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

My Turn

My Turn: How would you use a community center?

By Ellen Meyer Shorb

A friend asked me the other day, “Do you really think you will use the community center?” Absolutely, I said. Another friend leaned in to the conversation and said, “If we don’t build a community center, I may not stay in Lincoln.” The first friend said, “Tell me, how do you think you would use the center?”

Well, I said, I imagine that… since I work from home a lot and particularly when I retire, I will have a routine where I work out in the mornings at the center, in a class or on my own. After my workout, I stop by the lobby for a cup of coffee. While there, I sign up to read to second graders on Tuesday after my workout. And in my afternoon watercolor class at the center, I find myself sitting next to the second grader that I read to!

I imagine that… every Fourth of July I attend a fundraiser at the center, enjoy a barbecue and wine, see my friends, and then mosey over to the fireworks with my blanket and friends I bumped into.

I imagine that… if we’d had a center 17 years ago when we moved in during August with four kids ages 7 to 15, our realtor would have mentioned that the center has welcome ambassadors, one at Parks and Rec and one at the Council on Aging. And that I would have found out about the pool, Valley Pond, membership to the deCordova, and made my first friend through an ambassador.

I’m curious — what do you imagine? Why are you interested in a community center? 

Shorb is submitting this piece as a personal note, although she is a member of the Finance Committee and the Community Center Building Committee. You can contact her at meyershorb@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 Lincolnites. 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 Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.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: A scaled-back 75 % option might get my vote for the community center

By Lynne Smith

At a public forum on October 10, CCBC reported on the 155 surveys turned in at the September 30 State of the Town (SOTT) meeting. Jonathan Dwyer (the member representing the Select Board) analyzed the ranked first choice results and Sarah Chester described the comments according to various categories such as cost, size, and LEAP. 

The results of the surveys seemed to lead the committee members to conclude that:

  • A 100% option would not get the required two-thirds supermajority in a town vote
  • Survey respondents preferred a one-story building over a two-story for the 75% option
  • Some respondents preferred a 50% option because of its cost but others rejected it because it did not include LEAP

Discussion from committee members and the dozens of people attending on line explored these three findings. 

I asked that ICON and the committee explore the layout of the one-story 75% option to see if the square footage and cost could be reduced. An option costing about $15 million ($3 million of which would be the LEAP renovation) would get my vote if the layout could accommodate most functions with more activities scheduled off campus. Without these changes and new information, I fear the proposal at Special Town Meeting in December will fail.

Many of us have noted the desirability of locating additional activities off campus. I will not repeat these suggestions here, but I would appreciate seeing the committee comment specifically on how these areas were explored and why they were rejected.

The committee will hold a regular meeting on October 11 to decide on the guidance for ICON as a result of the SOTT survey. As of this writing, that meeting has not yet occurred. I look forward to seeing what design changes might happen as the town barrels toward a December 2 vote at the Special Town Meeting.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. 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: Majority of residents wants to keep The Commons as is

By Elizabeth Wilson

The majority of The Commons residents are NOT for the expansion. It’s very interesting that only committee members who work directly with the administrators, and who do not accurately represent the residents, are posting propaganda about the proposed expansion to The Commons.

The Commons is not going bankrupt. The money they take in from the expensive buy-ins and monthly assessments for each apartment and free-standing home can sustain the operations of The Commons. However, the new owners need to make money for themselves and to cover the debt they have incurred when buying the property and ultimately the debt they will take on in order to build the overly huge and expensive expansion proposal.

Why do people want to live at The Commons? Because Lincoln is a town that loves the principals of quiet open space. The people living at The Commons chose not to live in the Brookhaven “city” in Lexington/Waltham or the older, larger Bedford Carelton-Willard, or the large apartment-like Newbury Court in Concord or the ultra-modern new Waterstone in Lexington. People choose to live at The Commons because it is like their own home and neighborhood used to be. It feels like home. As it is.

I am a family member of a resident at The Commons. I am trying to give voice to the actual feelings of the body of residents at The Commons who are afraid, who feel helpless and are not heard, and who do not want the proposed expansion. The small group of committee members should not control the information given to the public and Lincoln residents. The committees do not represent the actual feelings of The Commons resident majority.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. 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: Expansion of The Commons is a financial must

By David Levington

I’m 94 years old, and I’ve lived at The Commons for eight years. I certainly don’t look forward to two or three years of noise and disruption of life here, but I am voting in favor of the proposed expansion, and so are all eighteen residents on the two committees that have been most involved in developing the plan. Why? It’s the finances. We have one asset (The Commons) worth maybe $100 million, and liabilities of $180 million (see this financial statement). We owe $90 million in municipal bonds that pay 6-7% and another $90 million to our residents in refundable deposits.

