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

Legal notice: Conservation Commission public hearing (51 Sandy Pond)

The Lincoln Conservation Commission (LCC) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 7:05PM in accordance with the MA Wetlands Protection Act and the Town of Lincoln Wetlands Protection Bylaw. This is in response to the duly filed Request for Determination of Applicability by Nancy Fincke for landscape improvements at the Lincoln Nursery School within the 100-ft Buffer Zone at 51 Sandy Pond Road (Parcels 135-2-0 and 135-3-0). Information on how to log onto the virtual public meeting will be included in the LCC Agenda posted on the town’s website at least 48 hours prior to the hearing. More information can be reviewed here.

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.

News acorns

Order senior prom flowers from FELS

Support the Foundation for Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury by purchasing senior prom flowers. Pre-order White, pink, or red rose boutonnières for $20; white, pink, or red corsages for $45; or a combo pack (one of each) for $60. Pick up on Thursday, May 29 from 10:30-noon outside the Lincoln-Sudbury main office. Questions? Email FELSQuestions@gmail.com.

Deadline for Town Meeting citizens’ petitions

The deadline for submitting citizens’ petitions for the Special Town Meeting on June 25 is Tuesday, May 27 at noon. Citizens considering sponsoring a Town Meeting petition are strongly urged to contact the Town Clerk’s Office (781-259-2607 or foxv@lincolntown.org) for guidance about the process. The office will contact the people identified as lead petitioners to ensure coordination as we prepare for the discussions and presentations that will be occurring in advance of Town Meeting.

Benefit concert for Society of St. Vincent de Paul

For the fourth year in a row, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston (SVdP) is putting on an outdoor concert to celebrate the start of summer and to thank all their volunteers and supporters. The concert will be on Tuesday, May 27 from 5:30-8:00pm on the Weston town green. Our performers are Lincoln’s own Doo Wop Team; Adrian Sicam and his Berklee All-Stars, and Twice-a-Day-Ray, a group of medical professionals by day and raging rockers by night. Bring a picnic, take a chance on winning some gift cards from local businesses, and visit Frosty’s Ice Cream Truck. The suggested donation is $25 a person. In the event of rain, the event will be in the St. Julia’s Parish Hall across the street.

SVdP runs a food pantry in Lincoln, gives financial assistance to those who live, work, or go to school in Lincoln and Weston, and provides scholarships to adults who want to upgrade their skills in the workforce. Last fiscal year they served more than 400 community members and provided more than $180,000 in services.

Talk on “Resolute Revolutionaries”

Dana Robbat, author of the upcoming book Lincoln Modern: Plain Living, High Thinking, will give a talk on ” Resolute Revolutionaries: Walter Gropius and Quincy Adams: Modernism in Lincoln, Massachusetts” on Wednesday, May 28 from 6:45-8:00pm in the Tarbell Room at the Lincoln Public Library. Hosted by FoMA/Lincoln and supported by the Freedoms Way Foundation. Learn how Gropius, creator of the world-renowned Bauhaus that changed the world of design, settled in the small New England farming community and influenced the young architect Quincy Adams, a descendent of two U.S. presidents.

Nolli is acting Water Dept. superintendent

Rick Nolli, formerly the water distribution foreman and senior person in the Water Department, is the new acting superintendent. He succeeds Darin LaFalam, who was offered a job with the Concord Water Department. The Lincoln department promoted two employees and will hire a new lower-level person, said commission member Steve Gladstone. LaFalam was hired in 2021 and was named state director of the New England Water Works Association later that year. “He made the water commissioners’ jobs very easy,” Gladstone said.

Tack Room to get expanded outdoor patio

A sketch of the expanded Tack Room patio and doorways.

The Planning Board gave a thumbs-up this week to a plan to increase the size of the dining patio at the Tack Room restaurant and a more convenient access door.

The Rural Land Foundation (which owns the property) and the owner of the Tack Room, Mike Culpo, found that they needed to replace the 10-year-old seasonal awning over the patio. As part of the improvement, they will increase the patio size from 810 square feet to about 1,060 square feet, or about four feet wider along the Lincoln Road side and five feet wider along the post office side.

