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

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The Commons to be sold; town seeks assurance on tax payments

The Commons in Lincoln

Lincoln’s biggest taxpayer is changing hands for the second time, but the new owners have agreed in principle to negotiate an arrangement for paying property taxes or a PILOT agreement (payment in lieu of taxes).

The Commons in Lincoln is currently owned by Benchmark Senior Living and a private equity firm. The Groves in Lincoln, as it was called when it opened in 2010, was owned by the New England Deaconess Association and Masonic Health Systems of Massachusetts but had an occupancy rate of only 59% in 2013, when it filed for bankruptcy after defaulting on payment of $88.4 million in tax-exempt bonds.

After the sale goes through, the new owner and Benchmark will sign a long-term contract to retain Benchmark as the manager of The Commons, said David Levesque, Benchmark’s Senior Director of Corporate Communications, in an email to the Lincoln Squirrel. “This ensures that The Commons’ residents continue to receive the same level of care and services provided by current Benchmark employees.”

According to the terms of the project’s original approval from the town, the Select Board must sign off on any sale of the property, but that process hit a snag this week over the question of whether the new owners would continue to pay property tax. As a nonprofit entity, they would legally’ be exempt from paying any taxes on the property.

“You may well lose the tax revenues you’ve been benefiting from the last several years,” attorney Shirin Everett told the Select Board on December 13. Everett works with the KP Law, the town counsel.

Benchmark, a for-profit entity, has a fiscal 2022 property tax bill of $1.38 million on an assessed value of $9 million, or about 4% of Lincoln’s $34.57 million in total assessed property, according to the Assessor’s Office.

At Monday’s meeting, Town Administrator Tim Higgins noted that New England Deaconess was also nonprofit but voluntarily paid property taxes,” so there’s a precedent.” Select Board member James Craig made a motion to approve the sale contingent on restrictions in the current agreement (specifically, that the 30 units in the Flint building will continue to be designated as affordable, “and that the town and buyer enter into an agreement for PILOT if property is not otherwise taxable.”

But Benchmark representative Melissa Solomon objected, saying she was “very concerned” with that wording. The stipulation was not part of the original agreement language, which was silent on the tax issue but said that the town’s approval for a sale couldn’t be “unreasonably withheld.”

“We want to memorialize somehow that the new owner will be willing to enter in negotiations to make voluntary payments if they’re operating under a not-for-profit status,” Craig said, adding that it was the town’s fiduciary responsibility to try to maintain the revenue from The Commons. “Verbal assurances are great but mean nothing.”

“We are happy to sit down and discuss this property tax dilemma but the regulatory agreement can’t be not granted because of a a property tax question,” said Sarah Laffey, Managing Director for Capital, Strategy and New Initiatives at OnePoint Partners, which is advising and representing the buyers (NELP-Commons LLC).

The motion’s wording was suggested by town counsel, Craig said, although Everett had to leave the meeting before that discussion took place.

Temporarily at an impasse, the board decided to defer its vote until a special meeting on the morning of December 16. In the interim, town officials asked the buyer to declare its intentions in writing. Laffey accordingly emailed Higgins saying that “immediately following the closing, the buyer intends to enter into good-faith negotiations” for a PILOT agreement (something that most universities and other large nonprofits have with their host communities). The board then voted to approve the sale without the PILOT language in the motion.

A map showing the assisted living and skilled nursing facilities built at The Commons by Benchmark on the northeast side of the campus (click to enlarge).

“The sale of The Commons by its current owners — a private equity group and a Benchmark Senior Living affiliate — is not unexpected. The investors’ business plan was to stabilize the then-bankrupt community and help the community meet its full potential, and that was accomplished,” said Levesque, who declined to disclose the sale price.

After taking over in 2013, Benchmark built a health center with memory care and skilled nursing units, upgrading The Commons to a full continuing-care retirement community (CCRC) in addition to the independent living it already offered. After the bankruptcy and sale in 2013, the town approved a plan to build those facilities on part of the campus that was originally intended for second-phase construction of more independent living units, complementing the 168 units in two apartment-style main buildings and 38 cottages.

“Within one year of opening the full campus, The Commons was over 90% occupied and has sustained that occupancy since. The Commons is now positioned for a new ownership structure that is more consistent with its industry peers, said Levesque, adding that “the vast majority of CCRCs throughout the country and in Massachusetts are not-for-profit.”

