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

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Fire damages house on South Great Road

Fire personnel at 178 South Great Road on September 19. Photo courtesy Lincoln Police Department via Facebook.

A house fire at 178 South Great Road last week resulted in damage to the home’s foyer. 

Lincoln firefighters were busy with a medical call so Concord firefighters were the first to arrive at the house between Lincoln Road and Lincoln Gas and Auto at just after 5:30 p.m on September 19. The homeowner on scene reported that he was using torch to burn weeds in that area, according to the report. The house is owned by the John Bockover Jr. Trust, according to town land records. 

Firefighters from Concord, Weston, Wayland, and Sudbury also responded in case they were needed, and the last crew had left by 7:30 p.m.

Correction

In the September 18 article headlined “Help out with Lincoln cemetery restoration work,” the locations of two of the work days were misstated. They are:

  • September 28 — Meeting House Burial Ground behind Bemis Hall
  • October 5 — Arborvitae Cemetery, 16 Trapelo Rd. 
  • October 12 — Precinct Burial Ground within the Lincoln Cemetery on Lexington Road

The original article has been corrected.

 

Correction

The September 11 article headlined “Board OKs five-year roadway project plan” misstated one of the roadway projects under consideration. The third item on the list was incorrectly listed as a crosswalk over North Great Road at Bedford Road; in fact, the crosswalk in question is an upgrade of the existing one over Route 2 at Bedford Road. The original article has been updated.

Board OKs five-year roadway project plan

Editor’s note: This article was updated on September 13 with corrected information about the third item on the project list (Route 2/Bedford Road).

The Select Board this week approved a five-year plan for roadway projects in town that will include new or improved crosswalks as well as a repaved and redesigned Ballfield Road entrance. Members also approved a separate traffic and parking plan for Old Concord Road.

Last May, the Selects approved the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee’s master plan, which made a wide range of recommendations for safety improvements on roads and roadside paths. Since then, the BPAC joined forces with the Roadway and Traffic Committee to draw up the five-year transportation project plan starting with fiscal 2026 beginning on July 1, 2025. Click here to see the list with details on the projects, costs, timeline, etc.

The first two items on the list to be tackled actually weren’t on the BPAC master plan: repaving several roads in town, and creating a raised crosswalk on Lincoln Road at the Old Town Hall Exchange. A contract is expected to be awarded soon for that work, which includes repaving Tower Road between Lincoln Road and Beaver Pond Road, as well as Peirce Hill Road, Round Hill Road, and Hawthorne Circle.

Next on the wish list is an upgraded crosswalk on Route 2 at Bedford Road, which the town is hoping will be funded by MassDOT’s Mass. Highway Division).

Another high priority is repaving Ballfield Road and redesigning its intersection with Lincoln Road. A pilot project next year will involve closing the slip road (the fork of the Y on the east side of the intersection) with barriers while a plan for improving the intersection for vehicles, pedestrians and bikes is formulated. The town would seek funding for that project in fiscal 2027 to start after the community center is completed and heavy equipment isn’t routinely using Ballfield Road.

Many of the projects on the list could be funded through Chapter 90 funds from the state (Lincoln currently received about $250,000 annually from this source). Other potential funding sources from the state are the Complete Streets program and the Safe Routes to School infrastructure grant program, but the town will still have to pay for some work that isn’t eligible or isn’t awarded state funding.

Farther down on the list are two expensive and complicated goals: building or extending roadside paths on Weston Road and on Route 117 near the Mt. Misery parking lot. Both would require easements or property takings and thus may not even be viable. “We’ll continue to review them each year to see if the appetite for [those projects] is changing,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said.

Old Concord Road

Parking and signage improvements planned for Old Concord Road (click to enlarge).

The signage improvement plan presented by Conservation Director Michele Grzenda aims to address parking issues on Old Concord Road for drivers seeking trail access, as well as service vehicles who are sometimes confused by the house numbering and dead ends. The approved plan calls for installing more consistent no-parking signs, a turnaround spot, and clearer indicators of which homes can be found by turning onto the private road opposite 33 Old Concord Rd.

Water shutoff in neighborhood for part of August 14

There will be a temporary loss of water at the northern end of Bedford Road and Silver Birch Lane on Wednesday, August 14 between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. This shutoff is necessary to allow crews to perform essential repairs to the water main located in your area.

“We understand that this disruption can be inconvenient, and we apologize for any disruption to your daily routine. We are committed to completing the repairs as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said Water Department Superintendent Darin Lafalam.

