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

My Turn

My Turn: Resident questions library HVAC information

By David Cuetos

I think residents should be very cautious about the Select Board newsletter being mailed to every household. It presents several highly uncertain assumptions as settled facts. My concerns boil down to these issues:

1. The advertised $375,000 cost difference between the two options is not a reliable number.

The current ground-source heat-pump (GSHP) estimate is about $6.25 million, while Northeast Engineering’s independent, fully loaded conventional estimate is about $2.13 million, a difference of approximately $4.1 million. To narrow that huge difference, the town adds roughly $1.2 million to the conventional option, much of it disputed, and then assumes $1.55 million in federal tax benefits. That includes a domestic-content bonus even though its own tax consultant acknowledges that the calculation does not use the methodology required by current IRS guidance. The GSHP project also consumes a $1 million grant that could support other eligible projects.

2. The conventional HVAC estimate seems too high.

Northeast’s $2.13 million estimate contains arithmetic errors, duplicated lines and limited backup for several assumptions. It includes roughly $940K of contingencies, fees, project costs and overhead/profit above direct construction. Northeast also estimated roughly $300K for replacing the Library boiler. Bemis Hall’s boilers were recently replaced for under $50K. The Library is larger and more complicated, but a roughly 6x difference deserves explanation.

3. It is simply false that the GSHP project will have “no incremental tax impact.”

Taxpayers will fund approximately $5.3 million through town reserves and future CPA revenues, about $2,750 for the average household. Some of the reserve draw could eventually be replenished by federal credits, but those credits are uncertain and would arrive later.

4. The $6.25 million GSHP price was not project-specifically competitively bid.

PowerOptions competitively selected ESG into its vendor program, but Lincoln did not solicit competing bids for this project. We have not tried getting a competitive bid to test ESG’s price. Northeast estimated the fully loaded cost of a more expensive closed-loop GSHP system at only $5.39 million. Since ESG is now proposing the less expensive open-loop design, this raises a serious question as to whether the $6.25 million price is substantially above a competitive market price.

5. We do not know what the “not-to-exceed” price or “performance guarantee” actually guarantees.

The ESG contract is still being negotiated. We do not know which costs can become change orders, who bears well-performance and site-condition risk, or what remedy the town receives if performance falls short. The final cost of the GSHP could therefore exceed $6.25 million.

6. The town has not yet shown that the proposed system will perform as advertised.

ESG itself says a third standing-column well may be required depending on yield. Nearby wells have shown very low production. We still have not seen the design bleed assumptions or low-bleed winter performance. Inside the building, ESG plans to reuse existing ductwork with heating air around 95°F, yet no duct static-pressure calculations or acoustic analysis have been provided. We do not know whether the system can deliver the required heat quietly without duct modifications or supplemental heating.

These are not minor details. They go directly to cost, risk and whether the system will work as promised.

Cuetos lives on Weston Road in Lincoln.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Why you should vote yes on Question 6

By Andy Falender

Everyone in Massachusetts — no matter where we live — deserves clean drinking water and access to nature. This year, Massachusetts has an important opportunity to protect our rivers, lakes, forests, farms, and wildlife habitats by voting YES on Question 6 in the upcoming election.

Question 6, the Protect Water and Nature ballot initiative, would dedicate funds from the existing state sales tax on sporting goods to protecting and conserving water and nature.

That means as much as $100 million each year to protect clean drinking water; reduce pollution in rivers, lakes, and the ocean; conserve forests, family farms, and natural wildlife habitats; prevent flooding and storm damage; and create and improve parks, trails, and greenspaces for public use. Question 6 also creates a dedicated Nature for All Fund and requires strict public oversight and annual reporting so we can see exactly how every dollar is spent.

Nothing is more important than having clean drinking water and access to nature. By conserving natural areas, forests, and wildlife habitats, Question 6 will help reduce runoff in our lakes, rivers, and streams — protecting the quality of our drinking water and natural habitats for future generations. That’s why a wide coalition of 95+ organizations, including the state’s leading nonprofit land and water conservation groups, and many from underserved neighborhoods, are supporting a YES on Question 6 on the 2026 statewide ballot.

It’s time to permanently protect the places we love — clean drinking water, healthy forests and wildlife habitats, more trails and parks, and access to the outdoors and nature for everyone in Massachusetts. Vote YES on 6.