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Splash-Mash-Dash Triathlon for kids is coming up

Kids age 5–14 are invited to register for the 17th annual Lincoln Kids Triathlon on Saturday, Aug. 14 starting at 8:30 a.m. at the Codman Pool. Race distances range from 25m swim, ¼-mile run and no bike ride (ages 5-6) to 150m swim, 4-mile bike and 1-mile run (ages 13-14). Register on the Lincoln Parks & Rec website for $30 and get a T-shirt, a finisher’s medal and lots of memories. Packet pickup is Friday, Aug. 13 from 12:30–7 p.m. at Hartwell Pod A. Organizers are also looking for volunteers to help out during the race; if you have a few hours to give, please email ginger.reiner@gmail.com.

School Committee seeks new member

The Lincoln School Committee thanks Trintje Gnazzo for serving on the Lincoln School Committee after she filled a vacancy and then was elected to a three-year term. To fill the remainder of her term, which runs until the town election in March 2022, the committee encourages any resident who is registered to vote in Lincoln with an interest in helping the Lincoln Public Schools achieve their strategic priorities to submit a short statement of interest. The statement of interest should be submitted by Monday, Aug. 9 to schoolcomm@lincnet.org. All interested candidates will be interviewed in an open meeting of the School Committee and Select Board (tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The boards will vote at that meeting to select one of the candidates to serve on the School Committee as an interim member. The person may then choose to run for the open three-year term starting next March. Questions? Contact School Committee chair Tara Mitchell at taramitchell365@gmail.com.

COAHS offers tech help, ukulele, transportation

  • Anyone interested in learning to play the ukulele or just sing some songs outside is invited to ukulele gathering sponsored by the Council on Aging and Human Services (COAHS) on Thursday, Aug. 12 and Aug. 26 from 3­–4 p.m. Weather permitting, the group meets outside on the Bemis Hall lawn.
  • Looking for help with your laptop, smart phone, tablet, or iPad? Come to the COAHS tech tutoring office hours on Thursday afternoons (August 19 and 26 this month) from 1:30–3 p.m. If you have a laptop, tablet, notebook, etc., please bring it. Please call 781-259-8811 to make an appointment.
  • The COAHS’s LINC transportation program is running again. Rides are for residents aged 60+ to doctors appointments and local stops, including food shopping, COAHS activities and more. Volunteer drivers are following CDC guidelines and riders are required to wear a mask unless medically unable to do so. In order to maintain social distancing, only one rider per trip will be allowed at this time. To request a ride, please call or email Carlee Castetter, Transportation Coordinator, three business days in advance at 781-259-8811 or castetterc@lincolntown.org. The program is looking for more volunteer drivers to help transport seniors—please call Abigail at the COAHS at 781-259-8811 to learn more.
  • The COAHS has also resumed in-person free mental health, wellness, and podiatry clinics, as well as SHINE Medicare benefits counseling sessions via Zoom or in person. Call 781-259-8811 with questions or see the COAHS August newsletter.

COAHS activities in June

Here are some of the June activities hosted by the Lincoln Council on Aging and Human Services. Most events are open to Lincoln residents of all ages. For a full list — including clinics, exercise classes, regular meetings of interest groups, and online chats with town officials — see the COAHS’s calendar page or June newsletter. Call 781-259-8811 or email gagnea@lincolntown.org for Zoom links and other information.

“Eyes on Owls”

See a variety of live owls at “Eyes on Owls,” an intergenerational event with Marcia and Mark Wilson on Monday, June 21 at 10 a.m. in the Pierce House tent. Preschoolers from Magic Garden and friends from the Lincoln Family Association will join seniors to appreciate these magnificent animals. Call the COA at 781-259-8811 to reserve your spot, and please bring a camp chair to sit on under the tent.

Free grab & go lunch

Lincoln seniors (60 and older) are invited to pick up a free lunch sponsored by Concord Park Assisted Living on Tuesday, June 29 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This drive-through event will be across from Bemis Hall in the First Parish Church parking lot. Space is limited to the first 75 individuals who call to sign up. Call Amy at 781-259-8811 to register. Arrival times will be by last name: A–G, 11:30 a.m.–noon; H–R: 12-12:30 p.m.; S–Z, 12:30–1 p.m.

The following are Zoom events; sign up by calling 781-259-8811 or email gagnea@lincolntown.org to get the Zoom link.