The enclosure will have an exit to the green space along Lincoln Road and a new clear, accordion-style doorway from the restaurant interior to make it easier for customers and servers to access the patio.

“It will still be a seasonal patio, but will be much more spacious with roughly 20 tables. Four of those tables will be high-top tables located near a few outdoor TVs we will install,” Culpo told the Lincoln Squirrel, adding that he hopes to have the work complete by late summer.

Legal notice: Select Board public hearing (Cellco)

Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless

The Select Board of the Town of Lincoln will conduct a public hearing on Monday evening, June 2, 2025 at 7:00 pm, in the Town Offices – Donaldson Room, in response to an application by Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless for Grant of Location for Small Cell Wireless Communications Facility on a replacement utility pole #43 located along Waltham Road, the nearest site address being 37 Longmeadow Road, Lincoln, MA 01773.

Pursuant to the extension of the remote meeting authorization of the Open Meeting Law through June 30, 2027, under Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2025, this meeting of the Select Board will be conducted as a hybrid meeting, providing the public the opportunity to participate in person or remotely.

Plans are available for review in the Select Board’s Office. Specific information and the general guidelines for remote participation by members of the public and/or parties with a right and/or requirement to attend this meeting can be found on the Town of Lincoln website, at www.lincolntown.org.

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: Select Board public hearing (Goose Pond)

Verizon New England Inc. and
NSTAR Electric Company d/b/a Eversource Energy Hearing

The Select Board of the Town of Lincoln will conduct a grant of location hearing on Monday evening, May 19, 2025 at 7:00 pm, in response to a petition for joint or identical pole locations. VERIZON NEW ENGLAND INC. and NSTAR ELECTRIC COMPANY d/b/a EVERSOURCE ENERGY request permission to locate poles, wires, cables and fixtures including the necessary anchors, guys and other such sustaining and protecting fixtures to be owned and used in common by your petitioners, along and across the following public way or ways:

Goose Pond Road:
Place one (1) JO pole, P.14-1X approximately 35’ southeasterly from existing pole, P.14 located on the westerly side of Goose Pond Road. The petition is necessary to accommodate services 34 Goose Pond Road.

Pursuant to the extension of the remote meeting authorization of the Open Meeting Law through June 30, 2027, under Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2025, this meeting of the Select Board will be conducted as a hybrid meeting, providing the public the opportunity to participate in-person or remotely.

Plans are available for review in the Select Board’s Office. Specific information and the general guidelines for remote participation by members of the public and/or parties with a right and/or requirement to attend this meeting can be found on the Town of Lincoln website at www.lincolntown.org.

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.

News acorns

Pride event on Wednesday

The Lincoln School will hold its annual Pride Month kickoff to celebrate diversity on Wednesday, May 14 (rain date: May 28) from 1:00-3:30pm at Lincoln Station. There will be performances from the Lincoln-Hanscom Step Team and local musicians Layla MacLachlin and David Onigman, a breakdancing demonstration from Jabbar Fair, face-painting, ice cream, and more. Sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Department, the Mass. Cultural Council, and the Lincoln PTO. For more information and volunteer opportunities, email lincolnmapride@gmail.com. 

8th-grade car wash fundraiser

To raise money for end-of-year activities including the trip to Washington, D.C., in June, the Lincoln School eighth-graders will hold a fundraiser car wash on Saturday, May 17 from 9:00am-3:00pm at Town Hall. Sign up online in advance or drive up and pay on the day of the event — donations are welcome.

Exhibit by Lincoln artist

Some of Liz Wilkinson’s artwork on display in Concord.

Tabor Hill Road resident Liz Wilkinson has an exhibit of 22 pieces at the gallery at the Trinity Episcopal Church at 81 Elm St. in Concord through June 28. Wilkinson, who taught Spanish at Concord-Carlisle High School for 25 years, has exhibited at Concord Art, the Cambridge Art Association, the Umbrella Arts Center. See her Instagram page for examples of her work or contact her at lizwilkinson2013@gmail.com.

