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Letter to the editor: LSSC’s Marshall supports Kasper and Joachim

(Editor’s note: Marshall is currently on the LSSC but is not running for reelection.)

To the editor:

I write to fully endorse Carole Kasper’s and Ellen Joachim’s candidacies for the L-S School Committee. Lincoln voters should robustly support them at the polls on Monday, March 26. There are two open seats, as Gerald Quirk of Sudbury and I are both stepping down. Carole’s is the only candidate name printed on the ballot. Ellen is a write-in candidate from Sudbury. 

Carole and Ellen are both strong leaders. They have been collaborative, engaged, and thoughtful contributors to many community and educational initiatives at L-S and in Lincoln and Sudbury. There is hard, good work to be done, engaging committees in both towns, attending to the L-S School Committee’s regular business, crafting a fiscally responsible budget, and listening to constituents in Lincoln, Sudbury, and Boston. Carole and Ellen will put in the hours and foster relationships and will represent the integrity of our regional high school and our communities well.

Carole was active on the L-S School Start Time Subcommittee; she analyzed and collated the data that went into the final report. She fully understands and supports L-S’s efforts to find a way to allow a later start time for our students. Carole’s recent work chairing the Lincoln Campus Master Plan Committee was critical to the town’s next steps in our school and community center discussions. 

Ellen will be a strong advocate for our high school; she understands the nuanced Lincoln/Sudbury partnership. Ellen’s legal expertise and her six years on the Sudbury School Committee provide lenses that will support the L-S School Committee’s work and positive relationships with our K-8 districts.

Ensuring our students feel safe socially, emotionally, and physically at L-S is a priority for both Carole and Ellen. Carole’s depth of experience in her consulting work will contribute to open, thoughtful conversations about school safety. Both of them will seek to balance L-S’s strengths in allowing students to be resilient and well-prepared for life after high school with the realities and pressures of our world today.

Carole and Ellen will work diligently with our Finance and Capital Committees, engage constituents and town officials openly and respectfully, and support LSRHS faculty and staff in their continued efforts to educate and prepare our students for the 21st century. They will be guided by the core values of L-S and approach their service mindful of what is best for all students.

Having two Lincoln seats at L-S is not guaranteed; supporting Carole with a very high turnout in Lincoln is critical to assuring our high school is served well by both towns. Carole’s name is printed on the ballot. Along with Ellen, there are two other write-in candidates from Sudbury. Carole and Ellen have complementary skills to partner productively and positively for LSRHS.

Absentee ballots for registered Lincoln residents who will be out of town are available from the Town Clerk through Friday, March 23.  Applications for absentee ballots can be obtained via the Town Clerk’s website.

Sincerely,

Nancy Marshall
23 Beaver Pond Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: vote for Kasper and Joachim

To the editor:

I am writing in support of Ellen Joachim and Carole Kasper for LSRHS School Committee. Ellen is running as a write-in candidate and Carole will be on the ballot. When I think of the characteristics I believe make a successful School Committee member, I think of open communication, collaboration, and community building. Both Ellen and Carole have proven track records in all three Cs.

Ellen Joachim is a Sudbury resident who is also an L-S graduate who moved back to Sudbury with her husband to raise their three sons. As a lawyer who served on the Sudbury School Committee for six years, one year as chair and two as vice chair, Ellen has clearly demonstrated her ability to communicate with administration, parents, and staff. She worked collaboratively to help the Sudbury Public Schools grow and continue to be the excellent school system it is.

Finally, Ellen will work for the L-S community—the whole community. I know that she believes, as I do, that all L-S students are the responsibility and priority of the L-S School Committee, regardless of which of the many zip codes represented at L-S they come from. As the mother of two boys who have graduated from L-S and a third who is currently there, Ellen understands the social, emotional, developmental, and academic needs of the high school population. She has worked to build relationships with staff and administration to help her own children get the best possible education for each of them, and she will be able to build on those strong bridges to help all of our children. Ellen’s professional and volunteer experiences uniquely position her as a candidate who will help the entire L-S community come to the table so that we can work together to build an excellent future for our students, staff, and entire school.

Carole Kasper is a familiar face in Lincoln because she has been a tireless volunteer and voice for our schools and our community. Her professional background as an organizational consultant make her an incredibly well qualified candidate. She has proven time and again that she can help build community, collaborate, and bring parties to the table, and that she prioritizes open communication and thoughtful listening. Her professional background paired with these skills make her an ideal candidate to help L-S navigate the rapidly changing world and help keep open the conversations about what the future of L-S should look like.

