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McLean Hospital plans teen residential facility on Bypass Road

May 8, 2016

The house at 22 Bypass Rd. where McLean Hospital hopes to house clients age 15-21. The house on the adjacent 16 Bypass Road can be seen at far left.

By Alice Waugh

Bypass Road residents, including a member of the town’s Board of Health, are furious about a proposal by McLean Hospital to open a residential facility for teens and young adults in their neighborhood, saying they were given no opportunity to comment before Lincoln’s town counsel issued an opinion saying that the facility was exempt from the town’s zoning regulations.

Senior officials from McLean Hospital, a Belmont-based psychiatric hospital, met with Director of Planning and Land Use Jennifer Burney and Building Inspector Daniel Walsh in mid-April to present the proposal for properties the hospital purchased at 16-22 Bypass Rd. The 6,700-square-foot house at 22 Bypass Road would be used to house up to 12 clients age 15-21 “who are participating in a program designed to enhance the development of their life skills through educational and therapeutic training,” according to a follow-up letter to the Lincoln officials.

In the April 22 letter, McLean attorney Diane Tillotson made the case that McLean was entitled to an exemption from zoning restrictions as provided under state law for educational and religious organizations. The Bypass Road facility would be a “transitional living program providing psychoeducational support for young adults struggling with mood disorders, anxiety and depression” with a “curriculum integrating behavioral and cognitive skill building experiences,” she wrote.

Town counsel Joel Bard wrote in a May 2 letter to Burney that be believed the McLean proposal met the standard for a use exemption under Lincoln’s zoning by-law under Chapter 40A of state statutes, also known as the Dover Amendment. But about a dozen Bypass Road families vehemently disagree and have formed a group to fight the proposal by various means, including possibly filing a lawsuit.

“We feel blindsided,” said Dr. Steven Kanner, a primary care physician and Lincoln Board of Health member whose property abuts the Bypass Road site. “This is a life-changing event that could affect the safety of our children and grandchildren and our property values, and we were not even alerted? What kind of town are we living in? The arrogance [of town officials] not thinking we needed to know is astounding.”

The lack of specific information about the nature of the facility’s clients is worrisome, said Kanner, who was chief of medical care for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health during the Dukakis administration.

“I’m certainly not against mental health, but this is something where we don’t know who these people are,” Kanner said. “Are they male or female? How do we know they’re not dangerous? These are disturbed adolescents who have been highly depressed and may have been violent.” If one of them escaped, he added, “there’s nothing to stop them from being in someone else’s yard within 90 seconds.”

The neighborhood group is arguing that the facility is medical and not educational and thus does not qualify for a zoning exemption. “No one has explored why this qualifies as educational… this is medical treatment,” Kanner said. “Are they getting any education? I doubt it.”

On behalf of the neighborhood group, Kanner has been speaking with attorneys. “It appears the only way we can get a hearing we should have been accorded by right is to sue,” he said.

Also at issue is whether the current septic system is adequate for the proposed use, because local septic regulations must be followed even for educational and religious institutions. Burney noted on a town web page about the project that the Board of Health and the Water Department will be consulted about septic and water issues.

McLean Hospital already operates the Lincoln Residence, a transitional residence for adults in Lincoln at 5 Old Cambridge Turnpike. In addition, the Lexington-based Edinburg Center operates is a home for developmentally disabled adults at 15 Bypass Road across from where McLean hopes to locate.

In the April 22 letter, McLean officials said they would hold a neighborhood meeting in mid-June with an anticipated opening date in September 2016.

House allocates $1.72 million in state aid for Lincoln

May 6, 2016

The $39.5 billion state budget bill for fiscal 2017 unanimously passed by the state House of Representatives last month includes $1.72 million in state aid for Lincoln, according to Rep. Thomas Stanley (9th Middlesex).

“I’m thrilled with the state aid Lincoln received in the House budget, including my amendment that was adopted to assist the town’s financial burden for the preK-12 education of retired military families living at Hanscom,” Stanley said in a press release.

