The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

News acorns

Water leak traced to faulty valve

The Water Department reported that a suspected water main break on Sept. 30 in the area of 174 S. Great Road was due to a leak from the water main operating valve. “Due to its age, a repair wasn’t possible, so we replaced it with a new operating valve. This isn’t something we see happen very often,” said department Superintendent Rick Nolli. The good news: “While cutting out a small section of the main to install the valve, we were able to inspect the inside of the pipe, its condition was surprisingly like new.” After the Lincoln Road water main project is done, the Water Department will evaluate what other mains are in need of replacement. Nolli said that one stretch being considered is Sandy Pond Road from Five Corners to the water treatment facility at 80 Sandy Pond Road.

Old County Road still closed

Old County Road between Trapelo Road and Route 2 will be closed for another month or so as Enbridge replaces a gas main. Permanent detours are set up for the duration of construction, and all abutting residents were notified, police said.

Report fallen trees and other problems on trails

Lincoln land management staff are busy clearing downed trees on trails from last weekend’s storm. If you see a flooded trail or a tree down along a trail, please contact the Conservation Department at 781-259-2612 or conservation@lincolnma.gov. When reporting a tree issue, include the date and location (include the closest numbered trail intersection or include a screenshot showing your location on OuterSpatial or AllTrails), the approximate diameter of the tree, and photos of the issue

LSFOM to meet

The Lincoln-Sudbury Friends of Music (LSFOM) will meet on Monday, Oct. 5 at 7:00pm in the L-S lecture hall. This is a chance for parents and guardians of students involved in the L-S music program to meet the choral and instrumental directors, and learn more about upcoming concerts, events, and volunteer opportunities.

“Why is sleep so important?”

Learn how to better you sleep hygiene when the Council on Aging & Human Services will host “Why is Sleep so Important?” with Mike Enos, Director of Cardiopulmonary Services at Emerson Health, on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 2:30pm in Bemis Hall.

Donate diapers to area families in need

SNAP & WIC benefits do not cover diapers and have faced deep cuts in recent years. As a result, many families must make difficult decisions between food, rent, or clean bottoms. You can help babies in the metro Boston by donating to the annual Metro-Boston Diaper Drive, which runs from Oct. 4-17.  Diapers, including loose diapers, can be dropped off at the Lincoln Public Library, or visit mbdiapers.org to donate or click directly on the links to the Amazon and Target registries.  The Metro-Boston Diaper Drive donates all diapers to the Somerville WIC office, which now serves 19 towns including Lincoln. Read more here.

Fundraiser at L-S/Wayland football game

On Friday, Oct. 9 at 7:00pm at L-S, the football team is hosting Wayland and the schools are partnering for a joint “Purple Out” at which student groups in the Mentors in Violence Prevention will run a stadium fundraiser. Near the ticket booth, there will be a table featuring purple swag that will include glow sticks, necklaces and bracelets, purple pens, purple Skittles, and more. Donations are also welcome. All funds raised will go directly to the Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund to support healthy relationship education.

Session on “Fusion’s Promise”

“Fusion’s Promise: A Limitless Carbon-Free Energy Source” is a webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 7:00–8:30pm with Jessica Strunkin, community relations and local government affairs principal at Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS). More information and registration here. Co-sponsored by Lincoln Green Energy’s CFREE and MetroWest Climate Solutions.

More information — and questions — about strategies for library HVAC

Officials from several town boards, a consulting engineer, and dozens of residents convened at a multiboard meeting on Sept. 28 to share the latest proposals and try to answer questions from the public about the library HVAC system.

Not in question is the need to replace the 37-year-old gas-fired boiler before it fails. At issue is whether voters at the Oct. 24 Special Town Meeting will opt for a high-efficiency gas-fired boiler costing about $330,000 plus future significant expenditures to upgrade other pieces of the HVAC system, or a comprehensive geothermal ground-source heat pump system (GSHP) plus HVAC upgrades that would run on electricity rather than fossil fuels and thereby cut carbon emissions in keeping with Lincoln’s goal of eventually having town buildings be 100% green.

