Writing about Lancaster, Massachusetts

  National Grid released it's proposed supply rate for November through April: 33.891 cents/kWh.    That's a 200% increase over the 11.491 cents/kWh they currently charge.   I assume this new rate will be in the news shortly, as it will be an expensive winter for much of Massachusetts. The supply rate is in addition to the delivery service rate that National Grid charges, most recently 14.944 cents/kWh, and a $7/month customer charge.   A household using National Grids supplier that uses 500 kWh in a month this winter should expect a bill around $251. Most of Lancaster will have at least a brief reprieve from the higher prices: if you're enrolled in the  Municipal Aggregation program your supply rate has been 14.974 cents/kWh since January.   That rate will continue through December.  I have not heard any news on a new contract or new rate for the aggregation program. National Grid has to negotiate shorter supply contracts than the aggregation program, so their supply rate

  Photo by Scott Rodgerson on Unsplash Town Administrator Kate Hodges had a "threatening message" placed on her car last week, and the police are investigating -- no other info is available yet. Select Board member Jason Allison's wife, Lesley, shared a message on one of the resident-hosted Lancaster Facebook pages (" Lancaster MA Mass Massachusetts ") last night: "This is my letter to the Select Board. When did the people of Lancaster become so hateful? This behavior is completely unacceptable. Something has to change. I encourage everyone to participate in respectful discourse. Write to the Select Board and ask them to do the same. The next Select Board meeting is tomorrow evening.    Dear Select Board Members Kerrigan, Turner, and Allison;    I have heard some disturbing news this weekend about a threatening letter that was placed on Town Administrator Kate Hodges vehicle last week while at work. It is completely unacceptable for any of our public serva

  Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash The state Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has reviewed the 40R district proposed by Lancaster's Affordable Housing Trust: it would not qualify as an MBTA Communities district, due to the districts requirement that multifamily housing be part of a mixed-use district.    If the town approves the 40R district, allowing high-density housing by-right at the Capital Group site, the town would still need to establish a separate high-density housing district elsewhere in town before the end of 2025. The "Multi-Family Zoning Requirement for MBTA Communities" adopted by the state in January, 2020 will require Lancaster (and 174 other communities) to establish a district that allows dense multi-family housing by right by the end of 2025.   For much of this year the Affordable Housing Trust has promoted that its proposed 40R district at the Capital Group's site in North Lancaster would qualify as Lancaster's distric

  The Zoning Bylaw Public hearing for the proposed expansion of the Enterprise Zone District in northern Lancaster was scheduled for Tuesday, September 6th: it has been cancelled and will be rescheduled again.   If you've been waiting to weigh in on the proposal you'll remember that the hearing was first scheduled for August 8th and cancelled after Town Hall published the wrong hearing notice; this time it was cancelled because the the new hearing was scheduled for the day of the Primary Election. Zoning Bylaw Public Hearings follow the requirements from Mass. General Law Chapter 40A Section 11, and "...No such hearing shall be held on any day on which a state or municipal election, caucus or primary is held in such city or town." At their meeting on August 16th, the Select Board initially requested that the town schedule a hearing on Monday, August 29th.    That date didn't allow enough time for proper notice of a hearing.  Somewhere behind the scenes the hearing

The Select Board formed the "Government Study Committee," an ad-hoc committee, at their meeting on June 15th.  The first meeting of the committee will be September 8th at 6PM.   You can find the posted agenda here . The ad-hoc committee has nine members: Christine Burke Steve Kerrigan ( Non-Voting Select Board Member) David Mallette Jay Moody Anne Ogilvie Monica Tarbell Emily Taylor Sue Thompson Russ Williston The police chief and fire chief are ex-officio members; the town administrator is coordinating it. The proposal for this ad-hoc committee first materialized on May 2nd, at the Annual Town Meeting.  Article 11 was a referendum to signal support for a committee like this, and it was approved 146-12. The committee is intended to report back to the Select Board starting on February 2nd, which is not very far away in municipal volunteer terms. There's definitely been a heavy emphasis on "should the town adopt a charter" in the materials for the committee, but g