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

My Turn: Almost 200 residents urge passage of Nature Link proposal

Dear friends,

We, the undersigned, are writing to express our strong support for the Nature Link (Farrington/Panetta land) proposal that will be on the June 25 Town Meeting warrant. We urge you to join us and vote in favor. We support the Nature Link proposal because we believe it is more than a win-win for the town.

  • 77 acres of land — long identified as being critical — will be permanently protected. Not only is it important for habitat; it also connects to other parcels of open space to provide a significant wildlife corridor.
  • Wetlands and their buffer zones will be protected permanently. Laws and bylaws can be changed. Conservation restrictions are permanent.
  • The Cambridge water board has confirmed, by their large financial contribution, that the Farrington/Panetta proposal offers significant protection for their water supply.
  • Townspeople can enjoy the proposed trail that provides access to this land and to adjacent trails.
  • Protection of significant forestland, such as found on this site, mitigates against climate change by providing carbon sinks, absorbing and storing greenhouse gases.
  • The housing would provide an appealing addition to our housing stock by creating a close-knit condominium neighborhood. Seventeen of the new single-family houses will be in the under-2,000-square-foot range; three of these will be income-restricted. The remaining three houses will be in the 3,500-square-foot range.
  • The funding proposal for conservation will not add to our tax base. The funding proposal includes $500,000 from the Rural Land Foundation, $800,000 from the Cambridge Water Department, $950,000 from the Community Preservation Act (designed for both land protection and housing); and the remainder, approximately $850,000, from contributions (more than half of that amount has already been raised, dependent upon the Town Meeting Vote.)
  • Farrington’s Nature Linc will be able to continue in Lincoln. Farrington, created in 1906, provides an important nature-based education program for students from low-income communities. The agreement with Farrington is dependent upon their gaining a safe access road that is not dependent upon Route 2.
  • This proposal benefits the long-time Lincoln Panetta family; it also further benefits Lincoln and Massachusetts by creating mixed-income housing. It also preserves Gerard’s Farm Stand.

There will be two warrant articles* on this proposal: one that requires a two-thirds vote and one that requires a simple majority. Article 3, requiring a two-thirds vote, will extend the land area in the North Lincoln Overlay District to provide for housing and the farm stand. Article 4, requiring a majority vote, allocates existing funds from the Community Preservation Act fund to conserve the land designated as being of conservation interest.

We believe this proposal is a strong one. It follows the long range, careful planning that has made Lincoln the town that we love. The town has a long tradition of partnering with the Rural Land Foundation to protect open space, and open space linked with housing and public trails.

We hope you will join us and vote yes on Article 3 and Article 4 at Town Meeting.

