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

news

Correction

The March 23 article headlined “Library strives to reach patrons with different abilities” should have said that the Friends of the Lincoln Library who split the cost of the hearing loop with the Ogden Codman Trust, not the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. FOLL paid $8,100 toward that project as well as $13,000 toward the cost of redoing the audiovisual equipment in the Tarbell Room (again split 50/50 with the Codman Trust). The original article has bene updated.

Library strives to reach patrons with different abilities

(Editor’s note: This story was updated on March 27, 2022.)

By Lucy Maulsby

Reference Librarian Kate Tranquada, Assistant Library Director Lisa Rothenberg, and Director Bobbie Myles hold selections from Lincoln’s extensive large-print book collection.

The Lincoln Public Library’s offerings continue to evolve from the days of printed matter only, and its website has been updated to communicate the range of services available to patrons with different abilities as part of its ongoing effort to engage diverse populations within Lincoln and the broader community.

Some of these accommodations are long-standing, such as the two accessible parking spaces adjacent to the entrance, an accessible bathroom on the second floor, and an elevator to provide access to the basement and second floors for all. Service animals are always welcome.

Other offerings are more recent. The Tarbell Room (the library’s main reading room) is equipped with a hearing loop system, generously funded by the Ogden Codman Trust and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and installed in 2019. The loop transmits sounds directly to a wireless receiver in the user’s hearing aid or cochlear implant and thus limits the transmission and interference of background noise. If someone does not have a wireless receiver in their hearing aid or a cochlear implant, the library has a portable unit with headphones for people to use. 

This technology is especially helpful to those who meet regularly at the library. When the Friday Morning Book Group returns to meeting in person, participants will notice the recently increased number and sensitivity of microphones that will more easily transmit group discussions to the loop.

The Ogden Codman Trust and the Friends of the Lincoln Library also split the $13,000 cost of  redoing the audiovisual equipment in the Tarbell Room.

The library’s collection of large-print books, first established by an anonymous grant administered by the Boston Foundation in 2017, has expanded to include books for children and young adults. This has engaged not only younger people with visual and learning disabilities, but also allowed older patrons with visual impairments to read favorite books to a new generation of readers.

“We feel very lucky to have such an extensive youth and young-adult large-print collection,” Children’s Librarian Debbie Leopold said. “Text in large print is a wonderful resource not only for children and young adults who have visual impairments, but also for young people who struggle with reading. The extra white space and less daunting text help children feel confident in and improve their reading skills.”

The grant for the books generates funds for purchasing new books every year, so Lincoln’s collection of large-print books is quickly becoming one of the largest in the area, so patrons throughout the Minuteman Library Network (MLN) can borrow them. As a point of comparison, the library in Sherborn (population 4,400) has only 100 large-print books and all of them are for adults.

Reference librarians can also help patrons access large-print books through digital platforms and work with them to both download the books and adjust the font size on their own devices or on one of the three Kindle Paperwhites available to borrow. The library regularly adds to its Library of Things collection and purchases equipment such as a large-print keyboard to improve access to library resources.

Books in Braille are available through the network and can be found on the MLN website or the library home page by entering a keyword or an asterisk (which functions as a “wildcard”) into the search box and then refining the format to Braille. Audio and large-print books can be identified the same way. The Children’s Department also has a small collection of fiction books in Braille.

For those who are unable to visit the library in person either temporarily or long-term, a weekly delivery service supported by a small group of volunteers led by Heather Silvestro. She drops off books assembled by librarian Robin Rapoport and picks up books to be returned at The Commons as well as locations in Lincoln, and the service expanded during the Covid-19 pandemic. Any Lincoln resident who can’t come to the library in person and would like to sign up for home delivery may call the reference desk at 781-259-8465 x204 or emailing lincoln@minlib.net.

Through the generosity of the Friends of Lincoln Library, the library now owns a Meeting Owl Pro, which offers library the ability to broadcast in-library programming via Zoom so patrons who can’t come in person can participate.

“We want to make Lincoln residents and patrons aware of what we do provide, and, more importantly, let people know that we’re open to suggestions about how to make our library a welcoming place for everyone,” Assistant Library Director Lisa Rothenberg said.

My Turn: A poetical plea for pothole repair — and two candidates

By Peter von Mertens

The time is here! It’s quite a thing
We finally have a taste of spring.
Out come the peepers and the fox;
We have just made it passed the equinox
At this time when winter mellows
We expect to find many shades of yellows.
Forsythia, willow and daffodils are all of a hue
That bespeaks of rebirth and life anew.