We’re in this position because, when the prior owners decided to sell, as part of the change of ownership all the cash available was withdrawn and, using The Commons as collateral, $100 million in municipal bonds were sold (as an aside, municipal bonds that pay 6-7% are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.”

Those of us with long memories remember that we’ve been through bankruptcy; we don’t want to go through that again. The projections prepared for us show that if financial conditions continue as they are, the Commons can get through the next few years, but only on a level basis. No major improvements. But we have no financial cushion to get us through a disruption, like a pandemic. The Commons survived the pandemic, when we could admit no new residents, because we were financially healthy. That hadn’t been the case in 2013, when The Groves couldn’t survive a dip in the housing market. And that wouldn’t be the case here if we experienced a recession, a drop in the housing market, another pandemic, or any event which stopped us from admitting new residents. Not only does income go down, but we are obligated to refund the deposits of residents who die or leave for any reason.

The expansion plan will affect us all, some much more than others. There will be noise, construction traffic, heavy equipment. We will lose attractive green spaces. Despite all this, the members of the Resident Council, who are our liaison to management, all vote in favor of the proposed plan. They have been involved in every step of the plan’s development and have kept the residents aware of each step taken. A Steering Committee was formed, with six residents and staff to advise and consider each iteration. (I am a member of the Steering Committee.) We are also unanimous in support. We urge you to vote in favor of the expansion plan; I believe it is in the best interests of the residents of The Commons and the town of Lincoln.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. 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: Majority of Commons residents support expansion

By Joanne and George Carlisle

At the recent meeting of Lincoln’s Planning Board, we thought the presentations by The Commons, where we’ve lived for five years, were excellent. But we were surprised and horrified by the negativity, even mean-spiritedness, of many residents’ comments. We are great supporters of the emerging proposal for expansion, and we want to be sure that readers of the Lincoln Squirrel know that a recent survey showed that a significant majority of our residents understand and support the current proposal.

After the January 2023 initial proposal by our new nonprofit ownership, we have been given continuing surveys and individual, small, and large group meetings to learn of the need, advantages, and many considerations discussed by our Resident Council and Steering Committee and ownership/management. And we have given many of our own suggestions.

During our professional years before retirement, we learned the benefits of communal living in the many boarding schools we served. Kindness and trust and truth-telling — exactly the things we value most here at The Commons. We are especially pleased that The Commons offers such a rich mix of residents and staff — professionally, geographically, spiritually and in personal gifts and experiences.

Going forward, we are confident the expansion proposal which emerges will of course meet all of Lincoln’s town requirements while continuing, through the PILOT [payment in lieu of taxes] program, our significant contribution to the tax base and providing some additional affordable living apartments. It will also benefit considerably our financial strength, and our ability to stay competitive in the world of growing demand for continuing care retirement communities.

Thank you for this chance to share our support and enthusiasm for plans for expansion at The Commons!

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. 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: A Commons resident in favor of expansion proposal

By Marion Meenan

As a seven-year resident of The Commons in Lincoln who has been most fortunate to live in Lincoln for almost 50 years prior to making that move, I am writing to express my support of the recently proposed revised expansion plan for The Commons.

I believe that this proposal addresses the need to strengthen our financial stability and reduce our exposure to risk while also preserving to the maximum extent our open campus. The proposal also aligns perfectly with the town’s similar objective of strengthening its infrastructure — particularly that at the mall — by proposing additional units, both residential and commercial, while also maintaining and optimizing the town’s maximum open space.

With the PILOT (payments in lieu of taxes) agreements in place as part of the change of the ownership to nonprofit status, The Commons remains by far the largest taxpayer in town. Yes, we do utilize our fair share of resources — and we greatly appreciate the unfailingly prompt and proficient responses of our most dedicated fire and police — but we do in fact make substantial contributions to help support these critical resources town-wide.

The town of Lincoln also advocates strongly for a diverse community. The Commons has always met and will continue to meet the town goals for moderate income housing units. We are also proud at The Commons — and benefit greatly from — our astonishingly diverse and vibrant community. Among our 215 residents, we are fortunate to enjoy seniors from England, Wales, Ireland, South Korea, Germany, the Netherlands, India, China, and more — even Lexington and Bedford and Acton, and California and Texas! And we also encompasses a rich tapestry of active religious affiliates — with adherents of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism coming together and frequently sharing in one another’s sacred celebrations.

I would like to conclude by pointing out that in the recent telephone survey, a 69% majority of respondents agreed that they do understand and support the need for the expansion.

Under the capable leadership of Executive Director Reynaldo LeBlanc, significant time and effort have gone toward helping us to more fully understand the financial risks of our current position and the benefits that will accrue to all from a carefully thought out expansion.

I feel that implementation of the current proposal will enable our community to continue to thrive, both for ourselves and for forthcoming generations of Lincolnites.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. 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: Taking issue with “negative tone” of Commons expansion opponents

By Caroline Jacobs

I was horrified and saddened by the negative tone of the questions and comments at the Planning/Select Board meeting on Tuesday, starting with the lengthy letter which was read by a family member of one or more residents.

