News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.
Blacky and Snowy
To the editor:
We may not see a white Christmas this year, but Mary’s two cats, Snowy and her Blacky, could use a holiday miracle while their “mom” waits for cat-friendly housing.
[Read more…] about Letter to the editor: two cats need a hand over the holidays
To the editor:
Fifty Families was started in 1997 by a group of friends around a table at Lincoln’s Codman Harvest Feast with the intention of getting 50 Lincoln families to provide holiday cheer for those in need. It has blossomed into more than 150 families taking part and is a sight to behold—hundreds and hundreds of wrapped gifts in festive shopping bags delivered to families at the Bay Cove Small Wonders Early Intervention Center.
Bay Cove, founded by Lincoln resident Dan Boynton, has been providing compassionate care to some of Boston’s neediest families for more than 30 years. Many of the children come from families burdened with poverty, mental illness, and drug and alcohol addiction. The caseworkers working with the families provide names, ages and a suggested gift. In most cases these will be the only gifts the families will receive for the holidays.
Year after year Lincoln, parents tell me how this event is what the holidays are all about and how their children help in the process of choosing the right gifts for the children who are in need of some joy. This year, a 12-year-old Lincoln boy has taken the birthday money he was given and bought for a little boy named Mohamed. A cashier from Toys R Us in Natick heard about our program and has provided for two children this year.
In 2014 we donated 327 gift bags, 4,782 diapers, and over $2,000 in grocery and Target gift cards. Can we top 2014? I invite you to come by and see the magic we collect the bags on Monday, Dec. 14 between 3 and 6 p.m. at the First Parish stone church (14 Bedford Road). The later you come, the more magical it becomes when the room fills with the gift of giving. If you’d like to bring some diapers (sizes 3, 4 or 5) or a gift card to Target, Walmart, or Stop & Shop, we would be thrilled.
Sincerely,
Tucker Smith
6 Canaan Drive
To the editor:
State Senator Michael Barrett’s bill S1747–An Act Combating Climate Change as previously endorsed by the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee was recently presented to the Senate Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities & Energy. The hearing room was packed, showing broad bipartisan support by business, civic, environmental, and academic communities.
Senator Barrett and the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee fully understand the science and reality behind climate change and appreciates the need to take urgent steps to reduce carbon emissions as one means of helping to reduce global warming. The bill is based on the successful 2008 precedent used in British Columbia that charges a fee to users on their use of carbon-based fuels. However, because this bill is revenue-neutral, it encourages conservation, and collected fees are returned to businesses, institutions, and individuals, so it does not put an unfair burden on the poor or small business.
To the extent that the modestly sized Commonwealth can form a part of a universal climate solution, this initiative provides an effective way for Lincoln and Massachusetts to combat climate change and provide a constructive example to others.
Based on the presentation of Senator Barrett to the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee last January, the report of the Senate Committee Hearing, and his very thorough carbon pricing resource material, the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee has been pleased to support and endorse this important climate change bill since its original introduction.
Sincerely,
Gary Davis (chair, Lincoln Democratic Town Committee)
20R Indian Camp Lane
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.
To the editor:
After spending the last five years as Lincoln’s Director of Planning and Land Use Permitting, I recently took a parallel position in a nearby community. Leaving Lincoln after five years was not something I anticipated considering when I took the job, but I feel I certainly made the best effort I could as I bring with me many positive memories of the considerable time, energy and spirit spent trying to serve Lincoln’s true, interests. To that end, I would like to thank those who supported my position and made the experience worthwhile.
[Read more…] about Letter to the editor: thanks from Chris Reilly
To the editor:
We are about to engage in an important community conversation: The annual State of the Town meeting on Saturday Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Your participation is key to helping shape our future.
In an effort to expand opportunities for citizens to hear the current thinking of town boards and to provide feedback and guidance as elected and appointed officials shape ideas and budgets, the Lincoln Board of Selectmen introduced the State of the Town (SoTT) in 2002. The concept won state awards for innovation and has become a tradition for our town. The success of State of the Town is dependent on engaged citizens, such as you and our town officials.
The recent chatter on LincolnTalk about the proposed new building for Minuteman High School is evidence that there is a very engaged citizenry. The State of the Town will be a critical forum to have all of us in one room sharing ideas and concerns about size, location and budget of the Minuteman proposal.
