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

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Letter to the editor: First Parish expansion

letter

To the Editor:

Following another round of meetings with neighbors, and nearly 12 years after the Flint family generously gave land to the church to expand the Stearns room, the First Parish has completed a revised and final plan. We have worked hard to respond to the concerns of neighbors, church members, and state and local authorities. The building design has undergone numerous thoughtful refinements; it will be attractive, meet the church’s needs, and be 535 sq. ft. smaller than the original sketch made in 2002. It merits Planning Board approval.

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Clarification

ballotToday’s Lincoln Squirrel article on candidates for the upcoming local election did not list three Sudbury residents who have declared their intention to run for the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee. In addition to incumbent Lincoln resident Patricia Mostue, Sudbury residents who have taken out nomination papers are Elena M. Kleifges, an incumbent, and Michael J. Walsh and Sofya L. Gruman-Reznik. Committee seats are not assigned to one town or the other; residents of both towns may vote for candidates from Sudbury and/or Lincoln. There are two seats on the ballot for the March 31 election. The previous article has been updated to reflect this addition.

Community preservation panel hears funding requests tonight

The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, January 22 at 7 p.m. in the Board of Selectmen’s office in the Town Office Building to discuss funding proposals that have been submitted this year and to identify those that will be recommended for approval at Town Meeting in March 2014.

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Democratic candidates for governor speak out in Lincoln

Democratic gubernatorial candidates at the Bemis Hall forum were (left to right) Juliette Kayyem, Steve Grossman, Martha Coakley, Don Berwick and Joe Avellone.

Democratic gubernatorial candidates at the Bemis Hall forum were (left to right) Juliette Kayyem, Steve Grossman, Martha Coakley, Don Berwick and Joe Avellone (click to enlarge).

By Gary Davis and Barbara Slayter
Lincoln Democratic Town Committee

Despite swirling snow and slippery roads, more than 150 people gathered on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 18 at Bemis Hall for a gubernatorial forum featuring all current Democratic candidates.

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How do you feel about leaf blowers?

leafblower-compositeThe town’s Leaf Blower Study Committee is asking resident to complete an online survey about leaf blower use in Lincoln as part of its research on noise and air pollution impacts of leaf blowers, possible alternatives and potential cost impacts.

Paper copies of the survey can be picked up and returned to the Town Office Building, Bemis Hall, the Lincoln Public Library, or the Parks & Recreation Department.

The panel will also hold a public meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Donaldson Room at the Town Offices to give residents an opportunity to air their opinions and to hear what the committee is up to.

Formed as a result of a vote at the March 2013 Town Meeting, the Leaf Blower Study Committee has been meeting since July and will make a presentation at  Town Meeting this March. However, vice chair John Koenig in December said the group will not be proposing any  regulations for a vote at that time, saying at the December 16 Board of Selectmen meeting that it was “too soon.” Although the group has asked for a spot on the agenda, “we don’t really have a plan yet for what we’re going to do at Town Meeting,” he said.

With the help of the survey and other input, the committee hopes to find out “if we have a mandate at all” for restricting leaf blower usage, Koenig said. How to enforce any such regulations will also an issue, he added.

The committee has compiled research on the effects of leaf blowers, which members say include air and noise pollution from the two-stroke gasoline engines as well as pollution from particles blown into the air by the devices. These particles, which can remain airborne for up to three days, include dirt, road salt, animal feces and other substances in addition to bits of grass and leaves, Koenig said.

“What you end up with is an aerosol of a lot of offensive products,” he said. The machines can also cause horticultural damage by blowing off topsoil, he added.

Some commercial property owners use leaf blowers year-round to clear paths and paved surfaces of dirt and litter. In Lincoln, the “epicenter” of this type of use is in the Lincoln Station area, he said, but the town also uses leaf-blowers on recreation fields and other public property.

Perhaps driven by the wide availability of leaf-blowers themselves, standards have changed in recent decades. “There’s this notion that the place has got to look nice,” Selectman Renel Fredriksen noted.

Although alternative machines are being developed, “we know electric equipment is not commercial grade… there needs to be some better technology,” Koenig said. Alternatives might include using gas blowers only at the height of leaf season and electric ones at other times of the year, or having neighbors share an electric leaf blower and battery packs, or even subsidizing exchanges whereby residents could trade in gas-powered leaf blowers for electric models, Koenig said.