Carole currently has a son at L-S and will have another there next year. Like Ellen, she has worked to build relationships at the high school that will serve her well as a School Committee member.

Please join me in voting for both Ellen Joachim and Carole Kasper on Monday, March 26.

Sincerely,

Becca Fasciano
8 Linway Road

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: Hullinger supports wife for LSSC

To the editor:

I am proud to support Siobhan Hullinger as a write in candidate for the Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School Committee. I can personally attest to Siobhan’s deep knowledge about LSRHS and her strong appreciation for the important role LSRHS has in our communities. Siobhan has previously served on the LSRHS School Council and the Housemaster Search Committee. She currently serves on the board of the L-S Scholarship Fund and has actively supported various athletic teams as a “captain’s parent” and fan for our three children who have graduated from or are currently attending L-S.

For years, Siobhan has watched virtually all of the LSRHS, Sudbury School Committee, [Sudbury] Board of Selectmen and [Sudbury ]FinCom meetings, providing her with an extensive knowledge about the matters facing LSRHS. She also understands the essential need for more effective cooperation and collaboration with SPS, the BOS, and the town of Lincoln to ensure LSRHS continues to provide an education nationally recognized by colleges and universities and a broad offering of extracurricular activities for its students, and serves as an effective steward of our taxpayer’s money.

In addition to her LSRHS experiences, Siobhan possesses two qualities that are essential to be an effective member of the School Committee. First, Siobhan is someone who researches the issues to offer informed opinions about matters facing L-S and our member towns. Second and most importantly, Siobhan is committed to the practice of civil discourse to have the kinds of discussions and collaboration that are necessary in order to arrive at informed decisions in the best interests of students, faculty, and the taxpayers of our towns.

I will be enthusiastically writing in the name “Siobhan Hullinger” for the LSRHS School Committee on Monday, March 26, and urge you to do the same.

Sincerely,

Mike Hullinger
55 Washington Drive, Sudbury

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: vote yes on gas leaks resolution

To the editor:

Mothers Out Front Lincoln encourages everyone to vote “yes” to support our gas leaks resolution at Town Meeting on March 24. This is our chance to be part of the solution as we work to create a livable climate for our children, grandchildren, and future generations.

The vision of Mothers Out Front is a swift, just, and complete transition to clean, renewable energy. Our resolution targets leaked natural gas whose methane is a key contributor to climate change. We are seeking to change the narrative about natural gas. It is not clean nor is it a bridge fuel from fossil fuels to renewables. It is a potent greenhouse gas that threatens all that we care about.

Lincoln currently has 64 unrepaired gas leaks. Mothers Out Front members knit colorful scarves to mark these leaks around town. Natural gas is 95 percent methane, which traps 86 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

Gas leaks are also toxic to human health. Most gas in Massachusetts comes from fracked gas from Pennsylvania. Extraction of fracked gas requires more than 1,000 chemicals, some of which are toxic. These toxins are linked to a variety of health issues including asthma, immune dysfunction, cancer, and other devastating conditions.

Leaking methane not only poses a risk for deadly explosions; it is also killing our trees when we need them more than ever. The pooling gas blocks oxygen from reaching the trees’ roots.

What is shocking is that we consumers are paying for this unchecked methane emitted from unrepaired pipes! Presently, gas distribution companies are allowed to pass on to consumers the costs associated with lost and unaccounted-for gas. A 2013 study from the office of Senator Ed Markey estimates these costs to be up to $135 million per year in Massachusetts.

If Lincoln voters support our resolution, “Protecting Consumers of Gas and Electricity from Paying for Leaked and Unaccounted-for Gas,” we will join other towns that have passed similar resolutions to pressure the utilities to fix the largest leaks (super-emitters). If the utilities fix 7 percent of the biggest leaks, emissions will be reduced by 50 percent.

At least 12 states have passed comparable resolutions placing a cap on how much utilities can charge customers for leaking gas. These states include New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and California.

Your “yes” vote on the gas leaks resolution sends a powerful message to our state legislators that we want them to act on behalf of future generations and Mother Earth. Please vote YES at Town Meeting!

Sincerely,

Emily Haslett
26 Baker Bridge Rd., Lincoln

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Town Archives launches new digital website

The architect’s sketch and floor plan for the Lincoln Public Library (click to enlarge).

The Lincoln Town Archives (LTA) has launched a new website at lincolntownarchives.omeka.net to highlight treasures from their historical collections. The site features selected archival materials and exhibits about Lincoln’s local history, including some rarely seen images and artifacts—all easily accessible online. 