The GSHP-based system would cost an estimated $6.25 million, though the net cost to the town would be about $3.7 million after grants and tax incentives are factored in. Consultants have said that replacing the entire system with one based on a gas boiler would cost a total of about $3.32 million.

Community Preservation Committee Chair Eric Zimmerman confirmed this week that his group has agreed to finance up to $2.47 million of the total cost, which would push its debt service from 30% to about 46% of its expected annual revenue. The Finance Committee has recommended borrowing another $1.2 million through a 20-year bond that would be funded under the regular budget tax levy limit rather than a debt exclusion. In the short term, the stabilization fund would have to be tapped for another $1.55 million “until confirmation of expected incentives,” FinCom Chair Paul Blanchfield said. Neither the CPC nor the FinCom took a vote on recommending either option.

If voters reject the GSHP system and opt for a new gas-fired boiler, the questions then become:  (1) should the rest of the HVAC system be replaced in a  single comprehensive project, done in planned steps, or only when components fail, and (2) how much will that system cost in total, especially when considering inflation over the  years. 

“You can do it piecemeal, but you’ll definitely have to upgrade [the rest of the] system because the technologies have all become obsolete” in terms of building and safety codes, said Brandon Kelly, the town’s facilities director. On the other hand, although the rest of the system could certainly be replaced in a single project sooner, the cost is unknown at this point since it hasn’t been designed, Assistant Town Manager Dan Pereira said. 

“If voters reject the heat pump [option], I’m going to hear a clear signal that they’re worried about the cost of the project,” Select Board member Jim Hutchinson said. “We’d look for ways to reduce the project cost, which probably means reducing the scope of the conventional project.”

As with an aging car, residents must decide next month whether “it’s worth fixing the transmission knowing you’re going to have to keep putting in money, or invest now when you have [green energy] incentives,” Blanchfield said. “More to the point is where the town wants to spend the dollars and how much value they put in having a more green solution that’s 9% more expensive than a full traditional system.”

Also unknown is how much inflation and future savings due to improved technology or other factors will affect the cost of a traditional system, either step-wise or all at once, he added.

If voters opt for the conventional boiler next month, the town could draw up a budget for design and construction (or perhaps just design) for the rest of a new conventional system in time for a vote at Annual Town Meeting in March 2027, Town Administrator Tim Higgins said. According to a spreadsheet linked from a Sept. 11 memo by Pereira, an in-kind conventional system would cost $3.28 million and would save the town about $3,800 in energy costs, compared to about $2,200 for the GSHP system.

“Town officials need to be careful about saying that the heat pump option is only 10% more expensive,” resident David Cuetos said. He questioned several items in the budget, such as $1.71 million for overhead and other project-related costs, and $430,000 for American with Disabilities Act improvements — something that may not be required if the project doesn’t cross the threshold of having at least 30% of the building renovated or replaced and thus trigger state-mandated ADA upgrades, he said.

Cuetos also said that the gas boiler for Bemis Hall, which had to be replaced on an emergency basis last year, cost only about $41,000. Although the library has about 40% more floor space, “how can that [conventional] boiler be almost 10 times as expensive?”

Other residents at the meeting asked about the impact of the work on the rest of the library interior as well as its surrounding landscape and masonry foundation, which some worried could be damaged by vibrations from nearby well-drilling. The topic has also been the subject of discussion and debate online (LincolnTalk login required).

Bill Garbati with consulting engineering firm Energy Systems Group said the drilling will not cause any damage since the wells will be about 75 feet from the building and far enough away from the trees and irrigation lines to keep them intact. The interior mechanical spaces will not be enlarged, the interior ductwork and registers will be reused, and the rooftop air-conditioning condensers will be removed, he said. 

