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

Alice Waugh

Family to fund awards honoring Lincoln woman

The giving spirit is certainly in evidence at this time of year. A new town committee backed by a Lincoln family who wants to remain anonymous will award grants to charities every month to recognize women — and in an unrelated development, another family has donated a piece of property to the town for conservation purposes.

In its first year, the Women Positively Impacting Lincoln Lives program, known as WILL, will honor “women who have lived or worked in Lincoln and whose contributions have benefited the town of Lincoln, the local area, or society at large,” said Select Board Chair Kim Bodnar. The group will seek nominations of “women of today” and will award 12 monthly grants of $2,500 to the organization of the winning nominee’s choice. Once a year, it will also select women from history who have had an impact on Lincoln and award $2,500 in her name. 

The family initially offered to appoint and run the committee to spare the town the administrative work that accompanies an official committee. But the Select Board ultimately decided that such a group should be operated by the town under its usual procedures, even though it’s administering private funds, much as the Lincoln Scholarship Committee does.

The identity of the philanthropic family is still a mystery, but that may change at some point. “The donor family would like to remain anonymous but recognize that it might be challenging should they participate in the committee’s meetings, which are subject to the requirements of Open Meeting Law,” Bodnar said. 

The parcel abutting Trapelo Road and the Cambridge Water Dept. land that will be known as “Le Champ du Maroni.”

New town-owned parcel

The parcel of vacant land being donated to the town is on the south side of Trapelo Road abutting the Cambridge Water Department’s land abutting the reservoir (see map at right). It’s one of two adjoining parcels that were once owned by the parents of Kevin Maroni (the second lot abutting Huckleberry Hill includes a home and has been sold). The lot will be left in a natural state as a memorial to his parents and will eventually bear a sign marking it as “Le Champ du Maroni,” said Conservation Director Michele Grzenda. 

My Turn: Salon appointed to School Committee

By Susan Taylor on behalf of the Lincoln School Committee

The Lincoln School Committee is happy to announce that Abbey Salon will join the Committee as an interim member to fill the unexpired term of Yonca Heyse until the town election in March. Abbey was appointed by majority vote of a joint meeting on December 12th of the School Committee and the Select Board as required by state law.

Candidates were interviewed at an open meeting that was recorded. Select Board and School Committee members were all thrilled by the caliber of candidates who submitted statements of interest. While only one person could be selected for this interim position, we are hopeful that all candidates will continue to seek opportunities to be involved and to add their voices and perspectives as we progress along our journey to meet our strategic objectives.

In selecting Abbey Salon, we considered that her deep experience in education could help her acclimate quickly for this short window until the next election. Additionally, the School Committee’s goals for this year include developing standardized reporting around school performance using qualitative and quantitative metrics while maintaining alignment with our AIDE Guide principals. Abbey’s experience with data-driven education goals, her commitment to AIDE work, and the skills she learned earning her master’s in administration will be an asset to the committee and will help propel this work forward.

We are looking forward to having her join our committee. Below is her Statement of Interest if you would like to learn more about her background.

To the Lincoln School Committee:

I am writing to express my interest in the interim vacancy on the Lincoln School Committee.
Besides being the parent of a student of color who will be attending school beginning in the year 2026-27, I care deeply about education for all students. As an elementary and secondary educator for the last 21 years I have a long-standing commitment to education. I currently teach ELA in the Sudbury Public Schools where I have worked for the past 11 years in a variety of teaching roles. I have also worked on numerous committees (such as homework, curriculum, professional development, book groups and grading for equity) both within the district and within the schools in order to help ensure that we were working towards providing the best education possible for our students.

I feel that my work as an educator has afforded me the opportunities to learn many skills that are helpful in aiding the School Committee in their first goal. As a teacher we write and complete SMART goals which are data-driven and guided by qualitative and quantitative metrics. I have also spent a lot of time evaluating curriculum, instruction and grading practices through an AIDE lens within my own department and for my own teaching practice. While I know I will not be directly engaged in these activities as a School Committee member, I know what it takes to execute them well at a staff level.