Talk on life post-pandemic

A Zoom discussion on “Back to the Future” with Claire Gerstein will take place on Wednesday, June 9 at 10 a.m. As most of us are vaccinated and restrictions are lifting, many people are finding themselves excited but also apprehensive. What is my personal comfort level venturing forth? What are the things that I want to get back to? What are things I’d done in the past but having them on pause make me realize they are no longer where I want to spend my time and energy?

Classical piano recital

Wanda Paik presents a recital via Zoom on Wednesday, June 16 at 2 p.m. She will play Bach’s Toccata, Fantasia, and Fugue in D major; several Chopin pieces including the Impromptu in A-flat major, the Nocturne in C# minor, and the Etude in A♭ major, which was thought to make the piano sound like an Aeolian harp; Brahms’ Intermezzo in E♭ minor; and Debussy’s sweeping, jazzy Prelude from the Suite Pour le Piano.

Civil rights music

John Clark and his Great American Music Experience present “Juneteenth and the Music of Civil Rights Movement” on Friday, June 18 at 1 p.m. This program focuses on the music of the civil rights movement during 1950s and ’60s beginning with the controversial Hammerstein song “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” and “We Are Americans Too,” a response to a 1956 racial incident involving Nat King Cole. Please allow two days’ notice for sign-up.

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Eighth-grade car wash on Saturday

To benefit their upcoming graduation, the Lincoln School’s eighth-graders will host a car wash on Saturday, May 22 from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. at Town Hall (rain date: May 23). Since the class can’t have dances or bake sales, this is an important end-of-year activity for them. Click here to prepay for a car wash ($20) and/or make a donation. You  may also pay in case on the day of the car wash. Names of those who preregister will be on a list that the students can check off when cars arrive.

“Kibbles and Nibbles” online cooking class

Lincoln-based nonprofit Phinney’s is launching “Kibbles and Nibbles,” an online cooking class, hosted by Cordon Bleu pastry chef Mika McDonald, on Sunday, May 23 from 7–8 p.m. on Google Meet. She will guide attendees in creating oat cake and Parmesan cheese crisps that can be both enjoyed by pets and people so those watching can follow and cook alongside her. A minimum donation of $10 secures a spot in the class, which has limited space and is designed for all ages and experience levels. To register, go to phinneys.org/kibbles-nibbles, where the ingredients and kitchen tools for the class are also listed. 

Diversity performance next week

Lincoln’s METCO Coordinating Committee presents “Living the Legacy of METCO” on Tuesday, May 25 at 6:30 p.m. This live performance on Zoom by Dialogues On Diversity, a social justice theater company, is aimed at Lincoln School students in grades 5-8 as well as their family members, as well as the broader community. The 45-minute performance gives the history and context for the country’s oldest racial educational integration program and examines the social activism of urban and suburban Boston families in the 1960s. Contains sensitive images and language that may not be suitable for younger audiences. Made possible by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council. Click here for the Zoom link (passcode: 050455).

Outdoor classes and events for seniors

The Council on Aging and Human Services is starting to host in-person events again. There are a host of outdoor exercise classes in the Pierce House tent in addition to those offered on Zoom, and the Knitter’s Group is on Tuesday, June 1 at 9:30 a.m. on the Bemis Hall lawn. See page 9 of the May COAHS newsletter for details, or call 781-259-8811 x102 to sign up.

Talk on philosophical basis for Modernist architecture

The Lincoln Historical Society, in collaboration with Friends of Modern Architecture, will host a presentation of “As the Twig Is Bent, So Goes the Tree… A Shared Philosophy: New England Transcendentalism and European Modernism” by Lincoln resident and FoMA President Dana Robbat. The meeting and talk are on Saturday, June 12 from 4:30–5:30 p.m. The Lincoln Historical Society will hold its brief annual meeting in advance of the presentation, which will highlight the age-old social ideals of New England’s Puritan and Transcendental philosophical heritage that provided fertile ground for the arrival of the philosophically aligned European Modernists who arrived at Harvard and MIT in the late 1930s and subsequently had a profound effect on Lincoln’s built and natural environments. Click here to register and get the Zoom link. For more information, email lincolnmahistoricalsociety@gmail.com.

Mandatory outdoor watering restrictions now in effect

Details of the Stage 2 watering restrictions now in effect (click image to enlarge).

