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Winter Carnival 2024 schedule

Friday, Feb. 2–Sunday, Feb. 4

Open skate
Community Ice Rink, Pierce House (dawn to dusk)
Come skate with family and friends all weekend long!

Thursday, Feb. 1

“Josip Lluis Sert: A Nomadic Dream”
6:30–8:30 p.m., Lincoln Public Library
A documentary film about architect Josef Sert, who fled Spain during the Spanish Civil War and became the dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design (1953- 1969). He designed many buildings in the Boston area, including Lincoln Woods in Lincoln.

Friday, Feb. 2

LPTO Bingo Night
5:30–7:30 p.m., Lincoln School Dining Commons
Prizes awarded for each winning bingo board. Awesome raffle prizes! Pizza sales start at 5:30 p.m., with additional snacks and drinks available for purchase. Free entry. Bingo cards are $5 for a 15-game multi-pack; raffle tickets are one for $1, six for $5, or 15 for $10 (suggested donation).

Saturday, Feb. 3

Pancake Breakfast
8–11 a.m., First Parish Stone Church
Start off Saturday of Winter Carnival with delicious pancakes and real maple syrup at the Lincoln Girl Scouts’ annual Pancake Breakfast. Plain, chocolate chip, and gluten-free pancakes with coffee, tea, orange juice, and fruit. Meet friends, catch up with neighbors, and enjoy crafts for kids. Girl Scout Cookies will be on sale. $5 for children under 12, $10 for everyone else ($30 family maximum).

Scavenger Hunt
10–11:30 a.m., Codman Community Farms
Where are the pigs hiding? How many cows can you count? Complete the list and receive complimentary hot chocolate! Breakfast sandwiches available for purchase. All ages welcome.

Cozy Story Time & Outdoor Play
10–11:30 a.m., deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum
Please join us for a cozy outdoor story time and hot chocolate at deCordova followed by outdoor play at Lincoln Nursery School.

Winter Fairy Land
1–3 p.m., Mall at Lincoln Station
Step into Fairyland in your fairy finery. A dazzling enchanted forest has appeared at Lincoln Station, complete with fairy houses, ice sculptures, hot cocoa, and fun activities for all ages. For details, visit lincolnconservation.org and farringtonnaturelinc.org.

Winter Wildlife Walk
2:30–3:45 p.m., Mt. Misery
Join us on a guided hike around the trails of Mt. Misery as we look for tracks and other signs of life to understand how our local wildlife survives New England winters. We look for the presence of a variety of animals, including beaver activity, to learn how they spend stretches of winter under the ice. This family-friendly hike will be guided by the Lincoln Conservation Department. Click here to register.

Energy Blaster
Reed Gym
3–4 p.m. — ages under kindergarten
4–6 p.m. —kindergarten and above
Jump in a bounce house, run through an obstacle course, climb, and slide! The gym will be filled with fun ways to let out energy. A mini bounce house will be available for our youngest bouncers. Enjoy a craft project and some snacks on the sidelines! Free for LincFam members, $10/child (maximum $30 per family ) for nonmembers.

Valentines for Teachers
3–5 p.m., Reed Gym lobby
Create Valentine’s Day cards to celebrate and thank the teachers and staff at Lincoln Public Schools. Take your card with you or leave with us to deliver. New: Photo booth for picture to keep or to include in the card. Materials and hot drinks provided. $5 suggested donation to fund the Lincoln School Foundation.

Farmer’s Helpers
3:30–5 p.m., Drumlin Farm
Help our farmer take care of the animals! In this hands-on activity, you’ll get to meet and feed the animals their dinner, help keep the barns clean, and make sure everyone is tucked in for the night. Adult & child members: $14. Adult & child nonmembers: $17. Click here to register.

Family Night Hike & Owl Prowl
6:30–8 p.m., Drumlin Farm
Search for signs of owls as we enjoy a winter night hike through fields and forests. Start just outside the visitor center where you’ll look at samples of owl wings, skulls, talons, and feathers to learn how these animals are adapted to low-light conditions. We’ll talk about owl calls, behaviors, and habitat as we look and listen for our resident screech, barred, and great horned owls. Adult & child members: $17. Adult & child nonmembers: $21. Click here to register.

