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

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Curbside pickup for library materials starts Thursday

The Lincoln Public Library will begin offering contactless curbside pickup for items on hold starting Thursday, June 25 at 3 p.m. and will take place thereafter on Mondays and Thursdays from 3–7 p.m. Only staff will be allowed inside the building during this phase. Hours are subject to change due to weather; any changes will be posted on the library’s website at www.lincolnpl.org.

The library can offer only materials that are already on the shelves in Lincoln (books, DVDs, etc. — no Library of Things). The delivery service used by the Minuteman Library Network is working its way through the backlog of undelivered materials, so there’s no estimated date yet for when the interlibrary loan service will resume.

To request an item, place a hold using the Minuteman Library Network’s website, but choose only items that are listed as being available at the Lincoln location. Requests for materials from libraries other than Lincoln will be saved in the system and will be filled once the delivery system is up and running. You can also call the Reference Department at 781-259-8465 ext. 204 and the staff will place your hold for you. The deadline for requesting items will be Friday at 3 p.m. for Monday pickup, and Wednesdays at 3 p.m. for Thursday pickup. Items will not be available on the same day the request is made.

Once your item has been pulled, you will be notified either by email or by telephone depending on your MLN account preferences. We will ask you to select a Monday or a Thursday to pick up your items (you will have a choice among three dates). Due to a lack of storage space and the limited number of materials available for patrons, items must be picked up on the scheduled date; if not, they will be returned to the stacks, though you may re-request items.

Pickup
  • Each borrower will be limited to five items per pickup.
  • Items can be picked up only between the hours of 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on the Monday or Thursday that you selected.
  • All items will be checked out to you and placed in a bag with the due date slip inside and your name or MLN alias on the outside. Items will be placed on tables under our new tent in the handicapped parking spaces on Library Lane (the handicapped spaces have been moved across the lane.
  • Items cannot be switched out from bags. To request a different title, please follow the procedures listed above.
  • If you’re unsure of what items you’d like, you can fill out an adult or children’s book match forms and we will “match” you with your perfect book.
Returns
  • All library materials can be returned using the library’s outdoor book drop.
  • Items will still appear on your card after you return them, but the library has extended its grace period for fines from one day to four days to allow for items to be quarantined before staff checks them in.
Safety precautions
  • All library materials will be quarantined for at least 72 hours before they are pulled by staff. Proper sanitization will be done before and after the process of pulling books. Although not required by the Lincoln Board of Health for an extra measure of caution, you may wish to leave these library items untouched in your home for three days before enjoying them.
  • Patrons must adhere to social distancing guidelines and wear face masks. We will be marking the walkway on Library Lane to assist people.
  • Patrons are asked to not linger in front of the library after picking up their materials. Questions? Please email lincoln@minlib.net or call the library at 781-259- 8465.Staff will learn as they go and make changes as needed.

Virtual bingo night at the library

The whole family can participate in the Lincoln Public Library’s bingo night as caller extraordinaire Sally Kindleberger reads off the numbers on Wednesday, June 24 at 6 p.m. Registrants will receive a printable bingo card. For children of all ages. Limited to 20 families; email dleopold@minlib.net to register and receive a Zoom invitation ink.

Transfer station closed on Saturday

The Transfer Station will be closed on Saturday, July 4 due to the Fourth of July holiday.

COA posts July and August events

The Council on Aging’s newsletter and calendar of events for July and August are now available online.

 

 

School project gets donations for trees, walkways, benches

Last week marked the official start of the school project, and the SBC Outreach Team organized a socially distanced groundbreaking photo on the ballfield immediately after the Town Meeting. The picture (a drone photo taken by Lincoln resident Tyler Ory) photo will become part of a virtual groundbreaking ceremony that will try to capture the community’s involvement in the project. One of the people in the photo is SBC member Peter Sugar, who sported the shovel and hard hat he wore at the last Lincoln School project groundbreaking almost exactly 26 years ago. (Click image to enlarge.)

Donations from eighth-graders, a Lincoln couple, and the estate of Harriet Todd will allow the School Building Committee to add back some of the items that were cut earlier this spring but not restored by the recent Town Meeting vote.

Robert and Jacquelin Apsler have donated $32,328 to pay for concrete walkways behind the refurbished school’s learning commons as well as interior benches in the Reed/Brooks connector and the dining commons. Those features didn’t make the list of items that voters restored with an $828,945 appropriation on June 13. However, they were part of an earlier list for which that the SBC was planning to request $2.02 million back in March (itself a subset of the $3.5 million in cuts that the committee made in February after bids came in over budget).