Because Lincoln continues to draw more water from the Charles River Watershed than allowed by permit and continues to exceed the mandated residential use of 65 gallons per person per day, the Water Department is required to enforce Stage 2 outdoor water use restrictions from May 1 through September 30. Drought declarations by the state supersede the Lincoln restrictions. Higher restrictions may be imposed in response to state drought declarations.

During Stage 2 and above, Water Department staff will be monitoring all sprinkler use in town and will stop to remind residents of the new restriction policy. A first offense will result in a $100 fine, and subsequent violations will result in a $200 fine. Anyone with questions may contact the Water Department at 781-259-2669 or bolanda@lincolntown.org. For more information on water conservation and what residents and communities can do, visit the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs drought page and water conservation toolkit.

Environmental measures, name changes to go before voters on Saturday

Voters at Saturday’s annual Town Meeting (ATM) will be asked to vote on five citizens’ petitions concerning plastics and the proposed community center, as well as two other measures seeking town board name changes.

The items were originally planned for the 2020 Annual Town Meeting, but that meeting was stripped of all but essential financial items due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Members of the L-S Environmental Club and Mothers Out Front–Lincoln made their case for three environment-related measures at the April 26 Board of Selectmen meeting.

Article 37, the Polystyrene Reduction Bylaw, would prohibit food and retail establishments in Lincoln from using or selling disposal food service containers made from polystyrene. It would also not allow sales of other items containing the substance (packing peanuts, Styrofoam coolers and coffee cups, meat and produce trays, etc.) unless the polystyrene is fully encased in a more durable material. The bylaw would not apply to prepared food or other items packaged outside Lincoln with polystyrene.

More recycling is not the answer, because polystyrene is a major contaminant in town recycling, and food-grade polystyrene manufacture requires the use of “virgin” materials, the presenters said. Particles from polystyrene and other plastics are also a health hazard for both people and animals as they degrade into microplastics and release toxins. Almost 40 other Massachusetts communities have already enacted polystyrene bans, they said.

For similar reasons, Article 39 would ban the sale and use of plastic straws, stirrers, splash sticks and other disposable plastics. Plastic straws contain toxic bisphenol-A, and all plastics release minute amounts of health-endangering chemicals into food and water.

Tricia O’Hagen of Mothers Out Front told selectmen that Donelan’s and Twisted Tree had no problem with the measures since they’re already using more environmentally friendly materials in items they sell. Under the proposed ban, food establishments may still provide disposable non-plastic items of this type if the customers request them, and customers can still bring with them and use whatever items they like. If enacted, there will be a six-month waiver to allow businesses to draw down existing inventory.

A third measure before voters, Article 38, would authorize the town to petition the state legislature to allow a local rule that would require Lincoln retailers to charge at least 10 cents for each new checkout bag of any type, including paper.

Lincoln has already enacted a ban on disposable plastic shopping bags and similar materials. However, that policy encourages people to use disposable paper bags rather than reusable bags. While paper bags are more degradable than plastic, they have their own drawbacks: the manufacturing process releases greenhouse gases and other chemicals and uses a significant amount of water.

The money to be collected is not a tax but would remain with the retailer. An easily avoidable bag charge encourages consumers to opt for non-woven polypropylene or cloth bags, which are cheaper in the long run, so the measure makes sense for both businesses and customers, the presenters said.

“We’re trying to get away from single-use items as much as possible,” O’Hagen said. Several Massachusetts cities as well as states and countries have already enacted minimum bag charges, she added.

Climate action, community center

Voters will be asked to adopt a resolution in support of the country’s continuing participation in the Paris Climate Accord, and action by the state legislature to promote climate justice and expand the use of clean energy.

In the year since the measure was originally scheduled for a vote, President Biden reversed former President Trump’s move to have the United States withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord — and Gov. Baker also signed comprehensive climate legislation.

However, the ATM vote on Article 36 is still important to signal that Lincoln will closely follow the issue to make sure deadlines in the legislation are met, while encouraging town leaders to keep working to reduce Lincoln’s carbon footprint, said Paul Shorb, one of the sponsors of the citizens’ petition. The message of a “yes” vote is to “go faster and be bold while trying to be fair to everybody,” he said.

Article 40 would require town officials to give an update on the status of a new community center for Lincoln. When the issue was most recently under discussion in 2018, town officials agreed that the school project took precedence but that Lincoln could afford further borrowing on a community center as soon as the school was finished.

In 2018, the Community Center Planning and Preliminary Design Committee submitted its final report outlining two possible design directions for the facility, which was then estimated to cost $15.3 million to $16.2 million depending on which design was chosen.