Also on the agenda is a discussion of zoning bylaw revisions. It is important to have many voices in this forum. At last year’s Town Meeting, a lot of time was spent trying to shape a highly technical bylaw through the amendment process. This wasn’t the best venue for that conversation. By introducing potential zoning bylaw additions and revisions at SoTT, all will have an opportunity to comment and guide drafting before we get to Town Meeting.
Perhaps the most critical issue to discuss will be the concepts that will be presented by the Campus Master Planning Committee (CMPC). At last year’s State of the Town, a packed auditorium discussed the concept of a community center, making it clear that such a center was highly desirable and that it belonged on the Lincoln School campus. The center, along with the schools, will tie together all generations and will create “the heart of Lincoln.”
The CMPC was endorsed at last Town Meeting in order to create a holistic approach to campus planning and further the evolution of community campus. While it was a near-unanimous endorsement to locate a community center on the campus, the exact locations of the center and all buildings to serve schools have yet to be determined.
Of great interest will be how to best configure the buildings on the campus to meet the needs of our community while also respecting the campus itself, its history, and its environment. Much has been explored at the various public forums hosted by the CMPC during October, and the SoTT will provide a larger audience with an opportunity to hear and respond to exciting potential approaches to the layout of the Ballfield Road campus in the future.
And last but not least, State of the Town offers an opportunity for citizens to comment and/or ask questions about any town-related matter. This is “one-stop shopping” for citizens who cannot make multiple board meetings and hearings. All issues will be available for discussion under one roof and in one morning.
Do not miss this opportunity to engage with your friends and neighbors in a unique community conversation. Come to State of the Town on Saturday, Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Brooks auditorium on the Lincoln School campus.
Sincerely,
Sara Mattes
71 Conant 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.
Lincoln resident Susan Taylor photographed this great blue heron and its reflection in the pond at the Pierce House on October 8.
Readers may submit photos for consideration for Lincoln Through the Lens by emailing them to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. If your photo is published, you’ll receive credit in the Squirrel. Photos must be taken in Lincoln and include the date, location, and names of any people who are identifiable in the photo. Previously published photos can be viewed on the Lincoln Through the Lens page of the Lincoln Squirrel.
To the editor:
On a recent stroll around Flint’s Pond, I met a woman taking two young dogs for a walk. They were about knee-high with short brown hair, long-legged and skinny—perhaps whippets, although I am not sure of the breed. The dogs, which were not on a leash, charged toward me, ignoring the owner’s futile efforts to assert control.
One dog ran past me, and while I watched to see what the second would do, the first turned around, leaped up and sank its teeth into my upper arm—hard enough to break the skin in five places through my shirt and create severe bruising that will take weeks to heal.
“Ow! That damn dog bit me,” I yelled.
The dogs were both in front of me now but I kept them at bay by threatening to kick them. I never took my eyes off them while I told the owner to “get those f***ing dogs out of here.”
I didn’t stop to talk to the owner. Perhaps she would have apologized, but why give the dogs another chance to attack? Last time an owner tried to “introduce me” to her dog, the animal seized the opportunity to bite me.
I have had too many encounters with aggressive dogs on my frequent walks around town not to be wary of any animal not on a leash. In the 10 years I have lived here, dogs have bitten me on several occasions so I have developed both vocal and physical defenses to minimize the risk of attack. Today, those tactics were of no avail.
I understand that dog owners want to let their animals wander freely in the woods without a leash. Most owners keep their dogs under proper control, too. But some do not, and those animals pose a threat to anyone who happens to use the trails at the same time.
The solution is simple: Lincoln should adopt a muzzle law. Any dog not on the owner’s land must be either on a leash or muzzled. The dogs would still have their freedom, and the rest of us would be safe from attack.
Suppose the dog that bit me had sunk its teeth into something less forgiving than my upper arm flesh. Its jaws reached almost four feet off the ground; had they connected with the face of a pre-teen child, the youngster would have been disfigured for life.
Let’s muzzle those mutts before a rogue animal causes permanent injury.
Sincerely,
Neil O’Hara
4 Hawk Hill 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.
Editor’s note: This letter refers to the space currently leased by the Magic Garden Children’s Center in the Hartwell building on the school campus. By law, the town must periodically seek proposals from any parties who might be interested in leasing the space for educational purposes.
