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

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Residents brainstorm options for a community center

Residents including Selectman Renel Fredriksen (center) discussed options for the Hartwell property.

Residents including Selectman Renel Fredriksen (center) discussed options for the Hartwell property.

By Alice Waugh

More than 100 residents packed into Hartwell Pod C for an October 8 charrette to share ideas for a community center in Lincoln and discuss where it might be located.

The evening included lively discussion over pizza as attendees clustered around maps and models of five sites identified in a 2012 report by the Community Center Feasibility Study Committee: Bemis Hall, the Hartwell pod area, the current Department of Public Works site on Lewis Street, the commuter parking lot behind Donelan’s, and Pierce House.

The Community Center Study Committee (CCSC) formed in June and hired Abacus Architects and Planners to gather community input and produce an analysis of possible sites for a facility that would be home to the Parks and Recreation Department (PRD) and the Council on Aging (COA) as well as a central meeting place for residents. While the PRD is content with its current location in Hartwell Pod C, the COA has outgrown Bemis Hall, which has numerous issues including insufficient parking, activity space and handicapped access as well as lack of privacy for counseling. All of the Hartwell pods need upgrades as well.

Abacus began its work knowing that the PRD did not want to relocate. “Moving the programs away from the children makes no sense,” said Abacus architect David Pollak. That said, there are other questions such as whether the COA should share renovated or newly built space with the PRD, stay in a renovated Bemis Hall, or move to another site in town. He noted that less total space—about 20,000 square feet—would be required for a shared facility, vs. 10,000 square feet for a separate COA and 15,000 square feet for the PRD.

After Pollak outlined the pros and cons of each of the five possible sites for a community center, residents split up into smaller groups around maps of each site, talking and manipulating little foam blocks that represented segments of buildings and seeing how things might fit within property lines, wetlands and other features. The groups then shared their brainstorming ideas about each site with the entire gathering.

Pierce House — Possibilities include construction on the southeast corner of the property, underground beneath the parking lot, or even in Pierce Park, a notion that drew good-natured boos from some in the crowd.

Hartwell — This site resulted in the greatest number of feasible ideas. The parking and traffic pattern could be reconfigured and one or more two-story structures could fit on the site, perhaps with space in the middle to be shared by the PRD and the COA, residents said. The structures could also be used as swing space for a school building project. The primary concerns were keeping both age groups safe and protecting the stream that runs between Ballfield Road and the parking lot. Some even suggested putting a second entrance to the site on the east side.

Bemis Hall — Residents in this group saw the close proximity of the historic cemetery and Bedford Road as significant obstacles. However, Pollak noted that other towns have solved similar problems by expanding into an adjacent hillside via underground space with an atrium to let in natural light. “From an architectural standpoint it’s quite doable, but no one is recommending that this is the right thing to do with the mustering yard,” he said.

Commuter parking lot — Although it’s a good location for a senior center, the property is fully used on weekdays by commuters, and users would encounter a bottleneck in the Lincoln Road entrances that are also used for the mall.

The DPW on Lewis Street — Most of the conversation in this group focused on the “challenges and disorders” of the site, said Town Administrator Tim Higgins, who was a member of the group that looked at this location. At issue is relocating the DPW to the transfer station off Route 2A, “which is not an attractive use in any residential neighborhood,” he noted. Although the site has potential for mixed-use development for housing and retail, “there was more concern than creativity voiced about the site” as a senior center, Higgins added.

Residents who couldn’t attend the charrette were invited to complete a brief online survey or to attend one of the other community center public meetings:

  • Friday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. at a COA-sponsored open house in Bemis Hall
  • Friday, Nov. 7 at 8:30 a.m. (a joint session with the PTO and the School Building Advisory Committee) in the Brooks auditorium

Abacus and CCSC members will analyze the information gleaned from the forums to craft a proposal for residents to consider at the State of the Town meeting on November 15.