Affected residents should prepare by filling containers with water for essential needs such as drinking, cooking, and flushing toilets. Consider turning off any appliances that rely on water pressure before he shutoff begins.

After water service is restored, users may experience low water pressure or air trapped in the pipes for a short time. If so, open a cold-water faucet located at the highest point in your home, such as an upstairs bathroom sink, and let the water run until a clear stream appears. This will help remove any trapped air. If you experience brown or rusty water after service is restored, avoid using hot water or doing laundry until you flush water from an exterior faucet or garden hose for 10 minutes or until clear.

Anyone with questions or concerns may call 781-259-2669.

Property sales in March and April 2024

140 Lincoln Rd. #311 — Diana Cowles to Margaretha Eckhardt for $575,000 (April 29) 

0 Old Winter Street and 0 Silver Hill Rd. — Thomas DeNormandie to Timothy and Madeleine Plaut (three parcels) for $2,000,000 (April 9)

38 Windingwood Lane — Tamar March Trust to Susan Law and 38 Windingwood Lane Trust for $895,000 (March 28)

26C Indian Camp Lane — Modena Inc. to Justin Baker for $460,000 (March 25)

324 Hemlock Circle — J. Arthur Gleiner Trust to David Stroh and Jane Von Maltzahn for $800,000 (March 15)

146A Lincoln Rd. — Lincoln Bay LLC to Jonathan Solomon for $480,000 (March 15)

25 Greenridge Lane — Zhao Yuan to Kyle Kastner and Johanna Hansen for $646,000 (March 1)

Denise Bienfang passes away

Denise Bienfang

Denise Repetto Bienfang of Lincoln died June 19, 2024 after a brief illness.

Born in Somerville, Mass., the daughter of Doris (Britton) and Robert Anthony Repetto, Denise was a graduate of the Beaver Country Day School and Wellesley College (1963), where she was an enthusiastic member of the Tupelos a capella group and later served as vice president of the alumni committee until her death. In 1965, Denise earned a master’s degree in social work from Simmons College and practiced in the Boston community and, briefly, at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Md., while her husband Don served as a physician in the uniformed service.

When they returned to Massachusetts, Denise continued her social work at Boston’s Children’s Hospital, and in 1981 earned a real estate license, embarking on a 30-year career as a realtor in Lincoln and the surrounding communities becoming well known for her love of the town, her keen eye for staging, and her no-nonsense approach to real estate transactions. Over the decades, her work led to a deep connection to the town and its people, and she developed and nurtured long-lasting friendships among the residents.

Denise was preceded in death earlier this year by her husband, Dr. Don C. Bienfang, whom she occasionally liked to remind had been a “backup date.” They married in 1964 and moved to Lincoln in 1974 armed with the Whole Earth Catalog and plans that included a windmill, beehives, and a large garden. They remained in Lincoln for the rest of their lives, raising two sons there and becoming fixtures in the community.

While Don raised chickens, gardened, and took up other practical enterprises, Denise engaged with the people and the town’s activities. She was a caring mom who made a point to get to know her children’s friends, some of whom became lifelong friends and essentially family members. She joined the First Parish Church and the Lincoln Garden Club, and she loved volunteering with others in helping to cook at the Stone Church’s kitchen for town events, delighting in her time with old and new friends.

Denise was known as loyal and honest, and was always up for tea, or a chat, or a trash-pickup walk. She laughed a lot, especially on the phone. A dedicated gardener, she maintained a regular garden club tour stop in Lincoln, and she never lost her love of music, becoming a proud member of the Sharing a New Song chorus, with whom she traveled to Russia, Mongolia, Nicaragua, and Cuba.

Denise was a longstanding and active member of the Women’s Travel Club of Boston, serving as the scholarship chair. Every year she reviewed numerous grant proposals and supported the awarding of scholarship funds to women on the basis of the compelling nature of their projects in the arts and sciences.

Late in life, Denise discovered a love of playing tennis (with a blazing forehand) and watching football, both of which she enjoyed with Don and their friends. In 2012, Denise turned an old house in Dennis, Mass., into a beloved gathering place for her friends and family, and she spent many summer hours there on the porch talking and laughing with her grandchildren.

Denise leaves behind two brothers, Paul and Robert Repetto, both of Boulder, Colo., and two sons, Matthew Bienfang and his wife Elizabeth of Hingham, Mass., and Joshua Bienfang of Bethesda, Md., along with six grandchildren, Micah, Britton, Abigail, Caroline, Lily, and Sam. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the memorial service at 2:00 PM on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at the First Parish Church (4 Bedford Road, Lincoln).