The 2018 report proposed a timeline with one date that has already passed—establishing a Community Center Building Committee starting in November 2020. The CCPPDC also proposed a March 2021 Town Meeting vote on budget and site, but the pandemic pushed it to the back burner.

The Council on Aging and the Parks and Recreation Department both have well-documented needs for more and better space, and a community center would answer those needs and would also “connect the generations in town,” said Selectman Jonathan Dwyer, the board’s liaison to the CCPPDC.

The year 2023 is “wide open for a project like this,” since the school project will be completed, and the Finance Committee says the town has additional borrowing capacity of $27 million, Dwyer said. Officials hope to discuss next steps at the fall 2021 State of the Town meeting, he added.

Name changes

Also on the ATM agenda are two other items that were discussed last year but postponed: name changes for the Council on Aging (Article 26) and the Board of Selectmen (Article 24). If voters approve, they will be called the Council on Aging and Human Services and the Select Board, respectively.

The Town Meeting starts on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. under the tent in the Hartwell School lot. For information on the articles to be voted on, see Lincoln’s Annual Town Meeting web page.

Property tax proposal is topic of Monday night presentation

A proposal to redistribute property taxes to help homeowners with limited means and property values is the subject of a Zoom presentation on Monday, May 3 at 7 p.m.

At the upcoming Annual Town Meeting on May 15, voters will be asked to approve a home-rule petition to the state legislature that would allow Lincoln to create a local Property Tax Extended Circuit Breaker Program. If approved, the program would limit the percentage of income a homeowner would have to pay in property taxes based on their income, assets, length of time in town, and age (65+). Funding would come from a small across-the-board tax rate increase. 

The Property Tax Study Committee was formed in 2019 to look at ways to ease the burden on limited-income residents and preserve economic diversity after the town raised property taxes by almost 15% to pay for the $93 million school project. The issue was discussed at the State of the Town Meeting in November 2019 and was slated for a vote at Annual Town Meeting, but that meeting was postponed and stripped of nonessential warrant articles as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold.

Last year’s postponed proposal would have applied to renters as well as homeowners, “but we don’t have an easy mechanism for implementing this kind of a program for renters — we don’t have that [financial] connection with them as we do with homeowners,” Selectman Jennifer Glass said when she recapped the plan at an April 26 board meeting. To track more closely to other towns’ programs, Lincoln’s plan applies to homeowners over 65 who meet the state’s income limits and those who have lived in town for five years, rather than the 10 years specified by some other towns. Otherwise, the proposed program is identical to the one that has been offered in Sudbury since 2014.

“We want our home rule petition to be as familiar to the legislature as possible” to maximize its chances of passage, Glass said. Sudbury, Concord, and Wayland have already enacted local versions of the state circuit breaker program.

To qualify for the plan, a house must not exceed Lincoln’s average single-family property value plus 10%. The plan would be funded by shifting up to 0.5% of the total tax levy in the first year, and 1.0% in years two and three. The program would have to be reauthorized at Town Meeting every three years.

Phase 2 of the effort to limit the tax burden on some seniors will involve establishing a task force to look at the town’s social services and come up with a long-range plan for  social svcs and det LR plan for supporting the community’s needs.

In 2019, the committee initially floated a residential tax exemption as well as the circuit-breaker proposal, but it was shelved after residents at a public forum were cool to the idea. That proposal would have exempted a certain percentage of the value of everyone’s property, meaning that the tax burden would shift toward those with higher-value homes to benefit those with homes at the lower end of the value range.

My Turn: COA needs donations to keep up with pandemic needs

By Rhonda Swain

Over the past year, the Lincoln Council on Aging (COA) has been faced with many new challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the COA’s regular programs and activities had to be cancelled, but others were adapted and moved online. In spite of the difficulties of working remotely,  the COA staff have stepped up and continued to serve the town’s most vulnerable residents of all ages by helping people find the resources — food, counseling, medical care, etc. — they need in these unprecedented times.

Especially now, the needs of those served by the COA have been increasing faster than the town’s ability to cover the cost of meeting those needs. Fortunately, the Friends of the Lincoln COA, a nonprofit organization formed to provide financial assistance to the COA, is able to supplement the COA budget.

Since last April, the Friends were able to contribute $20,000 to COA programs and services, including funding for increased mental health services, which have been particularly important in helping vulnerable individuals stay connected during the pandemic.