 

Letter to the editor: Lincoln gets more affordable housing

letter

To the editor:

If you’ve driven by 75 Tower Rd. any time since midsummer, you’ve seen a good deal of construction as a single-family house was renovated and turned into a two-bedroom apartment and a one-bedroom accessory apartment. The renovation, which is almost complete, will allow Lincoln to add an additional unit to our subsidized housing inventory. The Community Preservation Committee presented the proposal to spend $150,000 of CPA funds on the renovation at Town Meeting in March. Town Meeting approved the proposal, and work was begun as soon as the money was available.

We invite everyone in town to join the Housing Commission for a tour of the new apartments on Sunday, Oct. 26 between 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Lincoln’s affordable housing program is administered by the Lincoln Housing Commission. With the addition of the new unit at 75 Tower Road, we will have seven town-owned rental properties. Anyone interested in getting on our waiting list should call Elaine Carroll in the Town Office Building at 781-259-2613 and ask for an application.

Sincerely,

Constance Lewis
South Commons
Chair, Lincoln Housing Commission

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Follow-up: contact for Tom Stanley

ballotA reader of the letter to the editor by independent State Representative candidate and Lincoln resident Sharon Antia has asked the Lincoln Squirrel to post Rep. Tom Stanley’s contact information, which is as follows:

There’s more information on about Stanley on his Massachusetts legislature profile page. Information about Antia can be found on her Democracy.com web page.

Letter to the editor: Antia challenges Stanley to debate

Editor’s note: See a profile of Antia in the Lincoln Squirrel, June 10, 2014.

letter

To the editor:

My name is Sharon Antia, and I am the independent candidate for State Representative in the Ninth Middlesex District in Massachusetts. This district includes Lincoln as well as Waltham wards and precincts 1, 2, 3, 4.1, 5.2, 6.1 and 7.1.

I am writing to let everyone know that my opponent, Tom Stanley, will not participate in a candidate forum. Forums provide voters the opportunity to hear and candidates the opportunity to express, their views. By refusing to engage, he is depriving citizens the chance to observe, compare and contrast their options for representation in Boston.

I urge you to contact Mr. Stanley and ask him to engage in a candidate forum. November 4th is drawing close, and I would very much like the opportunity to come before you and have our voices heard.

Sincerely,

Sharon Antia
165 South Great Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

McFall outlines educational needs for school

schoolBy Alice Waugh

Programmatic flexibility, opportunities for collaboration, and a connection to the community and the outdoor environment are among the key educational values that support the need for a Lincoln School building project, Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall told officials at a multiboard meeting on September 30.

Also at the meeting, architects from Dore & Whittier presented an analysis of the results of a charrette held at a September 16 meeting where about 70 residents broke into teams and identified key issues and priorities for a project, as well as what they thought would define a successful project.

[Read more…] about McFall outlines educational needs for school

Letter to the editor: Celebrate inclusion with community center

letter

To the editor:

For the first time in many years, Lincoln has an opportunity to complete a long-held dream of many citizens by the addition of a multigenerational community center on a Lincoln community campus.

Lincoln first expressed the dream in 1932 and began its long tradition of celebrating diversity and inclusion with one small step—it built a ballfield. An anonymous donor, believing the town needed a place for the townsfolk of all ages and from all walks of life to come together and celebrate community, gifted a sum of money to allow the town to purchase the land that now forms the center field of the school campus. The field was deeded to the town, to be overseen by the Board of Selectman. The field became home of Lincoln’s semipro baseball team, the Mohawks.

[Read more…] about Letter to the editor: Celebrate inclusion with community center

News acorns – 9/30/14

Important town-wide forums this month

The Community Center Study Committee will hold a charrette to seek input on ideas for a possible Lincoln Community Center on Wednesday, Oct. 8 from 6-9 p.m. in Hartwell Pod B (see the Lincoln Squirrel, Sept. 15, 2014).

On Thursday, Oct. 16 from 7-9 p.m. in the Reed Gym, the School Building Advisory Committee will hold the second of four public forums to present and discuss repair options for the Lincoln School (see the Lincoln Squirrel, Sept. 17, 2014).

