businesses

Up for discussion: marijuana businesses in Lincoln

November 1, 2015

By Alice Waugh

Is Lincoln going to pot? Not just yet, though residents will have chance to talk about it at the State of the Town meeting on November 14.

The Board of Selectmen decided to open up the topic of cultivating or selling medicinal marijuana in Lincoln after being approached by Dr. Stephanie Lipton of New England Wellspring, a firm that has been talking to several other towns in addition to Lincoln about possible dispensary sites. Before the state Department of Public Health (DPH) will consider issuing a license to dispense or grow marijuana, the applicant must first have in hand a letter of support (or at least non-opposition) from the town government.

No specific sites in Lincoln have been discussed. “The town has not been engaged in any formal negotiations with New England Wellspring, but we have had a number of informal, exploratory conversations,” said Selectman Noah Eckhouse.

“Our board thought long and hard about what we would do if formally approached by an applicant for such a letter. Should it really just be our decision? We concluded that we’d much prefer to have some broader guidance from the town on this issue,” he said.

The issues of siting, hours and security would certainly arise, as would the possibility of the town negotiating its own fiscal arrangement with an operator. “The conversation at State of the Town is intended to inform the selectmen and other land use boards about Lincoln’s view on these topics, so that we can act with the best interests and assessment of the town,” Eckhouse said.

In July, Acton selectmen voted unanimously to approve a letter of non-opposition for a potential cultivating and distribution facility for New England Wellspring, while Needham voted in September to deny a similar request.

Also last month, Weston authorized a letter of non-opposition for the company to open a medical marijuana dispensary in office space at 104 Boston Post Rd. near the intersection with I-95. New England Wellspring told the Weston officials that if everything is approved by the state, the Weston site would sell marijuana grown in Acton and the Weston site would have 24/7 security and be used primarily for distribution via home delivery, accepting a handful of walk-in patients each day by appointment only.

The Weston approval included the caveat that the site may not be used for distribution of recreational marijuana in the event that becomes legal in Massachusetts. This could be an issue if organizers collect enough signatures to put the question on the statewide ballot in 2016.

Lipton is also co-owner of A House Call Vets, a veterinary practice that offers in-home care. She told the Lincoln Squirrel in an email that she had no comment “until we are further along in the application process pending DPH consideration.”

The state’s first medical marijuana dispensary opened in Salem in June. The DPH has also issued retail permits for sites in Brockton and Northhampton.

Joint meeting on hospice this Thursday

September 16, 2014

A sketch of the latest site plan for the Care Dimensions hospice facility (click to enlarge).

Two Lincoln land-use groups will continue their review of a proposal for an 18-bed hospice facility on Winter Street at a joint meeting on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Office Building.

Care Dimensions of Danvers originally proposed a 42,400-square-foot facility straddling the Lincoln/Waltham town line but scaled it back last spring after residents and town officials said it was too big (see the Lincoln Squirrel, March 26, 2014). The nonprofit company later submitted a scaled-down 27,600-square-foot plan with 64 parking spots rather than the original 89. On Thursday, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board will hear the latest information, including a report from a peer review consultant who has been reviewing drainage plans and other engineering issues.

The Planning Board will continue its public hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 23 to review lighting and landscaping and “clean up any other site details,” said Director of Planning and Land Use Chris Reilly. The ZBA will probably close its hearing on October 2 and may vote on the proposal that night.

Lincoln’s Hatsopoulos brothers speak on Sunday

October 18, 2013

Long-time Lincoln residents George (left) and John Hatsopoulos

The Lincoln Historical Society presents “The Brothers Hatsopoulos: A Legacy of Science, Business, and Family” on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 2 p.m. in the Great Room of The Commons in Lincoln (formerly The Groves). The event is part of a series on Lincoln’s modern legacy of technology entrepreneurism.