Officials are updating an FAQ document (a draft of which was available at the multi-board meeting) to address some of the questions that will be posted on the Special Town Meeting web page. Future information sessions on the topic will be hosted by the Select Board (Monday, Oct. 5 at 6:30pm) and the Green Energy Committee (Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 8:00 a.m.), and at the State of the Town meeting on Oct. 24 at 9:45am before the Special Town Meeting at 10:30am.

My Turn: Support teacher grant program at L-S

By Tara Mitchell and Carolyn Dwyer

Refresh, expand, appreciate, ignite, reconnect… these are all words that L-S faculty and staff have used to describe how they felt after being supported by a FELS grant. The Foundation for Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury (FELS) is a nonprofit organization that exists to support the aspirations and passions of L-S teachers and staff.

The motto, “Inspired Teachers Inspire Students,” is what drives the committee. Funds raised are awarded as grants to faculty and staff to pursue an interest, sharpen a skill, explore the world — all with the intent that what they have experienced will flow back into the classroom either directly or indirectly.

This summer, FELS grant recipients gained inspiration by studying ancient texts in Ireland, refreshment and reconnection while attending a painting retreat, and a sense of personal accomplishment by solo backpacking in the Alaskan wilderness, just to highlight a few. Whether recipients chose to develop a personal interest, pursue a new challenge or explore parts unknown, these impactful experiences reignite passions and provide inspiration in ways that pay big dividends not only for teachers but for the students they interact with.

Last year, 12 high-quality grants were submitted. Due to funding constraints, and in an effort to support as many deserving applicants as possible, FELS was only able to award 47% of the funds requested, which resulted in some partial awards.

We need your help to support even more high-quality grant applications this year. Consider making a tax-deductible donation to FELS to help meet our 2026-27 fundraising goal of $15,000. Donations can be made by check and mailed to the address above, or via PayPal here.

Please visit our website, www.FELSGrant.org, to learn more, review our grant history and see our 2026-27 schedule of events including our Thanksgiving pie sale in October and prom flowers sale in the spring.

Thank you for investing in our L-S faculty and staff and their continued growth and development!

Mitchell and Dwyer are writing on behalf of the FELS board.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Public safety log for Sept. 10–25, 2026

September 10

South Great Road (12:44pm) — Railroad crossing gates were stuck n the town position.

Old Sudbury Road (4:41pm) — Officers responded to a report of escaped animals.

September 11

Lincoln Woods (6:40pm) — A complaint about loud landscapers was received.

September 12

Concord Road (1:03am) — A tree fell and took down utility wires.

North Great Road (4:24am) — A car crashed into telephone pole. The driver, who was transported to the hospital for minor injuries, was charged with negligent operation of a motor vehicle and a marked lanes violation.

St. Anne’s Church — A called complained about landscapers using loud leaf-blowers.

Lincoln Road (11:01am) — A found item was turned in to the police station.

September 13

Cider Lane (1:33pm) — A caller sought help in locating a phone that was stolen in Boston.

Mary’s Way (10:39am) — Police contacted a resident at the request of another town’s police department.

Old Sudbury Road — A caller reported hat a large branch was down in the road.

September 14

Bedford Road (11:10am) — A caller reported that a landscaper was violating the leaf blower bylaw.

Mount Misery parking lot (11:21am) — A loose dog was reported.

Concord Road (4:29pm) — Police filed a report on a possible credit card/ATM fraud.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (4:35pm) — State police handled a car accident.

Woodcock Lane (7:09pm) — An unidentified person knocked on a resident’s door but was gone by the time police arrived.

September 15

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (9:09am) — State police handled a car accident.

Deerhaven Road (2:40pm) — Smoke was reported to be coming from a home. The fire department responded but found nothing.

Fox Run Road (9:53pm) — Police received a report of possible fraudulent activity.

September 16

Granville Road (2:32am) — A caller reported that an alarm was sounding.

Ent Road (6:14pm) — Police responded to a dispute between two Hanscom AFB base residents.

