news

Carroll School buying property on Lincoln/Wayland line

April 7, 2016

This map shows the location of the parcel containing a large house that the Carroll School is buying.

This map shows the location of the parcel containing a house that the Carroll School is buying (click to enlarge).

By Alice Waugh

The Carroll School has acquired a parcel of land on Waltham Road in Wayland close to the Old Sudbury Road town line in Lincoln. The school hopes to use the land for middle school athletic fields and educational facilities for two grades now housed at its Baker Bridge Road site in Lincoln.

The pair of parcels at 39 and 45 Waltham Road in Wayland total 11.4 acres and include a 20,400-square-foot house. The $5 million purchase is expected to close on May 2, said Head of School Steve Wilkins. If all goes as expected, the school will relocate 40 students in grades 8 and 9 to the Wayland site starting in fall 2017 and have new fields ready for use by spring 2017, he said.

The school has hired a traffic engineer to gauge the impact of extra traffic on Waltham Street/Old Sudbury Road, which some commuters use as a shortcut between Route 126 in Wayland and Route 117 in Lincoln. Carroll’s school day starts at 8:15 a.m. and ends at 3:15 p.m., while after-school activities conclude at 4:45. Parking along that road is not permitted in either town, so visitors to the Wayland campus will park on that property, Wilkins said.

“Our general strategy is to disperse our student population so there’s less of a traffic hassle in general,” Wilkins said, adding that when the school opened its Waltham campus six years ago, Baker Bridge Road traffic issues were significantly reduced.

“We think we’re better neighbors by dispersing, and we’re optimistic that our impact will be fairly small,” he said.

The Carroll School has two campuses: the middle school (grades 6-9) in Lincoln and the lower school (grades 1-5) on Trapelo Road in Waltham just east of the Cambridge Reservoir. In addition to its main site with its brick school building dating from 1905, the school owns to other noncontiguous pieces of property on Baker Bridge Road: one at #54 and the other abutting the west side of the Lovelane Special Needs Horseback Riding Program property.

Last year, the school began looking at options to meet its growing need for middle-school athletic fields but found that putting regulation-size fields on the Lincoln campus was cost-prohibitive due to the topography and space limitations. Putting a field on the other side of Baker Bridge Road could be a significant safety risk due to the traffic on the narrow, curvy road, according to an announcement by school officials posted on the school’s website.

School officials only learned in January about the availability of the Wayland property, which is owned by a former Carroll School parent, Wilkins said. “We moved really, really quickly, so we haven’t had time in two months to really finalize plans,” he said.

The Wayland Planning Board has not yet received any applications for the properties in question. Lincoln would not have any direct involvement, though Lincoln abutters within a certain distance may be notified of any proposals, said Lincoln Director of Planning and Land Use Jennifer Burney.

“I’m sure the town of Lincoln will want to be involved and send comments to Wayland. However, nothing has been filed with Wayland so there isn’t anything to comment on at this time,” she said.

The Carroll School, which serves students with language-based learning disabilities, has been in Lincoln since 1967.

News acorns

April 3, 2016

Registration open for “Kickin’ in Lincoln” kickball tournament

Lincoln students in grades K-8 are invited to register for Lincoln’s first-ever kids’ kickball tournament, Kickin’ in Lincoln, at the Lincoln School on Sunday, May 22. The cost is $15/player and includes a T-shirt designed by a Lincoln School student. Click here for details on age groupings and a downloadable registration form. Players and families can bring lunch or purchase from the visiting Clover food truck. Don’t forget chairs and picnic blankets. Games will be played on both the Smith and Paddock Fields (center of campus).

Register by Friday, April 15 by dropping off the form with a check made out to “Town of Lincoln” at the Parks and Recreation Department, or register on line (click the blue button) at www.lincolnrec.com. Anyone with questions may email the coordinators at kickballlincoln@gmail.com.

Get discounted rain barrels to conserve outdoor water

The rain barrel at Bemis Hall.

An illustration of a two-barrel system (click to enlarge).

Help Lincoln to meet the DEP’s water conservation goals and also save money by ordering a low-cost barrel through the Lincoln Water Department’s special program. The soft, chemical-free rain water is very good for grass and other plants, and you can link a pair of barrels as well.