I believe my organization skills, the skills gained while earning my master’s in administration, as well as my time spent working with various stakeholders would also help me to support the School Committee in the final goals of securing a new DoDEA contract, updating meeting procedures, the policy manual, and community outreach. I welcome the opportunity to talk with you about the possibility of joining the School Committee for the remainder of this year and answering questions that you may have.

Thank you,
Abbey Salon

“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.

Police log for December 8–15, 2024

December 8

Twin Pond Lane (7:23 a.m.) — Officers responded to a residence to investigate tire tracks left in the snow.

Lincoln Road (7:31 p.m.) — An officer noticed the railroad crossing gates appeared to be malfunctioning. The officer remained on scene for a cycle and the MBTA was notified.

December 9

Weston Road (6:47 p.m.) — A person reported being the possible victim of a fraud.

Harvest Circle (11:10 p.m.) — An officer helped a family member contact a relative in Lincoln.

December 10

Ent Road, Hanscom AFB (2:20 a.m.) — Officer assisted Hanscom Air Force Base Security Forces with a well-being check on a juvenile.

North Great Road (7:25 a.m.) — A two vehicle crash occurred at the intersection of Hanscom Drive when a vehicle traveling east lost control and struck an oncoming vehicle. One of the operators was transported to the hospital. The operator who lost control was cited for a marked lanes violation. Both vehicles were towed from the scene.

Lexington Road (11:54 a.m.) — A person reported a missing or stolen item from their entryway.

Lincoln Road 4:59 p.m.) — Officers responded to the intersection of Lincoln Road and Route 117 for a three-vehicle crash after one vehicle failed to yield at the intersection, ultimately striking two others. One of the drivers was transported to the hospital and two of the three vehicles were towed from the scene. The driver that caused the crash was cited for failure to yield.

North Great Road (6:21 p.m.) — A dead deer was reported in a travel lane. The Mass. Highway Department was alerted.

December 11

Lincoln Road (7:32 a.m.) — A motorist reported a possible malfunction with the railroad crossing gates. An officer responded and monitored the gates; there appeared to be no issue.

Tower Road (12:32 p.m.) — An officer spoke to a person regarding an ongoing situation.

Wells Road (7:56 p.m.) — The Fire Department responded for the odor of smoke in an office that turned out to be coming from a malfunctioning dryer.

December 12

Weston Road (8:31 a.m.) — An officer served court paperwork.

Windingwood Lane (12:53 p.m.) — An officer spoke to a person regarding possible threatening text messages.

Lincoln Road (3:57 p.m.) — A person turned in several items marked for destruction.

Old Winter Street (4:50 p.m.) — A caller reported a malfunctioning streetlight. The DPW was notified.

Page Road (6:10 p.m.) — An officer performed a wellness check on a person they encountered.

Bedford Road (6:49 p.m.) — Officers were called to a residence for a vehicle stopped in the driveway. They encountered the operator, identified as John O’Donovan, 68, from Brookfield, Conn., and arrested him for operating under the influence of alcohol. He was briefly transported to the hospital prior to being booked at the station and was later bailed and ordered to appear at Concord District Court the following day.

December 13

Autumn Lane (3:48 p.m.) — An officer helped a person retrieve some items from a residence.

Huckleberry Hill (5:24 p.m.) — An officer investigated a parking complaint on Huckleberry Hill. The vehicle in question was gone on arrival.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (6:19 p.m.) — An officer helped a motorist with a flat tire.

December 14

North Great Road (9:41 a.m.) — The Fire Department investigated a report about an odor of natural gas inside a structure. The area was metered with negative findings.

Wells Road (12:16 p.m.) — An officer assisted a motorist with an issue related to their vehicle.