The House budget lines for Lincoln include $967,767 in Chapter 70 education aid, $654,570 in unrestricted general government aid, and $100,00 to help mitigate the costs of educating children of retired military families living at Hanscom Air Force Base.

Of the $86 million added to the budget in amendments by the House, the biggest chunk was $19.9 million for amendments related to education and local aid, according to MassLive.com. The budget now goes to the state Senate for consideration.

	FY 2017 (passed by House)	FY 2016	FY 2015
Education aid	$967,767	$857,038	$841,588
Unrestricted general government aid	$654,570	$627,584	$605,776
Hanscom education aid (special item)	$100,000	--	--
Totals	$1,722,307	$1,484,622	$1,447,364

Residents moving into new areas at the Commons

May 4, 2016

A ribbon-cutting ceremony at The Commons on March 29 featured (left to right) Stephanie Handelson, president and COO of Benchmark Senior Living; Benchmark Executive Director Chris Golen, Dr. Laurie Tolman, a resident of The Commons; Tom Grape, founder and CEO of Benchmark; and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. See more photos below.

The new assisted nursing, skilled nursing and memory care units at The Commons are open for business and accepting at least one new resident every day.

The units opened to residents on April 1. As of earlier this week, 27 residents had moved into assisted living, which has a capacity of 40, while eight of the 40 beds in skilled nursing were occupied, according to Executive Director Chris Golen. By the end of May, 32 of the 40 assisted-living units should be occupied, and the memory care section (which has a capacity of 32) should be full in about a year, Golen said.

A handful of residents in the newly opened areas came over from the independent living units at The Commons but the rest are from other facilities or homes, Golen said.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony in late March marked the completion of changes instituted by Benchmark Senior Living, which purchased The Commons (formerly called The Groves) after the facility filed for bankruptcy in 2013. The Groves was never able to fill more than about half of its 168 independent living units, and many felt that this was because it did not offer a “continuum of care” for residents who eventually needed more help with things like mobility, memory care, and day-to-day activities such as cooking and dressing.

Construction on the new areas began in July 2014, “and things really started taking off at the end of that year” for purchases of independent-living units, Golen said. As of late April, the main Russell Building was 100 percent full, while the cottages and the Flint Building on the north side of the campus had a total of about 17 units left, he said.

Among the offerings in the new areas are lounges with large Roku-equipped flat-screen TVs; dining rooms serving three meals a day (though the assisted living units also have kitchenettes); hair salons with manicure/pedicure stations and spa tubs; and a physical therapy suite that operates seven days a week. Patients can receive outpatient therapy there even if they don’t live at The Commons. “I think that’s going to be a big attraction for us,” Golen said.

All caregivers in the new areas at The Commons now have iPhones connected to a wireless security system that allows them to see the location of all patients, who wear GPS-enabled emergency pendants. This is for increased safety as well as the convenience of visitors who arrive to find their relatives away from their rooms.

Residents who’ve purchased independent living units at The Commons can move into assisted living or skilled nursing at no extra cost. Others must pay a nonrefundable entrance fee plus rent starting at $5,500 a month, Golen said in December 2014. Skilled nursing beds are also available for short-term rehabilitation patients coming from hospitals or homes.

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News acorns

May 4, 2016

Virtual tour of New England cemeteries on May 5

On Thursday, May 5 at 10 a.m. at the Lincoln Public Library, the Gravestone Girls present a program about New England cemetery art, history and symbolism, including graveyards in Lincoln. The “virtual tour” will go from colonial burial grounds through the rural cemetery movement of the 19th century and into 21st-century locations, examining why we have cemeteries and gravestones, why they look like they do, and how styles and art have evolved over almost 400 years. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Toast Mom with a glass of wine at deCordova cafe

The cafe on the fourth floor of the deCordova Museum is now serving wine and beer, and mothers get in free on Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 8). The café will offer two red wines, two white wines and prosecco, along with several craft beers and Downeast cider. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, expanding to seven days a week after Memorial Day. The Park Cafe in the courtyard behind the store will be open from Memorial Day through Labor Day from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and serves cold drinks, snacks and ice cream.