I have lived at The Commons since 2010 and have been on the Resident Council for a total of ten years since then. During that time I have experienced firsthand the cooperative relationship between residents and management, and never more so than during the last nine months. Our Executive Director has held countless meetings with groups and individuals to explain the rationale behind the expansion proposal and all the financial implications. The Resident Council and Steering Committee have been very involved giving input, and various interest groups have also been consulted. The suggestion that “many others (residents) against the proposal were afraid to speak up due to fear of retribution from staff” is completely alien to the way The Commons functions.

I understand the need for the expansion, particularly as I have already lived through one bankruptcy and have no desire to face the risk of another.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. 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: Codman Community Farms celebrates 50th anniversary

By the CCF 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign Committee

On the 50th anniversary of the founding of Codman Community Farms (CCF), we have much to celebrate. Created as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1973, the farm has evolved over time, but our mission has always been to operate a working farm that preserves Lincoln’s rural character, highlights the importance of local farming, features heritage breeds and locally sourced food, and invites community involvement through educational opportunities and access to this unique historic property. 

The original Codman family farm was established in the early 19th century on the former estate of Chambers Russell, one of Lincoln’s founders. The original farm had been in continuous operation for over 150 years, with respectable dairy, vegetable, and fruit operations. It was one of only a handful of working farms in Lincoln remaining after the Second World War.

When Dorothy Codman died in 1967, her will provided for the transfer of the barns and the surrounding acreage to the Ogden Codman Trust. In 1970, the town purchased the property and in 1973 voted at Town Meeting to create a nonprofit, Codman Community Farms, Inc., to run its operation. Since then, the town has owned the land, the barns, and the adjoining farmhouse comprising the 17-acre farm in the heart of Lincoln upon which CCF operates. 

Over the past five decades years, the farm has been a vital part of our community. For 50 years, we have engaged children in our agricultural mission as they watch piglets come into the world, collect fresh eggs from the chickens, feed a goat, or marvel at our beautiful Red Devon cattle munching on sweet grass. For 50 years, we have gathered together in the fall to celebrate the harvest with a Harvest Feast and Fair – young and old alike. Yet we continue to grow and welcome new events and new traditions as well. 

None of us can take the farm for granted. Since 1973, the farm has seen many tough years, with significant financial uncertainty due to an outdated farming model, aging equipment, and deteriorating infrastructure. In 2016, after a particularly tough stretch of ten years, the farm hired Pete Lowy as our farm manager, and the improvements since then have been nothing short of amazing. Pete came to us with a clear vision of what was possible and the energy and drive to accomplish those goals. The farm has made great strides under Pete’s leadership along with the support of an active board of directors, a stellar staff, and a talented and dedicated group of volunteers.

To celebrate this special anniversary, we have launched the 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign: Growing Community to raise $1,000,000 to seed and secure the future of Codman Community Farms. The goals of the campaign are to build educational programming and our community engagement, to expand gathering and educational spaces, to protect our historic structures, and to enhance building and grounds safety for all. 

As such, we have just completed the new Codman Community Courtyard in front of the main barn to create a safe, non-vehicular gathering space for all to enjoy. Next, we plan to expand our educational gathering spaces by building an educational pavilion behind the main barn, which will be the hub for most of the farm’s educational classes and workshops.

A wheelchair-accessible door will soon replace the narrow side entry to the main barn, and we are working with the town to install a fire suppression system in two historic barns. Once the sprinkler system is in place, we hope to move the farm store to the back of the barn so that we can once again hold community events in our beloved main barn. 

As a small community farm trying to accomplish many tasks at the same time, it is incredibly valuable for us to have partners that are willing to join us in investing in local agriculture, soil health, community, and education – the pillars of Codman Community Farms. 

Please consider a donation to our 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign – Growing Community, and join the many friends of the farm that have already contributed as we inch our way closer to our goal. Here is a link for more information and a way to contribute. 

Members of the 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign Committee are Carol Carmody, Nancy Fleming, Pete Lowy, John LeClaire, Jeff Patterson, Ginger Reiner, and Nick Whitman.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. 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 residents address racial justice in our community

By Barbara Slayter

As a Lincoln resident, I am deeply appreciative of this community’s responses to the brutal murder of George Floyd in May 2020. Lincolnites both unofficially and officially sprang into action to help the town create and sustain a welcoming, inclusive, and diverse culture.

The First Parish in Lincoln, where I am a member, launched its Racial Justice Advocates program, a vigorous program of book discussions, videos, documentaries, and lectures on topics such as James Baldwin’s works, housing inequities in the suburbs along the Route 128 corridor, and New England’s role in the slave trade. Its Racial Justice Newsletter has become a regular and widely available source of information about activities pertaining to social justice, both within the First Parish community and beyond.