Acoustic Coffee House
7–10 p.m., Bemis Hall (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
This is the Parks and Recreation Department’s annual night to showcase local musicians and performers! We have a diverse roster of performers — some returning, some new — ready to play for you, and there’s a good chance you know some of them! Coffee/tea and desserts will be served. Tickets: $12 per person or $180 for a table of eight. Tickets can be purchased at LincolnRec.com.

Sunday, Feb. 4

Yoga and Meditation
10–11:30 a.m., First Parish Stone Church
Come in out of the cold and learn some easy yoga stretches and poses as well as meditation techniques at First Parish in Lincoln’s Stone Church auditorium. Kids and adults welcome!

Family Life in Lincoln at the Time of the Revolution
11 a.m.–1 p.m., Bemis Hall
What was life like for parents and children in 18th century Lincoln? Come join the Lincoln Minute Men to talk about life in Lincoln of 1775, and try your own hand at the tasks, skills, and amusements of 18th-century life. There are hands-on activities for the entire family.

Reptiles in the Winter
1:15–1:45 p.m. OR 2–2:45 p.m., Lincoln Public Library
Winter is cold in New England, but not everywhere. Learn how animals survive freezing temperatures, floods, and other winter challenges in different parts of the world. Who is active and outside? Who is sleeping or hiding? Joys of Nature will share information on how local animals and others around the world survive their winter seasons. Attendees will also meet live reptiles! We are offering two half-hour sessions for families with children ages 4+. For more information, email dleopold@minlib.net.

Cookies and Cookbooks
1–3 p.m., Lincoln Public Library
Join Friends of the Lincoln Library for free hot apple cider, cookies, and the gently used cookbook sale. All proceeds will go towards supporting programs and services at the library.

My Turn: Frank Clark is running for Select Board

By Frank Clark

I am pleased to announce that I will be seeking your vote for Select Board in the March town election. I’m running because the town deserves a meaningful choice between the path we’re currently on and a more moderate, inclusive way forward.

We need to balance the aspirations of the town’s politically active residents with the majority of the town who simply need assurance that the town’s essential character will be preserved and public money is spent carefully. Twenty years ago, the town’s long term debt was about $7 million. If the $25 million option for the community center is approved in March, our long-term debt will exceed $100 million. This works out to about $50,000 per household. There are other capital projects waiting in the wings and we’ve fallen behind on essentials such as road maintenance.

Our tax burden obviously falls most heavily on those who can least afford it. We need to find a more moderate, inclusive way forward. We need to prioritize concern for our less affluent neighbors who are being squeezed out of town. I begin this effort with humility and a pledge to do the very best that I can to serve the present and future residents of our beautiful community.

I’ll have much more to say about these issues as we get closer to the town election. I look forward to speaking with you. Please feel free to contact me by phone (978-502-0022) or email (frank.clark@gmail.com).

Sincerely,

Frank Clark, 125 South Great Road (resident for 14 years)

Background: Electrical engineer, optical physicist, astrophysicist. I have been an academic (14 years), federal government employee (23 years), and worked in private industry. I am a long-standing member of Lincoln’s Historical Commission and Historic District Commission.

“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

In the January 28 article headlined “My Turn: Hometown hero enchants a crowd,” former U.S. Capitol Police Office Winston Pingeon was misidentified in two places as “Walter Pingeon.” The original article has been corrected.

My Turn: Hometown hero enchants a crowd

By Lynne Smith

Most of us watched the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.and have read and seen details since that time, but hearing Lincoln native Winston Pingeon describe his long day — spent mostly in riot gear as a U.S. Capitol Police Officer — made the horror fresh again.

Pingeon described to a group at Bemis Hall on January 19 how he and fellow officers moved from one defensive position to another as the crowd surged forward from the base of the Capitol, up the steps, and finally into the Capitol building. While drafted to work early with his riot team, he was really only warned of the potential for violence on the morning of the sixth. Outnumbered by 58 to 1, the entire Capitol Police force of nearly 2,000 officers along with D.C. Metropolitan police officers soon became overrun, with the National Guard awaiting approval to go assist.

A self-portrait of Winston on Jan. 6, 2021 after he’d been in riot gear for 12 hours.

Pingeon grew up in Lincoln and graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. While art was his passion, he decided he wanted to get a “real job” in law enforcement and applied to the Capitol Police Force. After seven months of training, he joined as an officer in 2016, just in time for the Trump inauguration in 2017.

Describing his time as an officer, Pingeon said he found meaning by serving as the Ceremonial Honor Guard, memorably for Ruth Bader Ginsburgh as she lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda — the first woman to be so honored. Admitting that he had not been interested in politics before his service, he began to recognize and speak with the legislators. In the process, he learned more about what went on in the nation’s capital and found camaraderie with members of Congress, staffers, and of course his fellow officers.

After spending Christmas 2020 in Lincoln, Pingeon reported to his first day on duty in the new year just two days prior to January 6th. He was told to report at 8 a.m., hours before his usual shift time of 3 p.m. As he recounted the day, he remembered being glad he had eaten breakfast in the headquarters building before he went to the north side of the Capitol to gear up and await further orders. Instead of his normal patrol uniform, he donned his full riot gear including gas mask, armor, and a baton.

Hearing about the crowd on the ellipse and conversing on the police radios, Pingeon and the other officers were tensely waiting for a crowd but still not expecting what was about to happen. He showed photos of the outnumbered police force at the barricades, and of him and other officers being assaulted. As the mob surged forward, Winston’s gas mask was deliberately shoved to one side and he was punched in the face. As he was pushed to the ground, his baton was ripped out of his hands and stolen from him. He described how he feared that it would be even easier for someone to steal his holstered gun and turn it on him and others. Fortunately, fellow officers helped him up and he continued to push back the wave of angry protesters. He said it was impossible to even imagine the building would be so violently breached, but that was obviously the unfortunate reality of what happened. Photos taken that day showed Pingeon near the first window area that was initially breached. 

Winston Pingeon in his days as a Capitol Police Officer.

At one point, he responded to an “officer down” call on the radio and went to help but realized that others with emergency medical training were on the scene, so he returned again to the interior perimeter of the building. The siege continued for many hours and a precarious calm did not return until late in the evening when the legislators were finally able to return to certify the vote of the electoral representatives. He described how painful and devastating the events of January 6th and its aftermath were to him personally and to the Capitol Police force as a whole. 

As impressive as Pingeon’s story is, his demeanor after his presentation was a further demonstration of his character. Attendees at Bemis Hall asked many questions, some of which were personal and clearly brought back difficult memories of the day. He shared the self-portraits and drawings he has since created and said that art has helped him recover from this intense experience. He took time to answer us thoughtfully and introduced us to his proud father seated in the back of the room.

Lincoln is fortunate to be the hometown of such a man. We congratulate Pingeon and wish him success in his important new career developing technology for law enforcement.

Winston’s art can be seen on his website at winstonwatercolors.com.

“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.

Clarification and correction

  • In the January 16, 2024 story headlined “Initial ideas for mall redevelopment to be presented Thursday,” the sentence stating that “the Planning Board is also considering a new ‘building footprint + parking’ parameter that limits the footprint and parking to no more than 50% of the lot” implied that this idea applied to the Village Center 3A subdistrict that includes the mall. That parameter in fact does not apply to that district, but only to the other three in South Lincoln (Lincoln Woods, Lincoln Road and Codman Road).
  • In the January 14 edition of “News acorns,” author Katherine Hall Page’s first name was mistakenly given as Kathleen.

Both original posts have been modified.

