Lincoln Selectmen vote 2-1 to endorse $50 million school project

LINCOLN — October 30, 2012 — Lincoln Selectmen split 2-1 in favor of the $50 million school building project ahead of Saturday's Special Town Meeting. Chair Noah Eckhouse and Peter Braun voted yes; Renel Fredrickson voted no, arguing the new building's classrooms would be smaller than Smith School's and could force the town to return for expansion funding "in a few short years." Finance Committee Chair Laura Sander said the committee unanimously recommends the project, citing the $21 million MSBA match, a McGuire Group repair-only estimate of $33.3 million, and a debt-service peak of 11.9 percent of the tax bill in 2017 — below 1990s levels. Capital Planning Committee Chair Andy Beard reported CapCom voted 5-2 in favor. The board also endorsed postponing Halloween trick-or-treating to Friday on the chiefs' recommendation; 37 percent of the town remained without power and Fire Chief Steve Carter reported a 12-hour NSTAR response to a fire apparatus tangled in a live line.