“I want to publicly thank the Apslers for their incredible generosity, SBC chair Chris Fasciano said at the June 17 SBC meeting. “It was a very pleasant surprise when we heard that news and it’s very much appreciated.”

As its class gift to the Lincoln School, the graduating eighth-grade class of 2020 created a school project tree fund and started it off with a $500 donation. That amount got a boost of $20,000 from the estate of Harriet Todd, a former Selectman who died in 2018 and left the town $500,000 in her will. Her family agreed that $275,000 of that bequest could be spent on auditorium seating, carpeting, and stage paneling (the rest will endow a scholarship for Lincoln students). However, the auditorium work will cost only about $255,000, so the Todds agreed that the $20,000 balance could go into the tree fund.

An amount of $56,084 was originally budgeted for 52 new trees but was one of the items cut in February. After the School Committee votes to establish the gift fund, residents will be able to make additional donations for trees.

“It’s just lovely on their part, and it obviously gives a big boost,” Fasciano said of the Todds.

Library adapts and expands services during pandemic

The banner provided by the Friends of the Lincoln Library features the Mason Cooley quote, “Reading gives us somewhere to go when we have to stay where we are.”

By Lucy Maulsby

A brightly colored banner sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Library hangs across the porch of the original brick building to remind patrons of the many ways in which the library nourishes the community and serves as a vital resource, perhaps especially as current events demand new forms of engagement.

Since the building’s closure on March 14, librarians have focused on making more expansive use of the library website and expanding digital resources. The library has purchased additional digital content and has been regularly updating the list of available “at home” resources as new materials become available.

Regular Zoom meetings with staff at other libraries have reinforced institutional ties and allowed resources and strategies to be shared across the state. The library also began its first-ever staff book group. “It’s been great to connect for team building, morale boosting, reader advisory sharpening, and just plain fun,” children’s librarian Denise Shaver said.

To connect with local communities, the library has increased its use of social media, encouraged patrons to reach out with questions via phone and email, and run programs virtually. “We miss seeing our library visitors in person,” reference librarian Kate Tranquada said. “Fortunately, we’ve been able to serve patrons online and by phone. The use of digital resources has skyrocketed since the state of emergency began. We’ve also enjoyed helping digital book beginners, walking them through the process over the phone.”

“We’ve been holding our regular book groups (Friday Morning and Uplifting Reads) via Zoom. It’s been really nice to connect with our regular patrons, and to see people who couldn’t attend our book groups before because they were at work,” said assistant director Lisa Rothenberg. The children’s department has actively continued its Together Time Tales and Books and Bites book groups virtually. “Online book club was different, yet we were able to to talk about the same things we would usually talk about at the library,” said rising fourth-grader Russell Reiner.

The library’s new reader advisory Book Match Program has also been an extraordinarily successful way of connecting readers to books at a time when librarians and patrons can’t meet face to face. “To date we’ve matched over 50 children to just-right-for-them books,” children’s librarian Debbie Leopold said. Families have also enjoyed Lincoln resident Tara Rachel Jones’s virtual yoga for toddlers classes. 

To prepare for a phased reopening, the library has been actively collaborating with town and state authorities and librarians. Immediately following the closure, custodians Bob Bottino and Bob Lager did a comprehensive deep cleaning, and library director Barbara Myles has been visiting the building periodically during the shutdown. Since June 1, the librarians have been working within the building (while staying six feet apart) re-shelving books and preparing to engage with patrons in new ways. Some of the staff are also working part of their schedules from home following guidelines set by Gov. Baker and the town to stop the spread of Covid-19.

In the next phase of reopening, the library will start offering contactless pickup. To facilitate this effort, the Friends of the Lincoln Library have generously donated a tent to be placed outside of the main entrance where patrons will be able to pick up books. For dropoff, patrons should return books through the book drop.

The library is working to develop new guidelines to support the opening of the library building to patrons. This phase will include rearranging workstations and computers, installing Plexiglass sneeze guards, etc., as well as implementing new circulation patterns to ensure social distancing protocols can be maintained and facilitate the cleaning of high-contact surfaces. 