Falender lives on Page Road.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Support teacher grant program at L-S

By Tara Mitchell and Carolyn Dwyer

Refresh, expand, appreciate, ignite, reconnect… these are all words that L-S faculty and staff have used to describe how they felt after being supported by a FELS grant. The Foundation for Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury (FELS) is a nonprofit organization that exists to support the aspirations and passions of L-S teachers and staff.

The motto, “Inspired Teachers Inspire Students,” is what drives the committee. Funds raised are awarded as grants to faculty and staff to pursue an interest, sharpen a skill, explore the world — all with the intent that what they have experienced will flow back into the classroom either directly or indirectly.

This summer, FELS grant recipients gained inspiration by studying ancient texts in Ireland, refreshment and reconnection while attending a painting retreat, and a sense of personal accomplishment by solo backpacking in the Alaskan wilderness, just to highlight a few. Whether recipients chose to develop a personal interest, pursue a new challenge or explore parts unknown, these impactful experiences reignite passions and provide inspiration in ways that pay big dividends not only for teachers but for the students they interact with.

Last year, 12 high-quality grants were submitted. Due to funding constraints, and in an effort to support as many deserving applicants as possible, FELS was only able to award 47% of the funds requested, which resulted in some partial awards.

We need your help to support even more high-quality grant applications this year. Consider making a tax-deductible donation to FELS to help meet our 2026-27 fundraising goal of $15,000. Donations can be made by check and mailed to the address above, or via PayPal here.

Please visit our website, www.FELSGrant.org, to learn more, review our grant history and see our 2026-27 schedule of events including our Thanksgiving pie sale in October and prom flowers sale in the spring.

Thank you for investing in our L-S faculty and staff and their continued growth and development!

Mitchell and Dwyer are writing on behalf of the FELS board.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Q&A with Kishana Osei of the Mass. Women of Color Network

By Sue Rushfirth

Editor’s note: Rushfirth, a Sudbury resident and past president of the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable, has volunteered for many years with organizations supporting survivors and working to prevent domestic abuse. She recently spoke with Kishana Osei, executive director of the Massachusetts Women of Color Network, about Osei’s upcoming presentation on Sept. 28, the experiences of survivors from different backgrounds, and what it means to build a culturally safer community. This interview originally appeared in the Sudbury Weekly and is republished with permission.

Rushfirth: Tell me a little about your background. Where were you raised?

Kishana Osei

Osei: I was born in New York, but I was predominantly raised in Jamaica. When I was just six months old, my mother sent me to live with my aunt and grandparents in Jamaica, and I lived there until I was seven. I then came to Boston with my family, but Jamaica continued to be a huge part of my upbringing. Throughout my childhood, I would spend my summers there, often spending time with my cousins both in the city and in rural areas.

I think that experience of navigating different cultures and communities has shaped the way I understand identity, belonging, resources, and the importance of feeling seen and understood.

Rushfirth: How long has Massachusetts Women of Color Network been in operation?

Osei: Since 2010, so 16 years.

Rushfirth: What led you to the work in the first place?

Osei: My entry into this work began with my own lived experience. I’m a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, which began when I was 11 and continued for several years. When I went away to college, that was the first time I really began talking about what had happened to me.

I attended an event called Take Back the Night, and it was transformative for me. I witnessed people talking openly about experiences that were incredibly painful and reclaiming those experiences. For the first time, I realized that I wasn’t alone and that there were spaces and organizations dedicated to supporting survivors.

I participated in a nine-month inpatient program where I began my own healing journey and learned language to understand what I had experienced. Eventually, I became a peer facilitator and spent several years supporting other survivors.

I found REACH: Beyond Domestic Violence, began volunteering there in 2016, and eventually moved into a staff position at The Network/La Red. Those experiences ultimately led me to MAWOCN.

Rushfirth: If you had to summarize the mission, what would you say?

Osei: At its heart, MAWOCN exists to support and sustain women of color working in the sexual and domestic violence movement in Massachusetts. That includes people working at every level, from frontline advocates to managers and executive directors. We recognize that women of color are often doing some of the most difficult work in our field, and we want to make sure they aren’t isolated, overburdened, or invisible.

We build capacity, provide training and technical assistance, create opportunities for connection and leadership development, and help organizations think differently about how they retain and support women of color. We also provide culturally specific training and technical assistance to community members to strengthen services for survivors from marginalized communities.

