news

March 6 AIDE discussion open to all

The First Parish in Lincoln is opening up its “reflection” sessions on the school-sponsored 21-Day Challenge on Anti Racism, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (AIDE) to anyone in Lincoln who would like to attend. On Monday, March 6 at 7 p.m. on Zoom with Becca Fasciano (one of the Lincoln School teachers who designed the program) and Ken Hurd will lead a discussion on topics including microaggressions, institutional racism, wealth and education disparities, and our inequitable justice system. Click here for more information in the challenge and reading materials on these topics, and click here for the Zoom link (passcode: 366258).

Informational meeting on zoning proposals

The Planning Board will hold an information session on Wednesday, March 8 at 7 p.m. three proposed amendments to the zoning bylaw that will be voted on at the March 25 Annual Town Meeting. At issue are rules regarding land use restrictions for cluster housing (Article 25), accessory apartments (Article 26), and wireless equipment (Article 28).

• March 8 agenda and Zoom link
• Details on the warrant articles

FoMA event on revitalization of Lincoln’s Modern school

The Friends of Modern Architecture/Lincoln invites you to a presentation, panel discussion, and reception celebrating the revitalization of the Lincoln School on Thursday, March 16 from 6:30–8 p.m. in the school’s Learning Commons. Lincoln Modern architects Lawrence B. Anderson and Henry B. Hoover, who designed the original school buildings beginning in the 1940s, saw the power of Modernism to reimagine how architecture could assist the school community to think and learn in new and inclusive ways.  With the generous support of the town, the School Building Committee and the project architects have again reimagined the transformative power of architecture. The project team has realized an ambitious, first-in-the-state net-zero renovation that centers on teachers and students while preserving Anderson’s and Hoover’s original design intent of creating close connections to nature and using natural light to create calm energy throughout the building.  

“Sip, Talk, Learn” storytelling event

Adults are invited to the First Parish in Lincoln to share three-minute stories on Sunday, March 19 from 4–5:30 p.m. in the Stearns Room (rear of white church). Past stories have touched on adventures, passions, hobbies, unknown siblings and more. Telling a story in three minutes is a challenge but it makes for a fun event with about 12-15 speakers. We will have a fire going and if you’d like to bring a beverage to share, we will provide nibbles. We welcome you even if you just want to listen. Please email tuckerwsmith@gmail.com to sign up to tell your story or if you have any questions.

Movie night: “Luca”

The First Parish in Lincoln will host a movie night on Wednesday, March 22 at 5 p.m. in the stone church with pizza and popcorn to watch “Luca.” There will be refreshments and cheese boards for adults plus gluten-free options. Please click here to RSVP so we have an accurate count for all our nibbles. All are welcome and encouraged to attend (we’ll have gluten free options as well). If you would like to make a suggested donation of $10 per family to help cover food costs, click the link at the bottom of the RSVP form, select Youth Programs, and enter “Movie Night 3/22” in the notes field. Donations of flashlights and batteries for Syria are also welcome.

Learn about a 100-year-old Codman Estate mystery

Codman Estate researcher and lead guide Camille Arbogast will present “A Tale of Two Chauffeurs: True Crime in the Age of Early Motoring” on Wednesday, March 22 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. One morning in June 1914 the Codman family awoke at their country estate in Lincoln to discover their prized new Peerless motorcar — as well as their chauffeur — were missing. This mystery, full of colorful characters and misadventures at the edge of the law, winds its way from the Lincoln station to Rutland, Vt., with detours across New England. Click here to register. 

Event on the Beatles

All are welcome at “A Cultural and Historical Reflection of the 1960s through the Music of the Beatles” on Friday, March 31 at 1 p.m.in Bemis Hall. This performance combines live music by the Beatles tribute band 4EverFab with presenter and band founder Fran Hart. Event supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by th Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Library now accepts Venmo for used books

Have you ever wanted to buy a book or puzzle from the Friends of the Lincoln Library sale carts but didn’t have cash or a check with you? Venmo payments are now accepted at the carts, along with cash and checks. Sales benefit the Friends of the Lincoln Library, which pays for all events and programs for children and adults, museum passes, special equipment (such as the items in the new “Library of Things”), and other services that enrich patrons’ experience.

