To the editor:
Colonel Chad Ellsworth, the recently appointed commander of the 66th Air Base Group at Hanscom Air Force Base, reaffirmed the criticality of excellent relationships with Lincoln and the three other towns with ties to the base during his Change in Command ceremony. While representing our town at the ceremony with colleague Board of Selectmen member Jennifer Glass, I was struck by how frequently this theme of base/town relations was mentioned.
This theme was noted by the ceremony’s facilitator, Col. Ellsworth, and Lt. Gen. Robert McMurry during their formal remarks. Outgoing base commander Col. Roman Hund mentioned what surprised him most about his time at the base in a Hanscom News article—it was not the work done on base, but the community partnerships.
“At many of the bases I have been in my career, the installations have not been as active in the local community or with local groups as they are here,” he said. “The rapport we have with our local communities is among the best I have seen in my Air Force career.” More than once, I heard that other bases are looking to learn from Hanscom and emulate its close ties with state and local governments and businesses.
Jennifer and I had a few moments to talk with Col. Ellsworth, Col. Hund, and their families after the ceremony, and both described their appreciation for how Lincoln has supported the base, citing our connections with schools and public safety, among others. Ms. Ellsworth and Ms. Hund both spoke appreciatively of their experience with the schools, and thanked us for the town’s support.
Lincoln’s connections to Hanscom are deep. Everyone living on the base resides within our town’s borders. Our public school administration runs the base’s schools, under contract with the Department of Defense. Our Conservation Department influences building projects within the border to protect natural resources. Our Police Department answers emergency calls in the base’s residential neighborhoods.
With these connections, Lincoln helps Hanscom to achieve its mission to acquire critical systems for the Air Force and sister services such as radar, communication and intelligence systems; command and operations centers; network infrastructure; and cyber defense. The ripple effect is real: across New England and Upstate New York, Hanscom’s economic impact was reported to be about $6 billion in 2017, according to Colonel Hund.
Sincerely,
Selectman Jonathan Dwyer
14 Beaver Pond Rd., Lincoln
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Thank you for this as it may not be widely known how close our ties are. When I was the Lincoln School Committee’s appointee to the deCordova Board of Trustees, I was fortunate enough to work with the art teachers at Hanscom and also implement a pass available easily online so that Hanscom (as you point out, Lincoln) residents could come to the sculpture park and museum for free. As a member of the Town’s Archives Committee, we were also able to join with the Historical Society for an informative talk featuring Hanscom’s Base Historian and hope to have more in the future.
Katherine Hall Page
23 Todd Pond Road
That’s fantastic Katherine! Thanks for extending yourself to the base and raising awareness of town benefits available to them. Turnover is high in the base, so it’s relatively more difficult for them to be aware of them.