Currently the LTA is featuring a new digital exhibit called “R.D. Donaldson: A Vernacular Carpenter.” The exhibit explores the life and legacy of Lincoln builder Robert Douglas Donaldson and is based on research conducted by late Lincoln resident Robert Loud. It also highlights photographs and documents recently donated by R.D.’s grandson, Craig Donaldson. Archives intern Indrani Kharbanda assisted in the creation of the exhibit.

The new LTA website also includes an exhibit titled “From Bookcase to Building: A History of the Lincoln Library,” adapted from an original physical display created by Marjorie Hilton for the Lincoln Town Archives’ grand reopening in 2009. It chronicles the history and development of the Lincoln Public Library, and spotlights documents such as the Constitution of the third Social Library in Lincoln (1840) and images of the original Lincoln Library building in the 1880s.

As an ongoing digital project aimed at providing easy remote access to archival collections and promoting local history, Town Archivist Marie Wasnock will add more historical items and exhibits to the site periodically. 

The Lincoln Town Archives collects, preserves, and provides access to the history and culture of the town of Lincoln. Collections include municipal records, manuscripts, books, photographs, audiovisual materials, and other ephemera documenting the history of Lincoln from 1746 to the present.

Adults and students walk out to protest school gun violence

A group of Lincoln residents stands vigil on Tuesday, one month after the Parkland school shooting.

Undeterred by the recent heavy snowfall, a group of Lincolnites held a 17-minute silent vigil in South Lincoln on March 14, the one-month anniversary at the Parkland, Fla., school shootings. The following day, students at the Lincoln School and Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School walked out of school for 17 minutes to protest gun violence.

The school walkouts were delayed a day because schools were closed on March 14, two days after a blizzard dropped almost two feet of snow on the area. But adults braved the cold on Wednesday and stood silently for 17 minutes to commemorate the 17 students and adults who were shot. Organizer Sharon Antia played a bell tone on her phone once each minute as participants took turns reading the names of the victims.

Although the First Parish Church rang its bell 17 times at 10:00, it couldn’t be heard at Peace Park—but bells rang out anyway at the end of the vigil as a commuter train approached.

“I just felt I had to find a place to be open about what I feel about guns and this tragedy,” said vigil participant Toby Frost.

At the vigil, “I was thinking about my own children. When I see something like that, the unimaginable horror as a parent I would feel…” said Margit Griffith, her voice trailing off.

“As students, it’s kind of scary to think about [a shooting] and that it could be a younger adult who just graduated high school,” said Griffith’s daughter Emma, 14. “Guns are meant for war—they shouldn’t be anywhere near students.”

“Our Constitution and our democracy are being hijacked by a false understanding of the Second Amendment,” said Chris Damon.

“No one should be able to purchase that kind of weapon, especially at that age,” said her son 14-year-old Javi Damon. Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz used an AR-15 in the Parkland school shooting.

The next day, hundreds of students at L-S left class and walked around the high school with signs and a student speech. Police were on campus to prevent anyone from entering or leaving except in an emergency.

At the Lincoln School, about 150 students in grades 5–8 also walked out. Student Council members read names and brief pieces of information about each of the 17 people who were killed in Parkland, and the names were interspersed with poems, moments of silence, and one impassioned plea to end gun violence.

After they reentered the building, the students had an opportunity to reflect on the event by talking to adults and each other, writing letters to students or lawmakers, draw, write on sticky notes to be posted around the school in response to the question “how can we take care of each other?”

Some scenes from the walkout and student signs that were taped afterwards to windows at L-S (click an image to enlarge):

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Neighbors protest Oriole Landing plans

Civico Development’s landscaping plan for Oriole Landing (click to enlarge).

Neighbors of the proposed Oriole Landing mixed-income housing development offered impassioned protests over the plan at a March 6 Planning Board public hearing that continues on Tuesday, March 20 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.

If approved, the project would guarantee that Lincoln will have well more than the minimum 10 percent affordable housing units required to block a 40B housing development, which would be allowed to bypass many town zoning regulations. The first steps are “yes” votes at Town Meeting on March 24, one to approve the preliminary site plan and the other to make a zoning change to allow the development. The developer would the have to return for Planning Board approval of a final site plan incorporating traffic, parking, landscaping, drainage and septic, etc.

