Lincoln Select Board advances geothermal Library HVAC option for March Town Meeting

LINCOLN -- January 12, 2026, Lincoln Select Board endorses geothermal Library HVAC option contingent on $1 million state grant. After a two-hour joint meeting with the Community Preservation, Finance and Green Energy committees, the board voted 3-0 to advance a ground-source heat pump replacement for the library's 35-year-old boiler and aging AC system, and to apply for the state's Climate Leader decarbonization grant in February. Consultants from Energy Systems Group and Power Options pegged the project at roughly $5 million upfront and about $2 million net after the grant, federal investment tax credits and MassSave rebates, comparable to the estimated $1.8 million to $2 million cost of a conventional replacement. Chair Jennifer Glass cited Lincoln's 2030 decarbonization resolution; member Kim Bodnar said taxpayer cost concerns require a "case by case" approach to other aging buildings including Bemis Hall and public safety. The board also opened the March 28 Annual Town Meeting warrant and appointed Colleen Crawford as Public Safety Dispatcher.