Sincerely,

Abigail Adams
Gail Alden
Robert Anderson
Sarah Andrysiak
Dogan Arthur
Loretta Arthur
Steve Atlas
Ken Bassett
Cynthia Bencal
Alex Benik
Rebecca Bermont
Sarah Bishop
Pam Boardman
John Bordiuk
Janet Boynton
Stephen Brand
Kim Buell
Larry Buell
Annemarie Calhoun
Jennifer Campbell
Karen Carlson
Tom Casey
Ted Chan
Alex Chatfield
Deborah Choate
Andrew Clark
Lindsay Clemens
Marshall Clemens
William Constable
Rosamund Delori
Alice DeNormandie
Penny DeNormandie
Tom DeNormandie
Jona Donaldson
Nancy Donaldson
Anne Doyle
Jonathan Drew
Leah Drew
Rachel Drew
Nataly Dvash
Lucy Edgington
Dave Elliott
Elizabeth Elliott
Andy Falender
Shirin Farrahi
Becca Fasciano
Jon Ferris
Kristen Ferris
Caroline Fiore
Jim Fleming
Nancy Fleming
Sara Foster
Martha Frost
Rainer Frost
Keli Gail
Jerry Gechter
Gina Halsted
Jean Hardcastle
Chris Hamilton
Sue Harmon
Emily Haslett
Tom Haslett
Jim Henderson
Nancy Henderson
Ruth Ann Hendrickson
Lis Herbert
Zach Herbert
Amanda Hill
Ruth Hodges
Jennifer Holleran
Susanah Howland
Tony Howland
Ken Hurd
Pam Hurd
Peter Hussey
Caroline Jacobs
Brian Jalet
Kim Jalet
Paula Johnson
Steve Johnson
Diana Jong
Herman Karl
Suzanne Karl
Judy Kearney
Bryan Kelly
Elizabeth Kelly
Jonathan Kelman
Joan Kimball
John Kimball
Chris Klem
Sue Klem
John Koenig
John LeClaire
Barbara Leggat
Virginia Lemire
Jackie Lenth
Dave Levington
James Light
Jonathan Light
Paula Light
Lew Lloyd
Rosemary Lloyd
Mary Helen Lorenz
Gwyn Loud
Sara Lupkas
Rick Mandelkorn
Fred Mansfield
Joan Mansfield
Caroline Marotta
Rachel Mason
Lucy Maulsby
Sally Maulsby
Libby Maynard
Nick Maynard
Chris McCarthy
Janice McQuaid
Richard McQuaid
John Mendelson
DJ Mitchell
Matt Mitchell
Richard Mollica
Staci Montori
Edward Morgan
Terry Morgan
Henry Moss
Anne Mostue
Brooks Mostue
Patty Mostue
Richard Nichols
Trish O’Hagan
Barbara O’Neil
David O’Neil
David Onigman
Jane O’Rourke
Margaret Olson
Stacy Parks
Andrea Patton
Joan Perera
Terry Perlmutter
Chris Plonski
Laura Protzman
Ginger Reiner
Kurt Reiner
Dana Robbat
Joe Robbat
Travis Roland
Rick Rundell
Aldis Russell
Lucy Sachs
Reynold Sachs
Barbara Sampson
Don Seckler
Jim Sheehan
Kathy Shepard
Ray Shepard
Ellen Meyer Shorb
Paul Shorb
Molly Slavet
Barbara Slayter
Vickie Slingerland
RL Smith
Tucker Smith
Jonathan Soo
Kara Soo
Nancy Soulette
Charles Staples
Bill Stason
Andy Stevenson
Hannah Stevenson
James Stock
Henry Stone
Jim Storer
Sandy Storer
Kathleen Sullivan
Laura Sullivan
Tricia Thornton-Wells
Dilla Tingley
Peter Van Winkle
Prudy Van Winkle
Mary Jo Veling
Peter Von Mertens
Katy Walker
Tom Walker
Irene Weigel
Lynn Weigel
Deborah Weisgall
Ben Wells
Bryce Wells
Susan Welsh
Throop Wilder
Robin Wilkerson
Blandyna Williams
Susan Winship
Krystal Wood
Louis Zipes
Tanya Zipes
 

* Note: There are five articles on the warrant so the Town Meeting may continue on the evening of June 26. The Nature Link article is third. Please plan on attending both the evenings of June 25 and 26 in case the Nature Link article is not reached until the second night.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. 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.

Breyer reflects on Supreme Court career at talk in Lincoln

Retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer speaks at the Walden Woods Project. (Photo courtesy of Brian Stevens of the Stevens Family Foundation)

An enthusiastic crowd of more than 400 people gathered at the headquarters of the Walden Woods Project in Lincoln on May 30 to hear historian and CNN commentator Douglas Brinkley engage in conversation with retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.

Three Lincoln-based organizations — Lincoln250, the Bemis Free Lecture Series, and the Lincoln Historical Society — co-sponsored the event, which was free and open to the public thanks to a grant from the Ogden Codman Trust.

Breyer, 86, touched on his childhood career dreams growing up in San Francisco (“I thought I wanted to be a baseball player in the summer and a garbage collector in the winter”), American books that give the flavor of a time and place (the autobiographical Education of Henry Adams, The Professor’s House by Willa Cather, and The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton), and his favorite movies — heavy on 1930s screwball comedies but also “Groundhog Day.”

Much of the discussion centered on topics featured in Justice Breyer’s new book, Reading The Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism. At times he shared humorous and sometimes poignant anecdotes about his former Supreme Court colleagues and their deliberations.

When considering a case before the court, “You read the words. If the words are clear, just follow what they say, but words are never clear, so you look to other things. What’s the purpose [of a law]? What mischief was Congress trying to cure? What will happen if you decide this this way or that way? Is it consistent with the values that are still there in this little book, or the other values that Americans hold?” he said, holding up his pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution.

The ideal outcome for a Supreme Court decision, Breyer said, is to give “a better chance of directing, we hope, that the interpretation helps people live together who are affected by it peacefully and productively, at least some of the time.”