Rushfirth: Your presentation will center on the notion that appropriate services are not always available to different groups. Could you give me an example of what you mean by that?

Osei: Absolutely. One of the clearest examples comes from our work developing the Keeping Black Survivors Alive curriculum. We spent two years conducting a community needs assessment and speaking directly with Black survivors and women of color who had experienced sexual and domestic violence services. What we heard was that sometimes the issue wasn’t that a service technically didn’t exist, it was that the service wasn’t accessible, culturally responsive, or safe enough for that particular survivor.

For example, some survivors told us about calling hotlines and having poor experiences because English wasn’t their first language. Instead of finding a way to communicate with them through resources such as a language line, they were sometimes told to call back later or were disconnected.

We also heard about Black survivors encountering bias within healthcare, housing, child welfare, DTA, and law enforcement systems. There were experiences where survivors felt they weren’t being treated with the same level of care, attention, or credibility as others. So when we talk about appropriate services, we’re asking a bigger question than, “Is there a program in the community?” We’re asking: “Can this person actually access that program, and when they do, will they feel understood, respected, believed, and safe?” That’s the difference between simply having a service available and having a service that is truly accessible and responsive.

Rushfirth: Sudbury, Wayland, and Lincoln have a relatively small number of families of color. Why is it important that our communities receive your message and act on it?

Osei: I actually think this conversation is especially important in communities like Sudbury, Wayland, and Lincoln, not less important, because the question isn’t simply, “How many people of color live here?” The question is, “What happens when someone who is Black, Latino, Asian, Caribbean, African, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, an immigrant, or from another marginalized community needs help?”

Even if the number of families of color in a community is relatively small, every person deserves to receive services where they feel seen, respected, believed, and safe. A person’s access to appropriate care shouldn’t depend on whether there are 5,000 people who look like them in their town or 50.

And there is another important piece: people don’t necessarily experience violence only within the community where they live. Survivors work in different communities, attend schools in different communities, have family in different communities, worship in different communities, and seek services wherever they believe they can find help. Your community may also serve people who don’t live in your community.

So the responsibility isn’t simply about having a large population of people of color. It’s about being prepared to respond well to the people who are here and to the people who may come through your doors.

I also think there’s an opportunity for communities like these to be proactive rather than reactive. We shouldn’t wait until a Black family, an immigrant family, or another family from a marginalized community experiences violence before we ask, “Do our systems know how to support them?”

This work benefits everyone. When we improve our ability to listen, understand cultural differences, recognize bias, communicate across differences, and respond to people with dignity, we aren’t creating better systems only for people of color. We’re creating better systems for everyone.

My hope is that people leave this conversation not thinking, “We don’t have many people of color here, so this doesn’t really apply to us,” but instead thinking, “If someone comes to us needing help, are we prepared to make sure they are truly seen, heard, and supported?”

Because ultimately, the measure of an inclusive community isn’t how many different people live there. It’s how well that community cares for the people who are there.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Get ready for Special Town Meeting and SOTT

(Editor’s note: Payne’s Town Moderator postings can be seen on his website at payne.org/moderator.)

By Andy Payne

As your (freshly elected) Town Moderator, I want to make sure you’re all aware of an upcoming Special Town Meeting planned for Saturday, Oct. 24. The meeting will follow the annual State of the Town (SOTT) meeting, with the SOTT starting at 9:00am and the official Town Meeting planned to start at 10:30am.

I hope you all will consider attending: democracy is messy, but it’s “less messy” when more people participate.

Why are we considering a Special Town Meeting?

The Select Board calls a Special Town Meeting when it feels there’s some legislative business (bylaw or funding) that cannot wait for our March annual town meeting. In this case, various town committees are working on plans for replacing the heating & cooling systems at the Library.

Where can I learn more about what’s being proposed?

For more information, see this page (detailed memos at the bottom). A hybrid format multi-board meeting is planned for the evening of Sept. 28 at 6:30pm, and a Select Board Info Session planned for Oct. 5 at 6:30pm.

After reviewing the project information, I still have some comments/questions/concerns. Where can I get those addressed before the Special Town Meeting?

You can attend the Sept. 28 and/or Oct. 5 meetings above or watch recordings afterward. If you still have questions, contact the committees directly — see the information page above.

I would like to address Town Meeting on this project using slides and/or more than the standard 2 minutes allocated to resident commentary. Is that possible?