Kids’ programs at the library

bookworm

The Lincoln Public Library will host the Lego Club for kids age 4 and up every Wednesday from 4-5 p.m. starting Wednesday, Oct. 1. Drop-in; the library provides the Legos. Babies, toddlers and preschoolers are invited to Singalong with Ed Morgan on Friday, Oct. 3 at at 3:30 p.m. No signup necessary.

There are also several children’s book groups and story times this fall:

  • Books and Bites — for kids in grades 4-6; meets on Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. on October 9, October 23, November 6, December 4 and December 18. Books are available at the Children’s Desk two weeks prior to the meeting. The book for the Oct. 9 meeting will be Rump: The True Story of Rumplestiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff.
  • Book Share — for seventh- and eighth-graders; meets on the third Wednesday of the month from 7-8 p.m. The first meeting is Wednesday, Oct. 15. This is an opportunity to share what you’re reading and discover new books based on other kids’ recommendations.
  • Lapsit Storytime — a story/activity program for infants up to to 24 months. A six-week session begins Thursday, Oct. 16 at 10 a.m. Registration is now taking place; please call 781-259-8465 or email jflanders@minlib.net.
  • Terrific Twos — a story/activity program for two-year-olds. A six-week session begins Friday, Oct. 17 at 10:30 a.m. Please register by calling 781-259-8465 or emailing jflanders@minlib.net.
  • Preschool Stories — an open story program for ages 3-5 every Tuesday at 11 a.m. starting Tuesday, Oct. 7.
Scarecrow Classic 5K on Oct. 19

Run, walk or volunteer at the second annual Scarecrow Classic 5K road and trail race starting at the Mall at Lincoln Station on Saturday, Oct. 19 starting at 9:30 a.m. All proceeds go to support the work of the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust. Register at www.scarecrowclassic5k.com or call the LLCT at 781-259-9251 for more information.

Route 2 project entering a new phase

highwayBy Dan Boynton
Route 2 Oversight Committee

The massive Route 2 safety upgrade project in Lincoln is about to enter a new construction phase. Up to this point, all the work has been outside the boundaries of the highway. New access roads have been constructed to serve homes abutting Route 2 and the beginning stages of the flyover bridge have been built on land opposite Crosby Corner. Although the highway has often been reduced to just one lane in each direction during off-peak hours, all four lanes have been available during commuter times.

[Read more…] about Route 2 project entering a new phase

Scholarship Committee candidates sought

The School Committee is seeking an appointee to serve for a renewable three-year term on the the Lincoln Scholarship Committee (LSC), a town committee consisting of three residents (two appointed by the town moderator and one by the School Committee).

The LSC’s responsibilities focus on funding needs-based scholarships and administering five awards that are funded through endowments administered by the town, two of which are thanks to the Ogden Codman Trust. Some specific tasks of the committee include:

  • Mailing a town-wide appeal each spring to seek donations;
  • Announcing the awards and scholarship opportunities through local press outlets and to all Lincoln-resident students enrolled at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School and Minuteman Regional Technical High School;
  • Interviewing students who apply for scholarships;
  • Ensuring all funds are disbursed to students before the fall.

Meetings are clustered in the late winter and spring and require approximately 30 hours of dedicated work per year. One member serves as liaison to the Codman Trust, one member is responsible for liaising with the town treasurer, and one member is responsible for composing and distributing the annual appeal letter. For fall 2014, the committee will also be liaising with the L-S Scholarship Committee and attending both the financial aid and college fair events at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School to provide more information to Lincoln-resident families about the scholarship opportunities. For more information about the position, please contact Carolyn Dwyer or Nancy Marshall, trustees for the Lincoln Scholarship Committee.

If interested in serving on the committee, please submit a letter of interest to Jennifer Glass, chair of the Lincoln School Committee, at schoolcomm@lincnet.org. Submissions are due by October 17. Interviews with the School Committee will be held on October 23.