September 17

Wells Road (9:02am) — Police dealt with a civil matter.

North Great Road (9:15am) — Police helped vehicle operators exchange papers after an accident.

Orchard Lane (10:30am) — A suspicious incident was reported but everything was fine.

Huntley Lane (1:55pm) — A resident spoke to an officer about an item they believed to have been stolen from their residence.

Minuteman Technical High School (8:26pm) — An item was taken from an unlocked vehicle.

September 18

Silver Hill Road (4:46pm) — An item was reported lost.

Ent Road (6:17pm) — Police responded to an ongoing issue between two base residents.

Blackburnian Road (10:22pm) — An out-of-town resident called Lincoln police in ten effort to locate a missing child.

September 19

Page Road (9:42am) — Possibly stolen construction equipment was reported.

Winchelsea Lane (2:30pm) — A resident reported finding an item.

Codman House (3:32pm) — A dog was struck by a train and transported to a vet.

September 20

Bemis Hall (3:07am) — Police found that a door posting had been vandalized.

Lincoln Road (1:29pm) — A dead animal was reported. The DPW was notified.

Stonehedge Road (7:05pm) — An unidentified person was reportedly knocking on doors requesting assistance but officers unable to locate them.

September 21

North Great Road (9:53am) — Minor two-car crash with no injuries.

Lexington Road (12:01pm) — A found laptop was turned in.

Bedford Lane (2:39pm) — A possible incident of fraud was reported.

Lincoln Road (3:14pm) — A vehicle was struck by a railroad crossing gate. The MBTA and Keolis were notified.

Deerhaven Road (5:02pm) — Police received a report of a bicycle in a wooded area but officers were unable to locate it.

Garland Road (7:27pm) — A caller reported seeing flashlight in woods. The person was located and found to be the owner of the bicycle from the earlier call.

September 22

Lincoln Cemetery (9:41am) — A person was reportedly confrontational with a resident.

Trapelo Road (4:41pm) — A two-car crash with no injuries occurred. Both vehicles were towed.

Old Sudbury Road (5:33pm) — Police responded to a report of sick raccoons but were unable to locate the animals.

September 23

Hanscom Drive (7:55am) — A person seeking access to the base was held by Hanscom Security Forces due to an outstanding warrant. Lincoln police arrested the person.

Concord Road (5:27pm) — A lost phone was turned in.

South Great Road (5:33pm) — Low-voltage communication wires were hanging but did not pose a hazard.

September 24

Nothing to report.

September 25

Hartwell lot (3:33am) — Police investigating a suspicious vehicle found that a person was early for work. They subsequently left the area.

News acorns

September conservation column

Gwyn Loud’s September conservation column posted last week notes that fall arrived on September 22 and “we have had many lovely days over recent weeks, sunny and not too hot, but the drought persists.” Maybe not quite as much after the recent nor’easter? Read more here.

Talk on wetlands protection

Join Conservation Director Michelle Grzenda to learn about the mission of the Conservation Commission and what residents can do to help protect open spaces in the Council on Aging & Human Resources Lincoln Academy talk on Friday, Oct. 2 at 12:30pm in Bemis Hall. Open to all.

Coming up at the library

Why Are Katmai’s Bears So Fat?
Thursday, Oct. 1 from 7:00-7:30pm, Tarbell Room and Zoom
Learn about the ecosystem of the Brooks River inside Katmai National Park and Preserve and how this mile-long stretch of water supports sockeye salmon, a keystone species. Streamed in the Tarbell Room and on Zoom. Registration required.

Understanding AI and Misinformation
Saturday, Oct. 3 from 3:00-4:00pm, Tarbell Room
Join journalist Philip Eil to hear about the role AI plays in creating and spreading misinformation, and how to stay. More information.

Home Sustainability Series #3: Better House and Window Insulation
Wednesday, Oct. 7 from 7:00-8:00pm, Tarbell Room
Join CFREE for a discussion on recommendations for options to improve overall home insulation, as well as specific improvements one can make to eliminate heat leakage. Registration recommended.