Contact me by Oct. 1 at andy+moderator@payne.org. Following the Town Meeting Study Committee’s recommendations, I’m piloting a process for “Extended Presentations.” Because of the relatively short lead-up to the STM, the process will be somewhat ad hoc and may change for future meetings. Please bear with me.

For this meeting, the pilot requirements are: (a) one designated resident contact, (b) a petition from 100 registered voter residents, (c) an advertised, public and recorded pre-meeting presentation, and (d) an advertised, public and recorded Q&A session, all completed by Friday. Oct. 16, one week before the STM.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Awaken the ‘sleeping giant’

By Julie Brogan

On Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 7:00 p.m., citizens of Lincoln will read the U.S. Constitution aloud to honor the ratification of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1789. I am pleased to be scheduled to read the text of Article V, the Amendment Clause. In her Pulitzer Prize-winning book We the People, Jill LePore referred to Article V as a “sleeping giant.” I agree. Article V is a viable way to make enduring change.

Since 2018, I have been working with American Promise, a cross-partisan group begun in Concord, which — like the shot heard round the world — has grown into a nationwide movement. We are uniting Americans to win the For Our Freedom Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to address the issue of money in politics. Why an amendment? The problem of money in politics is constitutional. For decades, Supreme Court decisions have limited the ability of Americans and their elected representatives to set reasonable rules for money in elections. The For Our Freedom Amendment will restore that authority.

Half of all states are now on record urging Congress to propose an amendment on election spending. The most recent states to join Massachusetts in passing a resolution were Idaho and Oklahoma. Bills calling for an amendment have been introduced in Congress by members of both parties, increasing the chances that the two-thirds majority required by Article V will be met. Read about American Promise on our website, Americanpromise.net, and join us. The framers of the Constitution gave We the People the ultimate say over how we are governed with Article V. It’s time to wake up that giant!

Brogan lives on Old Sudbury Road.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: In praise of Lincoln Girl Scouts

By Tara Mitchell

As the parent of a recent Lincoln-Sudbury graduate, I recently reflected on how Girl Scouts has helped shape my daughter’s evolution into adulthood. When I started her troop 13 years ago with a few other parents of little kindergarteners, I did not know that the lessons we mapped out would culminate in what is ultimately a very well-rounded, conscientious, service-oriented 18-year-old. I thank Girl Scouts for being a steady constant in my daughter’s life. It showed her how to be present and explore new avenues, and how to make a difference in her community (of course, her father, teachers, coaches, etc., deserve some credit too!).

In the early years, I was glad that Girl Scouts brought different girls together — not just the sports kids or the drama kids or the science kids — and included girls living in Lincoln and Boston. Girl Scouts has a step-by-step guide to help leaders plan for meetings, suggestions for activities, badges the girls can earn, and hosts/sponsors events that the girls can go to either as a troop or individually to gain more skills or experiences.

The Lincoln community loves the support that the Girl Scouts provide: coffee and snacks at Town Meeting and Girl Scout cookie sales at Donelan’s and the transfer station, not to mention all the work with COA&HS to support our senior residents. Town leadership is also supportive of the Lincoln Girl Scouts. They have helped the girls brainstorm ideas for various service projects, identifying needs within the community and helping to bring the necessary people and resources together to make it happen.

Many Lincoln Girl Scouts have received their Gold Awards, the highest honor in Girl Scouts. Each girl has identified a need, come up with a solution, and worked over 80 hours implementing the solution. Many high school troops have done service trips to places like Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. These accomplishments/experiences and the commitment that it shows have been the topic of many girls’ college essays.

Several Lincoln Girl Scouts have also held positions or been recognized as leaders in the larger Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts (GSEM) community. Lucy Dwyer (2024) and Brooke Mitchell (2026) were selected by GSEM to be one of three Girl Scouts to participate in the GS Leading Women’s Award ceremony honoring girls and women whose leadership, dedication, and impact strengthen the community. Alexandria Taylor (2024/25) served as a youth member of the GSEM Board of Directors, giving her an opportunity to help steer the future of Girl Scouts through Council decision-making while serving as an ambassador for the Council. 

Lincoln is a community where girls can see their impact. They come away knowing that they can have a say and can make a difference in the world. It’s a powerful message for any child and we are fortunate to have the framework to make it a reality.