But on a more sober note with subtlety alack
I fear the more crucial color this year is black
We need it to fill the holes in our roads
While we listen to the sounds of frogs and toads
With Tar and MacCadam
So please, DPW, have at ’em.
For it’s clear we have lost the battle this year
To the frost heaves and blades that snow did clear

And, on a quite different note,
Next Monday please go out and vote.
And here is a contest we all can win:
Get out and vote for Jim and for Kim!

“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.

Correction

The March 21 article headlined “Group scales back proposal to ban fossil fuels in new construction” contained an incorrect link to the text of warrant article 3 that was discussed at the March 7 Select Board meeting. The original motion with detailed wording for a proposed town bylaw that would go into effect if the home rule petition were granted is here; the updated wording that will be voted on at Town Meeting is here. The original article has been edited to reflect this correction.

My Turn: “Lincoln, we have a problem,” says SC candidate Dwyer

Lincoln, we have a problem.

Why? Here are the numbers for K-8 Lincoln Public Schools from niche.com: 59% [of students are] proficient in math, 61% proficient in English. What grade do you get with 61% on a report card? You get an F for failure. We spent $13 million a year for our schools and this is what we get.

People with the ability to pay $40,000 a year take their kids out of Lincoln schools and put them in private schools like Fenn. You know many families that have done this.

We are not traditionally rigorous in teaching. One parent told me she “liked that her son was not pushed too hard in school.” This is a poor foundation which is a recipe for failure in future grades and in life.

I have a solution they will not cost any money:

  1. Written homework every night that is graded and handed back the next morning with a traditional percent grade.
  2. The final exam every week on what you learned that week.
  3. A report card every Monday morning with average scores of homework and grades on the final exam with a rank in class.

I experienced this program for three years in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. Then I went through Central Catholic high school in Lawrence and  it was easy. I graduated with a degree in economics from Georgetown University and felt 100% confident that I could learn anything.

If these ideas makes sense to you, I ask for your vote on March 28 for Lincoln School Committee.

Thank you,

Joseph Dwyer
6 Emerson Rd., Lincoln
jaysp51d@gmail.com
603-560-1787

“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.

My Turn: Vote yes on fossil fuels measure at Town Meeting

To the editor:

Twenty-five years ago, Emily and I made the great decision to raise our family in Lincoln. We chose a town that celebrated its history and made bold commitments to the community’s future. We have loved the trails and open spaces. We have appreciated the commitments to educating children and supporting our elders. We are excited to grow old here.

I am excited to support Article 31 at town meeting this Saturday. This article follows through on town commitments: to our collective health, the well-being of our planet, and the values we have already embraced. This article will help us reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for heating and cooking. New construction (home building and major renovations) that shifts us from natural gas and oil to electric power will help us to reduce carbon emissions.

Our town, our Commonwealth, and our country have made commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our public health officials have warned us about the risks of exposure to fossil fuels and the compounds that result from combusting these fuels. Having enjoyed the benefits of electric heat pumps for the last three years — I can say with confidence that moving into a 21st-century mode of heating is a good idea!

In the last 25 years we haven’t suffered wildfires and catastrophic weather. While so many parts of the world have suffered from the ravages of climate change, we haven’t faced hardship. For our collective health in Lincoln and for all the people whose lives will be improved by reducing demand for fossil fuels, I hope you can make it to Town Meeting to vote for Article 31. Lincoln’s future was bright 25 years ago; let’s take some bold steps to ensure the next 25 years are bright too.

With thanks,

Tom Haslett
26 Baker Bridge Rd.

“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.

Police log for March 11–17, 2022

March 11

Old Bedford Road (4:42 a.m.) — Hanscom Security Forces requested assistance with a party involved in a dispute over a taxi fare. Officers responded to assist. The party was transported to their residence.

Weston Road (2:25 p.m.) — One car crash vs. telephone pole. No injuries.

Lexington Road (9:33 p.m.) — Caller reported possibly seeing someone walking around their property. Officers checked; everything appeared fine.

March 12

Codman Road (3:12 p.m.) — Caller reported losing an item at Codman Farm in case someone turns the item in.

March 13

Concord Road (4:33 p.m.) — Two-car crash near Baker Farm Road. One person was transported to Emerson Hospital, both vehicles were towed.

March 14

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (1:57 a.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle pulled to the side of the roadway near Bedford Rd. Driver was OK; they were reporting a broken-down vehicle on Route 128 to the State Police on their phone.

Baker Farm Road (6:19 a.m.) — Call from the resident saying their smoke detector was sounding. Fire Department responded and found it was caused by a low battery.

Farrar Road (9:51 a.m.) — Cameras installed as part of advisory shoulder study on Farrar Road.

