Writing about Lancaster, Massachusetts

  If we don't approve the zoning the week, a potential buyer is Sauron, the Deceiver, who'll be unconstrained by zoning and will build what's most profitable: the total domination of all mankind.  You must choose between these two options.   But seriously: do we in the Shire really have "no control" if we turn down the zoning week?    That's not true, and here are the details.

  The DCAMM development won't "raise revenue" as is often quoted.  It would create new assessed residential and commercial value, which raises the levy limit without an override vote.   If the town actually raised the "$777,043 in net-positive revenue" asserted in the DCAMM financial analysis, most of it would be taxed from existing homes and your taxes would increase.  In FY2026, the basis for DCAMMs projections, the town would have seen its tax rate and average tax bill increase and the percentage of taxes borne by business townwide decrease.  

At the Special Town Meeting on November 16th "Question 1" will ask voters to decide whether to approve new zoning bylaws for the old Industrial School property on Old Common Road.   DCAMMs model development for the property includes 386 housing units.  That's a lot, but how many units is it in relation to Lancaster and it's normal growth?  

  He claimed that “...a growing number of students were choosing not to participate…” in the Halloween parade, but parents requested the data:   even though the sign-up form stopped restricting the “alternate activity” to students with religious objection after 2023, the percentage of responses that chose the “alternate activity” only increased from 9.8% to 13.3%.

Should Nashoba privatize it's cafeterias?  Tonight the School Committee will hear the single proposal that resulted from the District's "Request for Proposals," from Whitsons Culinary Group.   You can share your opinion with the entire committee by sending an email to  nrsc@nrsd.net  

  If you're asked to support another override in May, 2028 -- what will you do?   It's projected in the budget book that we'll refer to tomorrow night. The budget Lancaster will vote on tomorrow night (Monday at 7PM at Mary Rowlandson elementary) projects that Lancaster will be unable to support current spending in two years:  we'll either need to "drastically cut services" or approve the second Levy Limit Override in five years.  The same budget would increase town staff -- already up  50% in 12 years through last year -- with four new hires and expanded hours for another position.   This will add another $240K in recurring expenses.    It asks the town to increase the budget for municipal services by 12% next year. The old adage goes: "if you find yourself in a hole, first: stop digging."    We're in an increasingly deep hole at the moment.

    Lancaster's Select Board looked at an early plan for redeveloping the former Atlantic Union College site during Monday's Select Board meeting.   Among the early concepts: a community athletic center, a vocational school, a hotel and a variety of housing types.  

Some Lancaster Residents will be "Moving to Clinton" next year -- but they won't need trucks. Check to see if your street is on the list.

  With a 2-1 vote on December 8th, Allison and Carr voted to tax the average homeowner an extra $300 this year to lower business taxes: at least 73 will pay less this year than they did in 2019.    With residential values skyrocketing, why have we been so reluctant to split the tax rates?

  Here in Lancaster, Capital Group Properties is mostly "not doing" things: they're not building "Lancaster Landings" and not paying us the $100K that they promised us.   In Framingham, however,  they've been busy.  This month Bill Depietri sued a recent widow, insisting that their email exchange resulted in a finalized contract.   He now wants the land court to force her to sell him her home --assessed at $773K this year-- to him for $350K.

  This afternoon Superintendent Kirk Downing sent an email to Nashoba District food services employees and extended-day personnel: the district will pursue an initiative to outsource their jobs.    Many district parents – who have given the administration a C+ rating for years now – might like to replace someone else.

  Contracting Speck Dempsey, Nelson Nygaard and Dain Torpy for this year’s master-planning process in Lancaster, including a “Walkable City Talk” by designer/author Jeff Speck, will cost the state $236K according to records received from the state.     Take a look at the contract and RFP response.

  On September 26 th Capital Group Properties responded to the town’s demand for a promised $100K contribution: they refuse to pay the second contribution...and demand a refund of the first payment.   They also want the town to modify the agreement so that they can continue “Earth Processing” operations on the site until 2035.

  During her time in Lancaster, Kate Hodges struggled to maintain professional relationships.  Nine months into her new job, she’s threatening to deploy the police inappropriately and the School Superintendent is threatening to sue her.   For people in Lancaster and Concord, it all sounds very familiar.

                              In exchange for a approving a zoning change in 2023, Capital Group Properties/702, LLC promised two $100,000 contributions to Lancaster.     The second contribution is more than three months late.  The town administration is considering its options.    

  Interested in a novel that includes some Lancaster history?   I received a nice email from the author of a new biographical historical novel:  Made to Last Forever: A Family. A House. A Nation. . It's primarily about the Fairbanks family, but they were close friends with the Prescott family -- the founders of Lancaster.    You can find it on Amazon.

  Residents uncovered that the source of a string of anonymous Facebook Messages, including social media messages accusing the chair of the Planning Board of "hiding something," is another Planning Board member, Kendra Dickinson.    

  Image by Firefly AI: "A tangle of ethernet cables shaped like a Christmas Tree" For much of Lancaster, Xfinity is our internet provider.  We have a few different plans to pick from: which should we pick?   This years infrastructure upgrades allowed higher upload speeds - that's changed the choices drastically.  If you haven't looked recently, it might be time to check if a cheaper plan would meet your needs.

  Image by Adobe Firefly AI Last night the Select Board held the town's Tax Classification hearing, clearing the way for the town to submit tax rates for FY2025.    Though the appropriation approved in May was up 4% over the previous year, many tax payers will pay less in taxes for FY2025 (the year ending in June) because the town approved a budget that uses $1,000,000 in free cash (unused balances from prior years) and stabilization funds.    This is a victory for residents who pressed for a budget that more accurately portrayed expenses after two years of wildly inflated budgets, but we'll need to continue pressing for transparency and accurate budgeting.

  Photo by Brian Wangenheim on Unsplash It's official:  Town Administrator Kate Hodges has delivered her notice and will resign effective Friday, January 10th, 2025.   Her first contract with Lancaster was due to end on June 30th.