Girl Scout troops can start at any age. The first level is Daisy which is kindergarten and first grade. This level introduces the foundations of Girl Scouts and girls can earn a patch each meeting as they build their knowledge of what it means to be a Girl Scout. For leaders, this is an easy way to get acquainted with the support provided by GSEM as well as the resources available from past Lincoln troop leaders. Most troops meet one time per month during the school year and can participate in town-wide activities like helping at special commemorative events around town, Town Meeting, camping, Winter Carnival pancake breakfast, and Bridging.

If you are interested in having your daughter join Girl Scouts, please reach out to Laura Taylor (lauranastos@yahoo.com) or Tara Mitchell (taramitchell365@gmail.com).

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Lincoln Green Energy Choice updates

By Paul Shorb*

The Lincoln Green Energy Committee (GEC) wants to (1) share good news about current pricing and (2) advise you of proposed changes to the Lincoln Green Energy Choice program.

Pricing news

Good news! Lincoln Green Energy Choice prices are lower than Eversource’s new residential Basic Service price in effect August 1 through January 31, 2027, which is 17.323 cents per kilowatt-hour (c/kWh). The three tiers you can choose from in the Lincoln Green Energy Choice program are 15.409 c/kWh for Lincoln Standard Green (the default option), 16.119 c/kWh for Lincoln 100% Green, and 13.731 c/kWh for Lincoln Basic. For more information, go to LincolnGreenEnergyChoice.com.

(click image to enlarge)

The current program

Lincoln Green Energy Choice, which was instituted by the town in 2021, is a group electricity purchasing program for Lincoln residents and businesses in the town of Lincoln. The program gives electricity customers an alternative to Eversource’s Basic Service and to other electricity supply offers in the marketplace. Participants receive long-term, stable and historically competitive electricity supply prices. Participants are free to change their tier or even leave the program at any time at no charge, and there are no unexpected rate changes.

The program has supported regional renewable energy development by purchasing Class I Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) beyond what is required by state law. We believe this has worked to speed up “greening the grid” and thus reduce the burning of fossil fuels that drives climate change.

Changed circumstances

However, due to changes in federal policy and possible state actions as explained below, the effectiveness of buying extra Class I RECs to help mitigate climate change has become less certain. In short, at least for the next few years, voluntarily buying extra Class 1 RECs is no longer expected to drive more investment in building new renewable energy generation; instead, it will increase “Alternative Compliance Payments” from electric utilities such as Eversource and electricity suppliers. Traditionally, those payments have been used to fund the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, which in turns funds a wide range of good decarbonization projects. However, recently the Governor has twice redirected some of those funds away from climate-benefitting projects and towards ratepayer relief, which could happen again.

In response to these developments, the GEC has proposed that the Select Board consider a different approach to using the Lincoln Green Energy Choice program to reduce our community’s carbon emissions. Specifically, instead of buying extra Class 1 RECs, the program could invest more directly in decarbonization projects in Lincoln and/or elsewhere. Implementing a new approach will require a vote at the March 2027 Town Meeting. Well in advance of that vote, we will invite public comment on a proposal.

The GEC always welcomes community input, including by attending GEC meetings, which are held virtually on select Thursdays at 8:00 AM. Meeting links and agendas can be found on the town website.

Current options for program participants

The Select Board and GEC encourage residents to join, or stay in, the Lincoln Green Energy Choice program. As shown in the graphic above, currently the rates of all three tiers of the program are less expensive than the Eversource basic rate; over the past five years, the program has saved Lincoln ratepayers over $850,000.

For those residents who would like to stop paying for additional Class 1 RECs until the new program structure is in place, Lincoln Basic is the most cost-effective option. You may also choose to leave the program entirely, but at current Eversource rates, doing so would increase your electricity rate. If you do move to Lincoln Basic, we hope you will change back to Lincoln Standard Green or Lincoln 100% Green when the new approach to decarbonization debuts next year.

To learn more about the program, including how to change your level of participation, visit www.masspowerchoice.com/lincoln.

* Shorb is writing on behalf of the Lincoln Green Energy Committee.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Drumlin days

By Stewart Coffin

With all the talk in the news these days about nuclear weapons, some Lincoln residents might be surprised to learn that nuclear bombs were once deployed right next door. Don’t worry — note my use of the past tense.

This story begins when my wife and I, together with our three children, move to Lincoln in the summer of 1964. Right away we noticed that our little transistor radio periodically made a strange hissing sound a couple times a minute. It wasn’t long before we associated this with a radar antenna merrily revolving on top of the nearby Drumlin Hill. Back then the top of the hill was clearly visible from our farmyard on Old Sudbury Road, although hard to believe now with so many more trees everywhere.