• The February 27 articled headlined “Energy-efficiency amendments among zoning proposal at Town Meeting” mischaracterized a proposed amendment to the zoning bylaw on cluster developments. If approved at Town Meeting, the bylaw would be revised to comply with the current statutory language of MGL c.40A, which does not allow a mandate to a specific entity.  The proposed bylaw will mirror the current 40A language by having the land subject to a use restriction enforceable by the town or a nonprofit organization whose principal purpose is the conservation of open space (details here).
• Two events listed in the February 27 edition of News Acorns — “Celebrating Celtic history, music, and literature” on March 10 and “The Softer Side of Celtic” on March 17 — included incorrect locations. Both events will take pace in Bemis Hall. The original post and calendar listings have been updated.

In the February 22 story headlined “Artwork by Lincoln’s Selvage adorns new MBTA station,” the purpose of the “Speeding Green Line” artwork has bene corrected, and several other changes have been made to the story based on feedback by Nancy Selvage.

(Editor’s note: Levinson is one of three candidates running for two seats on the Planning Board along with Craig Nicholson and incumbent Lyn DeLisi. Incumbent Bob Domnitz filed papers to run for another term but recently withdrew his name and endorsed Levinson.)

By Mark Levinson

I am pleased to announce my candidacy for one of the two open seats on the Lincoln Planning Board.

I have lived near Lincoln Station for almost 25 years and have been active in issues affecting our neighborhood and the town. I have served as one of two neighborhood liaisons to the Planning Board and its South Lincoln Planning Advisory Committee (SLPAC). I have also been committed to environmental issues, and volunteered for many years for the Sudbury Valley Trustees, a very active and successful land conservation organization.

I think that town planning is a key factor in allowing Lincoln to navigate current and future challenges, while preserving the character of the town and our wonderful quality of life. I believe I share the goals of many Lincolnites for our neighborhood and our town: viability of local businesses, diversity, encouraging use of public transportation, and generally doing what we can to fight climate change while maintaining the rural character of our town.

I will represent the views and opinions of all Lincoln residents, not only those of my neighborhood. I will do my best to be open-minded, always considering the facts and likely outcomes of any course of action, knowing that actions to promote one goal may sometimes produce adverse consequences for others.

I ask for your support on election day, Monday, March 27. Thank you and best regards.

Mark Levinson
8 Ridge Road, Lincoln

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

By the Domestic Violence Roundtable

This year, despite the continuing circumstances created by Covid, the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable held its annual Valentine collection at Sudbury Wine and Spirits. Although community members could not be invited to help fill the Valentine bags for families affected by abuse, members of the Roundtable gathered to fill the bags and delivered them to clients of REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, The Second Step, and Voices Against Violence. Due to the generosity of our local communities, the Roundtable was able to provide 50 gift bags to all the residents who ranged in age from 5 months to 71 years old.

Domestic Violence Roundtable members sort donations for Valentine’s Day bags.

The Roundtable would like to thank everyone who generously donated Valentine gifts and made this year’s collection a great success. We would like to offer special thanks to Joseph Saia of Sudbury Wine and Spirits for again hosting the collection basket, to the students at Sudbury Extended Day for decorating the gift bags, and to the staff and the families of Sudbury Extended Day for their wonderful donations. Thank you also to Kate Ryan for using her birthday celebration to collect donations in lieu of personal gifts. The Roundtable also appreciates the ongoing support of members of the League of Women Voters of Sudbury.

The pandemic has been especially difficult for families in abusive situations, and these Valentine’s Day bags brighten the lives of families living in domestic violence shelters and transitional housing and let them know that they are supported in their efforts to rebuild their lives free from abuse.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

The Route 126 railroad bridge looking south.

The state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will begin work to repair the Route 126 bridge over the railroad tracks near Baker Bridge Road in fall or winter of 2024.