Donations from individuals in Lincoln are the Friends’ principal source of income. We hope that you will support the COA and its work with your tax-deductible contribution. If you can, please contribute by sending your check to Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging, P.O. Box 143, Lincoln, MA 01773. We appreciate your support.

    *     *     *

Swain is president of the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers 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.

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Library reopens by appointment

The Lincoln Public Library is now open to the public by appointment. For appointments for adult services, call 781-259-8465 and press 3. For children’s services, press 4. The first hour of appointments on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays are reserved for patrons over 60 or with other high risk factors. Appointments will be for 30 minutes and can be made up to a week in advance. Face coverings are required for all patrons over 2 years old. For details including hours of opening and for contactless pickup of library materials, click here.

L-S to hold virtual pops concert on Friday

The L-S Music Department presents its annual pops concert on Friday, March 12 at 7 p.m. This year’s virtual event will feature live performances by orchestral group cohorts interspersed with video performances from choral, band, and jazz groups. Cohort A will perform “Libertango” and “A Salute to Michael Jackson” Cohort B of Orchestra (shown in this rehearsal photo) will perform “Gabriel’s Oboe” from “The Mission” with guest soloist Superintendent/Principal Bella Wong on clarinet. They will also perform “Pirates of the Caribbean.” The combined student cohorts will perform “We are the World.”

Cohort B of the L-S orchestra in rehearsal.

The video with students from the symphonic and concert band groups will perform “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire as well as the “Theme from Star Wars, The Mandalorian” by Ludwig Göransson. The jazz video will showcase students from the combined symphonic and concert jazz ensembles performing “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Louis Prima. Chamber Singers will perform “Short People” by Randy Newman. Treble choir will sing “Go the Distance” from the movie “Hercules” and the concert choir will perform “I Want You Back/ABC,” a Jackson Five medley. Valentine Quartets will also perform a capella, sharing the popular songs the groups prepared for their annual Valentine’s Day performances.

The concert will air in both Sudbury and Lincoln on Comcast channel 9 / Verizon channel 32, and will live-stream at this link. To learn more about the LSRHS Music Program, visit L-S Friends of Music at www.lsfom.org.

Drive-in Evensong at St. Anne’s

St. Anne’s in-the-Fields will host its second drive-in Evensong service on Sunday, March 14 at 5 p.m. During the service, which originates from the monastic hours, the choir offers certain portions while the congregation joins in the prayers, hymns, Creed and responses. In the lower parking lot, each singer will sit in their car with a wireless microphone while Music Director Jay Lane conducts from the upper lot. The singing and pre-recorded organ music are mixed in real time and the results are broadcast over an unused FM radio frequency. Parishioner Tom Vollaro is the sound engineer. This 45-minute service will feature Walmisley’s “Magnificat” and “Nunc Dimittis in D minor,” Wesley’s “Lead me, Lord,” and a hymn everyone can sing together. Read about the choir’s first drive-in Evensong in The Boston Globe.

Modernism Week online event offered

Friends of Modern Architecture/Lincoln is encouraging attendance at Modernism Week in Palm Springs, an online version of its annual celebration of midcentury modern design, architecture, art, fashion and culture online. Programs are for sale until March 15 and stream through March 31. Go to modernismweek.com for tickets and information.

Get ready for Lincoln Youth Soccer

The Lincoln In-Town Soccer program will kick off the spring season in mid-April. All Covid-19 safety measures from the fall season will continue into the spring and the program will follow and adhere to the Massachusetts state regulations to ensure safety for kids and parents. The season for grades K-2 will start on either April 10 or April 17 on Smith Field depending on field conditions, with K-1 at 8 a.m. and Grade 2 at 9 a.m. If you were registered for the Fall 2020 session, you are already enrolled for the spring season.

The program is also looking for more boys in grade 3 even if they were not enrolled in the fall. Register at www.lincolnsoccer.com.

Library programs coming up

The Lincoln Public Library is offering the following programs via Zoom, in addition to others previously announced in the Lincoln Squirrel. See the library’s website at www.lincolnpl.org for details on all programs.

eBook Help
Fridays, March 12, 19 and 26 from 2–3 p.m.
Would you like to read or listen to library books on a Kindle or iPhone? Elizabeth Creighton and Kate Tranquada can show you how to borrow e-books and audiobooks and are available for troubleshooting as well. Contact Kate at ktranquada@minlib.net to get the Zoom link.

