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

My Turn

My Turn: Route 2A plans should have Lincoln residents’ input

By Jane Bradley Herlacher

(Editor’s note: This piece is in response to the March 7 Lincoln Squirrel article headlined “Repaving and more are planned for Route 2A.”)

As a homeowner living behind the Minute Man National Historical Park (MMNHP) ranger station for 35 years, I want to understand the MassDOT Route 2A Corridor Study Concepts. The study area is from the west side of I-95 in Lexington, along North Great Road and Bypass Road in Lincoln to Crosby’s Corner in Concord. For the past two and a half years, it has been disappointing that area residents were not identified as “stakeholders” and were not invited to the four stakeholder meetings. The only public link about the study is in the December 2020 issue of the Northside News. This lack of participation has never been the way Lincoln has been involved in projects of such importance.

At the October 2020 meeting, MassDOT announced that they were at the 25% design submittal stage and included the following concepts:

Traffic calming — Rotaries are proposed for Old Mass Avenue in Lexington and Hanscom Drive with slip lanes for bikes and pedestrians. Placemaking opportunities may enhance the road’s historic character, although nothing specific was shown or described.

Island treatments — Islands are suggested for the other roads even though they are designated scenic roadways exiting from rural residential areas which are separated by large reserved lands. Pedestrian/bike signs, not hardscape islands, are needed at just four proposed crosswalk locations (Brooks Road, Bedford Lane, Mill Street and Minuteman High School’s secondary driveway). No stop signs, only islands, were proposed for eastbound and westbound traffic on North Great Road at Bedford Road. The stop signs would more safely let pedestrians and bicyclists cross from the area’s only sidewalk, which is under the jurisdiction of MMNHP, not the Town of Lincoln.

Road widening — Since North Great Road is part of the Battle Road Scenic Byway and is an All-American Road (Massachusetts’s first and only federal designation as of February 2021), widening the corridor is inappropriate for this scenic road.

The repaving project must enhance the historic character of the MMNHP and the Battle Road Scenic Byway. Let’s consider:

  • redesigning the intersections at Massachusetts Avenue and Forbes Road (Lexington)
  • creating a rotary at Bypass Road (Lincoln) and Lexington Road (Concord)
  • replacing 11 metal guardrails with wood ones
  • eliminating the proposed sidewalk opposite Mill Street
  • incorporating green space at exits of Mill Street and Bedford Road instead of painting the asphalt
  • lowering the speed limit on North Great Road, not installing speed feedback signs
  • removing the Route 2A designation from North Great Road and Bypass Road

Apparently the project is delayed because a presentation of the 25% design stage at a public meeting is now planned for Fall 2021 (not Fall 2020). At that time, will MassDoT seriously consider suggestions from Lincoln citizens? Lincoln has seen the benefit from full citizen participation in the outcome of the recent Route 2 project. Now we all ask for an open and transparent process for this project, too.

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their 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: Cowap asks for your vote for L-S School Committee

By Heather Cowap

I am excited to announce my candidacy for the Lincoln Sudbury Regional School Committee. I hope to replace Carole Kasper (who is stepping down) as one of the Lincoln representatives on this committee.

I have been on all sides of this table. I’m currently a curriculum consultant working with an international STEM company, but I have both taught, and raised kids, in two different regional school districts. I spent 15 years as a high school science teacher in Groton-Dunstable and raised two daughters through the Acton Boxborough schools before the K-12 regionalization. 

I have a deep commitment to community service, and like many of you have served as a volunteer. When my kids were younger, I volunteered with the Boxborough Library, both the elementary and regional school PTAs, and as a coach for community basketball and lacrosse. I also served as a board member of A-B Girls Youth Lacrosse.

I am a passionate about public education, and my desire to participate in the L-S Regional School Committee is driven by my desire to give back to public education. I loved my years in the classroom that provided me with extensive experience in the complex needs of high schools. I have also participated in multiple NEASC site visits, exposing me to many of the shared challenges public schools are expected to meet and the creative ways many schools are addressing these challenges. As a parent I am aware of the need for respectful ongoing communication between schools and community. I plan to establish regular opportunities for the community by hosting zoom gatherings throughout the year.

I look forward to supporting many of the ongoing initiatives of the regional school committee, in particular the transition programs for Lincoln students entering the high school developed by Carole Kasper in collaboration with the Lincoln Public Schools. The school committee’s ongoing work on equity, in ensuring that all student needs are being met, and supporting the success of every L-S student are further areas of interest for me.

I will be hosting drop-in Zoom coffee chats for members of the community to come meet with me (see below for dates, times and Zoom links). I look forward to having the opportunity to listen and learn about parents’ and students’ experiences with the high school, both wins and challenges, as well as hearing your hopes for the school district as we move ahead.