Farm needs office items

The staff of Codman Community Farms staff has grown, and the farm is looking for donations for their office space: two office chairs (preferably on wheels), a leather armchair, a large whiteboard, a large wall calendar, school-style lockers, and old flat sheets. Anyone with items to donate may contact Hathaway Ellis at 617-866-0288 or hathaway.fiocchi@gmail.com.

Conservation Commission volunteers sought

There is a vacancy on the Conservation Commission. See details on the duties and how to apply on the town’s volunteer information page. the commission is also looking for volunteers to identify and control invasive Japanese knotweed patches around town. Volunteers “adopt” knotweed patches and control them manually three times per summer. Those interested should contact Conservation Planner Stacy Carter at stacyc@lincolntown.org.

Wentworth named acting chief of police

Sean Kennedy (rear center) on the day he was appointed chief of police by the Select Board on June 17, 2024. Also in the photo: board members Jim Hutchinson, Kim Bodnar, and Jennifer Glass, and (right rear) Town Administrator Tim Higgins. (Photo: Lincoln Police Dept. Facebook page)

Lt. Jon Wentworth, a 27-year veteran of the Lincoln Police Department, was named acting chief of police during a closed-door meeting of the Select Board on May 12. The action was taken after Chief of Police Sean Kennedy was arrested on May 10 on domestic violence charges and the town put him on paid administrative leave.

A call to Martin F. Kane II, Kennedy’s attorney, was not returned.

On Tuesday, media outlets including the Boston Globe and 10Boston (NBC) reported more details of the incident. The woman required stitches to close a wound near her eye, according to the Boston Globe, citing the Westwood police report. 10Boston (NBC) quoted the same report, saying the woman told police this was not the first time Kennedy had assaulted her. “She stated ‘he’s just a jealous guy’ and that he ‘definitely lost his [expletive], it doesn’t take much'” but that Saturday’s injuries were “‘worse than anything in the past.'”

Acting Chief of Police Jon Wentworth.

Wentworth was promoted to lieutenant in July 2024 after serving as a sergeant for 10 years. Before that, he was a detective for 11 years and a patrol/juvenile officer for five years, according to his LinkedIn page.

This is not the first time in recent years that a Lincoln Police Department officer has been arrested. Dispatcher Spencer Hughes was arrested in October 2020 on charges of possessing child pornography and resigned a week later while the town was in the process of moving forward with a termination hearing.

Police Chief Sean Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges

Police Chief Sean Kennedy in 2024.

Lincoln Police Chief Sean Kennedy has been placed on administrative leave after being arrested over the weekend at his Westwood home on domestic violence charges.

Kennedy was arrested by Westwood police on May 10 and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (a wall) and assault and battery on a household member. He was arraigned Monday in Dedham District Court and released on $1,500 bail. He was ordered to stay away from the victim.

Reached by the Lincoln Squirrel, Westwood Police Chief Jeffrey Silva declined to specify the charges on which Kennedy was arrested, saying that state laws concerning public records and police logs “enumerate exceptions [to public release] for certain types of events.” However, WCVB-TV quoted the Westwood police report as saying that Kennedy’s wife said he threw her into a wall at their home during an argument. The victim was reportedly treated at a local hospital for facial injuries and received stitches above her eye. The victim also told officers she had been assaulted by Kennedy in the past, according to WCVB’s account of the police report.

Westwood police informed town officials that Kennedy had been arrested in connection with “an off-duty incident taking place at his residence,” according to a written statement from Town Administrator Tim Higgins. “The town takes any such allegations very seriously and, consistent with town policy, has placed the chief on administrative leave. As with any person under arrest, the chief is presumed innocent pending the results of the legal process. The town will be conducting its own internal review of the matter.  At this time, the Town will refrain from any additional comment.”

Kennedy began his career with the Lasell College Police Department and the South Portland Police Department before joining the Lincoln Police Department in 1996. He was promoted to sergeant in 2014 and lieutenant in 2014 before being named acting chief in 2023 (succeeding the retiring Kevin Kennedy, to whom he is not related) and then chief in June 2024, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Police log for April 26 – May 8, 2025

April 26

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (4:01pm) — The Lincoln Police and Fire Departments assisted the Massachusetts State Police with a crash on Route 2 East.

