Town of Lancaster Massachusetts Annual report Of Officers & committees 2013 1 IN Memoriam Cheryl Carchidi January 25, 1960 – February 23, 2013 Special Education Teacher Mary Rowlandson School 1983 - 2012 Leo A. Favreau May 4, 1929 – April 23, 2013 Field Driver 1962 John M. Bailey October 19, 1926 – May 25, 2013 Board of Selectmen 1992 - 1998 Election Worker 1967 - 1969 Finance Committee 1980 – 2003 Personnel Board Study Committee 1984 & 1987 Property Disposal Committee 2000 - 2003 Agnes Shepard July 31, 1937 – June 10, 2013 2nd Grade and Special Education Teacher Lancaster Memorial School 1963-1985 Marto “Shep” ShapaSian February 9, 1928 – June 14, 2013 Board of Health 1966 – 1970 Communicable Disease Reporting Agent 1968 George Vahram Albert January 9, 1924 – June 28, 2013 Shop and Woodworking Teacher Lancaster Middle School June E. Henderson June 20, 1936 – July 3, 2013 Tax Collector 1979 - 1987 Clerk, Assistant Town Treasurer 1973 - 1979 2 Oscar R. Schmidt June 1, 1914 – July 18, 2013 Board of Library Trustees 1977 - 1983 Atlantic Union College: Professor of English Library Director English as a Second Language Instructor 1956 - 2006 John W. Morris March 17, 1920 – August 13, 2013 Educator at: Browning Elementary South Lancaster Academy Nashoba Regional High School Atlantic Union College Anna DiPietro January 2, 1924 – August 20, 2013 Election Worker 1964 – 1978 Member of the Board of Registrars of Voters 1978 - 2009 Dorothy G. Suckert July 18, 1927 – August 22, 2013 Browning Elementary School Teacher Roger P. Hart August 5, 1928 – September 28, 2013 Board of Assessors 1995 – 2013 Lancaster Fire Department 1954 (?) – 1995 Fire Chief 1988 – 1995 Civil Defense Deputy 1991 – 1992 Emergency Planning Commission 1991 – 1992 Forest Warden 1991 – 1992 Recreation Committee Superintendent of Road Department Supervisor of Sanitary Landfill Moira Taylor August 5, 1929 – November 18, 2013 Thayer Memorial Library 1975 to 2001 3 Town of Lancaster 2013 Annual Report Table of Contents TOWN DIRECTORY ……………………………………………. Inside Front Cover IN MEMORIAM …………………………………………………………………. 2 Lancaster Continues Its Green Path in 2013! by Orlando Pacheco & Noreen Piazza…..…………………………………………………………………………… 7 I. General Information Elected Officials ………………………………………………………….. 11 Appointed Town Officers ………………………………………………… 12 General Town Information ……………………………………………….. 18 II. General Government Board of Selectmen ……………………………………………………… 19 Sterling-Lancaster Community Television ………………….…………… 25 Personnel Board ……………….………………………………………… 26 Town Counsel …………………………………………………………… 26 Town Clerk ……………………………………………………………… 27 Treasurer/Collector ……………………………………………………… 29 III. Health and Human Services Lancaster Board of Health ……………………………………………….. 31 Nashoba Associated Boards of Health ………………………………....... 36 Council on Aging ………………………………………………………… 40 Tax Rebate Program ……………………..………………………………. 46 Lancaster Housing Authority ……………………………………………. 46 Commission on Disability ……………………………………………….. 47 Office of Veterans Services ……………………………………………… 48 IV. Office of Planning and Community Development Board of Appeals ………………………………………………………… 51 Planning Board …………………………………………………………… 53 Conservation Commission ……………………………………………….. 59 Lancaster Agricultural Commission ……………………………………… 64 Energy Commission ………………………………………………….….... 65 V. Public Safety Police Department ………………………………………………………… 67 o Police Statistical Reports ………………………………………….. 69 4 Fire Department …………………………………………………………… 73 o Fire Statistical Reports ……….…………………………………… 74 Nashoba Valley Regional Emergency Communications Center …………. 78 Ambulance Department …………………………………………………… 80 Animal Control Commission ……………………………………………… 81 VI. Office of Inspectional Services Building Department …………………………………….………..………. 85 Plumbing and Gas Inspector ………………………………………………. 86 Electrical Inspector ………………………………………………………… 87 Sealer of Weights and Measures …………………………………………… 87 VII. Public Works Board of Public Works …………………………………………………….. 89 Highway Division …………………………………………………………. 89 Cemetery Division ………………………………………………………… 90 Water Division …………………………………………………………….. 90 Devens Regional Household Hazardous Products Collection Center …….. 91 VIII. Culture and Recreation Trustees of the Thayer Memorial Library ………………………………… 93 Historical Commission …………………………………………………..... 100 Lancaster Community Center ……………………………………………... 102 Recreation Committee …………………………………………………….. 105 Open Space and Recreation Committee ……..……………………………. 106 Thayer Field Recreation Campus Task Force……………………………... 107 Lancaster Trail and Bike Way Coalition …………………………………. 109 Town Forest Committee …………………………………………………... 112 Memorial Day Committee ………………………………………………… 113 IX. Education Nashoba Regional School District ……………………………………….. 