Display of L-S student engineering and art work

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School’s Technology and Engineering program and AP art class will hold an open house and show of student work on Tuesday, May 10 from 7-9 p.m. Student-designed rockets, solar-powered water heaters, woodworking projects, sculpture paintings and more will be on display. Visitors can also see 3D printing and a CNC routing machine in action, drive the 2016 Warrior Robotics robot and hear music from the L-S Select Jazz Combo. The shows will be on the B200s level near the cafeteria.

See Samba at L-S French Movie Night

The French Cinema classes at L-S will host a French Movie Night on Friday, May 13 with a showing of Samba, a dramatic comedy about a hard-working young man who, while facing the challenges of immigration in France, finds himself drawn towards a volunteer immigration employee trying to pull her life together. The Movie Night will start with a reception at 6:30 p.m. with refreshments and music from the L-S jazz bands. There will be a brief presentation about the film, followed by the movie at 7:30 in the L-S auditorium. The event is free but we will be collecting donations for 9 éléves, an organization that raises money for Haitian children’s education. Please RSVP on this Facebook page or this SignUp Genius page. Tickets will be available at the door, but signups are greatly appreciated. Please email MJ Galano at mj_galano@lsrhs.net with any questions.

Join the 2016 garlic mustard pull

Join your neighbors for a garlic mustard pull any time before May 31 and help the Lincoln Conservation Department eradicate this invasive plant. Free paper leaf bags for garlic mustard will be distributed to residents at the transfer station on Saturday, May 7 from 9 a.m. to noon. After that, bags will be available at the Conservation office, courtesy of the Lincoln Garden Club. Drop off filled bags at the DPW on Lewis Street Monday through Friday (plus Saturday, May 7) from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (no wall lettuce or yard clippings, please). The Conservation Department will also pick up full bags of garlic mustard through May 31 if you contact them at 781-259-2612 or trails@lincolntown.org; please allow a few days for pickup.

AKA Bistro to close Sunday; Blazes may take its place

May 3, 2016

Aka Bistro, part of the Mall at Lincoln Station.

Aka Bistro may soon be replaced by Blazes.

By Alice Waugh

Mother’s Day will be the last day of business for AKA Bistro, which garnered widespread praise for its innovative French and Japanese cuisine but was a victim of not one but two natural disasters.

Meanwhile, Richard Card, the Lincoln resident behind the proposed Blazes bookstore/coffee shop/cocktail bar, has made an offer to lease the space currently occupied by AKA Bistro and has launched a website detailing what Blazes plans to offer.

Rumors have swirled for some time that Aka Bistro might be closing. “AKA is a tenant at will and has been struggling to pay the rent for the space,” Geoff McGean, executive director of the Rural Land Foundation (which owns the Mall at Lincoln Station), said in an email last week. “We have talked with several new potential restaurant tenants about the space. Richard Card/Blazes is one of the potential tenants that has expressed interest in the space, and we have had discussions with them.”

Card confirmed that he has made an offer on a five-year lease for the AKA Bistro space for Blazes, which he hopes to open as soon as this fall if all goes well, but said on Tuesday he had not gotten a response.

“This is very sad because I like the town very much. It reminds me of the village in France where I grew up, a small community where everyone knows everyone. This is something I’ll miss a lot,” Christian Touche, co-owner and general manager of AKA Bistro, said in an interview Tuesday night. “It would have been easier if there was something bad” such as substandard food or poor service, but such was not the case, he said.

AKA Bistro was was never able to recover from a pair of unfortunate events: the lengthy closure of nearby Donelan’s after its roof collapsed in a snowstorm in February 2011, significantly reducing business traffic for the entire mall, and the closure of AKA itself for several months starting in December 2013 after a burst ceiling pipe caused extensive interior water damage. “I learned a lot about insurance,” Touche said ruefully.

The plan for Blazes had its first public airing at Town Meeting in 2015 when Card applied for a liquor license. He told the Lincoln Squirrel beforehand that his business would aim for a “salon atmosphere” with a breakfast, lunch and light dinner menu, and a small bookstore that would stock “only high-minded and literary works.”