What is Racism?
Wednesday, March 17 from 6:30–7:30 p.m.
School-aged children are invited to join us for a discussion about racism led by Wee the People, a Boston-based social justice group. Kids notice skin color and sense that it matters, and they have questions about how and why. Together we will explore how racism isn’t just one thing, but a problem with many parts working together — problems that take more than individual kindness to solve. Breaking down the fundamental concepts of skin color, race, racism, and injustice, kids will learn how they can help to notice and disrupt racist systems. Email dleopold@minlib.net to get a Zoom invite.

“Stunning Spring Perennials” with Joan Butler
Tuesday, March 23 at 7 p.m.
Whether you garden in sun or shade, learn about how to combine them for best effect in the garden from Joan Butler of Enchanted Gardens. Her gardens have been included in several garden tours and feature a combination of native plants. For a Zoom invitation, please email Lisa Rothenberg at lrothenberg@minlib.net or call the library at 781-259-8465 ext. 202. This program is made possible with funding by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.

The Friends of the Lincoln Library offers home delivery of books and other materials to Lincoln residents who are unable to come to the library in person. Patrons may order up to six library items at one time (including DVDs, CDs, spoken-word CDs, and two-week new releases). Patrons may use the Minuteman online catalog to request materials, or they can call the library to request specific items or general selections (e.g., “please send me five mysteries by women authors”). A volunteer from the Friends delivers requested items on need more information about home delivery, contact the Reference Department at 781-259-8465 ext. 204 or email lincoln@minlib.net.

Some town buildings set to reopen

Effective Monday, March 8, the Town Office Building, the Lincoln Public Library, and Bemis Hall will reopen to the public, subject to the continuation of health and safety protocols recommended by the Department of Public Health (mandatory face masks, social distancing, occupancy limits, front desk registration to enable contact tracing should it become necessary, etc.). 

The state’s decision to move forward to the next reopening phase is in response to significantly improving public health trend data. Local conditions have been trending in the same manner. Gov. Baker has issued guidance for reopenings to begin on March 1, but Lincoln is delaying by a week to provide town staff the opportunity to adjust child care and other personal arrangements.

To protect the health and safety of our residents and staff, Lincoln officials continue to urge the public to make use of the town’s online transactional capabilities, consider communicating with town staff via phone or Zoom conferencing, schedule appointments in advance where possible, and be sure to follow health and safety protocols when visiting town buildings.

Town boards and committees will continue to meet remotely as we enter this next phase of reopening.

Library reference staff who have been working entirely remotely will be back in the building during the day starting on Monday, March 1. This means they can return to pulling items that are in the library and putting them out for same-day pickup. They will also be available by email and phone to answer patron questions and assist with contactless pickup preparation.

Remote reference service will continue during evening hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 6–7:30 p.m. The library will reopen to the public by appointment on Monday, March 8 at 1 p.m. Check the library’s website at www.lincolnpl.org.

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Program offers film, panel, and group discussions on racism

The Lincoln METCO Coordinating Committee and Sudbury Community for Racial and Social Justice is hosting a 90-minute feature documentary screening of “I’m Not Racist… Am I?” and other subsequent events. All those who live, work, attend school, or have a connection to Lincoln or Sudbury may watch the film online as a diverse group of teens and their families go through a yearlong exploration of race and racism. The effort also focuses on the courageous voices of young people and provides Lincoln, Sudbury, and Boston METCO families with a forum for working together on local race-related issues.

The screening will run from Saturday, Feb. 27 at 9 a.m. through Monday, March 1 at noon. On Wednesday, March 3 at 6:30 p.m., the Organizing Committee and Point Made Learning (the film’s producer) will host a virtual discussion with a panel of people from the Lincoln, Sudbury, and Boston communities, asking them questions and using the film content as a springboard for dialogue on race and identity. In addition to the film viewing and the panel event, there will be an opportunity for community members to sign up to participate in facilitated small group discussions based on the movie.