Page Road (12:30 p.m.) — An officer assisted a person with an ongoing matter.

Tower Road (4:25 p.m.) — A person reported stolen packages.

Baker Bridge Road (4:55 p.m.) — A caller reported a suspicious object in the sky. An officer responded and confirmed the object was most likely a planet.

Old Sudbury Road (9:00 p.m.) — An officer made a notification at the request of an outside agency.

December 15

Ridge Road (2:24 p.m.) — A caller reported a missing cat. The Animal Control Officer was notified.

Residents hear about finances, zoning, Lincoln250, and more

Six organizations offered updates and a look ahead at the State of the Town meeting on December 7. There are links to each group’s presentation on the SOTT web page. Some highlights discussed on Saturday:

Finance Committee

“Lincoln’s financials remain incredibly strong,” said FinCom chair Paul Blanchfield. His presentation included a summary of revenue and expenses in the current fiscal year, a budget process timetable for fiscal 2026, tax comparisons to other area towns, and some possible future capital projects. The closest in expected timeframe is roadway improvements, which will be needed in the next 3–5 years for approximately $15 million, he said. 

Community center

The detailed design for the building is now being produced and the $24.02 million project is expected to break ground in July 2025, with completion by late fall 2026, said Community Center Building Committee co-chair Sarah Chester. The town has already made a $6.7 million “down payment” from free cash, the stabilization fund, and donations; the remaining $15.8 million will be bonded next fall. The borrowing amount may be slightly less than originally expected because “interest rates are moving in our favor — we’re in a much better position than we expected to be,” Blanchfield said.

Initial plans were based on a 4.5% projected interest rate, but the current rate is about 3.8%, so officials are now factoring a rate of 4.25% into the borrowing estimate. As a result, the FinCom hopes to offset the previously expected tax increase associated with the project for the next fiscal year. The town has $40 million of debt capacity and will have $23 million remaining after the bonding, Blanchfield said.

Ned Collier of ICON Architects showed the latest renderings of what the inside and outside of the building will look. 

Planning Board

In March 2025, residents will be asked to vote on two zoning updates, both of which are required in order to have the town bylaw reflect associated changes in state or federal law. One of those changes was an update to FEMA’s flood plain maps, which means Lincoln has to update wording in the flood plain overlay district section of the zoning bylaw in order to have residents qualify for flood insurance.

At the state level, the legislature recently made changes to its accessory dwelling unit rules. These changes apply to ADUs of up to 900 square feet, so for units up to that size, the town may not require more than one parking spot, may not require any parking if the unit is within half a mile of the train station, and ma not require owner occupancy of the overall structure.

Lincoln allows ADUs of up to 1,200 square feet with certain restrictions, but the state law applies only to ADUs of up to 900 square feet, so local rules for units of 900–1,200 square feet will not change, said Planning Board Chair Margaret Olson. Property owners also won’t require a special permit for ADUs that are part of an existing dwelling as opposed to a separate building (see page 4 of Olson’s presentation).

She also outlined the various updates to ADU rules in recent years and noted that since 2021, there have been an average of 2.75 ADUs built annually in town.

Dark Skies

A subcommittee of the Planning Board is working on updates to the rules around outdoor lighting. Currently, regulations are found only in the zoning bylaw, which applies only to new construction, so the group is planning to propose changes to the general bylaw as well, which would affect existing outdoor lighting. The goal is to have limits on the brightness, illumination direction and color temperature of outside lights to minimize disruption for animals and insects, and to encourage timers and motion activators on lights that stay on all night.

IDEA

The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Antiracism Committee has done an equity audit and a gap analysis of town policies as part of its mission to foster racial, age ethnic and economic diversity in Lincoln, said IDEA Committee Chair Rob Stringer. The resulting action plan calls for collaboration with boards and committees in applying DEI tools in recruiting, meeting management, and policy making.