To order, go to upcycle-products.com and click on Massachusetts in the right-hand column, then on Lincoln. Upcycle Products plastic rain barrels were originally used for overseas food transport, so this program not only promotes water conservation but also diverts large quantities of material from the waste stream. You can also order a diverter from Upcycle, or the Earthminded diverter kit available from Amazon.com. You can see Earthminded diverter and an Upcycle rain barrel in action on the uphill side of Bemis Hall. Paper order forms are also available at the water treatment plant at 80 Sandy Pond Rd. Rain barrels can be picked up on May 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hartwell school. Mail-in orders must be received by April 22 and online orders must be placed by April 27.

Conservation Dept. hiring for summer

The town Conservation Department is hiring a seasonal employee to assist with invasive plant management, trail maintenance and other land management activities. Applicants must be comfortable working outdoors on their own or in a small group, and be able to use trail-clearing equipment. Work can be in adverse conditions such as high heat and rain and there are potential risks such as exposure to poison ivy, ticks, and thorny plants. Duties include hand pulling invasive plants, clearing brush from overgrown trails, and some work with trail mowing equipment.

This position is for eight weeks from June to August, Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with an hourly rate of $15/hour. Please send a letter of interest and your resume to David McKinnon, Conservation Department, 16 Lincoln Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 or mckinnond@lincolntown.org. (AA/EOE)

Two L-S students from Lincoln in Science Olympiad

Fourteen L-S sophomores and juniors—including Lincoln’s Bryce Mashimo and Jonathan Vale—participated in the Regional Science Olympiad Competition on March 19 at Framingham State University. The students worked in pairs to answer questions and perform lab activities in 16 different events during the day, including geologic mapping, protein folding, circuits, fossils, and forensics to name a few. In addition, nine students built devices ahead of time to take to the event—including a bridge, an electric vehicle, a wind-powered propellor, a miniature airplane, a device to measure time, and a device to launch ping pong balls across the room. The L-S team placed ninth overall out of 53 teams, and nearly every student placed in the top 10 in at least one of their events.

Welcome to the new Lincoln Squirrel!

April 1, 2016

Dear readers,

Welcome to the new Lincoln Squirrel—just in time for spring! (Monday’s forecast notwithstanding.)

Today is the first day of the Squirrel’s new look, and the first day you can sign up as a paid subscriber. As I’ve previously explained here and here, the Squirrel is moving to a paid-subscription model. Until Friday, April 8, everyone can still see the Squirrel for free as before, but after April 8, you must subscribe and then log in (usually just once per device) to keep reading the articles.

A few other notes:

You now have the option of paying for an entire year of the Squirrel rather than a monthly charge. PayPal accepts credit cards, debit cards and checking account withdrawals), or you can pay by old-fashioned paper check. To do so, please mail a check for $48.00 made out to Watusi Words to:

Alice Waugh
178 Weston Rd.
Lincoln MA 01773

(In case you were wondering, Watusi Words is the name of my freelance business that includes the Lincoln Squirrel… so if you know anyone who needs some writing, editing or other communications work, feel free to send them to www.watusiwords.com.)

If you have made a donation to the Squirrel at any time since April 1, 2015, you will automatically get six months of the new Squirrel for free.
The calendar and some other non-article features of the site will always be free.

As the new system gets going, let me know if you have any questions or problems, and we’ll make improvements together. A sincere thank-you to everyone who’s been reading the Squirrel and will continue to do so, and a big welcome to new readers!

Sincerely,

Alice Waugh
Editor, The Lincoln Squirrel
lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com
617-710-5542 (mobile)

School steps up security in wake of graffiti incident

March 30, 2016

By Alice Waugh

At a hastily called public forum on Tuesday night, school officials and police shared what they knew about graffiti found on Monday morning outside the Brooks school and fielded questions from dozens of anxious parents.

Students and teachers entering through the main Brooks entrance were greeted on Monday morning with the words “memento mori” spray-painted in large black letters under the portico. The Latin phrase, which means “remember that you must die,” has its origins in medieval reflections on mortality and the transient nature of life and is sometimes evoked in historical illustrations featuring skulls or skeletons.

“Memento mori” is the motto carved in an arch over the Prufrock Preparatory School entrance in the 2009 book A Series of Unfortunate Events #5: The Austere Academy (part of the popular Lemony Snicket series of books for middle-school-age children) and is also the name of a gift shop at Disneyworld.

Parents and school officials were understandably nervous given the recent terrorist attacks in Europe and the history of school shootings in America. “This incident has made this feel real,” Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall said at the forum. “It’s the first time on this campus, at least for a while, that has made it feel very close-up to us that something dangerous could actually happen.”

Tighter security

The school has tightened security measures, including keeping doors locked at all times except during drop-off and dismissal. Visitors at other times must now press a buzzer to alert the office, where staff can see visitors on camera and hit a release button to let them in.

Lincoln police have increased patrols on campus and reached out to other area police department, and the regional School Threat Assessment Response team (STAR) that responds to school crises. Though there are currently no suspects, “the more people who know about it and talk about it, hopefully some information will filter back to us,”Lincoln Police Chief Kevin Kennedy said.

Officials have also contacted mental health professionals at the Lincoln School and Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School to see “if there are kids on our radar,” McFall said, adding that “we’ve identified some of those kids to have conversations with.”

Kennedy and Detective Ian Spencer reassured parents several times that the police were taking the incident very seriously. However, because the graffiti was a “veiled statement” and no specific individuals or ethnic/religious groups were targeted, police have classified the incident as a low-level threat, Kennedy said.

Some parents at the forum said the threat level should be raised, but officials steered away from that idea. “We’ve done everything we could do short of canceling school,” McFall said. “We’ve taken as many steps as we can at this point.”

Kennedy agreed, saying, “I’m personally at a loss as to what more at this stage of investigation we could do.”

Several parents asked about security after dismissal when most teachers have left but after-school activities are going on at the school. “I’m going to be completely honest and say I don’t think we can fully support supervision of the building after school, so to some extent this is a decision for families,” McFall responded.

Widespread anxiety among forum attendees

The fear of something worse happening could be heard in many of the parent questions and comments, which included suggestions for keeping the doors locked at all times (even during drop-off and dismissal), a town-wide robocall, more sophisticated security cameras or even alerting the FBI. They worried about past situations where a seemingly minor incident turned out to be a missed warning sign.

“This response feels very measured and very logical and well thought out, but part of me is also frightened,” one woman said. “I don’t know the answer but I wanted to share that those things are really swirling in my head.”

The school security cameras operate in real time and do not make recordings for later review, McFall noted. If the school wanted to take that step, the school administration would have to notify all parents that their children are being recorded and install signs to that effect, and the School Committee would have to draft a policy governing the use of video recordings, she said.

A survey last year showed an almost even split between parents who want more security measures and those who want to preserve the welcoming atmosphere of the school, McFall said. “It’s a question about our culture and how much of a change we want to make,” she said.

“The dark fears we’re all thinking and not saying are not going to be stopped by locked doors,” a parent said. Although increased security and cameras would probably be a good idea, he worried about changing the school “to the point where it feels really cold and falsely secure.”

“It’s hard to say, but we have to acknowledge that a lot of these steps we take are about making ourselves feel safe when we may not actually be safe,” McFall said. “It’s about how we want to feel as a community and if we want our kids to live in fear or not. We need to think about what those tradeoffs are.”

Council on Aging activities for April

March 30, 2016

Wellness clinic for all ages
April 1 at 10 a.m.
Lincoln residents of all ages are invited to meet with a nurse at Lincoln Woods Community Building at 50 Wells Road on Friday, April 1 from 10 a.m. to noon. These clinics are funded by the Ogden Codman Trust and provided by Emerson Hospital Home Care.

April showers bring spring flowers to Bemis Hall
April 1 at 12:30 p.m.
April showers bring spring flowers on Friday, April 1 (no foolin’) at 12:30 p.m. at Bemis Hall when the Lincoln Traditional Jazz Sextet return to entertain you with tunes like the old Al Jolson favorite we all remember. We can’t promise you Al Jolson but you can certainly join in and sing along (or hum or dance or just sit and listen) as the band lifts spirits with its rendering of Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue, or Ain’t She Sweet or Sweet Georgia Brown. Don’t be shy; when it’s time to sing everyone joins in and the result is just plain fun.

Lincoln Academy with Cyrus Mizrahi: Persian poetry—the soul of an ancient people
April 4 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, April 4, at 12:30 to hear Cyrus Mizrahi discuss “Persian Poetry—The Soul of an Ancient People.” Bring a bag lunch. The Council on Aging provides beverages and dessert. The lectures last about an hour, including a question and answer period. Participants are welcome to stay after the program to continue their discussion. [Read more…] about Council on Aging activities for April

New and improved Lincoln Squirrel on the way

March 23, 2016

Dear readers,

This is a follow-up the March 15 announcement that the Lincoln Squirrel will be rolling out improvements and also charging $3.99 per month as of April 1. Thank you to everyone who sent thoughtful queries and comments. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions. As always, email me at lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com if you need more information about something.

Q: Why is the Squirrel going to become a paid-subscriber site?

A: One reason is that there are costs associated with running the Squirrel, such as paying for a higher grade of web hosting to avert future crashes (we took this step just today!), a web developer to do periodic “under-the-hood” repairs and upgrades, the MailChimp service that compiles each day’s posts and sends them out to subscribers, etc. The other reason is that I’m hoping that the extra income will allow me to devote more time to working on the Squirrel and eventually making it my primary focus.

Q. What’s going to change and when?

A: When you go to the Lincoln Squirrel website on April 1, you’ll see an updated design with the same news and links as before, but also a new “Subscription” link. For the first few days, the site will still be completely free, but you should click the subscription link to become a paid subscriber so you’ll keep getting the Squirrel links in your email once the site goes behind the paywall. I’ll let you know a day or two in advance, but I expect that will happen on or about April 6.

Q: I’m already a free email subscriber to the Squirrel. Will I keep getting the daily emails with links to Squirrel stories after April 1?

A: Everyone who is now an email subscriber will keep getting the daily emails. However, if you have not signed up as a paid subscriber after about April 6 and you click on one of the story links in your email, you’ll see just the first sentence or two of the story and two buttons saying “Login” and “Subscribe.” Those who access the Squirrel website directly from their browsers will see the same thing.

Q: If I don’t become a paid subscriber right away, can I read anything for free?

A: Similar to the New York Times and other news websites, you’ll be able to read few articles for free (in this case, five articles per month) before you have to subscribe. Everyone also has unlimited access to the calendar on the Squirrel website.

Q: How exactly do I subscribe?

A: On April 1 or any time after that, click on the “Subscribe” link at the bottom of any story (or at the top of the web page, click on “Subscriptions”) to create a Squirrel account with a password and authorize your automatic monthly payment of $3.99 (more on that below). The first time you read a Squirrel article, you’ll click on the a then log on with your password once. If you check the “Remember me” box, you won’t have to log on every time you want to read the Squirrel on that device unless there are changes—for example, if you get a new computer/smartphone/iPad, change web browsers, clear your computer’s cookies, etc.

Q: What if I don’t have a PayPal account?

A: When you click on the “Subscribe” link, you will be asked to either log in to an existing PayPal account or create one if you don’t have one already. This is as simple as entering your name, email address, and credit card or checking account information (if you’d rather have your monthly fee drawn directly from your bank account), and it has to be done only once.

Q: Is PayPal secure for storing my credit card information?

A: PayPal is well known for keeping data secure and encrypted. This Investopedia.com article advises that when given a choice, you should use PayPal rather than using just your credit card, and likewise not to link it to your bank account. This article talks about how PayPal encrypts data and points out that having your information on PayPal isn’t any less secure than using a personal check (which has your name, account number and routing number on it) or making a one-time purchase with a credit card online.

Also, it’s actually safer to link your PayPal account to your credit card rather than to your checking account, because if someone gets fraudulent access to your PayPal account and your bank information is there, they can drain your account and you only have PayPal’s fraud protections (which are very good anyway). If you use a credit card, you get fraud protections from both PayPal and your credit card company.

As with any website, the best way to protect yourself is to pick a password that’s hard to guess, and not to use the same password for multiple websites.

Q: Can I pay by check?

A: If you are strongly opposed to having automatic charges from your credit card or checking account via PayPal, you can pay by paper check for a full year’s subscription, which will cost $48.00. Please email lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com for details.

Q: Can other people in my household read the Squirrel?

A: The monthly fee technically applies to one subscriber email address, but as a practical matter, the subscriber could share his or her email address and Squirrel password with others in the same household so everyone in the family could read the Squirrel. I’m trusting people not to abuse it and share passwords with their neighbors and others.

Q: Can I still send occasional articles to friends and family who aren’t subscribers?

A: As mentioned above, everyone may read up to five articles per month for free, so you can send up to five links per month to non-subscribers and they will be able to read the articles.

Q: What happens if I lose my password?

A: The Lincoln Squirrel has no access to passwords, so you’ll have to log in and click “Forgot password” to have a temporary new password emailed to you (afterwards, you can change it to whatever you like).

Q: Can I read legal notices about upcoming public hearings, etc., in the Lincoln Squirrel?

A: Yes. The Squirrel has started publishing notices of upcoming land-use hearings (see examples here and here) and will continue to do so regularly.