At that time, Card said he did not have a specific site identified, though he later said he was looking at space on 10 Lewis St. That later turned out not to be workable due to a shortage of parking space.

Even though nothing has been signed, Blazes now has its own website noting that the establishment will be a “cultural cafe” with “an inviting chic and urban edge.” Offerings will include crafted coffees, loose-leaf teas, fresh fruit drinks, and food including “meticulously prepared soups, local cheeses and charcuteries.” The website includes a sample menu and an undated list of events Card hopes to hold there.

Asked about pricing, Card said that Blazes would be somewhere in between Concord’s Woods Hill Table and the Whistle Stop in Lincoln “so people can come here once or twice a week and not feel it’s going to be a big expense. We definitely do not want to be a ‘special occasion’ place.”

Card has assembled a committee of about a dozen Lincoln residents who are investing and/or lending their expertise in the design and planning process. He’s also planning to launch a Kickstarter online fundraising campaign featuring a promo video and a song. Among the committee members is Wendy Harrington, who said she and other Lincolnites are excited about what Blazes could offer beyond just its menu and merchandise.

“Italy and France have cafes in town squares, England has the pubs and Iceland has the baths,” Harrington said. “The problem with a small town like Lincoln is that it doesn’t have a town center” where people can run into each other and socialize with a cup of gourmet coffee or a cocktail.

“I’ll still go to Concord or Waltham or Lexington” to eat out for dinner, “but I would much rather have a casual meal [at a place] where I can throw on a coat and and go downtown [in Lincoln] with my daughter, or drop in during the day,” Harrington said. “I think Richard has really hit on it. I think he’s got a very holistic approach to the culture [of Lincoln] and the food part of it that was really missing.”

The impending closure of the well-regarded AKA Bistro came as a surprise to gourmets outside Lincoln as well. The restaurant was featured on April 22 in Boston Magazine’s “Best Food Instagrams of the Week” and was reviewed in detail on April 15 in The Passionate Foodie, a blog by Richard Auffrey, who said he had no idea about the upcoming change when he wrote his blog post.

Touche said he had considered “downgrading” the AKA Bistro menu a bit to get more local customers, but decided it was too risky. “I may or may not gain people from Lincoln, but I’d certainly lose the people who drive half an hour” for AKA’s fare, he said.

Touche isn’t certain what’s next for him, but said there will definitely be another restaurant in his future, and the AKA Bistro experience has taught him a lot. “I wish the best for the new people who are coming. It’s a great spot and maybe they’ll get a better sense of the needs of the residents,” he said.

News acorns

May 2, 2016

Mother’s Day plant sale

The Food Project is holding a Mother’s Day Weekend Plant Sale on Saturday and Sunday, May 7-8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. On sale will be vegetables, herbs and flower seedlings to start your garden. The Food Project is located at the intersection of Rt. 126 and Baker Bridge Road.

Baroque concert reminder

The First Parish in Lincoln presents its spring concert at St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Church on Friday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. Baroque music by Vivaldi, Bach, Telemann and others will be performed by world-class musicians from the Handel & Haydn Society in Boston. Suggested donation is $30 per person. Click here for more information.

Frozen yogurt fundraiser for 8th-graders

Orange Leaf Yogurt at 400 Boston Post Rd. in Wayland is hosting a fundraiser for the Lincoln School’s 8th-grade graduation on Wednesday, May 4 from 4-8 p.m. Customers who mention “Lincoln 8th grade” will have 15 percent of their frozen yogurt purchase donated to the graduation fund.

News acorns

April 28, 2016

Middle schoolers perform Baghdad Zoo on Friday

On Friday, April 29 at 4:30 p.m. in the Brooks auditorium, students will perform a short play, Baghdad Zoo, before performing it at the day-long Massachusetts Middle School Drama Festival in Fall River on Saturday. Drama teacher Kristin Hall has been working with students in grades 6-8 since September on the play, and the cast and crew would love an audience at their dress rehearsal on Friday. Baghdad Zoo by Kevin Dyer is a moving one-act play that tells the story of seven frightened children who protect the animals of the Baghdad Zoo during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Due to its serious themes, this play is appropriate for grades 4 and up. Free admission.