  • Wednesday, March 10 at 10 a.m. — Zoom link (Meeting ID: 856 2643 0759, Passcode: 759563)
  • Wednesday, March 17 at 10 a.m. — Zoom link (Meeting ID: 840 8037 2413, Passcode: 558395)
  • Wednesday, March 24 at 10 a.m. — Zoom link (Meeting ID: 868 1721 0216, Passcode: 767171)

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their 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: Support Heather Cowap for L-S School Committee

By Carole Kasper

Many thanks for the opportunity to serve on the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee since my election in 2018. I am writing to express gratitude for this role, while also letting you know that I have decided not to seek re-election during this 2021 election cycle. I would like to introduce an exciting candidate for the L-S School Committee seat that I will be vacating later this spring.

Her name is Heather Cowap, settled in Lincoln following a move from Boxborough in recent years. Her now-adult children attended Boxborough public schools K-8 before attending Acton-Boxborough Regional High School. Along the way, she developed a deep understanding of the “smaller town sharing a regional high school with a larger town” dynamic — she also spent 15 years as a teacher in the Science Department of Groton-Dunstable Regional High School.

During her career, Heather she has also served on multiple accreditation committees on behalf of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Now retired, she says she is seeking a large volunteer role, one in which she can continue to apply her skills as an education professional while also contributing significantly to her local community. I strongly support Heather’s candidacy, and I invite you to join in this support.

For me, it has been an honor to serve and work diligently for L-S students and families. I supported the work of the Racial Climate Task Force, while also serving on both School Start Time Subcommittees, the Safety Review Subcommittee, the L-S Safety Council, the OPEB Trust Committee, the Strategic Planning Subcommittee, and the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. I had the opportunity to shepherd the L-S annual budget each of the past three years, serving as L-S liaison to Lincoln’s Select Board, Finance Committee, and Capital Planning Committee.

I enjoyed collaborating with administrators at both L-S and the Lincoln Public Schools to innovate a middle-school-to-high-school transition-planning process for Lincoln students and families who are heading into their L-S years. The “Life at L-S” 8th-to-9th-grade program is now in its fifth year, consistently garnering positive and appreciative feedback. The “Intro to L-S” program, an information session and tour opportunity for Lincoln middle school families wanting to see and learn about L-S offerings early on in their family high school planning process, is also well established and will continue in future years.

Thank you for the community trust you placed in me as a member of the L-S School Committee for these past three years. Please join me now in electing Heather Cowap to the L-S School Committee on town Election Day — Monday, March 29th!

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their 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: Learn how to slash trash and revive recycling

By Barbara Heffner

You embrace recycling but still you have questions about your trash and recyclables, such as: Should I be doing something different? Which types of plastic are okay? What matters most: reducing, reusing, or recycling?

Meanwhile, our cities and towns are struggling with both the volume of trash and the rising expense of managing it. While recycling programs used to generate revenue for many towns, that is typically not the case now.

If you’re asking these or other questions, join MetroWest Climate Solutions for a discussion with Kirstie Pecci on Thursday, March 4 at 7 p.m. — click here to register. Pecci is the director of the Conservation Law Foundation’s Zero Waste Project and is part of the Zero Waste Boston coalition, which advocates for zero waste solutions such as reuse, recycling, redesign and composting/anaerobic digestion in the City of Boston. 

The Zoom-based presentation will be followed by a Q&A moderated by Joel Angiolillo. He is a founder of MetroWest Climate Solutions, president of the Weston Forest and Trail Association, and served as co-chair of the Weston Open Spaces and Recreation Committee.

MetroWest Climate Solutions is a growing partnership between First Parish in Wayland, First Parish Church in Weston, First Parish in Lincoln, the Congregational Church in Weston, and other communities and individuals. Our mission is to share strategies for moving towards a low- and no-carbon-based society and economy and to suggest activities that enable individuals to help bring about solutions.

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their 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: Support more state aid for kids in poverty

Editor’s note: This piece was originally published in early February but was deleted due to a website malfunction and later restored.

By Jean Palmer

I recently received an email response from Thomas Stanley, Lincoln’s state representative, that he has signed on to “An Act of Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty” (HD 1158) — legislation that would raise cash assistance grants by 20% per year until they reach 50% of the federal poverty level (currently $915 per month for a family of three) and then increase grants each year to keep up with inflation.

Even with the historic 10% increase implemented in January of this year, cash assistance grants are still far too low to meet families’ basic needs. The maximum TAFDC grant (Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children) for a family of three is only $652 per month. For an elder or disabled individual, the maximum EAEDC grant (Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children) is just $334 per month.

My daughter, a lawyer who works for Greater Boston Legal Services, tells me this is very important to support. I hope you will support it also, and send a thank-you to Rep. Stanley for supporting it. (Thomas.Stanley@mahouse.gov). I haven’t yet heard back from our state senator, Mike Barrett, on another email I sent asking for his support of this same legislation in the Senate: SD430.