Grove Street, Wayland (10:48 a.m.) — Wayland Fire Department requested the ladder for a report of smoke in a house. Call was cancelled while en route.

March 15

Bedford Road (12:38 a.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle pulled to the side of the road. Driver was dropping off a friend nearby

Red Maple Lane (4:47 p.m.) — Caller requested a well-being check on the resident. Officers responded but were unable to make contact. No vehicle in the driveway.

March 16

South Great Road (1:55 p.m.) — Council on Aging & Human Services requested a well-being check on the resident. Fire Department responded with an officer; everything was fine.

Lincoln School (6:44 p.m.) — Officer assisted a party at the school.

Tracey’s Service Station, Route 2 (9:36 p.m.) — Officers checked on a vehicle in the parking lot. Driver was OK.

March 17

Tracey’s Service Station, Route 2 (1:01 a.m.) — Party walking on Bedford Road was brought back to their vehicle at Tracey’s lot.

Oxbow Road (12:21 p.m.) — Council on Aging & Human Services called regarding possible electrical problem at the residence. Fire Department responded and assisted the resident.

Deer Run Road (4:08 p.m.) — Caller reported two men came to their house looking to do work. but no work had been scheduled. Officers checked the area and found that the workers had the wrong address; they were working at a neighbor’s house.

My Turn: Hogue states support for diversity and inclusion work

Dear WIDE and the residents of Lincoln,

First, I want to publicly state that I fully support WIDE Lincoln [Welcome, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity] and its current work. Whether I win this election or not, I look forward to this group’s reports and recommendations to help make Lincoln a more welcoming town. I believe that it is important to have groups and commissions with different stakeholders in town to advise and make recommendations to the Board of Selects to update the policies and rules that need to be updated.

By now, I think everyone knows my stance on housing: we need more and diverse housing so people can afford to live in our great town. In addition, I agree with WIDE that building more housing isn’t the only solution and that more work needs to be done.

If I am elected as the next member of the Board of Selects, one of my proposals is to advocate for more community events in town and to make these events free so that they are accessible to all. I believe building community through a wide variety of events would be beneficial for the town. I would also advocate to work with community partners like LincFam, the schools, churches, Lincoln Veterans Association, Council on Aging, and other organizations to help reach out to the various communities in our town. When planning these events, it is important to welcome people onto the planning committees so that we can have new and diverse ideas for these events. Growing up in Lowell, the wide variety of community events helped bring various community stakeholders together and I think increasing these types of events in Lincoln would be beneficial.

Also, I would look to invest in our town website and allow our town organizations to be on the website so people can seek out organizations they might be interested in so they can get involved. For new members of our community, I would support a welcome packet to new residents to showcase our town organizations and events, so newcomers feel welcomed to the community.

Lastly, we must have great schools that serve all families. As a member of the School Committee, I have advocated for language in the school’s AIDE [Antiracism, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity) policy to address the huge achievement gap between various subgroups in our district, as well as the hiring of an [AIDE] HR director to recruit and retain diverse staff. I have also advocated for expanded preschool so every child has access to a quality education from the start.

While housing, in my opinion, is the number one issue facing us currently, the work doesn’t stop there, and we must continuously work to make everyone feel connected in Lincoln. While these conversations may be difficult at times, we can’t shy away from them. Anyone that knows me knows that I will not shy away from having these difficult conversations.

Please reach out to me if anyone would like further details.

Sincerely,

Adam M. Hogue, candidate for Select Board
50 Lincoln Rd.
978-828-6184

“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.

Group scales back proposal to ban fossil fuels in new construction

(Editor’s note: This story was amended on March 22 to include updated links to the original and revised versions of Article 31.)

A citizens’ petition on the warrant at Town Meeting asks residents to support the first step in a process that would allow Lincoln to restrict the use of fossil fuels in new buildings and major modifications, though the motion was later trimmed after getting pushback from the Select Board.

Lincoln’s motion would not generally require retrofitting existing buildings, although the new bylaw could be applied to “major modifications,” which some other towns have defined to mean gut renovations that redo at least 75% of the building floor area, according to a GEC blog post. The exact wording of the local measure would be discussed later and voted on at a future Town Meeting.

Green Energy Committee chair Paul Shorb outlined the proposal at the March 7 Select Board meeting. Brookline, Acton, Arlington, Lexington, and Concord have filed similar home rule petitions but the legislature has not acted on any of them yet, he said. If approved by Lincoln voters on March 26, the measure would authorize the town to file a home rule petition with the state legislature, which is required for a town to exercise such authority.