Scott Circle, Hanscom AFB (9:45pm) — A person spoke with an officer regarding a possible fraud.

April 27

Weston Road (2:19pm) — A person spoke with an officer regarding an item left in their mailbox.

Well Road (8:40pm) — A resident spoke with an officer regarding an ongoing issue.

April 28

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (2:55am) — An officer stopped a vehicle for speeding. The operator, Luis Quinonez Corado, 25 of Waltham was arrested for operating under the influence of alcohol.

Commuter rail parking lot (2:04pm) — A caller reported a loud vehicle in the area. An officer located the vehicle, a Keolis work truck, and requested they clear from the area if they had completed their work.

Concord Road (3:57pm) — A vehicle struck another as it attempted to pass a turning vehicle at the intersection of Routes 126 and 117. There were no injuries reported.

South Great Road (6:06pm) — An officer helped a tow truck locate a vehicle.

April 29

Ballfield Road (3:04pm) — An officer spoke to a resident regarding possible vandalism to a bicycle.

South Great Road (5:05pm) — Officers stood by and helped two drivers exchange information after a minor motor vehicle crash.

North Great Road (6:44pm) — A caller reported a man attempting to flag cars over. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate anyone matching the description provided.

April 30

Tower Road (9:54am) — Officers from the Lincoln and Weston Police Departments checked a section of railroad tracks for the report of a person on foot in the area. No one was found.

Page Road (12:56pm) — An out-of-control brush fire was reported. The Lincoln and Concord Fire Departments were able to gain control and extinguish the fire a short time later.

Page Road (7:57pm) — The Fire Department responded to a house for the report of an odor of burning plastic. The odor was the result of burnt light bulb.

May 1

Old Bedford Road (1:45pm) — An electric vehicle was reportedly charging at a commercial property. The owner was contacted and advised that it was not allowed.

Trapelo Road (5:13pm) — A vehicle traveling north on Old County Road proceeded through the intersection after coming to a stop. The vehicle then struck a cyclist traveling west on Trapelo Road. The cyclist was uninjured and the motorist was cited for failure to yield.

Silver Birch Lane (10:44pm) — An officer responded for a barking dog complaint.

May 2

Russett Court (10:1am) — A minor crash occurred when a vehicle struck a construction vehicle. There were no injuries reported.

Oriole Landing (1:21pm) — An officer spoke to a person regarding a civil matter.

Donelan’s Supermarket (1:37pm) — An officer spoke to a motorist about idling their vehicle.

Lincoln Road (2:02pm) — A person reported their dog was missing. Animal Control was notified.

Bypass Road (6:41pm) — A single-vehicle crash was reported. The operator was transported for minor injuries and the vehicle was towed from the scene.

Patterson Road, Hanscom AFB (11:20pm) — An officer came to investigate a report of an assault and battery. The investigation is ongoing.

May 3

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (1:07am) — An officer assisted the State Police with a vehicle that had driven off of the road. The operator was ultimately cited for negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

Bedford Road (4:24am) — Officers responded for a report of a single vehicle crash. The operator was ultimately transported to the hospital as a result of the injuries sustained in the crash and the vehicle was towed from the scene.

Ridge Road (5:15am) — Officers performed a well-being check.

May 4

Birchwood Lane (4:09pm) — An officer contacted a resident at the request of an outside agency.

Red Maple Lane (5:44pm) — A caller reported an occupied vehicle that was parked for several hours. The occupant was a utility worker monitoring a generator.

May 5

Wells Road (11:25am) — Officers conducted a well-being check.

South Great Road (4:10pm) — Officers responded for a two-vehicle crash. There were no reported injuries. One vehicle was able to be driven from the scene and the other was towed.

Lincoln Road (6:40pm) — A person spoke with an officer regarding an ongoing matter.

