now at $300,000, could go lower
The town's override request for FY03 is now $300,000, down from the figure of $320,000 cited in the 2/12 Boston Globe story (click here to read it) on the town's budget status.  The town's side of the override is $40,000, the school's share is currently $260,000.  Mary Cancian, chairperson of the finance committee, told fincom members that she still hopes that the schools will be able to find additional savings, allowing further reductions in the override request.

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Planning Board proposes changes to S. Lincoln parking regs
The Planning Board is planning to propose a warrant article at the upcoming March Town Meeting that will significantly alter the way parking in South Lincoln is regulated.  Under current parking regulations, property owners in the B-1 Business District are required to show in their site plans that they meet the required 7 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of retail, no matter the use. 

Under the planning board's proposal, which was discussed at its Wednesday night meeting (2/13), parking ratios would vary, depending on the types of businesses.  For example, if the bylaw change passes, "general retail" establishments would need 3.3 parking spaces per 1,000 sf, "convenience retail" would need 4 spaces and "service retail" would only require 2.4 spaces per 1,000 sf.  Office space would require between 4 and 6 parking spaces, depending on the type of office use. 

On the other end of the spectrum, restaurants would require 12 parking spaces and carry-out food establishments would need to demonstrate 20 spaces per 1,000 sf.  If the aggregate demand for parking on any property exceeds 4 spaces per 1,000 sf, the property owner would be required to apply to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a special permit.  According to the warrant article's primary author, Tom DeNormandie, the goal of the warrant article is to promote retail business use in the B-1 district while discouraging the growth of office space.

The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on this warrant article on March 13 at 7:30 pm in Town Offices.

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Water Commission to drop 'hydrant fee'
Tough times call for drastic measures.  After decades of charging the town a "hydrant fee" of $60,000 per year, the Water Commission has decided to drop that charge, thus allowing the town to reduce its operating budget by that amount.  In exchange for that fee, the town has historically charged the water commission an identical amount to cover the costs associated with water department employee health and retirement benefits and other administrative costs.  The town will continue to charge the water commission $60,000 to provide those services, though a recent study indicated that the real cost to the town of those services was closer to $100,000.   

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Morrissey property to be added to wireless district
The planning board will propose a warrant article at Town Meeting to amend the zoning bylaw to add the Morrissey property, located on Rt. 2 between Tracey's and Crosby's Corner, to the town's "wireless district,."  This is the first step,  from a zoning perspective, in allowing the site to host a cell tower.  Town Meeting had previously added the neighboring Yagjian property to the overlay district, but cellular phone companies have been unable to reach a satisfactory financial agreement with the property's representatives.
 
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Two Races:  3 candidates for 1 Planning Board seat; 3 candidates for 2 School Committee seats
When the dust settled there were enough candidates to make for two thrilling races this spring.  In the race for the five-year seat on the Planning Board, Crawley Cooper decided not to seek re-election.  Instead, there will be a three-way race between Keith Gilbert, Ken Hurd and Barbara Peskin.  One other potential candidate, Ephraim Flint, opted not to run.  Dennis Picker, appointed last year by the selectmen, is also running for a seat on the planning board.  That seat is for one-year and Picker is unopposed in that race.

In the race to fill two seats on the school committee, incumbent Patty Mostue will run against Jan Nyquist and Ashton Peery. 

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K-8 Task Force report: METCO costs town $$ half a mil per year
In an internal report outlining some of the issues surrounding METCO, the cost to the town for operating that program was calculated to be $553,784. The report was prepared by Jurrien Timmer and was presented to fellow K-8 Task Force members at their meeting last Tuesday (1/29) night.  That figure was reached by taking the total school budget, deducting out-of-district and pre-school expenses, factoring in special ed costs for those METCO students receiving those services and multiplying by the number of students receiving either regular and special educations.  Using those assumptions, the total cost of METCO is calculated to be $968,687, minus grants of $414,903, leaving a "Lincoln contribution" of $553,784

Click on the image below to read the K8TF report on METCO's cost:

   

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Selectmen propose limiting transfer station operations to Saturdays only
In an effort to reduce the transfer station's budget by $30,000, the selectmen voted to close the transfer station during weekdays and limiting hours of operation to Saturdays only. 

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Minuteman Tech plans to sell Mill Street house lots
Minuteman Tech officials informed the selectmen at their Monday night meeting (1/28) that it has requested proposals from developers interested in purchasing 2 two-acre lots it owns along Mill Street.  Plans call for two residential homes to be sited off of a proposed cul-de-sac behind two existing homes which the school currently rents out.

Click on the image below to view the diagram depicting the development's location: