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

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Letter to the editor: maintain “quality of life” near church

letter

Editor’s note: The Planning Commission continued its April 14 hearing for the First Parish Church to April 28 at the request of the church, which still needs approval for its drainage and landscaping plans and the roof material for rebuilding the Stearns Room. It has already won zoning approval for the proposal.

To the editor:

I would like everyone involved with the new Stearns Room to imagine themselves living on the corner of Lincoln Road and Sandy Pond Road, a 1/3-acre lot. Now imagine the proposed Stearns Room replacement right next door: a higher ridge line, a metal roof, the new building extending back many feet beyond what is there now, with added windows overlooking their lot. I would like everyone involved—the Planning Board through site review, the First Parish Building Committee, the congregation—to imagine how profoundly the design will alter the quality of life of those living on the corner.

Since they moved to town, time has not been kind to these neighbors. Traffic has multiplied; their view of the conserved Chapin Field—to which they contributed—has already narrowed, and now there is the threat of a building project that will restrict their property even more. If you lived there, would you want that? Or would you rather work to find compromise, to meet the needs, not just the wants, of both the congregation and the neighbors?

Quality of life is why we live in Lincoln. Let’s keep it.

Sincerely,

Margaret Flint
Lexington Road

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, 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 Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Lincoln’s tax bills are third-highest in state but slow growing

A graphic in a March 24 Boston Globe article about property taxes reveals that Lincoln has the third-highest average property tax bill in Massachusetts. The only municipalities with higher average bills (for cities and towns where data was available) were Weston and Sherborn. The top 10 were as follows:

Weston $18,059
Sherborn $14,720
Lincoln $14,367
Dover $13,715
Wellesley $13,326
Carlisle $13,127
Concord $12,890
Lexington $12,191
Wayland $12,049
Sudbury $11,598
Cohasset $11,114

 

On the other hand, the pace at which Lincoln’s tax bills have been increasing since 1999 is the lowest among eight area towns, according to data presented by the Finance Commission at Town Meeting last month. Lincoln’s average bill has gone up by 4.5 percent during that time, while Lexington’s has gone up the fastest at 6.3 percent:

tax-compare

Growth in average property tax bills in Lincoln compared to other area towns since 1999 (click to enlarge).

Taxes in fiscal 2016

In fiscal 2016, Lincoln’s average tax bill is expected to rise by 3.9 percent (it won’t become official until the town sets the tax rate in July). Most of that increase is due to the appropriations at Town Meeting of $750,000 for a school project feasibility study and $75,000 for a school campus master plan. Without those two items, the average tax bill would have gone up by only 0.8 percent.

Since 2011, the average Lincoln tax bill has risen by an average of 4.26 percent:

Fiscal year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total
2011-2015
Change in average
tax bill in Lincoln		 6.08% 7.48% -0.51% 3.68% 4.54% 4.26%
Change in average
home value in Lincoln		 -1.64% -3.47% -3.32% 2.45% 6.75% 0.16%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chief talks about police operations, crime prevention

Police-Cap(Editor’s note: This is Antia’s report on a March 25 “Fireside Chat” with Lincoln Police Chief Kevin Kennedy sponsored by the Council on Aging.)

By Sharon Antia

One of the pressing questions we had was in relation to the police log that appears in most every issue of the Lincoln Journal. There is one entry that finds its way into the log quite frequently that none of us understood, and that is “the box.” [Read more…] about Chief talks about police operations, crime prevention

Hanscom crash due to pilot error, report says

A Gulfstream IV jet. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

A Gulfstream IV jet. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The fatal plane crash at Hanscom Field last May happened because the pilots didn’t release the gust lock, a mechanism designed to prevent wind damage to the plane when on the ground and freeezes the plane’s rudder and elevators in place, according to an April 8 Boston Globe article.

A National Transportation Safety Board investigation revealed that the Gulfstream IV private jet was on its takeoff run from but could not get airborne because of the locked controls and the pilots weren’t aware of the problem until it was too late, according to the Globe. The plane careened off the end of the runway, hit a lighting rig and antenna, and burst into flames, killing all seven people aboard, including Philadelphia Inquirer owner Lewis Katz, who was flying home from a party at the home of Concord resident Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Forty-six years earlier, there was another fatal plane crash at Hanscom. On May 22, 1968, a C-54 military transport plane crashed just off Route 2A in Lincoln, killing one and injuring three.

Letter to the editor: representation should be more proportional

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(Editor’s note: This letter refers to Lincoln’s town election results.)

To the editor:

Precinct 2 includes Hanscom military base. Many at the base do not vote in local elections. There has not been a North Lincoln member of the Board of Selectmen for many years. Now there is no member of the Planning Board from North Lincoln. There are issues that affect residents of North Lincoln that are less impacting and important to other parts of town. Many homes have been taken from this part of town over the years to create the military base, the national historic park, and for upgrades to Route 2.

When I moved to town almost fifty years ago, Harold Lawson was on the Board of Selectmen. I am not sure there has been a North Lincoln resident on that board since then. Also, I believe we then had a five-member board. In my opinion, Lincoln town boards’ representation of the different parts of town ought to be more proportional than it is. North Lincoln sometimes seems the place to dump anything that is not wanted in other parts of town, such as the transfer station. I suppose the relocation of the Department of Public Works will be next to make way for yet another mixed or affordable income housing development on Lewis Street. In fairness, it seems to me that it should remain in a central location.

Sincerely,

Eleanor Fitzgerald
12 Juniper Ridge Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, 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.

News acorns – 4/3/15

acornBunny Bonanza at Pierce House this Saturday

All Lincoln School families are invited to hop on over to the Pierce House on Saturday, April 4 at 10 a.m. for the Lincoln Family Association‘s Bunny Bonanza. Welcome springtime with musicians, refreshments, and of course a massive egg hunt for all ages (please bring your own basket). Festivities begin promptly at 10 a.m. LFA members are free; non-members are $10 per child.

Meetings to discuss special education issues

[Read more…] about News acorns – 4/3/15

Letter to the editor: electorate fractured on Planning Board

letter

To the editor:

The Lincoln election results are in and, for the most part, they are unsurprising. So few are the town-government positions ever the object of a competitive election that the practice of voting in Lincoln tends to be nothing more than an exercise in social engagement with neighbors.

However, there was one rare exception in last week’s election: the Planning Board seat held (until recently) by Bob Domnitz. Domnitz was challenged by Gary Taylor, who narrowly won the election by 40 votes out of 944 cast (or 922, excluding blank votes).

This contest revealed a profound precinct split. Lincoln has two precincts—#1, which covers the southwestern part of town, and #2, which covers the northeast. The ]other] results show that for the elected posts, the winning candidate generally carried the same percentage of “yes” votes in each precinct—i.e., the Lincoln electorate was united behind the chosen candidate. But the Domnitz/Taylor contest represents a striking exception. Bob Domnitz swept Precinct 2 with almost 60 percent of the vote; Taylor drew only 136 of 348 votes cast in Precinct 2. Taylor won the election because he carried Precinct 1, where more votes were cast overall.

A profoundly fractured electorate is of course common in many places, though it’s worrisome though for a small town like ours. It reflects sharp divisions in the community and all of us need to try and understand its causes. I hope town leaders will work hard to avoid policies that exacerbate the split and instead seek common ground. Without this kind of leadership, it is hard to imagine a bright future for Lincoln.

Sincerely,

Keith N. Hylton
5 Oakdale Lane

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, 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.

