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

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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 Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Letter to the editor: Sander resigns from School Committee

letter

Dear Lincoln community,

I write reluctantly to announce that I am stepping down from the Lincoln School Committee. I have been asked to take a leadership position with the Cambridge Quaker Meeting in which I grew up and am still active, and I feel called to fully engage my responsibilities there. Were I to try to do both, I would probably risk being excommunicated by my family, who have always been extremely tolerant about the extensive time I’ve already been spending in community meetings.

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