Emigrating from Greece after World War II, John and George Hatsopoulos were students. In 1956, with a $50,000 investment from a fellow Greek businessman, the brothers founded Thermo Electron Corporation. Providing technical instrumentation to a diverse research community, the firm is now known as Thermo Fisher Scientific, enjoys a $32 billion a market cap, and employs nearly 40,000 people.

The remarkable story of the Hatsopoulos brothers is not limited to the success of Thermo Electron. The arc of time for this family shapes a legacy of science and entrepreneurism, courage and drive. Hear the story directly from featured speaker John Hatsopoulos. Come share your stories about the Hatsopoulos brothers, Thermo, and the technology entrepreneurs of Lincoln.

Note that this event will be held at The Commons in Lincoln (formerly The Groves), not at Bemis Hall. From the intersection of Route 2 and Route 2A (Crosby’s Corner), go east on Route 2 and the entrance is immediately on the right (look for signs). Note that there is no access from Sandy Pond Road except for residents of The Commons. Some parking next to the front entrance of the Russell Building is available and additional parking is short walking distance away. The Great Room is located in the the Russell Building.

Local businesses aid PTO’s education efforts

June 14, 2013

The Lincoln PTO enriches children’s education through visits by storytellers and poets, historical reenactments, Museum of Science workshops and more—and it does so with the support of hundreds of people and organizations including the PTO Community Partners, who each donated at least $1,000 apiece in 2012-13 as part of their commitment to the parents, students and the rest of the Lincoln community. Top contributors this year included Lincoln businesses Barrett and Co., Doherty’s Garage, Donelan’s Supermarket and Fitness Together, as well as AKA Bistro, Cambridge Trust Co., Premier Cleaners and Tailors, and Lexington orthodontist Yuci Ma.

Click on an image below for larger version and caption:

Also donating to the PTO in 2012-13 were Affinity Builders, Budget Printing of Concord, Country Pizza, Something Special, Stonegate Gardens and the Whistlestop Cafe.

Donelan’s has been in Lincoln since 1976, when Joe Donelan and his brother started working there when the store opened. (The six-store chain was started by their parents in 1948.) They’ve supported the PTO for years, and they were pleased and grateful for the support they got in return from residents, who flocked to the store in drives after it reopened in in May 2012 following 15 months of reconstruction work following a snow-related roof collapse.

“When the chips are down, people band together,” said Joe Donelan, corporate vice president of Donelan’s Supermarkets. “Everyone has been fantastic.” Donelan showed the same kind of loyalty to his Lincoln employees, none of whom were laid off following the collapse (they all worked at one of the other five Donelan’s stores until Lincoln reopened).

Donelan’s also participates in a program whereby the PTO collects register receipts saved by parents and gives them to the school to redeem for educational supplies via the Register Tapes for Education program (see related story).

“A strong community starts with a strong school system, and the quality of the school system goes hand in hand with the quality of the real estate,” said Laurie Cadigan, owner of Barrett and Co. “We’re very happy to be in this community and we’re all about giving back.”

Doherty’s Garage has been operating in Lincoln since 1905, “and our primary focus has always been on supporting the community,” said Cindy Doherty Murphy, granddaughter of the funding Doherty’s who now runs the business with her husband Dennis Murphy. “When the town requires something, we’re happy to give back.”

“At the end of the day, we just want to help and get involved in the community,” said Brian Lowe, owner since 2009 of the town’s Fitness Together franchise. “It’s a way for me to give back while I develop my business.”

AKA Bistro one step closer to cocktails

November 6, 2012

(This article was originally published in the Lincoln Journal on October 12, 2012).

By Alice Waugh

A recent thumbs-up from Board of Selectmen moved AKA Bistro one step closer to having an all-alcohol liquor license, meaning the restaurant could be serving cocktails by the end of the year.

The board unanimously voted to approve the change in license at the close of a public hearing on October 1. Once the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) issues final approval, the town will issue the license to AKA. The ABCC is expected to act within “a few weeks” and town will then act “very fast” to issue the license, said Selectman Peter Braun.