Attendees were also treated to the first public viewing of the introduction to a new film, currently in production, entitled “Henry David Thoreau.” The three-hour documentary, executive produced by Ken Burns and Walden Woods Project founder Don Henley, is slated to air on PBS in the spring of 2026. It chronicles the life and legacy of Henry David Thoreau through the narration of George Clooney and the voices of Meryl Streep (Margaret Fuller at al.), Jeff Goldblum (Thoreau), and Ted Danson (Emerson).

A video of the hourlong event is available on the Walden Woods Project’s website.

Select Board endorses Panetta/Farrington Project

The Select Board voted on June 2 to formally endorse the Nature Link project on the Panetta/Farrington land with the following statement:

The Select Board believes this project will have a positive impact on Lincoln. It reflects the town’s core values, including conservation and thoughtful stewardship of our natural and built environments.

First, it conserves 77 acres of undeveloped land that have long been a part of the town’s open space plan. As the largest remaining parcel of unprotected land in town, preserving it represents a rare and significant opportunity. Funding will come from three sources: a contribution from the City of Cambridge to help protect its watershed, private contributions from Lincoln residents, and a $950,000 contribution from the town’s Community Preservation (CPA) fund. The board considers this a good investment of our CPA money.

Second, the community benefits from a wide variety of housing types. Each year, Lincoln loses moderately sized homes to demolition. This project will build 20 new detached family homes that share common land and amenities. Seventeen of the 20 will be three-bedroom homes between 1,650 and 2,000 square feet, and three will be four-bedroom homes of about 4,000-4,500 square feet. Three of the homes will be income-restricted, offering an opportunity for home ownership under an income-restricted model. Because the 20 homes will have common ownership of the land, they may not be torn down and replaced with large houses, keeping them moderately sized in perpetuity.

Third, Farrington NatureLinc’s mission is closely aligned with Lincoln’s values and vision statement. A deal that gives them the capital they need to stay on the property and introduce children to the wonder and magic of the natural world is in both their and the town’s best interests.
Finally, this opportunity for Lincoln would not be possible without the collaboration of multiple entities. The Panetta family wants to help conserve some of the land, including the farm stand that has been so important to them for multiple generations; Farrington is committed to fulfilling their mission and conserving their land; and the City of Cambridge is willing to partner with Lincoln once again to protect water quality. The project would not be possible without the Rural Land Foundation’s long-term commitment to Lincoln’s open space plan and its quiet persistence in listening to stakeholders, finding common ground, and making proposals like this possible.

For these reasons, we recommend that Lincoln voters approve the project at the June 25th Special Town Meeting.

News acorns

Walden Pond to be closed all summer

The Department of  Conservation and Recreation announced last week that Walden Pond’s main beach will be off limits for the entire summer 2025 season due to construction on a new bathhouse (see the Concord Bridge, May 30, 2025).

Coming up at Codman Community Farms

Pizza in the Pavilion
Thursday, June 5 from 5:00-7:00pm
Play some lawn games and enjoy some wood-fired pizza. Register here.

Codman Campout and Chili Night
Saturday, June 14 starting at 4:30pm
Camo out over night and enjoy Codman’s own grass fed beef chili, vegan chili, a toppings bar, and tortilla chips. All are welcome for dinner, even if you aren’t camping for the night, but registration is required. A campsite ticket of $40 per tent includes s’mores and breakfast in the morning (hot coffee, bagels and orange juice).

Flowers in the Field
Tuesday, June 24 from 5:30-7:00pm
Enjoy an evening in CCF’s market garden with friends, flowers and a charcuterie board. BYOB. Register here.

Films and conversation with Julie Dobrow

Come to an afternoon with local author and filmmaker Julie Dobrow, who will screen two short films from her Half the History project, on Sunday, June 8 at 3:00pm in Bemis Hall. Half the History uses short-form biography, film, and podcasts to tell the untold and undertold stories of women in American history. The Lincoln Historical Society plans to launch its own version of this project to tell the stories of some amazing Lincoln residents.

Left to right: Diana Powers; Rep. Carmine Gentile; Food Pantry Club co-presidents Claire Mabli, Madi Sampson and Eva Gilbert; and Gentile’s legislative aide and L-S District School Committee Chair Ravi Simon.

