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

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News acorns – 7/6/15

parade

The Lincoln Minute Men march down Lincoln Road on July 4.

Watch video of the July 4 parade

Harold McAleer has posted a video of the first few minutes of Lincoln’s July 4 parade. Click here for a five-minute version or watch the full 18-minute version (including a glimpse of the Lincoln Squirrel at the 13:20 mark).

Berkshire condo rentals benefit Friends of the COA

A  generous Lincoln resident has donated 20 nights at a time-sharing condo resort in South Lee, MA in the Berkshires, just 20 minutes from Tanglewood. All proceeds from renting these condos will go to benefit the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of Lincoln’s senior citizens.

These condos are two bedroom/two bath with sleeping accommodations for six, including a sleep sofa in the living room. Each condo has multiple TVs, controllable air conditioning, a Jacuzzi tub, and many other amenities. One condo is available from 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 25 until 1 p.m. on Friday, July 31. Two other two condos are available from 4 p.m. on Friday, August 14 until 1 p.m. on Friday, August 21. The condo that’s available in July rents for six days at $1,500 and the two condos available in August rent for seven days at $1,700 each. All three condos are also available at $265 daily, with a minimum two-day stay.

This is an unprecedented chance for you to relax in the bucolic Berkshires this summer, enjoy world-class music and an feel good about helping Lincoln seniors weather next winter’s frigid blasts! Call (617) 378-1415 for further information on how to make these donations to the Lincoln Council on Aging.

Codman meat now available

Stop by the Codman Community Farm store to purchase Codman-raised beef and pork right from the freezer. Packages are individually priced and marked. This is an honor system, so please be sure to fill out a payment envelope, enclose cash or a check, and place it in the payment box. Products include bacon, ham, hamburger, sausage, ground pork and more, and all meat is free of antibiotics and hormones.

Scholarships announced for Lincoln graduating seniors

The Lincoln Scholarship Committee announces the winners of two awards and two named scholarships for Lincoln graduating seniors for 2015. They are:

  • Clara Cousins received the Fanny Campbell Award for academic achievement
  • Leah Kanzer received the Sumner Smith Community Service Award
  • Katherine Flanagan received the Ogden Codman Scholarship
  • Savannah Snell received the Ogden Codman Opportunity Scholarship

The Lincoln Scholarship Fund also offers need-based scholarships based in part on the community’s response to its annual appeal letter. The recipients of those scholarships will be determined in mid-July. To date, Lincoln community members have contributed $4,695 to the Lincoln Scholarship Fund 2015 appeal. The members of the committee are appreciative of all those who have helped launch these seniors on their next steps in their education. Anyone wishing to add to this support may do so by sending a check to The Lincoln Scholarship Committee, P. O. Box 6283, Lincoln, MA 01773.

Campus Master Plan Committee is up and running

The Community Center Study Committee's "preferred option." Click on the image for more options and interior design ideas.

The Community Center Study Committee’s “preferred option” for the location of the facility on the Hartwell campus.

The Campus Master Plan Committee (CMPC) has begun meeting and is moving quickly, with plans to interview consultant finalists on July 16.

The committee is charged with examining the implications of a Hartwell campus community center on Ballfield Road campus roadways, traffic, parking, public safety and accessibility, and recreational facilities, and to understand site issues such as wetlands, conservation land, septic fields and geotechnical conditions. One of the CMPC’s first tasks is hiring a firm with the skills needed to do this work. Residents authorized $75,000 for this purpose at Town Meeting in March.

Members of the committee are Renel Fredriksen from the Board of Selectmen, Jennifer Glass  and Tim Christenfeld from the School Committee; Bryce Wolf from the Planning Board; Ken Bassett from the Roadway & Traffic Committee; Dilla Tingley from the Council on Aging board; Patricia Donahue from the Parks and Recreation Committee; either Peter von Mertens or Jim Meadors from the Conservation Commission; and at-large members Carole Kasper, Vin Cannistraro and Paula Cobb. There are four nonvoting members as well: Town Administrator Tim Higgins, Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall, Council on Aging Director Carolyn Bottum, and Parks & Recreation Director Dan Pereira.