Selectman Noah Eckhouse said it was important to hear from all sides and “have a balanced outcome” before making any decisions. He noted that other outdoor equipment such as chainsaws also produce smoke and noise.

“It’s a quintessential Lincoln type of topic,” Board of Selectman Chair Peter Braun said.

Get connected—run for local office

Looking for a rewarding if occasionally vexing way to feel more connected? Willing to undertake new challenges? Unafraid to speak up? Then run for local office!

The annual town election will take place on Monday, March 31. Nomination papers are available at the Town Clerk’s Office starting Friday, January 3. Papers must be returned no later than Monday, February 10.

The following offices will appear on the March ballot:

  • Board of Selectmen (three years)
  • Board of Assessors (three years)
  • K-8 School Committee (two seats for three years each)
  • Water Commission (three years)
  • Board of Health (one seat for three years, one seat for two years)
  • Cemetery Commission (three years)
  • Planning Board (two seats for three years each)
  • Commissioner of Trust Funds (three years)
  • deCordova Museum and Sculpture Park board (four years)
  • Housing Commission (three years)
  • Parks and Recreation Committee (three years)
  • Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee (two seats for three years each)
  • Trustees of Bemis (one seat for three years and one for two years)
  • Town  Moderator (three years)

For additional information, please call the Town Clerk’s office at 781-259-2607.

 

Conservation group announces events

Here are films and other events sponsored by the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust in the coming weeks.

Wednesday, January 15

The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust will  show The Legend of Pale Male as a part of its winter environmental film series at 7:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust Office (above the post office at the mall). The Legend of Pale Male is the story of a red- tailed hawk that lived overlooking Central Park in New York City and became a celebrity. This heartwarming tale chronicles how this wild creature captured the curiosity of thousands. Come find out if that can save him from harmful intent of others.

Sunday, January 26

Joan Walsh from Mass Audubon will give an illustrated talk about the recently released “State of the Birds 2013” and the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas II. Come learn about which of our bird species are thriving, which are not, and what we can do about it.

Thursday, February 27

Lincoln resident Julie Dobrow and students from her 2013 Tufts University course “Producing Films for Social Change.” will discuss two of their films, Turning the Tide and USDA Incorporated, as part of the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust’s winter environmental film series.

Turning the Tide looks at how climate change threatens East Boston with the risk of severe flooding. This imminent crisis is overlooked due to apathetic and otherwise preoccupied residents. Chris Marchi is an East Boston resident who aims to raise awareness of this issue. Through his own dedication and the help of local volunteers, Chris develops a project that he hopes will spark discussion in the fight against climate change.

USDA Incorporated shows how the miraculous possibilities of genetic engineering are being methodically ignored, as the argument spurred by the organic food movement, under the banner of health concerns, seeks to undermine some of the world’s largest corporations. The corporations remain unperturbed as they continue their greedy practices. The small farmer, who tries to maintain sustainable practices amidst these conflicting opinions, has to keep one foot in each world in order to survive.

Sunday, March 2
Naturalist and author Mary Holland will give an illustrated program, “Naturally Curious,” taking viewers through the most memorable natural history events occurring in each month of the year. Her books will also be for sale and on display will be collected items from her forays into New England habitats such as skulls, scat, feathers, and antlers. Sponsored by the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust.

Clark wins easily in Lincoln and 5th District

Here are the election results for Lincoln and surrounding towns for the 5th Congressional District special election on  December 10. Among the 24 towns in the district, Lincoln was second only to Cambridge in percentage of residents who voted for winner Katherine Clark (Cambridge went for Clark by a margin of 93 percent to 6 percent). The only town that Frank Addivinola won was Woburn, by a vote of 1,347 to 1,161 (53 percent to 45 percent).

Lincoln’s voter turnout was 17 percent, compared to 13 percent for the district as a whole.

Katherine Clark (D) Frank Addivinola (R)
Lincoln 590 (80%) 139 (19%)
Lexington
 2,951 (79%) 740 (20%)
Sudbury 834 (64%) 445 (34%)
Weston 525 (59%) 348 (39%)
District total
 40,172 (66%) 19,319 (32%)