L-S food pantry club wins recognition

The Sudbury Community Food Pantry recently facilitated a presentation by Diana Powers of the Greater Boston Food Bank to the Lincoln-Sudbury RHS Food Pantry Club. State Rep. Carmine Gentile also attended and presented a Legislative Citation to the club in recognition of their support for and advocacy of people living with food insecurity and the SCFP.

Register for Youth Public Safety Academy

Registration for the 2025 Middlesex Sheriff’s Office Youth Public Safety Academy (YPSA) close at 5:00pm on Monday, June 9. Hosted at the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office Training Academy in Chelmsford, the program consists of five, one-week sessions where youngsters engage in hands-on activities alongside YPSA staff, local law enforcement, and first responders. The program focuses on public safety lessons, teamwork and leadership. YPSA is open to children age 8-12 living in Middlesex County, as well as teenagers (age 13-16) interested in participating as a counselor in training. Click here for more information and registration. Registration is $100 per child per week and includes transportation to and from designated bus stops, daily breakfast, lunch, and snacks, as well as a graduation ceremony each Friday. A limited number of scholarships are also available for families. Capacity remains at several area bus stops.

Program on gun/domestic violence

On Wednesday, June 11 at 7:00pm on Zoom, Ruth Zakarin, CEO of the Mass. Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, will explore the intersection of gun violence and domestic violence and what this connection means for survivor safety and the rate of domestic violence homicides, as well as the role domestic violence plays in mass shootings and community-based gun violence. Zakarin also will examine how easy access to guns gives people additional ways to threaten, coerce, and manipulate their current or former intimate partner without ever firing the weapon. Hosted by the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable. Free, but registration is required. Questions? Email infodvrt@gmail.com.

Craft supply swap

Bring your gently used leftover to the library to swap for new-to-you supplies. on Saturday, June 21 from 12:30-3:30pm. Donations are not required to participate. Suggested items include yarn, decorative paper, fabric scraps, paints, beads, etc.

Corrections

The June 3 story headlined “Community center bids come in high; $2.3m fund transfer sought” misstated the dollar amount by which the Finance Committee hopes to increase the town’s fiscal 2025 reserve fund in order to cover unanticipated expenses this year. Those expenses total about $635,000, but the reserve fund already has about $616,000, so the transfer request will be $50,000 or less, depending on the final numbers. The FinCom will finalize details at its June 10 meeting.

The same story also misstated the source of expected additions to the reserve funds. The total balance of $11.1 million will rise by about another $2.6 million in the fall from underspent amounts and/or revenues in excess of the FY25 budget assumptions, not from property tax income.

Community center bids come in high; $2.3m fund transfer sought

(Editor’s note: This article was updated with corrections on June 4, 2025.)

Voters will be asked to approve the transfer of $2.3 million from the town’s debt stabilization fund to make up a budget shortfall after the buds for building the community center came in substantially over budget.

“While this outcome is disappointing, it reflects the broader construction market conditions that are impacting projects across the country,” the Community Center Building Committee said in a town-wide email to LincolnTalk that announced the results. The panel invited residents to a public forum on Wednesday, June 11 at 7:00pm in Town Hall and on Zoom to ask questions, discuss the process, and review possible paths forward (link to come on the Town of Lincoln website).

On the previous night (Tuesday, June 10 at 7:00pm), the Lincoln Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the Panetta/Farrington Nature Link proposal. Both issues will be up for a vote at the Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, June 25 starting at 6:30pm. Town officials penciled in June 26 at the same time for a continuation of the meeting if it runs too late on June 25.

Also on the agenda: a vote to increase the town’s fiscal 2026 reserve fund by about $50,000 to meet some unanticipated expenses this year, and a citizen’s petition to change how FinCom members are appointed (see accompanying article).

The lowest of the seven bids for the community center project that were opened on May 30 was $20,799,135 (the second-lowest bid was exactly $21 million), while the construction budget, including a contingency amount, is $18.5 million.

The bids were a bit unusual in the fairly close range of prices as well as the number of bids. “This is the highest number [for this type of project] that I’ve seen in a long time,” said Kseniya Slavsky of Anser Advisory, the owner’s project manager hired by the town.