Also on tap: A Newcomers/Get to Know Lincoln event on January 26, 2025 and more future occasions “to support our mission and to ensure residents see themselves in town events,” Stringer said.

Lincoln250

The 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord will be observed in an array of events in those towns as well as Lincoln and Arlington. Here in Lincoln, the kickoff starts on January 30 with a library-sponsored webinar on “Causes of the American Revolution.” February will see a dance party in the style of 1775 and a virtual talk by Lincoln historian Don Hafner on “Entangled Lives, Black and White, Enslaved and Free, in 18th-century Lincoln.”

 

The bulk of the action takes place in April; on Saturday, April 19, there could well be 150,000 people in Lexington, Lincoln and Concord, said Police Chief Sean Kennedy. As a result, Route 2A and Hanscom Drive will be closed to all vehicles that day (causing a feigned groan of dismay from the audience at the prospect of the planned transfer station closure) so Route 2A can be used as a transportation corridor for buses, event staff, and visiting dignitaries.

In addition, numerous other roads in the area of Minute Man National Historic Park will be closed to all but residents of those roads, who will be issued vehicle passes in advance — see the Lincoln250 presentation starting on page 6.

 

Most of the events within Lincoln will take place from April 12–27 but there will also be a townwide Lincoln250 Fair and Feast on June 14 in Pierce Park. For more information on the months-long observances see the Lincoln25 Planning Committee web page.

News acorns

Touch of Christmas Fair

The First Parish in Lincoln will host its annual Touch of Christmas Fair on Sunday, Dec. 8 from noon–3 p.m. in the stone church, with lunch at 11:30 a.m. The fair features homemade holiday crafts including sweater mittens, evergreen wreaths decorated with natural materials, handmade centerpieces from greens and berries, jewelry from every decade, antiques and collectibles, baked goods, a re-gifting table, and a children’s shopping room with gifts (wrapped on the spot) for the youngsters to purchase for their family members — and Santa will arrive at 1 p.m. Questions? Call Tucker Smith at 978-760-2321.

Coming up at the deCordova

  • The deCordova Performance Series continues with two events: Antje Duvekot and Goodnight Moonshine on Friday, Dec. 13from 7–8:30 p.m. $28 for Trustees members, $35 for nonmembers. Click here to register. On Saturday, Dec. 14 from 6:30–8 p.m., celebrate the holidays with the Conchords, a dynamic six-member a cappella group, for an evening of festive singing, delicious hot chocolate, and creative ornament making. Tickets are $10–$20; click here to register.
  • Watch the last rays of sunset disappear into the night sky as you explore the deCordova Sculpture Park and learn about the season’s celestial bodies with the Aldrich Astronomical Society on Saturday, Dec. 21and Sunday, Dec. 22 from 5–7 p.m. The deCordova Store and Twisted Tree Cafe will be open for holiday shopping, warm beverages and other treats. Tickets are $24–$30 per carload; click here to register.

Classical Indian dance performance

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School junior Vama Gandhi and her sister Achla (L-S ’21) will perform in a charity showcase featuring Indian classical dance and food on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 3:30pm in Bemis Hall. Proceeds will benefit Baylor Scott & White Dallas Foundation to benefit neuro-oncology research (50%), the Lincoln Council on Aging & Human Services (25%), and the nonprofit Triveni School of Dance in Brookline. The evening also includes an Indian dinner. Click here for tickets, which start at $25.00. 

Film: “The Girl with a Hatbox”

The Lincoln Library Film Society presents “The Girl with a Hatbox” (1927), a silent Soviet romantic comedy, on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. in the Tarbell Room. Click here to join the group’s mailing list.