The existing 1870s Dexter C. Harris house on the property will be relocated to stand between two 30-unit residential buildings and serve as a garden house with a large unfinished space inside for gatherings or possible studio use, said Andrew Consigli of Civico Development.

Current plans call for 60 one- and two-bedroom units (25 percent of them affordable) ranging from 644 sure feet to 1,142 square feet in two three-story buildings. The company originally hoped to include 12 condominiums as well, but backed off due to community concerns, Consigli said.

The Garland Road/Deerhaven Road neighborhood stands to see significantly increased traffic during the morning rush hour, according to traffic engineers, who suggested that to minimize this impact, the town might prohibit a right turn from the development onto Mary’s Way in the morning, or make Mary’s Way one way westbound.

Seeking to allay fears that the development would cause a surge in school-age children, Lincoln Public Schools Administrator for Business and Finance Buck Creel explained that changes in class size happen every year when kindergarteners enter school or new families move into town. “We’re used to this phenomenon, these bulges moving through the boa constrictor,” he said. The development will not have any units larger than two bedrooms.

Creel also disputed the notion that mixed-income housing would be more likely to attract families with special-needs children whose more expensive education the town must pay for. The proportion of children from Lincoln Woods who require special education is the same as that for the rest of the town, and none are on out-of-district special-ed placements, he said.

Neighbors unhappy

Nonetheless, the development would mean more noise, heavy equipment and loss of open space in a part of town that has already seen construction of The Commons and its recent extension, as well as the Route 2 project. “All of these projects have impacted us on a daily basis for past 10 years,” said Cathy O’Brien of 3 Mary’s Way. “How would you feel if another developer came to your neighborhood knocking on your door and saying ‘Here’s another two years’?”

O’Brien also questioned why the town was “trying to steamroll this” in a quick time frame. “The town must be trying to exploit some sort of a loophole… there’s some shenanigans or someone is in somebody’s pocketbook,” she said.

In addition, the development is far larger than what’s needed to meet the affordable housing minimum, and the narrow roads and lack of roadside paths are not conducive to more housing in that area, O’Brien said. However, she strongly argued against making Mary’s Way one-way or a cul de sac.

The recently completed Route 2 project “granted us a gift” that resulted in residents on the south side of Route 2 finally being able to turn right or left onto the Mary’s Way access road rather than directly onto the highway. “You’ve given us a neighborhood,” she said. “For you today to take that away is absolutely ludicrous and unfair.”

Orchard Lane resident noted that the area between Crosby’s Corner and Bedford Road is about to get more traffic when the Birches School opens. “It just feel like one section of town for the past 50-plus years has been burdened,” she said.

The Housing Options Working Group was formed a year ago to try to find new affordable housing opportunities in Lincoln, but “it seems the town stopped looking once they saw Civico,” said Commons resident David Levington. “If something seems too good to be true, it probably is… it seems to me we’re acting too quickly.”

But BJ Sheff, a Housing Commission trustee, disputed that notion. “We have looked at every single parcel as it has come up [for sale] in town. This is not new, not coming out of left field,” she said. When the Oriole Landing property came on the market, “instantly we had developers saying they could do a 40B and get 160 or 200 units on it. This was something we had to run with when we finally saw it.” The town had in fact tried to buy the property itself but “couldn’t get anywhere,” she added.

Resident Sara Mattes also warned that “the town needs to indemnify itself against these projections” with the developer if the number of school-age children moving is is significantly higher than expected. “We don’t want to go into Town Meeting with these things unanswered.”

In addition to the continued public hearing, Civico will host three more public forums on Thursday, March 15 from 6:30–8:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library; Friday, March 16 with the Council on Aging at 1 p.m. in Bemis Hall; and Thursday, March 22 from 4:30–8 p.m. in Bemis Hall.

News acorns

School/community workshops, Planning Board meeting postponed

Due to the impending snowstorm, the School Building Committee (SBC) and the Community Center Committee (CCPPDC) joint workshops scheduled for 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13 are cancelled and will be rescheduled. The continuation of the Planning Board’s Oriole Landing public hearing  has also been rescheduled from March 13 to Tuesday, March 20 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.

The School Building Committee scheduled for Monday, March 12 at 7 p.m. in the Hartwell multi-purpose room is still on. Bill Maclay, founder of Maclay architects, will present his sustainability analysis on the school building concepts. The meeting is open to the public and public attendance is strongly encouraged.