Sponsors include the Sudbury Foundation, the Ogden Codman Trust, the First Parish of Lincoln, the Bemis Free Lecture Series, the Lincoln Public Schools, WIDE, the Sudbury Public Library and anonymous donors. All events are free but registration is required. The small group discussions are only for those who live, work, or go to school in Lincoln or Sudbury

Session for parents of rising L-S freshmen

Will your eighth-grader be a Lincoln-Sudbury freshman next year? Might it be helpful to connect with Lincoln parents whose students have made this same transition, both before and during the Covid era? Tune into “Life at L-S: A Parent-to-Parent Conversation About the 8th-to-9th Grade Transition” on Tuesday, March 2 at 7–8:30 p.m. via Google Meet. Featuring Lincoln School Principal Sharon Hobbs and L-S veteran parents panelists, along with L-S administrators. The program will focus on all the co-curricular elements of a high-schooler’s life so families have contextual knowledge that supports the LS course selection process in March. To RSVP and/or to pre-submit panelist questions, email Hobbs at shobbs@lincnet.org. For more information, contact Carole Kasper at carolemkasper@gmail.com.

Nature sketching classes offered

Farrington Nature Linc is hosting a virtual three-session nature sketching series starting on Tuesday, March 2. Each week, we’ll meet via Zoom with artist and teacher Alex Boersma, a freelance scientific illustrator and designer from Toronto, to learn how to draw natural objects we’ve collected throughout the week. We’ll improve our observational drawing skills while exploring new media: first graphite, then pen and ink, and finally watercolor. No experience necessary.

Classes will meet Tuesday evenings from 6–8 p.m. (the final workshop will go until 9 p.m.). You may attend a single workshop or all three; however, the skills taught in each workshop will build on one another, so organizers recommend signing up for all three. Register online via Eventbrite. The supply list will be emailed once you’re registered for the class (please be sure you have acquired the necessary materials ahead of the workshop).

Talk on Edith Wharton and Ogden Codman

Join a Zoom talk on “Edith Wharton and Ogden Codman: A Creative Kinship” on Wednesday,  March 17 at 7 p.m. Edith Wharton’s first published work was not a novel, but a design manual that she co-authored with Lincoln native Ogden Codman, Jr., The Decoration of Houses, which was destined to become an interior design classic. Using original letters from Historic New England’s Codman archival collection, this illustrated talk offers an inside peek into Wharton’s and Codman’s 40-year artistic friendship. Advance registration required on this HNE web page or call 617-994-6651. Free to Lincoln residents via a 2021 Lincoln Cultural Council grant. Historic New England members: $15. Non-members: $20. Program partners for this event are the Lincoln Public Library and the Council on Aging.

Council on Aging activities

  • Lincoln Public Health Nurse Tricia McGean will conduct her regular “Chats with the Nurse” via Zoom for residents of all ages on Wednesdays, March 3 and 17 at 11 a.m.  Bring your questions about Covid-19 and other issues, and McGean will share the latest updates. Preregister by calling 781-259-8811 x102 or emailing gagnea@Lincolntown.org to get the Zoom invite.
  • The Council on Aging invites seniors to a drive-up ice cream sundae cup event on Tuesday, March 16 in the parking lot of the First Parish Church. Please help stagger arrivals by coming at the time that corresponds to your last name (A–G, arrive from 12-12:45 p.m.; H–R, arrive from 12:45-1:30 p.m.; S–Z, arrive from 1:30-2 p.m.). Ice cream sundae cups generously sponsored by the Friends of the COA.
  • The COA welcomes seniors who want to connect in March with an L-S student via a weekly conversation via Zoom, phone, or letter. Students sign up to have a weekly conversation with a senior and they receive school credit. After seniors fill out this Connections survey to make their preferences known as to dates and times, they will be matched with a high school student. For more information, visit www.connections01773.org. This third Connections series will take place over four weeks beginning the week of March 15. Questions? Email Amy Gagne at gagnea@lincolntown.org.
  • To support people who are struggling with isolation and loneliness during this difficult time, Advocates for Human Potential (AHP) has adapted their evidence-based Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) to produce a special publication that addresses isolation and loneliness. The Wellness Guide to Overcoming Isolation During COVID-19: Being Connected, Staying Connected, and Choosing Connection is available to everyone online, and the Council on Aging has a limited number of free print copies. The guide can help you engage in connection activities with others and in online support groups. For more information to receive the WRAP Up monthly newsletter, please email mjaffe@ahpnet.com.

Most Lincoln Council on Aging events are open to Lincoln residents of all ages. For a full list — including clinics, exercise classes, regular meetings of interest groups, and online chats with town officials — see the COA’s calendar page or March newsletter. Contact the COA at 781-259-8811 or gagnea@lincolntown.org for Zoom links to events.