The Children’s Room has planned a Virtual Summer Reading Program. Please check this library web page for a list of virtual programs for all ages, as well as suggested booklists (titles can be accessed digitally). The Summer Reading Challenge, a summer highlight for many in Lincoln, will be launched on Wednesday, June 17.

More recently, the conversations about social justice, race and anti-racism, and protests that have ignited communities around the country have served as a potent reminder of the library’s critical role as a source of diverse perspectives, histories, ideas, and information. To help support parents, the children’s librarians have posted a list of books to facilitate conversations about race. For adults, the library has referenced a list of books, a number of which deal with related topics, prepared earlier in the year for the community by the Lincoln School Committee. 

The library looks forward to continuing to provide resources for the community that confront the history of race in America and anti-racism, actively expanding its collection to reflect a diversity of perspectives and points of view and drawing attention to those resources. “We believe black lives matter and will participate in the effort to make real change in our community,” Myles said.

Lucy Maulsby is the School Committee representative to the library’s Board of Trustees.

Police log for June 1–8, 2020

June 1

Concord Road (12:37 p.m.) — DPW requested assistance for an officer to stand by Rte. 126 at the railroad bridge while they remove a tree.

June 2

Story Drive (2:00 p.m.) — Party reported being harassed online. The matter is being investigated.

Harvest Circle (3:03 p.m.) — Caller complained that a dog is barking outside their residence. Dog officer was notified.

Boston Post Rd., Weston — Weston police reported finding a dog in Weston near the town line in case someone should call from Lincoln reporting a missing dog

June 3

Smith Hill Road (10:50 a.m.) and Red Rail Farm Road, 2:16 .m.) — Allegedly fraudulent unemployment claims filed. Reports taken.

Drumlin Farm, South Great Road — Caller reports three vehicles blocking the entrance. Officer responded and asked the parties to move along.

Old Sudbury Road (10:01 p.m.) — Caller reported hearing a loud noise behind their house and seeing a vehicle leave the area. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate the vehicle.

June 4

South Great Road (12:09 p.m.) — Three-car motor vehicle crash, no injuries. Report was taken and vehicles towed from the scene.

Concord Road (2:37 p.m.) — Large brush fire on Rte. 126 near Walden Pond. Multiple towns responded to assist.

Concord Road (3:0 p.m.) — Fire Department vehicle backed into a vehicle while turning around. Minor damage; report taken.

Tower Road (4:29 p.m.) — Resident reported their dog is missing and doesn’t have its tags on.

Mill Street (7:04 p.m.) — Shed was reported on fire. Multiple towns responded to assist.

Garland Road (3:00 p.m.) — Caller reported an animal is digging in their yard; was advised to contact a pest control company.

Lincoln Police Department (3:15 p.m.) — A party came to the station to get information on how to make a payment to town’s website.

Birchwood Lane (6:26 p.m.) — Party reported he and a friend were verbally threatened by a party who was on the Sudbury River. Unable to locate the involved parties.

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound — State Police had to dispatch a deer that was struck by a vehicle(notifying in case residents called the police).

Walden Pond boat ramp 8:42 p.m.) — Officer responded to assist party who parked his car at the boat ramp and didn’t remove it after the gates closed.

June 5

Lexington Road (11:18 a.m.) — Allegedly fraudulent unemployment claim filed. Report taken.

June 6

South Commons (12:44 p.m.) — Caller reported hearing a neighbor calling for help. Police and fire personnel responded and found that the neighbor was fine.

Sandy Pond Road (:34 p.m.) — Caller reported that a vehicle was parked on his property. Officer checked the area and attempted to locate the owner.

Trapelo Road at Rte. 128 (4:49 p.m.) — Caller reported a malfunctioning traffic light; was advised to contact Waltham police.

Lincoln Road (5:26 p.m.) — Officer who was flagged down by a party assisted with removing a turtle from the roadway.

Tracey’s Service Station, Cambridge Turnpike (7:11 p.m.) — Truck driver requested assistance with help backing up in the parking lot. Officer responded to assist.

Lincoln Road (8:34 p.m.) — Caller reported that a car with three people drove past her and began yelling at her. Officers were unable to locate the vehicle.

Weston Road (9:01 p.m.) — Party reported losing prescription sunglasses while in the park the previous night. Nothing had been turned into the station.

June 7

South Great Road (10:10 a.m.) — Caller reported that the railroad gates were stuck down. MBTA was notified; officer reported on arrival that the gates were back up.

Conant Road (11:30 a.m.) — Police assisted a party with a civil matter.