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their 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: Urge Rep. Stanley to support House rules reform

(Editor’s note: This story was originally published on or about January 30, 2021. It was lost after a website outage and later recovered.)

By 11 Lincoln residents

On Friday, Jan. 22, 32 residents of Lincoln and Waltham met virtually with state Rep. Tom Stanley to discuss proposed rules changes for the Massachusetts House of Representatives.  Several Lincoln groups were represented, including the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee, Mothers Out Front, and 350 Mass. The meeting was convened by advocates from Act on Mass, which is spearheading the rules reform campaign.

People attending were advocating for more transparency and accountability in the House of Representatives. A healthy democracy requires transparency because that is the foundation for accountability. We believe all voters should know how their representatives vote in committee and in floor votes and should have enough time to make their views known on a bill before a floor vote.

Three amendments for House rules were presented to Rep. Stanley with the request that he publicly commit to voting for them:

  • That all votes held in legislative committees are publicly disclosed.
  • That all bills coming up for a final vote should be made public 72 hours prior to the vote.
  • That the threshold for a vote to be publicly recorded in the House of Representatives is reduced from 16 representatives to eight.

A lively and passionate conversation about the issue of transparency ensued, and we appreciated Stanley’s candid responses to the concerns raised by his constituents. For example, a constituent from Waltham who does community organizing with college students pointed out that legislation to create same-day voter registration, despite popular support, has languished for 16 years without coming to a final vote. Lack of such a law can be an obstacle to young people voting due to their frequent moves, yet the bill has usually been “sent to study” to die, with no disclosure on which Representatives voted to kill it.

While he did endorse the principle that committee votes should be made public, Stanley did not commit during the meeting to voting for any of the three amendments. He assured the group that he was advocating privately with House leadership on behalf of the first rule change, but did not feel it was appropriate to promise a vote prior to the rules debate.

Stanley did not express support for the 72-hour rule or the eight-member threshold, stating they were either unnecessary or would be a hindrance to the legislative process. The constituents attending expressed their disappointment with Stanley’s positions, but also their appreciation for his participating in the meeting and his openness in discussing these issues despite his reluctance to agree to our requests.

We invite other community members to learn about the Act on Mass campaign. On January 27, House Speaker Ron Mariano announced an unprecedented delay on the house rules debate until July 2021. This means that efforts to push for more transparency appear to be having an impact.  Please join us in expressing your views by contacting Rep. Stanley at ThomasStanley@mahouse.gov.

Signed,

Laura Berland
Emily Haslett
Sarah Cannon Holden
Joan Kimball
Steve Kropper
Margaret McLaughlin
Staci Montori
Patricia O’Hagan
Travis Roland
Barbara Slayter
Paul Shorb

My Turn: Offering avenues for action in the wake of Capitol riot

By Julie Brogan

Like all of us, I was stunned and saddened by the events in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, January 6. If you’re wondering what an ordinary Americans can do repair and restore our republic, I highly recommend this report from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ bipartisan Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship. The report makes specific recommendations for reform and endorses organizations working to make these changes. I don’t agree with all of these ideas, but they are wide-ranging and may appeal to you or your friends looking for way to get involved.

I recently joined the National Finance Council in one of the cross-partisan groups endorsed by the commission, American Promise, based right next door in Concord. We are working to pass a Constitutional amendment to get big money out of our elections. If you would like to learn more about American Promise, feel free to contact me. But no matter what you decide is needed to get this country to a better place, don’t despair — act!

Julie Brogan, an Old Sudbury Road resident, can be reached at juliebrogan@verizon.net.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their 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: Where do the Codman Farm footprints lead?

By Pete Lowy

I captured this image the other day as I was wandering around the laying hen pasture. What do you see? Chicken feet, arrows, maybe something else? Well, we are on a farm, so I guess the most obvious answer is that they are chicken footprints — but in the same instance I noticed the patterns — it also immediately dawned on me that they looked like arrows pointing in different directions. When I showed the photo to Jen, she blurted out “chicken feet.” It’s funny how a shift in perspective can yield a totally different image. And the “chicken arrows” pointing in every different direction made me think of the current state of affairs in our country and also of life on the farm. How different ideologies can alter your perspective and thus perception of events and result in different actions being taken.

As a farmer, the image made me think how each and every day we have an endless amount of things to do, all sometimes pointing in different directions. The daily tasks on a farm are endless and it’s my job to make sense of the chaos and chart a clear path forward. The farms and businesses that find success tend to be the ones that are best able to stay pointed in one direction, stay true to their core principles, and be disciplined to achieve their goals.