Talk and gift card appeal for survivors of domestic violence

  • Join the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtablefor “Someone you Know: Supporting People Who Have a Controlling or Abusive Partner” on Monday, Dec. 16 from 7–8 p.m. on Zoom. We will discuss how the holiday season may be difficult for people who have a controlling or abusive partner, and strategies and frameworks for supporting our loved ones in this situation this season. Presenters will be Gabriella Wells, director of prevention, intervention, and education at The Second Step, and Sydney Carter, Roundtable program chair and staff member at Reach Beyond Domestic Violence. Click here to register. Questions? Email info@dvrt.org.
  • The Roundtable is hosting a holiday gift drive to support families served by one of our local programs. This year the drive will benefit REACH Beyond Domestic Violence. For more information, email Maria Duffy at mduffy@reachma.org. Mail gift cards to P.O. Box 543, Sudbury MA 01776 or donate onlineand gift cards will be purchased on your behalf. Please indicate that your donation is for holiday gift cards.

Roundtable partners The Second Step, Voices Against Violence, and Domestic Violence Services Network are also collecting holiday donations. Gift cards requested by The Second Step include Visa, Target, TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, gas cards or grocery cards. Email an electronic gift card to development@thesecondstep.org or mail a physical gift card to P.O. Box 600213, Newtonville MA 02460. The Domestic Violence Services Network also invites donations to its annual Angel of Hope drive. Visit DVSN.org/donate and choose “Angel of Hope” from the dropdown menu.

News acorns

There will be a funeral Mass on Thursday, Dec. 5 for John Fred Solman, who died on November 27 at age 80. (Note: the funeral home declined to pay the Lincoln Squirrel to run his full obituary and photo.)

Speakers to address the “Holy Land problem”

(Editor’s note: The flyer for this event has generated considerable controversy on LincolnTalk.)

The Lincoln-based GRALTA Foundation is hosting a pair of speakers to discuss “the Holy Land problem” on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. in Bemis Hall. The speakers are Palestinian scientist and author Mazin Qumsiyeh, founder of the Palestine Museum of Natural History and Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability as well as a professor at Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities; and Mark Braverman, a retired clinical psychologist and trauma consultant, Palestinian rights activist, and executive director of Kairos.

Dig into chili at Codman Community Farms

Come to Codman Community Farms on Sunday, Dec. 8 from 4:30–7 p.m. for homemade chili and freshly baked cornbread served straight from the Codman kitchen. Enjoy a satisfying dinner around the fire pits in our courtyard or take your dinner to go. There will be both beef chili made with Codman’s 100% grass-fed beef as well as vegan chili made with local sweet potatoes. Pre-order required; click here.

LLCT events coming up

  • The Lincoln Land Conservation will sponsor a family-friendly seed paper workshopon Monday, Dec. 9 from 4–5 p.m. at the Birches School. Free and open the public. best for grades K-4. 
  • On Thursday, Dec. 12from 7:30–8:30 p.m. on Zoom, Ron McAdow will share his slide presentation on Well Meadow, a pristine wetland near Fairhaven Bay on Lincoln’s western boundary. Click here to register and get the Zoom link.

Donate gift cards for needy seniors

Each year, the Council on Aging & Human Services visits needy seniors to spread some holiday cheer. This year we are collecting $10 gift cards to locations like Market Basket, Walgreen, and CVS. Stop by the “giving tree” in the Bemis Hall lobby to take a specific gift card request to fulfill, or bring in the grocery/pharmacy gift card of your choosing. Please return gift card donations by Friday, Dec. 9.

Boy Scouts are selling Christmas trees

Lincoln Boy Scout Troop 127 is holding their annual Christmas tree sale at the corner of Lincoln and Codman roads. This year’s batch of balsam firs come from northern Nova Scotia and range from three to ten feet tall. Scouts will be selling trees on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m.–6 p.m. and on Monday evenings beginning December 9 from 7–8 p.m. Cash only. 

My Turn: Many thanks from the SVdP food pantry

By Ursula Nowak

Happy Thanksgiving from St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston! We wish to send a big thank- you to all who helped make last week so special at the food pantry. We are grateful to those of you who bought gift cards at Donelan’s or donated towards this year’s Thanksgiving drive. Your thoughtful generosity means that your neighbors in need will be able to purchase food for a special holiday meal.