115 o NRSD Class of 2013 …………………………………………… 120 Minuteman Vocational Regional High School …………………………… 124 Perkins School ……………………………………………………………. 128 X. Community Organizations and Activities Lancaster Land Trust ……………………………………………………… 131 Lancaster 4-H ……………………………………………………………… 131 Lancaster Boy Scouts …………………………………………….………... 132 Friends of the Lancaster Seniors …………………………………………… 133 Lancaster Friends of the Nashua River …………………………………….. 134 First Church of Christ – Unitarian …………………………………………. 138 Evangelical Church …………………………………………………………. 139 5 XI. Town Records …………………………………………………………. 141 XII. Elections and Town Meetings Annual Town Meeting, May 6, 2013 -- Warrant………..….…………….. 149 Annual Town Meeting, May 6, 2013 – Abbreviated Notes………………. 169 Annual Town Election, May13, 2013 -- Results…………………………. 172 Special Town Meeting, October 28, 2013 -- Warrant…..……….……….. 174 Special Town Meeting, October 28, 2013 – Abbreviated Notes………….. 189 Special State Primary, April 30, 2013 – Lancaster Results ………………. 191 Special State Election, June 25, 2013 – Lancaster Results ……………….. 192 XIII. Financial Reports Board of Assessors ……………………………………………………….. 193 o Historic Tax Rates ….…………………………………………….. 194 Finance Director Reports …………………………………………………. 195 o Balance Sheet …..………………………………………………… 195 o Annual Operating Budget vs Actual Spending, FY13……...…….. 197 o Annual Water Budgets FY09 to FY13 …………………………… 200 Fiscal Year 2014 Operating Budget ………………………………………. 201 6 Lancaster Continues Its Green Path in 2013! By Orlando Pacheco and Noreen Piazza Being one of the first state-designated Green Communities in 2010, the Town of Lancaster has taken a leadership role in reducing our energy consumption and in finding sources of renewable energy to supplement our energy needs. Many different programs have been implemented in the last three years, and 2013 remained a very strong year in continuing to push the sustainability agenda. Green Communities Sign Solar Generation On September 29th, the Town-owned Solar Array was interconnected to the electric grid. The Solar Array, which produces net-metering credits for various town municipal accounts, can be monitored live by going to: http://www.solrenview.com/SolrenView/mainFr.php?siteI d=1549. The project is financed using congressional directed funds and Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds. The bonds are paid back using revenues generated from Dedication of Solar Field the sale of Solar Renewable Energy Certificates, or SRECs. Solar Hot Water The Town also teamed with Beam Engineering this past summer to educate residents about the benefits of solar hot water systems. The “Lancaster is Solar Hot!” program covered residential solar hot water technology, highlighted the financial incentives available for such systems, and facilitated the installation of systems at homes that make the best applications. The overarching goal of the program was to increase the knowledge and prevalence of residential solar hot water systems in Lancaster to assist the community in the transition to more financially and environmentally sustainable practices. Lighting Green Communities Grant funds were used to upgrade the lighting to LED fixtures in most all of the Town’s facilities, including the Town Hall, Police Station, Fire Station, DPW buildings and most recently at the Library. In particular, the Thayer Memorial Library had a very active year. With the support of the Energy Commission and the Library Board of Trustees, the building went through an entire lighting overhaul, replacing fifty metal halide lamps with more efficient Light Emitting Diodes or LEDs, located in the Library’s interior and exterior. The change will allow for a substantial reduction in the building’s electricity consumption. 7 In addition, the Library was chosen as one of seven libraries in the Commonwealth to participate in the National Grid Light Up Your Library tour to win an Energy-Efficient Lighting Makeover Contest prize. Lancaster prevailed over the Town of Westborough and the five other libraries in a Facebook contest to win a $15,000 prize. Recipients received a day of programming hosted by Radio Disney® and aimed at informing the public of methods to be more energy efficient. We would like to thank all the friends and supporters of the Thayer Memorial Library for the previous and continued support in all endeavors. Heating and Cooling Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funds were used to upgrade the heating systems at the Police Station, Fire Station and the DPW buildings to more energy-efficient propane-based systems, again reverting away from oil-based systems. Energy Audits, Insulation and Weatherization Green Communities Grant funds were used to conduct several energy audits of the