 

Clarification and amplification

Several readers have posted comments and emailed the Lincoln Squirrel about the November 29 Lincoln Squirrel article headlined “Option E is not viable, HCA consultant says” to complain that it was biased. A better word choice for the headline would have been that Option E is not “compliant.”

The reason Utile gave for deeming Option E noncompliant was because its south Lewis Street subdistrict is smaller than 5 acres and is not contiguous with the rest of the Lincoln Road subdistrict. Some commenters (including but not limited to members of the Lincoln Residents for Housing Alternatives) noted that they had submitted a new option that includes 2 Lewis St., saying this now makes the option acceptable to the state. 

“After sending our initial option to the Selects and the HCAWG, the Lincoln Residents for Housing Alternatives (LRHA) requested that the HCAWG notify us if they or Utile noticed discrepancies so we could correct them before we issued a public version,” LHRA member Benjamin Shiller said in an email to the Squirrel at 6:20 p.m. on November 30. “Instead, the HCAWG received Utile’s advice and immediately published the comment that Option E was not compliant due to this easily remedied issue. This project is extremely detailed and small discrepancies, like those uncovered by the LRHA in the HCAWG submission to the town, can be corrected once they are pointed out.”  

It’s unclear when the LHRA officially submitted its amended Option 3. The Lincoln Squirrel was unaware of that development at the time the article was written, since it was not brought up at the Zoom session held shortly before publication.

LRHA also notes that the Housing Choice Act Working Group amended its own four options after it submitted Option C to the state for a preliminary compliance check, due in part to issues pointed out by the LRHA. HCAWG delves into the details of wetlands, open space, units per acre, and modeled unit capacity numbers in the “2023 11 30 – Deeper Dive into Calculations” update at the top of the HCAWG web page. In a November 30 email to LincolnTalk, Shiller said there are still problems with the state model and the HCAWG options that could allow much more development than intended, as he explains in these two videos (short and long versions).

This is an unusual story where complicated details are changing sometimes several times a day in a flurry of activity leading up to an important town-wide vote. The Lincoln Squirrel has amended the headline in the November 29 article but stands by its reporting as being accurate at the moment the described events took place. 

My Turn: Lincoln, the HCA, and what lies ahead

By Barbara Peskin

This morning, I walked my dog at Harrington (a.k.a. Stonybrook) and saw an “E is Exclusionary” yard sign in the parking lot. I support Option E over C, not to be exclusionary, but because while it allows for significant HCA development in the Lincoln Station area, Option E doesn’t earmark all 39 parcels.

HCA developments will not create communities like the Lincoln Woods apartments; instead, construction will be three- and four-story high-end condo buildings. Option E also keeps wildlife and habitat around Codman Farm and gardens and along Codman Road less vulnerable. The map here compares the Option C and E parcel plans.

(Click image to enlarge)

I compiled the parcel list and map at right to show which parcels are in Option E that are also in Option C. 2 Lewis St. was recently added to Option E. Once an HCA bylaw passes, development on HCA parcels can happen quickly, with only Planning Board site plan review.

Because Option C puts all 39 parcels into play for quick process development, a scenario like this could result:

  • January 2, 2025 — Developer 1 begins construction of a 20-unit, three-story condo building at 152-154 Lincoln Rd. February 1, 2025. Developer 2 begins construction of a 30-unit condo building at 146/148 Lincoln Road.
  • February 1, 2025 — Concurrently, Developer 3 begins construction of a 40-unit three-story condo building at 90 Codman Rd. and 26 units at 78 Codman Rd. When, how, and at what pace each of the 9 Codman Rd. parcels would be developed is unknown. HCA rezones for future development without a specific proposal in hand. We rezone any named HCA parcel for future by right development at any time. You can imagine the concern that has been expressed by some Codman Road residents who were not contacted prior to Option C and do not support the rezoning of their single home district. Some of us who often walk or bike ride Codman Road and cherish its habitat are concerned about the clear-cutting and impact on wildlife as well.
  • March 1, 2025 — Developer 4 starts building at the mall and Doherty’s. They buy all six village center 25-units-per-acre parcels to build 170 units with multiple condo buildings plus some retail. They call the condo buildings next to Codman Farm and garden “Lincoln Gardens.”
  • May 1, 2025 — Developer 5 closes a Codman/Lincoln/Lewis corner deal to purchase seven parcels: 72 and 74 Codman Rd., 168 Lincoln Rd., and four parcels on Lewis Street to build a 75-unit development on seven acres.