News acorns – 6/11/15

bbqFarmer’s market at Lincoln Station starts June 20

Beginning Saturday, June 20 and continuing through the summer months, the Rural Land Foundation will be hosting the Farmer’s Market at Lincoln Station every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the front parking area along Lincoln Road.  The event is an opportunity to support local farms and businesses and to buy some of the best local produce available. Local farms in Lincoln including Blue Heron Organic Farm, Codman Farm and Lindentree Farm will be there to sell a wide variety of their farm fresh produce, along with Matlock Farm and their fresh meats. In addition, Houtzeel’s Breadoven, AKA Bistro with some of their specialties and other surprise vendors will come to share their goods.

Reserve tickets for Codman Campout on June 20

Sign up now for the Codman Campout at Codman Community Farms (CCF) from Saturday to Sunday, June 20-21. Pitch your tent at 4:00 on Saturday afternoon and enjoy s’mores, games and an old-fashioned singalong around the campfire, and breakfast on Sunday, with coffee, orange juice and bagels. Dinner Catered by Blue Ribbon Barbecue. A tent site is $30; dinner tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children under 12. CCF family membership is required. Tickets need to be purchased by all campers and are also available to those just wishing to come for the evening. Reserve online, call CCF at 781-259-0456 or email info@codmanfarm.org.

“Building Blocks” series for kids at Gropius House

“Building Blocks” is a series for young people, created by Gropius House staff on June 14, July 12 and August 16. Using a combination of visual thinking strategies and studio activities, kids age 9-12 will engage in group observation, dynamic discussion and studio time. Monthly sessions will have a different focal point, enabling children to participate each month, if desired, without repetition. Tickets are $5 per session for Historic New England members and $10 for nonmembers. Space is limited and registration is required. Please call 781-259-8098 for more information or purchase tickets online.

Sign up for barbecue meat CSA and regular summer CSA at Codman

Fire up your grill for locally raised steaks, sausage, ribs, hamburger and bacon. Codman Community Farms’ special summer meat CSA share runs from June through September.  The four-month session gives you 10 lbs. of Codman-raised beef and pork each month. That works out to be $10 per pound for grass-fed beef and naturally raised pork that’s free of antibiotics and hormones. Pickups are the first Thursday of each month starting in June 11 from 5-7 p.m. in the Codman Barn. Feel free to sign up throughout June and the farm will arrange for your pickup. Codman’s regular six-month meat share runs from July through December and costs $600. To sign up for either CSA or to buy a 5-lb. or 10-lb. bag of beef or pork, visit the farm store web page.

Clement

George Clement

Minuteman High School names assistant principal

George M. Clement has been named as Minuteman High School’s new assistant principal and director of admissions. He succeeds Jack Dillon III, who was recently named principal. Clement has been at Minuteman since 2009 as a reading specialist and was named a finalist for Scholastic Co. “All-Star Educator Award” for reading in 2014.

Lincoln School names new K-4 principal

collmer2

Sarah Collmer

By Alice Waugh

Sarah Collmer, who has a background in performing arts, is about to take on her biggest role yet: the Lincoln School’s new K-4 principal.

Collmer, 40, comes from the John F. Kennedy School in Canton, where she was hired in 2014 after serving as interim principal. Prior to that, she was Canton’s K-12 performing arts coordinator and also taught high school performing arts. She has been a music teacher for 17 years and has also worked at schools in Franklin and Wellesley.

[Read more…] about Lincoln School names new K-4 principal

At L-S, Ryan warns parents about providing alcohol to those under 21

(Editor’s note: This article is based on a press release from the Middlesex District Attorney’s office.)