Squirrel website is back on line

March 23, 2016

Dear readers,

My apologies about the Lincoln Squirrel website outage this morning. This was due to a host server crash, but everything is back in working order now. The good news is that we have just upgraded the server a few days sooner than originally planned, so this shouldn’t happen again. And this higher level of service, among other things, will be funded by your subscriptions.

If you tried to click on Squirrel stories from your email this morning, here again are the links to yesterday’s posts:

Thanks for reading!

Alice Waugh
Editor, Lincoln Squirrel
lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com

News acorns

March 22, 2016

Lincoln Energy Challenge partner closes

The Lincoln Energy Challenge was surprised and disappointed to learn that its partner Next Step Living has closed its doors, so Lincoln residents will no longer be able to sign up for a home energy assessment through LincolnEnergyChallenge.com. However, you can still get a free home energy assessment from MassSave.com and sign up for 100 percent renewable electricity for your home by visiting www.MassEnergy.org. To explore rooftop solar, try www.EnergySage.com and www.solarreviews.com.

Lincoln’s Green Energy Committee needs volunteers to help shape and implement the Lincoln Energy Challenge. For questions or to help in whatever way you can, please contact Sue Klem at Susan.M.Klem@gmail.com or 781-259-9304.

Scholarship application deadline coming up

The Lincoln Scholarship Committee reminds Lincoln-resident high school seniors and their families that the deadline for submitting applications for need-based college scholarships, the Sumner Smith and Fannie Campbell awards, and two Ogden Codman scholarships is Monday, April 4. Applications may be submitted to the Superintendent-Principal’s office at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School by April 4 at 3 p.m., emailed or postmarked in U.S. mail by April 4. Further information and instructions can be found on the Lincoln Scholarship Committee’s web page. Email LincolnScholarship@lincolntown.org with any questions.

Stay calm and improv on at library

Improv Jones Boston (click to enlarge).

Come to the the Lincoln Public Library on Saturday, April 2 from 3-4:30 p.m. for two improv groups and dessert. At 3 p.m., the improv group Truck Stop Diner will take the stage in the Tarbell Room. Formed in 2014, the group includes Zach Reisch, Kim Lapan, Nick Whalen, Jess Salpietro, Dan Whalen, Caroline McCallum and Mark Stoughton. At 3:30 p.m., Improv Jones Boston, one of the longest-running improv groups in the Boston area, will perform. The performances will be followed by dessert for all.

Learn about “shared custody” bill

Please join the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable for an program about the pending “shared custody” on Tuesday, April 12 at 3 p.m. in the community room of the Wayland Public Safety (38 Cochituate Rd., Wayland.) Featured speakers will be Isabelle Thacker, staff attorney at The Second Step, and Jenna Birkett, community advocate at REACH Beyond Domestic Violence.

SB 834/HB 1207 (An Act Relative to Child-Centered Custody), currently in the legislature’s Joint Committee, would impose changes on how child custody and visitation is decided in the event if divorce laws (see this Boston Globe article). Advocates for survivors of domestic violence are among those who have voiced their opposition to this bill. Additionally, the Boston Bar Association and the Women’s Bar Association have redlined the bill, and the Massachusetts Bar Association has voiced its opposition to the bill in its entirety. Join legal experts and domestic violence advocates for a discussion of the proposed legislation and the potential impact on families struggling with domestic violence. This program is free and open to the public.

Apple orchard pruning at Gropius House

Volunteer to help revitalize the Baldwin apple trees at the Gropius House (68 Baker Bridge Rd.,) Lincoln by helping with spring pruning in the orchard on Thursday, April 14 from 10 a.m. to noon. Training by landscape manager Ezra Friedman, work gloves and tools will be provided. Required gear for working in the orchard’s meadow include tall shoes or boots, long pants, and a sun hat or rain gear depending on weather conditions. Light refreshments and tour to follow from noon-1 p.m. To register, call Shannon Ryan at 617-994-5952.

Letter to the editor: Solomon seeks Bemis trustee vote

March 16, 2016

To the editor:

Good morning. I am the “outside” candidate for Bemis Trustee, Stan(ley J.) Solomon. My wife is Susan Solomon. We have lived at The Commons for approaching five years. Before that we lived in Lexington for over 50 years, where I spent my spare time with Boy Scout Troop 119 while Susan was a Town Meeting member, on the Conservation Commission and Tree Committee, and president of the Lexington LWV. We both were Garden Club members.

We were serious hikers and less serious cross-country skiers. I added downhill skiing and whitewater paddling. We have hiked Lincoln trails for some 40 years; I was gifted with leadership of Professor Dirk Struik’s Appalachian Mountain Club walk behind Walden in the (now) conservation land when he aged.