We were told by neighbors that it was a Nike site of nuclear-armed missiles for defense against Soviet bombers. My later research revealed, to my relief, that this site was only for tracking, and that the actual nuclear-armed missiles were housed deep underground a mile away off of Oxbow Road. Since a few years earlier I had been employed at Lincoln Laboratory working on, of all things, the Sage System of continental air defense, you might think I would have known all about this. But my division worked only on computers. The site was opened in 1959 and decommissioned in 1974. All that remains now, thankfully, is the once bare hilltop now partly covered with trees.

I actually have many fond memories of that hilltop. We had a family tradition of taking the children for a stroll up there on one special evening during the summer to gaze at the full moon rising far to the east. We called it our Moon Walk. The view back then was spectacular. It is less so now with so many more trees, but the large fields that were once Boyce and Van Leer farms are now still open and cultivated as part of Drumlin Farm, thus still affording at least a partial view. Even our own nine-acre plot remains the same, as does so much along our rustic road. Ah yes, so many memories.

Editor’s note: Learn more about the Nike missile sites in Lincoln and Wayland here and here. Stewart Coffin was profiled in the Lincoln Squirrel on April 1, 2026. 

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: SPJE coalition launches weekly protest at Hanscom Field

By Alex Chatfield

Editor’s note: Area residents are also gathering every Friday at the Hanscom traffic circle to protest the use of Massport-owned Hanscom Field civil airport to transfer people arrested by ICE as suspected illegal immigrants (Lincoln Squirrel, March 9, 2026).

On Wednesday morning, Aug. 5, nearly 40 people gathered around the traffic rotary at the entrance to Hanscom Field Civil Terminal in Lincoln to demonstrate their opposition to a proposed controversial private jet hangar expansion at Hanscom Field (not the adjacent Hanscom Air Force Base), which would double the private jet hangar capacity of the airport.

The proposal has been undergoing a state environmental review since 2023. Standout participants traveled from Acton, Arlington, Bedford, Cambridge, Carlisle, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Newton, Roslindale, Somerville, Sudbury, and Watertown. The event was held by the Coalition to Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere (SPJE.org). Candidates Ravi Simon and Alison Leary who are running for state representative in 13th Middlesex and 10th Middlesex districts respectively, also attended.

Photo by Andy Platt.

Participants held signs and banners with hard-hitting messages directed toward morning commuters entering the Hanscom Civil Terminal parking lot, among them: “Welcome to Massport — Enjoy Your View of the Dying Earth from Your Private Jet” and “CO2 Super-emitter Private Jets: a Luxury Our Climate Can’t Afford.”

According to a 2024 independent analysis, the proposed private jet hangar expansion would add 66 to 79 additional private jets to Hanscom, generating 6,000 additional flights annually and 150,000 new tons of CO2 each year.

If the expansion goes ahead, private jet emissions at Hanscom alone are expected to cancel approximately 70% of the climate gains from all solar PV ever installed in Massachusetts, which opponents say is a direct and immediate threat to hard-won efforts by towns and cities across Massachusetts to reduce their carbon footprint and combat a worsening climate crisis. For this reason, the fight to stop the immense 50-acre, nearly 500,000-square-foot expansion has transcended to statewide opposition with the engagement of 120 organizations across Massachusetts and, over 15,000 individuals who have signed a petition to Gov. Healey urging her to stop what they consider to be an indefensible expansion in the middle of a worsening climate emergency.

Photo by Will Winchell.

“This proposed expansion must be stopped,” said Andy Platt of Acton, who participated in the standout.

Though work on the old Navy hangar on the eastern portion of the proposed project site began last month, this is by special waiver from MEPA (Mass. Office of Environmental Policy) specific to that one hangar only. Regarding the remaining proposed 17 new hangars and five new underground fuel tanks, MEPA is waiting for a re-do report from the developers which would replace a previous report that MEPA rejected in 2024 (see this Boston Globe article). The new report is now expected no sooner than this fall. Meanwhile, the fight to stop the expansion continues to grow and protests are in full swing, say activists at the Aug. 5 standout.

More photos and video from the event can be found here. More information about this issue can be found at www.spje.org, or contact info@spje.org.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.