“40 Years of Community” fair is on Saturday

The whole town will celebrate the 40th anniversary of three Lincoln institutions at the “40 Years of Community” fair on Saturday, April 30 in Pierce Park from 1-4 p.m. (rain date: May 1). Among the participants will be the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee, which will welcome two special guests: state Rep. Katherine Clark and state Sen. Michael Barrett, who will meet and greet residents from 1-2 p.m. Visitors to the Lincoln Housing Commission table can make an origami house and help decorate a dollhouse while learning about the group’s 47-year history of creating affordable housing and the new Affordable Accessory Apartment Program. See the fair’s website for a list of participating organizations, exhibits and more.

Urban farming talk in May

Join a discussion on the urban farming movement and the agricultural connections between Lincoln, Boston, the U.S. and the world at “Urban Farming: Growing Food in Our Communities” on Tuesday, May 10 from 7-9 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Speakers will be J. Harrison, executive director of the Food Project and a member of the Massachusetts Food Council Advisory Board, and Jen Hashley of Codman Community Farms, director of Tufts University’s New Entry Farming Project. Sponsored by the Lincoln Agricultural Commission.

MBTA monopole session postponed

April 26, 2016

Circled yellow stars indicate the three sites in Lincoln where the MBTA is proposing to put monopoles (click to enlarge).

Tonight’s scheduled presentation to the Planning Board about a plan to build three monopoles along the commuter-rail right of way in Lincoln has been postponed after federal officials recommended reclassifying the proposal as a multi-use WiFi project.

At the request of Lincoln officials, MBTA representatives had planned to attend tonight’s Planning Board meeting to answer questions about the agency’s proposal to put three poles, each about 70 feet high, along the train tracks in Lincoln. The poles here and elsewhere on the MBTA commuter rail system will carry telecommunications equipment allowing the MBTA to comply with a federal mandate for emergency train-stopping technology, also known as Positive Train Control. The poles could also hold third-party equipment to improve WiFi access on the trains.

Because the pole sites are within the MBTA’s right of way and not located in wetlands areas, the agency is not required to obtain approval from town land use boards.

“When compliance paperwork was initially filed with the FCC, a number of the monopoles were to be used for Positive Train Control, while a majority were to be used for commuter rail WiFi multipurpose guidelines,” MBTA Deputy Press Secretary Jason Johnson said on Tuesday. “In reviewing the findings, the FCC determined that not all of the monopoles were dedicated to PTC use and recommended to us that the filing would have to be reclassified as a multi-use WiFi project.”

The classification change “gives the MBTA the flexibility to utilize the infrastructure for future projects, reducing the need to build potentially redundant structures along the rights of way, saving future projects time and money,” Johnson added.

News acorns

April 25, 2016

Climate justice film series kicks off Tuesday

St. Anne’s-in-the-Fields Church will show Just Eat It, the first in a series of films on climate justice, on Tuesday, April 26. A soup supper will be served at 6:30 p.m. and screening begins at 6:50 p.m. The evening is free and open to the public, though a donation to help cover the screening cost is appreciated. Just Eat It notes that as a society, we devour countless cooking shows, classes and blogs—so how could we possibly be throwing nearly 50 percent of our food in the trash?

The next film in the series, Divest: The Climate Movement on Tour, is on May 24. On June 28 is Oil and Water, the true story of two boys coming of age as they confront one of the world’s worst environmental disasters.

Second ‘fireside chat’ on refugees and asylum April 27

As a follow-up to the Council on Aging’s January “fireside chat” about challenges facing asylum seekers and refugees in the U.S., the group decided to continue the discussion and also consider how interested people in our community can lend a hand. On Wednesday, April 27 at 10 a.m., participants will discuss what they learned in January, the situations of refugees and those seeking asylum in our country and globally, and what opportunities to provide assistance locally, nationally and internationally those in the group might like to pursue. All are welcome whether you attended the January session or not. Sharon Carlson, one of the founders of Dignity in Asylum who spoke at the January meeting, will attend.