News acorns – 4/1/15

acornHoly Week activities at St. Joseph’s/St. Julia’s

A recent listing of Holy Week activities at Lincoln churches inadvertently omitted St. Joseph’s Church services, which are as follows:

  • April 2 (Holy Thursday) – Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 7:30 p.m., St. Julia Church in Weston (whole-parish liturgy)
  • April 3 (Good Friday)
    • Stations of the Cross: 2 p.m. at St. Julia Church, 3 p.m. at St. Joseph Church
    • Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion and Death – 7:30 p.m., Saint Julia Church (whole-parish liturgy)
  • April 4 (day before Easter) – Easter Vigil Mass, 7:30 p.m., St. Julia Church (whole-parish liturgy)
  • April 5 (Easter)
    • Sunday Masses: St. Julia Church, 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.; Parish Hall in Weston, 9 and 11:15 a.m.; St. Joseph Church, 7 a.m., 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
Opt for chocolate Easter bunnies rather than real ones

Lincoln resident Therese Quirk, a volunteer with the House Rabbit Network, urges residents to choose chocolate rabbits rather than real ones as Easter gifts. Most of the rabbits in shelters are dumped a few months after Easter when owners realize the amount of work in caring for the animals, which can live 10 years. Anyone who is serious about adopting a pet rabbit can get more information on the House Rabbit Network adoption page (the HRN is not a shelter but rather a network of foster homes in eastern Massachusetts).

Library trustee sought

The Trustees of the Lincoln Public Library have announced that trustee Al Kraft is resigning because he is moving out of Lincoln, and they encourage interested residents to consider applying for the trustee vacancy. Kraft was one of three self-perpetuating trustees of the six-member board trustees. Those members are not elected or appointed and serve an open-ended term, but are asked to serve at least six years. Under guidelines adopted for the appointment of self-perpetuating trustees, preference will be given to new candidates who are expected and willing to serve for six years.

A summary of the trustee responsibilities is available at the library circulation desk. Candidates interested in putting themselves up for consideration are asked to apply in writing to Peter Sugar, c/o Lincoln Public Library, Bedford Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 before Wednesday, April 15. For further information, interested candidates may call library director Barbara Myles at 781-259-8465.

Founder of “Frontline” to deliver next Bemis Lecture on April 19

David Fanning, creator of the acclaimed PBS series Frontline, will speak in Brooks Auditorium on Sunday, April 19 at 4 p.m. The event was rescheduled from the original February 8 date due to snow.

Fanning’s talk, entitled “The Making of Frontline,” will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the series—how it came to be, battles fought, controversies stirred, high points and low, and prospects for the future in a rapidly changing media landscape. Fanning launched the program at host station WGBH in 1983 and has been its executive producer and guiding hand ever since. Under his care, Frontline has become the most enduring and honored investigative documentary series on American television. At last count, its trophy case includes 65 national Emmys, 16 Peabodys, 25 duPont-Columbia Awards, and even a Pulitzer, and Fanning was himself recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

For questions, please email bemislectures@gmail.com.

Free wine-tasting hosted by Domestic Violence Roundtable; donations encouraged

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable invites area residents to its third annual Libations and Donations event on Friday, April 24 at 7 p.m. at Sudbury Wine and Liquors (located in the Rugged Bear Plaza on Route 20 in Sudbury). Come and enjoy a free wine-tasting and bring a donation to the Roundtable’s annual Shower for Shelters, which runs from April 25 to May 11. Donations of new unwrapped gifts may be dropped off at Goodnow Library in Sudbury, the Wayland Public Library and the Lincoln Public Library.

Families transitioning from domestic violence shelters to new homes appreciate your gift of new household items to help them establish their new homes. Donations will help the residents of the Shelters and Transitional Housing Programs of REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, The Second Step and Voices Against Violence. Please bring your new unwrapped house-warming gifts to the April 24 wine tasting and enjoy an evening of good wine and congenial company. Items needed by the families include: twin sheets, twin comforters, twin blankets, towels, dishes, glassware, flatware, pots and pans, kitchen utensils, etc. A complete wish list can be found on the Roundtable’s website.

Leaf blower regulations tabled at Town Meeting

leafblower-compositeAfter months of hearings and public debate about whether to restrict the use of leaf-blowers in Lincoln, a motion to approve new regulations was passed over at Town Meeting at the request of the Leaf Blower Study Committee, which decided in light of feedback that “this was not the time to propose regulations,” LBSC chair Jamie Banks told the audience.

[Read more…] about Leaf blower regulations tabled at Town Meeting