At Codman, we are currently on such a path. With the sudden increase in visibility due to the pandemic, Codman Farm has become more of a resource to our community than ever. This has made us take measure of where we are, and consider more carefully where we are headed as a non-profit farm in the community of Lincoln. Why are we here, what is our purpose, how can we best care for our land and for the community in which we live. These are some of the many questions we are asking ourselves both now, and in the weeks to come.

I invite you to share what Codman means to you, how YOU see our role as a nonprofit in the community and HOW we can best carry out our core mission of keeping the lands of Lincoln open, in production agriculture, and educating others about farming and the impact it has in our society in so many different ways. Email me at pete@codmanfarm.org.

Pete Lowy is the farmer at Codman Community Farms. This piece appeared as part of the farm’s monthly blog/e-newsletter to members. Click here to see past issues of the blog.

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their 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: Urge Gov. Baker to sign climate bill

By Paul Shorb

If you are concerned about climate change, please call, email, and/or tweet at Gov. Baker ASAP, urging him to sign S.2995 into law. Click here to read a summary of the bill issued by State Sen. Mike Barrett, co-chair of the conference committee.

You can phrase your message any way you want; it’s enough to say that you care a lot about climate change and want him to sign this bill ASAP. Here are the key touchpoints:

Email Gov. Baker using this portal or call his office (617-725-4005) during business hours to leave a voicemail. If you use Twitter, tag him using his Twitter handle, @MassGovernor. Consider using some of these hashtags: #ClimateRoadMap #ClimateBillWithTeeth #NextGenerationRoadmap bill #ActOnClimate #MApoli. You could aim a similar message at his Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary, Kathleeen Theoharides, using @ClimateKatie and @EEASecretary.

Why do this:

  • This is a good climate bill! It was reported out January 3 by the conference committee, and includes most of the best parts of the House and Senate bills. It’s not perfect, but it’s a great step forward for now. By enacting and implementing this bill, Massachusetts can help lead the nation where we need to go to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

  • Sen. Barrett and others are warning that there is substantial uncertainty about whether Gov. Baker will sign the climate bill. If Baker doesn’t sign it by Jan. 14, it dies. The most likely sticking point is the bill’s emissions reduction target for 2030, which is a bit more aggressive than the target chosen by the Baker administration in the plan it recently released (i.e., a 50% reduction from 1990 emission levels, rather than the 45% in the Baker plan). The administration has expressed concern that the 50% goal may adversely affect the state’s economy. However, Massachusetts’ biggest industry group (AIM) has come out in support of the bill, and climate advocates believe that moving away from fossil fuels will actually help the state’s economy.

  • There’s good reason to think that enough calls and emails to Baker will have an impact. As the happy results from the Georgia Senate races remind us, it’s all about turnout! Democracy is not a spectator sport — please do what you can today! Thank you.

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their 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: The saga of the lost Dallin sculpture

By Don Hafner

Did you know that one of sculptor Cyrus Dallin’s most famous statues has been lost?

Cyrus Dallin, the sculptor of “The Boy and His Dog” in Lincoln’s cemetery, is best known for a set of four statues of Native Americans called “The Epic of the Indian.” The fourth and most famous in the series, “Appeal to the Great Spirit,” stands at the entrance of Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts.

Lost forever is Dallin’s “Protest of the Sioux,” which was created for the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. Dallin’s Native American statues have been criticized recently as “stereotypical imagery” of Native Americans by white artists. Dallin was a vigorous advocate of Native American rights, and when his series of four statues were displayed, they would have been controversial for a very different reason. When Dallin’s “Protest of the Sioux” was displayed in 1904, the U.S. Army was still waging war against Native American tribes in the Southwest. Dallin’s statue of a Sioux warrior on horseback, with fist raised in defiance against the loss of Sioux lands and way of life, must have seemed to some visitors at the World’s Fair as siding with the enemy. As one newspaper correspondent put it, “The North American Indian will make his last stand at the World’s Fair.”

Dallin’s “Protest of the Sioux” was monumental. On its pedestal, it stood forty feet high. But it was made of a perishable artificial stone, not cast in bronze like all of Dallin’s other work. After the World’s Fair, it was moved to a park in St. Louis, and reportedly one night the statue “crumbled into a heap of dust.” A cast bronze replica, only 21 inches tall, survives in a museum in Utah.

Fortunately, Dallin’s sculpture of “The Boy and His Dog” in Lincoln’s cemetery is made of durable cast bronze. To hear more about Cyrus Dallin and “The Boy and His Dog,” join the Zoom webinar with Nancy Blanton of the Cyrus Dallin Art Museum on Monday, Jan. 11 at noon. The presentation is cosponsored by the Lincoln Council on Aging’s Lincoln Academy, the Lincoln Historical Society, the Lincoln Cemetery Commission, and the Lincoln Town Archives.

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/97474874876

Don Hafner is a member of the Lincoln Historical Society.

”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their 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.