Lincoln Arts (and Crafts) Show

Calling all artists, photographers, potters, jewelers, wood workers, and crafters of all materials. Submit your work for the 2026 Lincoln Arts (and Crafts) Show on Nov. 13-15 at the Pierce House. Student entries are free. Register by Nov. 6. More information.

Shine a purple light

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable invites community members to shine purple lights in their neighborhoods by adding purple lights to indoor lamps, porches, or outside house lights. Purple light bulbs will be available at Ace Hardware (70 Andrew Ave., Wayland) and Aubuchon Hardware (505 Boston Post Road, Sudbury).

Three at Home at next LOMA

Three at Home (Dann Russo, Mary Casiello & Kari Paisley-Flango) are the headliners at the next Lincoln Open Mic Acoustic (LOMA) on Monday, Oct. 19 from 7:00-10:00pm in Bemis Hall (doors open at 6:30pm, featured performers play from 8:30-9:00pm). LOMA is a monthly open mic night event with mics and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups playing acoustic-style. Come and perform (email loma3re@gmail.com to sign up) or just come listen to acoustic music and spoken word. Free admission.

Thatcher Birchby and Jenna Salon with some of the LEGOs donated in the drive for REACH Beyond Domestic Violence.

Lots of Legos

REACH Beyond Domestic Violence thanks everyone who donated more than 300 pounds of loose LEGOs and 30 sealed sets for its children’s community playroom in the Brick Bags Project drive organized by Lincoln resident Thatcher Birchby and his mother Jena Salon. 

Property sales in August 2026

279 Cambridge Turnpike and 109 Page Road — Paul Panetta Trust and Frank J. Panetta Jr. Trust to Rural Land Foundation for $2,172,780 (August 31)

35 North Great Road — Maharishi Foundation to 35 North Great LLC for $1,300,000 (August 27)

23 Greenridge Lane — Brian L. Rogers to Scott E. Miller and and Mark N.Q. Tolentino for $705,000 (August 27)

16 Old Cambridge Turnpike — Advanced Operations Services to Fidel M. Arriviaga and Aneli J. Barrios for $1,350,000 (August 10)

141 Trapelo Road — Charles L. Chiotelis Trust to Adam L. And Anne F.K. Palay for $1,356,750 (August 7)

235 Aspen Circle — Christine Sarkisian Trust to Deborah Flanagan for $850,000 (August 7)

Legal notice: ZBA (Oct. 1, 2026 hearing)

 

LEGAL NOTICE — ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

The Zoning Board of the Appeals of the Town of Lincoln will hold a virtual online public hearing Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. to hear and to act on the following petitions under the Zoning Bylaws:

  • Lincoln Remodeling and Construction, LLC, 22 Lincoln Road, M/P 152-2-0 for a renewal of special permit for an accessory apartment.
  • SavATree, 15 Lewis Street, M/P 161-4-0 for renewal of a special permit to continue use of the property for landscape, planting, and pruning business.

Anyone wishing to be heard on this matter should be present at the designated time and place.

The agenda with the Zoom information will be posted to the town’s ZBA website at least 48 hours prior to the hearing.

» Zoom link

Meeting ID: 92780169188       Password: 735886

Note that legal notices often must be posted twice by law. For previous legal notices and details on how to submit a legal notice to the Lincoln Squirrel, click here.

My Turn: “Billionaires” stand out for private jets at Hanscom

By Lara Sullivan

On Wednesday, Sept. 16, eighteen “billionaires” gathered at the entrance to Massport’s Hanscom Field civil airport (as distinct from Hanscom Air Force Base). These “billionaires,” dressed in fancy attire, greeted their fellow high flyers as they entered the largest private jetport in New England, holding signs with slogans such as “Gov. Healey: Stop the Private Jet Housing Crisis,” “Climate Crisis is for People without Jets,” and “What’s Wrong with My Private Jet? I Recycle!” 