South Great Road (1:01 p.m.) — Caller reported cars parked partially on the roadway. Officer responded and the vehicles were moved by their owners.

Tower Road (3:46 p.m.) — Domestic incident involving a juvenile.

Donelan’s Supermarket (8:35 p.m.) — Party sleeping in the area; they requested a ride to Nine-Acre Corner in Concord. Officer assisted with a ride.

A look at procedure and agenda for Town Meeting

A diagram of drop-off and parking areas, rest rooms, etc. for Saturday’s Town Meeting (click to enlarge).

Voter check-in for Lincoln’s first al fresco Town Meeting starts at 8:15 a.m. on Saturday, June 13, and it’s guaranteed to be significantly shorter than the usual multi-hour affairs.

The meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. under a large tent (capacity with social distancing: 150) in the Hartwell parking lot. Voters, who must wear masks, will get a preassembled packet with handouts, a voting card, paper, and a pencil for writing down questions. There will be a first-aid station with hand sanitizer, extra masks, water, etc., and volunteers who hand things out will be wearing gloves and masks.

For those who can’t attend, the town is live-streaming Town Meeting on Facebook. This allows residents to watch and and listen remotely, but not to vote, ask questions or participate in discussions. Click here to view (a Facebook account or password are not required).

The agenda includes 22 articles, but 19 of them are on the consent calendar, meaning they will be voted on as a bloc to save time, though attendees have the option of calling out individual items for separate discussion and voting. The other three articles are appropriations for the Water Department ($270,000 in borrowing), the School Building Committee ($828,945 transfer from free cash), and an annual free-cash article to balance the budget and/or reduce the tax rate.

Normally, a quorum of 100 residents is required to make a Town Meeting official in Lincoln, but the Board of Selectmen has the option to reduce that quorum to as few as 10 residents if necessary. The option came about after Gov. Baker recently signed legislation relaxing the Massachusetts Town Meeting quorum rules.

The board will meet virtually at 8:45 a.m. on June 13 to discuss whether, with Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden’s input and approval, it should lower the quorum to ensure that Town Meeting can undertake its responsibilities. The decision will rest partly on the rate at which residents are trickling in for the Town Meeting.

Before the Covid-19 state of emergency was declared, the original warrant signed on February 24 had 40 articles. They included some nonessential financial items and several citizens’ petitions asking voters if they would:

  • hear reports from town boards on the status of the community center project
  • change the name of the Board of Selectmen to the Select Board
  • support the proposal of the eighth-grade Warrant Article Group to support the Parkland School students’ organization, March for Our Lives, to end school shootings and shootings all over the country
  • adopt a resolution in support of various federal, state and local actions to combat climate change
  • adopt a new section in the town’s General Bylaws called the Polystyrene Reduction By-Law
  • require Lincoln retail establishments to charge a fee for non-reusable check-out bags
  • prohibit food establishments in Lincoln from using and distributing disposable plastic straws, stirrers, and splash sticks

There will be a Special Town Meeting in the fall to consider the items omitted on Saturday, as well as anything else that comes up between now and then that needs a town-wide vote.

Library to offer curbside lending soon, but FOLL takes a hit

The Lincoln Public Library is now accepting returns in its book drop and plans to offer contactless curbside pickup of books reserved online by patrons once a tent to cover its handicapped parking area has arrived.  

The book drop accepts returns of items borrowed from any library in the Minuteman Library Network. Nothing is due until June 30, and the grace period has been extended from one day to four days to allow items to be quarantined. Patrons will still not be allowed in the library building for the time being. 

Meanwhile, the Friends of the Lincoln Library (FOLL) has taken a big hit since the advent of Covid-19, when Bemis Hall was closed to donations of used books and the monthly book sales were halted. But the FOLL is once again collecting used books and is now selling them online via Amazon.com.

Residents can drop used books in the bins at the Lincoln Mall and Tracey’s Service Station, where they’ll be collected by FOLL’s online book sales partner and kept in a warehouse for several days before any of their staff touches them (no books will be handled by Lincoln’s FOLL volunteers). Books that meet the threshold for profitable sale will be offered online for buyers searching for used book titles, and FOLL will receive a percentage of the profit from the sales to support the library’s needs. Books that don’t meet the threshold will be donated by FOLL’s  partner to organizations that need books, such as prison libraries and children’s book foundations.