The original motion under discussion (Article 31) proposed a vote on both the home-rule petition and specific bylaw language (“Act Authorizing the Town of Lincoln to Adopt and Enforce Local Regulations Restricting New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure in Certain Construction”) that the town could adopt if the legislature approved the petition. Ideally, Shorb said, the legislature would pass a bill requiring these limits on fossil fuel equipment in all new Massachusetts buildings, and such a bill is pending, “but we think it’s appropriate for us to jump in line as well,” either to win home-rule approval or show town support for the bill. “We chose the more aggressive approach, ‘get to the nitty gritty right now’ approach.”

“I fundamentally have a problem with this sort of method,” Select Board member James Craig said. “I’m not arguing against the cause in any way — it’s more the process.” He added that he might have been more receptive “if this were something that had been in the works for a longer period and had outreach done earlier” to show that the measure had been “really discussed and vetted.”

Arlington has taken a more “vanilla” approach by approving only a home rule petition that lets the town draw up its own bylaw at a later date, bard member Jennifer Glass observed.

Shorb responded that the more specific version including the bylaw would “send a strong political signal” for the state to approve certain updates to the 2009 “stretch code” that lays out energy-efficiency requirements in the building code. The Department of Energy Resources is in the process of updating the stretch code and writing a new “Municipal Opt-in Specialized Stretch Energy Code” in the wake of the Climate Act of 2021. Environmentalists are hoping that the “stretchier” code will allow towns to ban fossil fuel hookups (which they currently may not do), though the initial draft does not include that option for towns.

Debating and amending wording of motions such as the proposed bylaw language on the floor of Town Meeting “is really something we ought to avoid trying to do,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said. “The Arlington approach may [allow us to] be able to thread that needle to create the pressure you’re looking for but give us more time to work up a bylaw.”

After getting similar feedback from the Planning Board, the GEC subsequently removed the proposed bylaw language from the Article 13 motion (the updated wording is here).

97 residents endorse Jim Hutchinson for Select Board

Dear Fellow Lincolnites,

We are writing to endorse Jim Hutchinson for the Select Board.

Jim has served the town of Lincoln in many capacities and has done so with respect, dedication, and humility. He has consistently shown that he has the best interests of the town and its residents in mind, with no political agenda.

Jim was the treasurer of Codman Farm for three years, a member of the Finance Committee for seven years (as chair for two of those years), and most recently has served on the Green Energy Committee for eight years and on the Water Commission for two years. Jim is an exceptional listener, thoughtful team member, problem solver, and consensus builder; a true leader of Lincoln and what our town embodies. We are fortunate to have him running for Select Board.

We hope you join us in voting for Jim on Monday, March 28.

With gratitude,

Abigail Adams
Rob Ahlert
Chris Andrysiak
Sarah Andrysiak
Loretta Arthur
Lisa Baer
Michelle Barnes
Emily Parker Beekman
Alex Benik
Becky Bermont
Sarah Bishop
Paul Blanchfield
Pam Boardman
Kim Bodnar
Jessica Callow
Thomas F. Casey
Ted Chan
Lindsay Clemens
Marshall Clemens
Chris Dale
Erica Darnall
Greg Darnall
Moha Desai
Jim Fleming
Nancy Fleming
Amy Funkenstein
Philana Gnatowski
Andy Gnazzo
Trintje Gnazzo
Rob Graves
Cheryl Gray
Adam Greenberg

Jennifer Hashley
Jim Henderson
Nancy Henderson
Lis Herbert
Zach Herbert
Brian Jalet
Kim Jalet
Audrey Kalmus
Elizabeth Kelly
Jon Kelman
Mike Killick
Sarah Killick
Stephen Kutenplon
Lauren Lane
Spencer Lane
Jake Lehrhoff
Jackie Lenth
Pete Lowy
Michael Mach
Nancy Marshall
Peyton Marshall
Lucy Maulsby
John Mendelson
Peter von Mertens
Melissa Moses
Patty Mostue
Kathleen P. Nichols
Craig Nicholson
Katie Nicholson
John Nolan
Lydia Ogden
Andy Ory

Linda Hammett Ory
Jason Packineau
Jessica Packineau
Jason Paige
Susanna Paterson
Christine Pillar
Robert Pillar
Neal Rajdev
Ginger Reiner
Heather Ring
Dana Robbat
Jenny Rogers
Matt Rogers
Travis Roland
Brad Rosen
Aldis Russell
Greg Schmergel
Joanna Schmergel
Cindy Sheriff
Victoria Slingerland
Erica Steckler
Andy Stevenson
Hannah Stevenson
Jeannine Taylor
Laura Taylor
Katy Walker
Tom Walker
Alice “Ty” Webber
Ben Webber
Irene Weigel
Lynn Weigel, MD

“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.