The Select Board voted on June 2 to recommend the $2.3 million fund transfer on June 2 after considering with the Finance Committee other possible responses, including cutting the contingency amount, redesigning the project, or asking the town to borrow $2.3 million in a debt exclusion vote, which would require a two-thirds majority at the Special Town Meeting on June 25 as well as a simple majority at a special election. The options were outlined in a May 30 memo from Assistant Town Administrator Dan Pereira to the Community Center Building Committee.

To reduce the project cost, some or all of the “alternate cut” options, which were priced by the low bidder at a total of $386,000, could be removed, at least temporarily. Those options are roller shades, “site amenities” (playground equipment), kitchen equipment, and millwork. (A $38,000 rain garden — an “alternate add” option in the bid packet in case bids came in sufficiently under budget — is off the table.) Following the CCBC’s recommendation, the FinCom and Select Board voted to recommend cutting the first three items but keeping the millwork, since that will be difficult or impossible to add back later if the money becomes available.

Those cuts comprise only 17% of the shortfall, however. Redesigning the project to reduce the overall cost by $2.3 million would mean “going back to the drawing board,” incurring further architectural fees of $1.5 million to $2 million as well as further escalation of 8-10% in construction costs, FinCom Chair Paul Blanchfield said. A debt exclusion to borrow another $2.3 million is the “least appealing” of the possible path forward, he added. 

However, “we do have leeway in both free cash and stabilization,” Blanchfield said. The total balance in those two reserve funds is $11.1 million as of July 1, and will rise by about another $2.6 million in the fall from underspent amounts and/or revenues in excess of the FY25 budget assumptions, he added. 

Ratings agencies recommend that towns like Lincoln keep 15% of their annual budget amount in reserve to retain their AAA bond rating. Lincoln’s Finance Committee aims for 20% because “we do have a relatively high debt burden,” Blanchfield noted. The two reserve funds now total 22.5% of the town budget and will rise to about 25% in the fall, he added.

Tapping the debt stabilization fund for the full amount “is most consistent with our approach,” Blanchfield said. That fund was used to close the gap in the school project before it broke ground, while some free cash was used later in the construction process for a few minor items.

Impetus for citizens’ petition on FinCom still unclear

The last item on the agenda for the June 25 Special Town Meeting is a citizens’ petition asking voters to have Finance Committee members named by the Select Board rather than the Town Moderator. But exactly why the organizers are pushing the measure is still unclear.

The Lincoln Squirrel obtained a copy of material that was given to people who were asked to sign the petition, which says that FinCom members are “appointed by a single individual through a closed process.” The proposed change would “encourage fresh ideas and broader perspectives” as well as “increase transparency and access.” The material also says that FinCom meetings are not routinely recorded or opened to the public via Zoom unlike several other committees, though it’s unclear how the proposed change would affect that.

In a reply to an email from the Lincoln Squirrel last week, one of those petition organizers, Suzanne Szeto, declined to comment on the underlying motivation for the proposal, saying that the group will discuss it at the June 16 Select Board meeting. Asked in a follow-up email if she would share names of other organizers, she replied, “I am sorry I don’t have the answer to your question and would appreciate if you could stop emailing me on this! Thank you!”

 

My Turn: Thanks from St. Vincent de Paul

By the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston

We are so grateful to you, our dear neighbors, for giving so generously to make our annual appeal a great success and securing a $20,000 matching grant from the Ogden Codman Trust. Your donations help ensure that our neighbors in need have food on the table, basic needs met, and the opportunity for further training and education. Every gift shows you care and makes a significant impact on the lives of those we serve. 

To our wonderful communities of Lincoln and Weston and all who came to our spring concert on the Weston town green: it was a real celebration of the generosity of all our volunteers and donors, and a perfect evening of music and fun.

We are truly blessed to live and serve in such active and compassionate communities. Thank you and have a lovely summer! 

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. 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: Conservation Commission public hearing (24 Sandy Pond)

The Lincoln Conservation Commission (LCC) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 11, 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 Tim von Herrmann for fence installation within the 100-ft Buffer Zone and wetland resource areas at 24 Sandy Pond Road (Parcel 143-12-0). 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.

Legal notice: Conservation Commission public hearing (MBTA)

The Lincoln Conservation Commission (LCC) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at 7:20PM in accordance with the MA Wetlands Protection Act. This is in response to the duly filed Request for Determination of Applicability by Keolis Commuter Services (MBTA) for vegetation management within the 100-ft Buffer Zone and wetland resource areas along the Fitchburg commuter railroad right-of-way. 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.