In a May 11 talk at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan reminded parents that providing alcohol to anyone under the age of 21 endangers lives and makes the adult potentially liable in criminal and civil court.

“We all want to celebrate the end of the school year and usher in the summer for the teenagers in our lives,” Ryan said. “But good intentions can go wrong. It is never a good idea to have a get-together in which minors are going to be drinking alcohol. Adults cannot disregard the law about serving people under the age of 21 just because the alcohol is being served on private property or just because one parent gives permission for his or her child to consume alcohol.”

Under the state’s Social Host Law, adults and minors can be punished for furnishing alcohol to a minor, with penalties including up to one year in jail and fines of up to $2,000. Those charged with drinking and driving can also receive significant penalties. In Massachusetts, a first drunk-driving offense may result in a license suspension, a fine of up to $5,000, and/or imprisonment of up to 30 months.

Ryan also stressed that adults should think about the “life lessons” they are teaching young people. “Teenagers know they aren’t supposed to be drinking, so the message parents may be sending is that it’s fine to break the law in some cases,” she said. “Often young people who have consumed alcohol don’t have the maturity to resist risky behavior and to make good judgments.”

The “Social Host Responsibility” presentations are held at schools all over the county by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Middlesex Partnerships for Youth (MPY). MPY is a nonprofit organization that provides prevention and intervention resources and training to school districts and communities in collaboration with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. Ryan chairs the MPY Board of Directors.

Minuteman High School appoints principal

Jack Dillon

Jack Dillon

John “Jack” Dillon III of Woburn, who has been serving as the school’s interim principal for the past four months and was the school’s assistant principal for nine years before that, was selected by Dr. Edward A. Bouquillon, Minuteman’s Superintendent-Director from 34 applicants for the position. He succeeds Ernest F. Houle, who was appointed Superintendent-Director at Assabet Regional Vocational Technical High School in Marlborough.

“Minuteman is a great school and I’m very proud of the staff and students here,” Dillon said. “The next year will be very important for us as we try to promote a building project. It’s a herculean effort and I’m committed to working with our superintendent and our communities to help make it happen.”

Dillon has worked in education for 25 years. Before coming to Minuteman, he served as assistant principal at Maynard High School and as a health teacher and acting assistant principal at Burlington High School. He holds a master’s degree in education from Cambridge College and a bachelor’s in education from Bridgewater State University.

Candidates sought for Campus Master Plan Committee

The Lincoln School campus.

The Lincoln School campus.

In response to community interest in locating a community center on the Lincoln School’s Ballfield Road campus, the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee are jointly creating the Campus Master Plan Committee (CMPC). The purpose of the CMPC will be to consider infrastructure and safety issues related to the possible co-location of Council on Aging, the Parks and Recreation Department, and school functions on Ballfield Road. The CMPC’s charge will be to examine the implications on roadways, traffic, parking, public safety and accessibility, and recreational facilities, and to understand site issues such as wetlands, conservation land, septic fields and geotechnical conditions.

The CMPC will be responsible for hiring, subject to approval by the Selectmen and the School Committee, a firm with the skills needed to do the work. At the 2015 Town Meeting, Article 33 authorized $75,000 for this purpose. The CMPC will determine its own meeting schedule, but it is expected that it will meet frequently between June and December, with the delivery of a final report by the end of the calendar year. The committee will gather input from the public and relevant boards, and an interim report and public feedback will be one of the items for discussion at the fall State of the Town meeting.

Interested candidates should have experience and skills that will further the work of the committee. The at-large members will join representatives from relevant town boards. Letters of interest should be submitted to both the Board of Selectmen at selectmen@lincolntown.org and the School Committee at schoolcomm@lincnet.org by Friday, May 15. The Selectmen and School Committee will hold a joint meeting to finalize the CMPC’s charge and to appoint the at-large members on Monday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m in the Donaldson Room in the Town Office Building.