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Lincoln accepts $360,445.92 bequest for recreation; board to create expendable trust and hold public process for spending
Summary
The Board of Selectmen voted to accept a $360,445.92 IRA bequest to the town’s recreation department and agreed to place creation of an expendable trust on a future warrant; any use of the funds will be decided in public hearings and budget processes.
The Board of Selectmen voted to accept $360,445.92 from the estate of the late Leon DePalma for the Lincoln Recreation Department after a noticed public hearing.
Chair opened the hearing, read the statutory notice and told the board the funds — held in an IRA at Middlesex Savings Bank — may be withdrawn as a lump sum or in increments. Staff advised the board that the correct vehicle would be an expendable trust fund for the recreation department and recommended bringing a warrant article to the town meeting to create that fund.
Committee members asked whether the donation would be merged with existing recreation capital funds or handled separately. Staff recommended the money be placed in its own expendable trust to allow controlled, public consideration of spending priorities. "The total amount of the donation is $360,445.92," the Chair said during the hearing.
After brief public input and board discussion about priorities — including whether some money should help a planned building project — a board member moved to accept the donation and the motion passed on a voice vote. Board members said any proposed spending will be developed and vetted in public hearings and through the standard budget process before funds are expended.
The board directed staff to place an expendable-trust-warrant article on the next town-meeting warrant and to notify the public about upcoming hearings to discuss possible uses for the gift.