I was born in eastern Ohio (Youngstown) and Susan grew up in South Brookline. I came to Boston for MIT; Susan went to Simmons. I am a physicist and worked in industry on semiconductor process development. My name is associated with ion implantation and also solar cell development. Susan worked in factory automation. Her name is not associated with the famous Lucy episode.

I am a candidate for Bemis trustee because I was invited to run. After looking at a short list of past Bemis speakers, I was honored to have been asked. I accepted and did go beyond The Commons for nomination signatures.

My opponent, in a March 13 Lincoln Squirrel letter, amply covered the history and recent accomplishments of the Bemis and Todd Trusts. Any expansion would be superfluous. She, a former trustee who moved on to higher office, appears to have some information on the Trustees’ current plans. As I do not, I find it impossible to give a specific answer as what I anticipate being able to do for them. However, I do not see that as detrimental.

Given past Trustees’ actions record and what I assume are the Bemis Trust’s constraints, it appears that a trustee’s function is simply to select one or more desirable, affordable and available individuals or groups to perform in Lincoln. (It has been explained that the job included physical management of that performance as well.)

Ability to harmoniously work in a group setting would seem to be a prime requisite. I believe I can answer the call there. Beyond this capability, I suspect that knowledge of “important” persons is a desirable asset. Because I am, I suspect, from a rather different background, I believe I can more adequately broaden the pool of potential candidates than can those who would have introduced names when they had a prior opportunity.

I do have one operational difference with my opponent. She expressed at a recent PTO meeting that she wants the Bemis Trustees to be more “interactive” with other Lincoln town boards and committees to produce better “harmony.” I totally oppose this for two reasons. These “interactees” would have been elected or appointed to manage a specific function themselves, not to do so with the advice and consent of another group. Further, I am sure that for Bemis Trustees to participate in this sort of interaction would certainly exceed powers delineated in the trusts.

As I am a few months from being 85, you can be assured that, if elected, I will not be a perennial candidate rattling around Lincoln politics.

Sincerely,

Stan Solomon
1 Harvest Circle, Ste. 231

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Important changes coming for the Squirrel (please read)!

March 15, 2016

Dear readers,

I’m writing to let you know about some changes coming to the Lincoln Squirrel. I really enjoy bringing town news to Lincolnites—so much, in fact, that I’d like to devote even more time this pursuit. Although I’ve had a part-time job since I started writing Lincoln stories, I can’t spend even more time on the Squirrel (my first love) without earning more income from it. What this means is that starting on April 1, the Squirrel will cost $3.99 a month.

There’s no need to worry about making the transition—my web developer and I have worked hard to make it as painless as possible. After you choose a password and enter your credit card information, you’ll only need to log into the Lincoln Squirrel website once on each device (home computer, smartphone, etc.). Your credit card will automatically be charged once a month through PayPal. If you prefer to pay by check or credit card over the phone, I can do that as well.

Because I’m so grateful to all those who have made voluntary monetary contributions to the Squirrel, I’ll provide discount codes to everyone who’s donated in the past 12 months entitling them to six months of the Squirrel for free.

As a paid subscriber, what can you look forward to? Among other things:

A new, cleaner look that will make the Lincoln Squirrel easier to read and navigate.
A dedicated web server to make the site (I hope) faster and avoid server glitches such as the one we experienced in January.
A responsive website that will automatically adapt its appearance to whatever type of device you’re using.
More time for me to devote to running the Squirrel and covering Lincoln news.

The bottom line: you’ll get your Lincoln news and features just like you have for the past three years, and it will still cost less than the local paper ($47.88 a year for Squirrel stories in your inbox almost every day, compared to $69 a year for weekly newspaper home delivery).

I’ve given a lot of thought to this in the past several months, and I’m really looking forward to the long-term benefits for everyone. This evolution will let us continue to create and read community journalism without a corporate go-between. Like you, I love getting information from the web for free, but this model isn’t sustainable for local news websites like the Squirrel that have far fewer resources than The Boston Globe, The New York Times, etc.—news outlets that once earned most of their money from print advertising but now also charge for unlimited online access.

I’ll have more information in the coming days about how to subscribe. Please feel free to call or email me if you have any questions or comments about this change. I look forward to your continued readership, and I very much appreciate your loyalty!

Sincerely,

Alice Waugh
Editor, the Lincoln Squirrel
781-259-0526 (h) | 617-710-5542 (m)
lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com