We are grateful to Donelan’s for the many ways they continue to support us, and to Donelan’s shoppers who purchased Best Yet bags filled with stuffing, canned vegetables, canned fruit and cereal for the food pantry. Thank you also to Drumlin Farm and Joanne Dolan of Gold Bell Wholesale for a huge load of vegetable, to FELS and the Goddard School for beautiful pies, to Tost for sparking white tea, to the Weston United Methodist Church for a timely food drive, to Peter Stewart and the Doo-Wop Singers for another fundraising concert — and to our many volunteers for their time and great efforts! We are all neighbors helping neighbors and we are thankful for your support!

Nowak is secretary of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston.

“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.

Updates to outdoor lighting rules mulled

Examples of permitted and unacceptable outdoor lighting from 2015. The yellow dots indicates the position of the lightbulb.

At the December 7 State of the Town meeting, the Dark Skies Committee will give an update on its work to update rules on outdoor lighting to reflect changes in technology since they were last amended in 2016.

Artificial light at night keeps away wildlife (thus reducing their habitat), kills insects, and interferes with nocturnal breeding cycles and bird migration, said Louise Bergeron, head of the Planning Board subcommittee, in a presentation at the November 18 Select Board meeting.

Current zoning rules require permanent lighting to be installed or shielded to “prevent direct light or glare from the light source from interfering with the vision of motorists or pedestrians” or illuminating neighboring properties, and exterior lamps to have a color temperature of 3,000K or below. Lights must also be no more than 900 lumens (a measure of brightness). Color temperature refers to the color of the light — the lower the temperature, the more orange it appears, whereas higher-temperature numbers indicate bluer light.

Outdoor lighting was the topic of heated debate at Town Meeting in 2015, when voters rejected some rule changes.

In recent years, LED lights — which tend to have a cooler color temperature than incandescent lights — have become commonplace, and people are often tempted to buy the brightest outdoor lights they can, Bergeron said. Her group is also studying ideas such as allowing only activated lights in certain circumstances, and asking or requiring owners of larger buildings to turn off outdoor lights that currently shine all night, such as those in parking lots, schools, churches, and the Water Department.

Town officials can grant exceptions if warranted, and the public safety will continue to be exempt.

“This is a lot about education,” Select Board member Jennifer Glass said. “You’re going to get the best result when you educate people, because we don’t have the capacity to go around policing everyone.”

My Turn: Climate bill gives hope to opponents of Hanscom expansion

By Alex Chatfield, Trish O’Hagan, Lara Sullivan, and Kati Winchell

The climate bill just signed by Gov. Healey contains a provision that was not noted in the official summary but is profoundly important — an update to the Massport charter. From now on, Massport will be required to promote “environmental protection and resilience, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental justice principles” in its decisions regarding its responsibilities and the entities with which it does business. Massport’s responsibilities, currently limited to the narrow roles of promoting commerce and economic growth, will therefore expand to include climate priorities. 

This update is encouraging to advocates across Massachusetts who oppose the proposed expansion of private jet infrastructure at Massport-owned Hanscom Field (separate from Hanscom Air Force Base). Massport is currently working with private developers to build a 522,380-square-foot expansion in hangar space for private jets — the largest such expansion in Hanscom’s history. An October 2023 study documented that at least half the private jet flights out of Hanscom go to vacation destinations like Martha’s Vineyard or the Super Bowl. They are airborne yachts for the ultra-wealthy.

Massport’s and Runway Realty Venture Inc.’s proposal for expansion has generated a storm of controversy. Opposition has been led by Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere (SPJE). SPJE observes, based on an April independent analysis, that the proposed private jet hangar development at Hanscom alone could result in as many as 6,000 additional private jet flights annually, producing about 150,000 tons of carbon equivalent emissions every single year. If the expansion goes forward, private jet emissions from Hanscom alone could cancel nearly 70% of the environmental benefits of all the solar PV ever installed in Massachusetts and would offset the investment and hard work of many towns and cities to help the state meet the goals of its ambitious climate plans.