To the editor:
In accordance with Massachusetts General Law, the Lincoln School Committee has released a Request for Proposals soliciting interest in the lease of four classrooms in the Hartwell Building for programs with an educational purpose. The School Committee seeks two town members to serve on the five-person Selection Committee, which will evaluate the proposals and select the most advantageous for School Committee approval.
Proposals for lease of the space will be received on November 10, and the work of the Selection Committee is expected to occur immediately thereafter. The Selection Committee members must be over the age of 21 and a resident of Lincoln. They must have no connection to any proposer, and will be expected to sign an affidavit to that effect.
If you’d like to be part of the Selection Committee, please send me a brief expression of interest by email to bcreel@lincnet.org or by letter to Business Office, 6 Ballfield Road, Lincoln MA 01773. If you have any questions, please call me at 781-259-2623.
Sincerely,
Buck Creel
Administrator for Business and Finance for the School Committee
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.
To the editor:
I have really had my eyes opened lately. As a new member of the Lincoln Housing Commission, I have heard of and received phone calls from senior citizens in need of affordable housing. Several of these people live in Lincoln and some in the surrounding area but all of them are about to be displaced from their housing situation and are in dire need of a place to live. It is not so much that I was not aware of this problem—just, well, not in Lincoln.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), public housing preferences are prioritized in the following manner: persons who are homeless due to natural disasters persons who are homeless due to public action; and persons with emergency needs (such as domestic violence victims, persons with medical emergencies; or homeless persons facing an immediate threat to their health and safety).
The aforementioned do not quite fit any of these categories and are not able to obtain housing. I know of other people that do fit at least one of the above categories and they too are not able to obtain housing. We continue to brainstorm and, while we have some ideas, such as a group home and/or affordable accessory apartments, we are quite honestly struggling with how to find a solution to this growing problem. Anyone with either generous purses or creative ideas on how to provide assistance, is asked to contact Pam Mizrahi at the Council on Aging (781-259-8811) or email me at Sharon.antia@gmail.com.
While Lincoln has always met or exceeded the state requirement that 10 percent of housing stock is classified as affordable, because of our small size the number of affordable units is quite limited. Currently all our affordable units are occupied but if you or someone you know is in need of affordable housing, applications are available by calling Elaine Carroll at 781.259.2613 or visiting this Town of Lincoln web page.
Finally, this fall the Housing Commission will host a forum to discuss the needs of our community, the housing work done in Lincoln to date, and solicit input for the future. At the forum we will share our preliminary research into the possibility of creating an affordable accessory apartment program in Lincoln and look forward to receiving feedback from the community. The forum will be held Saturday, Sept. 26 from 1-3 p.m. in the Donaldson Room in town hall.
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.
To the editor:
Thanks to the leadership of Lincoln’s State Sen. Mike Barrett (D-Lexington), the new state budget now provides funds to test the water quality of the Assabet, Sudbury and Concord Rivers. Sen. Barrett’s $25,000 amendment, approved as part of the fiscal 2016 Senate budget, debate, paved the way. Although vetoed by the governor, the House and Senate voted to override the veto on Thursday, July 30. The money will be used to support water quality monitoring to measure progress in complying with state water quality standards.
The amendment, co-sponsored by Sen. Jamie Eldridge and supported by Senator Richard Ross (representing Wayland and Natick), will ensure that the quality-controlled data will be available to municipal, state and federal decision-makers so that decisions can be based soundly on science. Monitoring has shown that for a key pollutant, phosphorus, the substantial municipal investments in wastewater treatment have been paying off. In recent years, the three rivers have become significant recreational and wildlife resources. The Assabet River, once referred to as the “cesspool of Massachusetts,” is now an asset to the towns it flows through.
There is much work ahead to ensure that the rivers meet the goal of being “fishable and swimmable” and remain healthy in the face of climate change and stormwater pollution. This work should be based on scientific information. The determined commitment Sen. Barrett has shown to our environment by securing these funds is very much appreciated.
Laura E. Rome, President
Alison Field-Juma, Executive Director
OARS for the Assabet, Sudbury and Concord Rivers
Concord, MA
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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.