Please do not leave books at Bemis Hall. To protect the health of the seniors who receive services from the Council on Aging in Bemis, any books left there will be discarded immediately. CDs, DVDs, or any item other than books cannot be accepted. Anyone who would like a receipt form for donations may email FOLL@lincolntown.org.

Supporters can also have Amazon.com donate 0.5% of the price of their eligible purchases to the FOLL. Go to smile.amazon.com and specify “Friends of the Lincoln Library Inc” as your charity of choice; the donation will be made automatically for all of your Amazon purchases thereafter. Click here for more information.

The FOLL funds all of the library’s special programs, projects, and special equipment. Given the age profile of its volunteers and the cramped quarters in the Bemis Hall basement where monthly book sales take place, they don’t expect to resume the sales until a vaccine for Covid-19 becomes available. Click here to donate directly to the FOLL.

Corrections

The June 9 “My Turn” piece by Sara Mattes endorsing Bob Domnitz for Planning Board had a misleading headline using the word “tout,” which means not only “to promote or talk up” but also “to solicit, peddle, or persuade importunately” (and “importunately” means “troublesomely urgent or overly persistent in request or demand.”) Thus, “tout” could be construed as having negative connotations. The headline has been changed to “(Re)-elect Domnitz to the Planning Board.”

The June 10 story about the Water Department forum may have given the impression that apprenticeships were definitely planned as a solution to the department’s staff vacancy. While apprenticeships are being explored for the future, the current plan is to hire another full-time, licensed operator who can immediately take on the tasks that only a licensed operator can do. On July 1, when the FY21 budget funding is available, the department will begin advertising to fill that open position. The original article has been updated.

Water Department still has plant operator vacancy

At a sparsely attended June 9 Water Commission forum on Zoom, officials explained that the Water Department is hoping to hire another water treatment plant operator after the new fiscal year starts on July 1. 

The department has been short-staffed for some time due to several departures last year and a statewide shortage of qualified operators. At one point there were only two on the job, although the state Department of Environmental Protection requires four in Lincoln. There are now three full-time operators; the fourth spot is being filled by part-time workers until the department can advertise for another full-time licensed operator after the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.

The staff vacancies have cost the department a substantial amount of money because it’s been forced to hire expensive contractors to fill the gaps. The widespread shortage of operators “feels like it’s going to be a gating factor for some time to come, cost-wise,” resident Rick Rundell commented.

Hiring less qualified people and training them on the job would seem like a sensible plan, “but without certain credentialing, very limited in terms of what they can actually do,” Water Commissioner Michelle Barnes said. However, Minuteman Vocational Technical School has a training program for water treatment plant operators that could be a source of apprentices who can do some limited work while also studying for their licenses.

The 9 a.m. forum, which was marred by technical glitches at times, went over the Water Department’s spending requests for fiscal 2021. The department proposes to raise its operating budget by 38% and borrow $270,000 for capital items. That bonding came after two previous bonds totaling $1.98 million that were authorized in 2019 as well as significant hikes in water rates and the operating budget this year.

FinCom shares property tax information

Finance Committee chair Andy Payne gathered the following information about current property tax bills. He adds this disclaimer: “The state Department of Revenue is not providing the ‘average single-family tax bill’ for towns with senior exemption programs, notably Sudbury and Concord. The values for those towns were imputed from the tax rate.” Click any image to enlarge.

The official 2020 Town Meeting web page includes the financial section and warrant, the FinCom’s presentation of the proposed FY21 budget, and a memo on what changed in the proposed budget after Town Meeting was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

My Turn: Many are disenfranchised at Town Meeting

By Carol DiGianni

Since the pandemic is still clearly a hazard for those of us who are seniors, or otherwise incapacitated, it seems like an oversight not to have options for some form of remote voting on Town Meeting warrant articles.  There is remote voting in the upcoming election — why not for those of us whose economic life in impacted by the recent substantial hike in property taxes here in Lincoln? Seniors are a substantial demographic here and deserve the right to vote in their own behalf.

I for one feel it unfair to be penalized for staying safely at home while others who are more able-bodied can vote to impact (once again) my economic life. Given these extremely extenuating circumstances, I propose an immediate change in the law regarding in-person quorum for Town Meeting, in time for this town meeting, to allow absentee/early voting by mail or some form of real-time online voting. Thank you.

Carol DiGianni
140 Lincoln Rd., Lincoln

”My Turn” is a forum for Lincoln residents to offer their 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.