“Shrek The Musical Jr.” this week at Lincoln School

The Lincoln School’s middle school students present “Shrek The Musical Jr.” based on the Oscar-winning movie and the hit Broadway musical in three shows this week. The comic story follows the green ogre Shrek and his loyal companion Donkey as they set off to rescue the Princess Fiona from a fire-breathing lovesick dragon in an adventure that’s all about embracing the differences in others and being proud to be your true self.

Performances are Wednesday, March 14 at 3 p.m., and Thursday and Friday, March 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. in the Donaldson Auditorium. Tickets will be available at the door ($10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors). The cast and crew of 85 students is led by drama teacher Kristin Hall (director and producer), music teacher Blake Siskavich (musical director), and fifth-grade teacher Maurisa Davis (dance director). Another 50 parents, faculty and staff have worked behind the scenes to create the elaborate sets, props and costumes that make up “Shrek the Musical Jr.’s” fairy tale world.

Wi-Fi will be available at Town Meeting

At this year’s Annual Town Meeting on March 24, there will be public guest Wi-Fi for the first time. This is being offered on a best-effort basis. Due to the large number of anticipated users, bandwidth will be limited and will not be suitable for activities such as video streaming or large file downloads. Technical support for connecting to or using the guest Wi-Fi during the meeting will not be available.

The Lincoln Public Schools and the town of Lincoln are not responsible for the security of any information communicated through the Town Meeting guest Wi-Fi network, or the content accessed through this public guest Wi-Fi network. All users of the Town Meeting guest Wi-Fi network agree to refrain from any use that is illegal or in violation of Lincoln Public Schools policies, including but not limited to any communications that are harassing, bullying, discriminatory or threatening; violations of copyright laws; any use involving materials that are obscene, pornographic, sexually explicit or sexually suggestive; any use for disseminating or propagating malicious software; sending mass-marketing or spam messages; any malicious use, damage or disruption of the district’s network and technology resources; misuse of computer passwords or accounts; or any attempt to access content blocked by the district’s content filter.

Letter to the editor: endorsement for Hullinger for LSSC

To the editor:

I confidently endorse Siobhan Hullinger as the write-in candidate opening for the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee in the upcoming election on Monday, March 26.

Ms. Hullinger is a long-time Sudbury resident who is well respected in the community. I have most admired Mrs. Hullinger’s selfless volunteer work having served alongside her as a board member on the Lincoln-Sudbury Scholarship Fund, Inc. Dollars for Scholars (LSSF).

Through my involvement with LSSF and having built a strong working relationship with Ms. Hullinger over the years, I have gained tremendous respect and admiration for her strong work ethic, resourcefulness, and dedication to supporting L-S students in their pursuit of academic excellence, through the LSSF encouraging students’ future success as they moved on to college, and promoting the L-S core values of “fostering caring and cooperating relationships, respecting human differences, pursuing academic excellence and cultivating community.”

As an L-S School Committee member, Ms. Hullinger will put many hours into:

    • Advocating for the interests of the community
    • Promoting a working relationship that is honest and transparent
    • Ensuring an optimistic future for taxpayers, families, students, faculty, staff and school administration.

With proud enthusiasm, I support Siobhan Hullinger as the write-in candidate opening for the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee.

Sincerely,

Andrew Nyemekye
731 Concord St., Framingham

(Editor’s note: Nyemekye was the METCO specialist at L-S from 2010-16 and is an LSSF Dollars for Scholars committee member.)

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Students plan school walkouts to protest gun violence

On Wednesday, March 14, students at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School and at Brooks Middle School plan to join in the national school walkout to protest school gun violence. They will leave school for 17 minutes—one minute for every life lost in the recent Florida school shooting.

Church sessions

First Parish in Lincoln’s Youth Programs Committee (YPC) is providing a placde for students to discuss their action and think about next steps. Lincoln adults will be on hand for guidance and support. There are two events planned for March 14, both in the auditorium at the Parish House (14 Bedford Rd.) The YPC will proviode pizza and salad.

  • Middle school students will meet after school at 12:45 p.m. To register, click here.
  • High school students: will meet in the evening at 6:45 p.m. To register, click here.

For more information, contact the director of religious education at First Parish in Lincoln at 781-259-8118 ext. 112 or Margit@FPLincoln.org.

Bell-ringing

Both the First Parish and St. Anne’s-in-the-Field Episcopal Church will ring their church bells 17 times on March 14 at 10 a.m.

High school restrictions

Lincoln and Sudbury police will be on the L-S campus for the high school walkout, but only students escorted by staff and police will be present. No one will be allowed to enter or leave the campus during the walkout except in an emergency.