The legislation updating Massport’s charter follows EEA Secretary Tepper’s rejection of the developers’ draft environmental impact report (DEIR) in June. More than 1,500 public comments and over 13,500 petition signatures critical of the developers’ plans were submitted to MEPA (Mass. Office of Environmental Policy Act). Based in part on the volume of public response, as well as on independent analyses that were submitted, Tepper criticized the developers’ argument that the massive hangar expansion would decrease operations and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, calling it unsupported. She found that the report did not meet the requirements of Massachusetts law and directed the developers to produce a Supplemental DEIR that would address the many questions that the initial draft failed to consider adequately.

This was the context in which state Sen. Mike Barrett and Reps. Simon Cataldo, Michelle Ciccolo, Carmine Gentile, Ken Gordon, and Alice Peisch introduced language into the Mass. Climate Bill that would update Massport’s charter to prioritize reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The Senate passed the bill on October 24 with a vote of 38-2, followed by a House vote of 128-17 on November 14. And on November 20, Gov. Healey signed it.

Sen. Barrett left no doubt that he expected the new language to prompt Massport to reconsider the project. “We live in an age where rampant economic growth is no longer sufficient as a raison d’etre for public agencies,” he said. “The governor has said that an all-government approach to climate change is needed, so now we ask of every single organization — Massport included — ‘What’s your role in fighting the existential crisis of our time?’” 

This is a pivotal moment. The legislature’s overwhelming support for a change in Massport’s charter sends a powerful message that the agency needs to align its own approach to climate change with the approach taken by the rest of the state. Massport’s first chance to show that it understands this new environment will be its stance toward the proposed Hanscom expansion. It’s already clear that that expansion is completely inconsistent with state climate change policy. It’s time for Massport to just say no.

“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.

Lincoln Road crosswalk improvements to begin soon

Ron Boisseau returns for his 12th year as crossing guard in front of Old Town Hall, where the crosswalk will soon get an upgrade. “In all kinds of weather, no matter how wet or cold, Ron always has a cheerful greeting and warm smile,” says School Committee member Susan, Taylor, who took the photo. 

Work to upgrade the Lincoln Road crosswalk at the Old Town Hall will begin next month. It’s the first item on a five-year master plan of roadway projects that was approved earlier this month.

The upgraded crosswalk, which will include a raised table and better signage, “should help slow traffic and create safer crossing for pedestrians and cyclists, especially for students and families who use the crossing to connect to the school campus,” Chris Bibbo, Superintendent of the Department of Public Works, said in a statement. Construction is expected to take a few weeks.

In reaction to the plan listing 12 projects over a five-year period, some residents on LincolnTalk were dismayed that the plan did not include an extension of the roadside path on Trapelo Road down to Old County Road, although the idea was included in the much more comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee’s master plan approved earlier this year. The more recent five-year plan arose from a collaboration among the BPAC, the DPW, and the Roadside and Traffic Committee.

“There have been multiple efforts over the years to extend the Trapelo roadside path to Old County Road,” BPAC member Bob Wolf noted on LincolnTalk. “Any extension, however, would cross land owned by Cambridge as reservoir buffer and require their agreement and easement, things they’ve been unwilling to grant. The five-year plan is a statement of what the town believes we are able to address, and the roadside path extension is not possible at this time. The plan will be reviewed and extended annually, however. We can hope circumstances change and the extension can be added in the future.”

“We anticipate that the plan will evolve as priorities change and funding opportunities emerge,” BPAC Chair Ginger Reiner said. The best time to provide input is in the fall, but the group, usually meets the third Thursday of the month at 8 a.m. at Town Hall, welcomes questions and comments at any time.