This satirical standout was organized by the Coalition to Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere and their supporters. It was designed to highlight the massive proposed private jet hangar expansion at Hanscom Field and hold high polluters accountable for posing an existential crisis to our planet and our livelihoods with their excessive emissions. 

The Billionaires’ Standout at Hanscom, which included six Lincolnites and others from as far away as Granby, Mass.

Climate experts and citizens alike understand that we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions as our planet warms. Communities across Massachusetts have dedicated significant time and resources to this effort. For example, Lincoln has installed chargers for electric vehicles, solar panels over the town’s capped landfill and the parking lot at the Lincoln Public Schools, committed to achieving net zero by 2050, and has its own Green Energy Committee. 

Meanwhile, the proposed expansion is expected to induce roughly 6,000 additional private jet flights at Hanscom Field, which would increase private jet emissions by roughly 150,000 tons of CO2e each year. This is equivalent to the emissions of over 32,000 passenger vehicles each year, all for the luxury and convenience that 63 to 76 new private jets can provide for their ultra-wealthy passengers who are among 0.003% of the global population. Although Hanscom is located in Concord, Bedford, Lexington, and Lincoln, towns far beyond those communities would experience the climate impacts from the proposed expansion.

Local officials formally expressed the town’s opposition to the proposed private jet expansion in an Oct. 10, 2023 joint letter to the governor signed by the Select Boards of the four Hanscom-area towns, as well as in am April 26, 2024 public comment on the North Airfield developers’ Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) as part of a still-ongoing state environmental review. In June 2024, EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper rejected the DEIR because it did not comply with MEPA standards and ordered the developers to produce a re-do in the form of a Supplemental DEIR (SDEIR) which, over two years later, still hasn’t been filed. Following numerous postponements, the developers now claim they will file the SDEIR at the end of 2026.

The statewide Coalition to Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere (SPJE) has over 120 organizations across Massachusetts and beyond, and is growing every day. Read more about SPJE at www.spje.org.

The standouts at the rotary by the entrance to the Hanscom Civil Airport Terminal happen every Wednesday from 8:00–9:00am (only last week’s was a Billionaires’ Standout). The next standout is Wednesday, Sept. 23. For more details, email info@spje.org.

Sullivan is the project manager for SPJE and a resident of Lincoln.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Legal notice: Historical Commission – Oct. 6 hearing (91 Tower)

LEGAL NOTICE — HISTORICAL COMMISSION

The Lincoln Historical Commission will hold a virtual online public hearing on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. to consider the application of Shergul Arshad and Sophie Dixon of 91 Tower Road for an application to determine the significance of an existing building or structure. Anyone wishing to be heard on this matter should be present at the designated time and place.

The agenda with the Zoom information will be posted on the Town of Lincoln Historical Commission website at at least 48 hours prior to the hearing.

Join Zoom meeting

Meeting ID: 983 9661 4379       Password: 167620

Note that legal notices often must be posted twice by law. For previous legal notices and details on how to submit a legal notice to the Lincoln Squirrel, click here.

Legal notice: Historical Commission – Oct. 6 hearing (89 Lexington)

LEGAL NOTICE — HISTORICAL COMMISSION

The Lincoln Historical Commission will hold a virtual online public hearing on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. to consider the application of Zoltan Juhasz, 89 Lexington Road, for design review of a proposed replacement structure in connection with an application for a demolition permit of a significant and preferably preserved structure. Anyone wishing to be heard on this matter should be present at the designated time and place.

The agenda with the Zoom information will be posted on the Town of Lincoln Historical Commission website at at least 48 hours prior to the hearing.

Join Zoom meeting

Meeting ID: 983 9661 4379       Password: 167620

Note that legal notices often must be posted twice by law. For previous legal notices and details on how to submit a legal notice to the Lincoln Squirrel, click here.