Among the most inspiring undertakings was Lincoln Public Schools’ 21-day AIDE (Antiracism, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity) Challenge, which offered an amazing compilation of penetrating questions about biases and stereotypes, colonialism, systemic racism, white privilege, and all forms of social injustice. These were accompanied by an extraordinary range of resources — all available with the click of the mouse — from lengthy documents such as Brown University’s report on its various entanglements with slavery, to brief video clips on any topic at hand. The town was invited to join in, and indeed we did, with lively discussions of the questions posed and materials offered. Lincoln teachers and administrators put incredible effort into this 21-day challenge and into making it accessible not only to the schools but also to the entire community.

Now, as the culture wars deepen, I am ever more appreciative of Lincoln’s schools and apprehensive about our nation’s trajectory. According to recent data, 18 states across the country restrict education on race, banning books from the library and discussions in the classroom. I winced as I read just recently that a teacher in an AP English class in South Carolina has been forbidden by the local school board to have her students read Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me, a compelling letter from a Black father to his son about the risks he faces being a Black youth in America. This work, read by a group at the First Parish, was a vital resource in sharpening our understanding of racial dynamics in this country.

It is with this thought in mind that I recognize how fortunate we are to have Lincoln educator and author Ray Anthony Shepard in our midst. Ray has devoted his professional life to educating America’s young adults and also children about the struggles for racial justice. In his most recent book, A Long Time Coming, just published this August, he does so through story and free verse, written in snappy short poems with sharp imagery that pulls the reader into the thoughts, emotions, hopes, predicaments, setbacks, and dangers faced by the protagonist. He offers biographies of six individuals from 18th-century Ona Judge to 21st-century Barak Obama, revealing the arc of reform as a torch that lights the way to Black liberty as it is metaphorically passed from generation to generation (see my review of the book in the latest issue of the Lincoln Chipmunk).

In addition to the deep respect for these six resilient figures elicited by his poetry, and the new perspectives offered on their lives, Shepard provides insights based on his own experiences having been brought up in Missouri where his maternal grandfather was enslaved. He is very much aware that this book may soon be on a “banned book” list of those that make white students “feel discomfort, guilt, or anguish.”

In my view, it is the persistence and dedication of authors and educators who, like Ray with his long-term vision and his hopes for the future, provide all of us with the best opportunity to bring to fruition a less divided, more inclusive, and fairer America. Make sure that you, your children, and grandchildren get to read it!

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. 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 has a Climate Action Plan – now what?

By Lynne Smith

For the past year, Lincoln staff and residents have worked to develop a comprehensive Climate Action Plan. A Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Action Grant, provided through the state’s Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs, funded the project.

Over 100 residents participated in workshops, focus groups, and committee meetings to make sure the plan included input from as many members of the community as possible. At most of these sessions, people were eager to meet the challenge of our changing climate, but many said they are not always sure how to do so. The plan prioritizes goals and strategies that will help the town and individuals take action.

A Climate Action Plan is a big deal. In fact, Lincoln’s plan is about 77 pages filled with informative charts, graphs, goals, and strategies. But the plan is only a first step in the process toward its stated overarching goal of “reducing greenhouse gas emission while also advancing community resilience in equitable and sustainable ways.”

Specifically, the plan organizes strategies into the following six planning areas: energy, mobility, built environment, working lands and natural resources, social resilience and education, and water and solid waste management. For each of these areas, three to four “priority strategies” were identified through an evaluation and prioritization exercise. For each strategy, the plan describes the implementation lead, next steps, how it improves equity, potential co-benefits, implementation partners, funding sources, and measures of success.

Priority strategies are not necessarily ones that will be completed first or are the most important, as this exercise only provided a high-level assessment of how beneficial the strategy could be to the community and environment. Any strategies can be tackled when possible (Lincoln is already making progress toward many of them) and this exercise can be performed periodically to update considerations based on new data, changes in conditions, opportunities, and constraints.

Now that Lincoln has a Climate Action Plan, the town is better prepared to apply for more federal and state funding to implement goals and strategies. To access these funds, professional town staff will need to apply for grants and manage their implementation. With limited staff ability and town funding, many of the strategies laid out in the plan will need the community’s help.

At the State of the Town meeting on September 30, Assistant Director of Planning and Land Use Jennifer Curtin will explain more about the plan and the next steps toward implementation. Residents will be able to provide essential input on how we can move forward to achieve our climate goals. Green Energy Committee members will be on hand to talk with residents about how to increase their energy efficiency and reduce their fossil fuel emissions.

To review the Climate Action Plan before the September 30 State of the Town meeting, click here. We look forward to seeing you there!

Lynne Smith is a member of the Green Energy Committee’s Climate Action Lincoln Subcommittee.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. 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.