On Wednesday, May 25 at 10 a.m., group members will discuss their own stories of times when they felt they were treated as being “other,” whether because of demographic characteristics or other aspects of who we are. What happened? How did we feel? What did we learn about how and why people are made to feel as if they are “other” than the majority of people in our society? The Fireside Chat is a monthly discussion group where we respectfully discuss issues and experiences using questions and answers facilitated by Sharon Antia. All are welcome!

HATS meeting on Thursday

The next meeting of the Hanscom Area Towns Committee (HATS) will be on Thursday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Town Office Building. Paul Regan, executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, will be speaking. Other agenda items include Fitchburg monopole installations in MBTA right-of-way, and possible updates on the Route 2 and Route 128 highway projects.

Read a story to a child at the town fair

At the “40 Years of Community” fair on Saturday, April 30, the Council on Aging is sponsoring a story time to celebrate the powerful relationship between grandparents or “grandfriends” and the important children in their lives. They’ve selected books from around the world from diverse cultures which embrace the connection between generations. Come and grab a good story, a blanket and snack, and take time from a busy day to have a quiet time to share a good book with a beloved child in your life. You don’t have to be a “real grandparent” to participate. In addition to stories, there will be music provided by Packy Lawler, Rob Todd and friends, who will sing old favorites and invite the audience to sing along when appropriate. The musical portion of the COA’s program will be from 2:30-3:00 p.m. Books and blankets may be borrowed any time from 1-4 p.m.

Garden Club plant sale on May 7

Paul Gingrich digging up Spirea for the Lincoln Garden Club plant sale.

Buy perennials, plant plugs and more at the Lincoln Garden Club‘s biennial plant sale on Saturday, May 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Codman barn. Some of the plants on hand will include trillium, bloodroot and phlox, plus innovative container gardens designed by garden club members just in time for Mother’s Day.

This year the club will be selling four species of native plant plugs: Sedum ternatum “Larinem Park,” Stokesia lavevis “Peachie’s Pick,” Cheolone lyoni “Hot Lips” and Pycnanthemum muticum. These are all popular with the pollinators and not with deer! There will also be the popular table of garden bric-a-brac. The sale will be held at Codman Barn, 58 Codman Rd, Lincoln, from 9am to 1 pm.

The sale supports Lincoln Garden Club activities such as arrangements for home-bound, plantings for the watering trough at Five Corners and the Codman/Lincoln Road intersection, and presentations for the whole town such as the April lecture in conjunction with the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust on landscaping for song birds. It’s also a great time to meet neighbors and friends, ask gardening advice, and get inspiration for your garden.

Green Energy Committee offers free home assessment

April 25, 2016

Lincoln Energy Challenge members get ready for the Lincoln Town Fair. Left to right: John Snell, Lynne Smith, Ed Lang, Jennie Morris and Sue Klem.

Lincoln Energy Challenge members get ready for the “40 Years of Community” fair. Left to right: John Snell, Lynne Smith, Ed Lang, Jennie Morris and Sue Klem.

The Green Energy Committee (GEC) is sponsoring the Lincoln Energy Challenge to help residents reduce their home energy consumption, increase rooftop solar and community solar farms, and sign up for renewable sources of electricity, particularly solar and wind.

The first stop on the way to saving money and energy is a no-cost home energy assessment tailored specifically to your home and done by auditors and insulation staff with new Lincoln Energy Challenge partner Co-op Power. The firm specializes in implementing the recommended energy savings upgrades including air sealing, insulation, and furnace, boiler and appliance upgrades with the help of state-incentivized rebates. An energy assessment can be performed if more than two years have passed since your last one.

Please visit the GEC at the “40 Years of Community” fair on April 30 (rain date: May 1) in Pierce Park to learn about what you can do and to sign up for a no-cost home energy assessment. Or you can schedule an assessment by calling Co-Op Power at 877-266-7543 or visiting www.LincolnEnergyChallenge.org. Anyone with questions may email GEC member Sue Klem at susan.m.klem@gmail.com.