The bridge, which was built in 1950, has needed repair for some time. The project will involve replacing the superstructure (steel beams, concrete deck, and attachments) and upgrading the piers and foundations to handle the new superstructure.

Construction will take place in stages over a period of 24 months so a detour will not be required. Bicycles and pedestrians will be accommodated during construction by the installation of a temporary bike/pedestrian bridge, said MassDOT Project Manager Eamon Kernan. When completed the bridge will have one lane each way, a usable shoulder in the southerly direction, and a multi-use side path on the northbound side.

“Plans have not been advanced to know if any private property will be taken, but the adjacent properties will be disturbed. Disruption will be kept to a minimum but is inevitable,” Kernan said.

The latest issue of the Lincoln Chipmunk, the quarterly arts companion to the Lincoln Squirrel, has just been published. See what your friends and neighbors have created, and start working on your own submissions — the next deadline is April 21, 2023. Questions? Call editor Alice Waugh at 617-710-5542 or email lincolnsquirelnews@gmail.com. 

chipmunk.lincolnsquirrel.com

Gov. Maura Healey tries to determine if Ms. G. has seen her shadow.

Gov. Maura Healey (Ms. H to her friends, perhaps) elicited cheers from an enthusiastic all-ages crowd in Lincoln on February 2 by predicting an early spring after consulting with Drumlin Farm’s famous Ms. G.

Healey headlined a delegation including State Sen. Michael Barrett and Reps. Carmine Gentile and Alice Peisch for the first Groundhog Day celebration in Lincoln since before the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Lincoln’s Ms. G became the official groundhog of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2014 thanks to a bill shepherded through the legislature by Peisch.

The theme of the day was education about weather and climate change. A number of children including the Chickadee class from the Drumlin Farm Community Preschool got front-row seats, eager to watch Ms. G emerge from hibernation and explore her special outdoor enclosure where she would make her annual prognostication. Barrett — who co-wrote the state’s major climate bill that was signed into law last summer — lauded “young people getting together and saying we can effect change and raise awareness” around those issue while also praising Healey’s commitment to climate action.

• The origins of Groundhog Day, and prognosticators of other species (alligators, anyone?)

In her remarks, Healey noted she had grown up on a farm and that caring for farm animals helped forge her own early connections with nature. She credited Mass Audubon as among those “doing all they can to help young people know and learn and carry on stewardship of land and the environment.

“I’ve always been a huge fan of Mass Audubon, a huge fan of Drumlin Farm, and a huge fan of all those working to preserve our natural habitat and to address the real issues around climate, and those who are looking out for and looking after creatures great and small across this great state,” she said.

Then came the moment of truth — “one of my most important duties as governor,” Healey said. After crouching down to get acquainted with Ms. G, she intoned, “As the governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on February 2 in the year 2023, we observed the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Official Groundhog, Ms. G. And I declare Ms. G does not appear to have observed her shadow, and therefore, Commonwealth, spring is on its way!”

The cheering attendees were also invited enjoy other related programs, such as making groundhog crafts and meeting live animal ambassadors and learning how they adapt to winter as the climate changes.

Click on images below to see larger versions, and scroll down for a short video of Healey at Drumlin Farm.

• In the January 31 News Acorn headlined “Campaign kickoff event for Sudbury L-S School Committee candidate,” Tania Vitvitsky, Josh Troop, and Andrew Blair were misidentified as being former members of the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee. They are Sudbury residents but have not served in the LSSC.
• The January 31 story headlined “Updates on Winter Carnival” incorrectly said that the Winter Shrub & Tree ID Walk on Friday, Feb. 3 was canceled. The Saturday walk is canceled but the Friday walk is still on. That piece and two others listing Winter carnival events (“Field Notes: Meet Will Leona, Lincoln’s land steward and ranger” and “Winter Carnival kicks off this Friday“) have been updated.
• Drumlin Farm has canceled the Lincoln Winter Carnival’s Family Night Hike and Owl Prowl that was to take place on Friday, Feb. 3 at 6:30 p.m.