Mill Street (10:27pm) — The fire department responded for a report of an electrical line arcing. Eversource was notified.

May 6

Winter Street (2:58pm) — A dog was reportedly running unattended on Winter Street. Animal Control was notified.

Patterson Road, Hanscom AFB (3:01pm) — A person spoke with an officer regarding a civil matter.

May 7

Page Road (8:23am) — An officer spoke with a person regarding an ongoing incident.

May 8

Bemis Hall (12:48pm) —Council on Aging & Human Services staff were able to corral a dog until it could be reunited with its owner.

Sandy Pond Road (4:35pm) — A two-vehicle crash occurred at the five-way intersection. There were no reported injuries. One of the operators was cited for failure to yield and both vehicles were towed.

Beverly Eckhardt, 1928–2025

Beverly Eckhardt

Beverly Hillmann Eckhardt, 96, of Lincoln and Wayland died peacefully on May 6, 2025. Her loving husband Homer predeceased her by two years after their recent move to the Residence at Paine Estate in Wayland. 

Beverly was born in Salisbury, Vt. to Phoebe Ladd Hillmann and William Ferdinand Hillmann. She attended Brandon High and then the University of Vermont, where she graduated cum laude in 1949 with elections to Sigma Xi and Phi Beta Kappa. Although she had an early interest in biology, she was steered toward psychology, which led to a productive career in engineering psychology.

After leaving UVM, she attended Brown University and completed a Master of Science in Psychology. She began her career as a research psychologist at the U.S. Submarine Base Medical Research Laboratory in New London, Conn., where she worked on visual studies pertaining to Navy personnel requirements and submarine interior design. During this period she spent a one-year Fulbright scholarship as a research associate with the Center Nationale de Recherches Scientifique in Paris, France. She moved to work for RCA in Burlington, Mass., in the Aerospace Systems Division, where she worked in human factors research. Much of her work was on visual display systems and design, and included work on the Apollo space missions. RCA paid for her to complete a Ph.D. in human factors engineering from Tufts University, which she completed in 1968.

Beverly met the love of her life, Homer, while they both were working at RCA. He was a recently divorced man with four children, so despite her mother’s caution, she quickly became a stepmother. When she became pregnant with her daughter Anneliese in 1969, she left work and became a full time-mother.

While living in Lincoln, she enjoyed gardening at Codman Farm, where she had a time as a board member, reading in both English and French, keeping Old English Sheepdogs, swimming at Valley Pond, writing for the Lincoln Journal, leading a Girl Scout troop, and being a loving mother and wife. She became involved in the Council on Aging, which led to a second career as the director of the Ombudsman Program for Eliot Community Human Services and Minuteman Homecare.

Beverly kept her family home in Vermont for many years, renting it to local families. In the early 2000s she sold it, along with a property she had purchased while at RCA, and purchased a couple of properties in Edgecomb, Maine, near her daughter’s family. She and Homer converted one into a part-time home where they could enjoy being with their grandchildren.

She said she was fortunate to have been able to work for so many years as well as be a mother. She was a compassionate person, seeking to be kind to others, chiding herself when she thought or said something unkind. She had an infectious smile that put people at ease. Beverly loved learning and was always interested in understanding people. Nature discoveries excited her, which she often would share with her daughter, showing her animals, pointing out bird calls, and expressing nurture for wild plants.

She is survived by her daughter Anneliese Pugh of Alna, Maine; stepdaughters Margaretha Eckhardt of Lincoln and Juliana Huljack of Stockton, N.J.; stepsons Jason Eckhardt of New Bedford, Mass., and Kris Eckhardt of Westbrook, Maine; two grandchildren, four step-grandchildren, and four step-great-grandchildren.

A private graveside service will be held for the immediate family at Lincoln Cemetery. A memorial for residents and friends at the Paine Estate will be forthcoming.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Beverly Eckhardt’s memory may be made to University of Vermont Foundation, Codman Community Farm, Buddy Dog Humane Society or Midcoast Conservancy.

Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord, which provided this obituary. To share a remembrance or to offer a condolence in Beverly’s online guestbook, click here.