So far, in this scenario, 19 parcels would be redeveloped with three- to four-story condos and over 330 units, and we still have 20 more parcels to go. With Option C, we could have 19, 28 or even 39 different developers and projects all under construction at the same time.

Compare this to Option E, which has 14 parcels in the Lincoln Station area. The Select Board has said that if Option E is our choice on December 2, a parallel proposal to develop the mall will also be on the March Town Meeting warrant.

So Option E will result in significant redevelopment, yet leaves some of the other 25 Lincoln Station area parcels available for affordable housing development done at a pace we can anticipate and plan. The color coded map above shows the overlap of Option E with Option C.

Additional thoughts
  • The state wants to know a town’s HCA districts by December 31, 2024.
  • The Lincoln Select Board has decided that the town should vote on Lincoln’s HCA final solution at the March 2024 Town Meeting.
  • The Select Board/HCAWG’s Options C and Ds include a village district (Doherty’s, mall, and four town-owned parcels) that would mix commercial with residential use. Since “mixed-use” isn’t strictly housing, and HCA is about housing, the state asks to review any “mixed-use” potential HCA district three months ahead of time.
  • The three-month lead time specifically for mixed-use districts, along with Lincoln’s self-imposed March 2024 deadline instead of the state imposed December 2024 deadline, is what is pushing our option preliminary vote to the December 2, 2023 meeting.
  • Option E does not include a mixed-use district and so does not require this additional lead time. If Option E is the choice of the town, we do not have to rush the decision.
  • There is open-source software to model solutions. Lincoln Residents for Alternative Housing has modeled over 15 solutions, including Option E now on the December 2 slate of options.
  • Our existing Lincoln zoned multifamily housing like Battle Road Farm and Lincoln Woods apartments have far more affordable housing than HCA guidelines require of developers.

Barbara Peskin is a member of Lincoln Residents for Alternative Housing.

“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: How about equity for seniors?

By David Levington

The interminable meetings of the CCBC (Community Center Building Committee) have been disheartening. I had expected discussions of how to design a vibrant new center for the town’s seniors, but instead all I heard was talk about how to save money.

Residents seem preoccupied with the $93 million spent on our new schools and don’t want to add to our tax bills. They seem to forget that we are just continuing a process that began in 2010, when a study group concluded that Bemis Hall and the Hartwell Pods were inefficient. Thirteen years later after several interim reports, they are still questioning the need for something new, and decision time for a community center is here.

The warrant for the December 2 Special Town Meeting asks us to choose between three community center options. The option we choose will be further developed and put forward for final approval at the March 2024 Town Meeting and a ballot-box funding vote. If all that goes through, we should have a new community center in a few years.

But which option?

One of the options is totally unacceptable; its only benefit is that it saves money. It calls for the renovation of one of the old pods, and has LEAP (the after-school program for kids) remain in another unimproved pod.

The other two options each provide for a new community center and a facility for LEAP. The 100% option, expected to cost $24 million, offers a new building on one level with enough space for both LEAP and a gracious community center. The 75% option costs $19 million, leaves LEAP in a renovated pod, and provides “just enough” space for the Council on Aging & Human Services to continue its present programs.

Is that what we want, after a dozen years of planning? A new building (nice of course) but everything crammed into smaller spaces? The financial difference between the two options is about $5 million, which equates to about $150 per year difference in the property tax on an average home (under $100/year on a condo).

Our decision will determine what we will live with and experience for the next 20 years. I urge you to vote for the more generous plan. We seniors have always supported our schools and programs for children. We should do the equitable thing and give our seniors a beautiful new gathering place.

“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.