Lincoln Journal
Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Town girds for changes at Hanscom Field

By Stephen Hagan / Staff Writer

With Hanscom Air Force Base officials preparing for a potential federal
"base realignment" or base closing and possible "privatization" of
operations, Lincoln officials are hunkering down for the worst.

The worst, according to town officials, may be a School Department overrun
with new students.

Lincoln, one of the four towns that make up Hanscom, could be the
municipality that suffers the most under the potential changes afoot,
selectmen contend, since all of the airport's housing is located in Lincoln.

They say if the federal government goes ahead with a plan to privatize
airport operations and build new housing, Lincoln may end up sharing a
greater burden to educate the children of the new homeowners.

The other three towns that makeup Hanscom are Concord, Bedford and
Lexington.

On Monday, selectmen considered the options, with a directive to Town
Administrator Tim Higgins to look into legal assistance in the months ahead.

"Until we get some legal guidance, we don't know what we're talking about,"
said Selectman Sara Mattes.

But it was clear Lincoln officials want to keep the status quo.

"The town's preferred option is to keep the base open," said Selectman Gary
Taylor. "That remains plan number one."

The Massachusetts Defense Technology Initiative, a group formed to respond
to the possible changes at the airport, has met twice recently, according to
Selectman Sara Mattes. She said the group could be an asset to Lincoln's
interests. The group plans to release a report on the possible airport
changes in the near future, Mattes said, adding attorneys have been hired to
lobby Congressional representatives in Washington, D.C. on behalf of the
state's interests. The organization is supported by Gov. Mitt Romney.

"They have assembled some very powerful forces on the committee," said
Mattes. "The governor is very active and ready on this issue."

Mattes said even if airport operations do not significantly change, business
operations there will never be the same. She predicted more public/private
enterprises will be created with the base realignment. In addition, Mattes
said the four Hanscom towns will see an increase in traffic in the near
future, because of the changes planned.

"If we manage to retain the (existing) businesses, it will be a drastically
changed operation," said Mattes.

Taylor agreed the changes at the airport will mean "drastic" changes for
Lincoln, especially with an expected increase in the school aged population.
At Monday's Board of Selectmen meeting, he warned officials at
Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School to prepare for "tremendous" enrollment
changes.

"We need to consider what we will do if it doesn't favor Lincoln," Taylor
said. "We need to begin a planning and communication process."

Because of the expected growth in school-aged children, selectmen also sent
the signal to Finance Committee members to be on guard for needed changes in
School Department appropriations.

Lincoln Finance Committee member John Robinson, who was present at Monday's
meeting, was told to be ready for "worst-case scenarios."

Currently, all public high school students who live at Hanscom Air Field
attend Bedford High School. If the housing at the airport eventually falls
under the jurisdiction of the town of Lincoln, Robinson said high school
aged students would attend Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.

In addition, under the privatization plan, students who attend the Hanscom
campus of the Lincoln School would be financed by the Lincoln taxes.
Currently, the agreement the town has with the government calls for Lincoln
to teach Hanscom children but be reimbursed by the federal government.

"We really have no idea whether the base will be closed," said Robinson.
"But it's wise for us to plan if that were to occur. It's way too early to
determine the (potential) costs to the Lincoln School."

The federal government plans to announce its list of base closings in 2005.

Town Administrator Tim Higgins suggested selectmen need legal advice on the
changes in store. He said federal funds may be available for privatization
changes from the Office of Economic Adjustment.

"How should the planning process look?" Higgins asked. "What kind of legal
guidance do we need?"

Higgins said he planned to study work done by the National Association of
Installation Developers (NAID), a group created to assist area communities
who have had to respond to base closures. In addition, he also said he will
look into the history of the base closing process at the former Fort Devens
military facility and the South Weymouth Naval Air Station.

Mattes said Lincoln may have an advantage over towns affected by recent base
closings in the state. On the other hand, she said, the planning process may
be marching ahead without the input of Lincoln officials.

"We're going to be in a real different situation because of the desirability
of the base," said Mattes. "This is a prime location. But the sense I'm
getting is we will have very little choice in the matter.

Selectmen also considered appointing a task-force to look into changes at
the airport, with representation from several town boards, including the
School Committee and the Hanscom Area Towns Committee.

But Taylor said the subcommittee needs to be created soon.

"We need to get it energized," he said. "It strikes me that one of the
things we need to figure out is what towns are for us and what towns are
'agin' us. It strikes me there are economic levers we don't have."

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