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

seniors

Residents brainstorm options for a community center

Residents including Selectman Renel Fredriksen (center) discussed options for the Hartwell property.

Residents including Selectman Renel Fredriksen (center) discussed options for the Hartwell property.

By Alice Waugh

More than 100 residents packed into Hartwell Pod C for an October 8 charrette to share ideas for a community center in Lincoln and discuss where it might be located.

The evening included lively discussion over pizza as attendees clustered around maps and models of five sites identified in a 2012 report by the Community Center Feasibility Study Committee: Bemis Hall, the Hartwell pod area, the current Department of Public Works site on Lewis Street, the commuter parking lot behind Donelan’s, and Pierce House.

The Community Center Study Committee (CCSC) formed in June and hired Abacus Architects and Planners to gather community input and produce an analysis of possible sites for a facility that would be home to the Parks and Recreation Department (PRD) and the Council on Aging (COA) as well as a central meeting place for residents. While the PRD is content with its current location in Hartwell Pod C, the COA has outgrown Bemis Hall, which has numerous issues including insufficient parking, activity space and handicapped access as well as lack of privacy for counseling. All of the Hartwell pods need upgrades as well.

Abacus began its work knowing that the PRD did not want to relocate. “Moving the programs away from the children makes no sense,” said Abacus architect David Pollak. That said, there are other questions such as whether the COA should share renovated or newly built space with the PRD, stay in a renovated Bemis Hall, or move to another site in town. He noted that less total space—about 20,000 square feet—would be required for a shared facility, vs. 10,000 square feet for a separate COA and 15,000 square feet for the PRD.

After Pollak outlined the pros and cons of each of the five possible sites for a community center, residents split up into smaller groups around maps of each site, talking and manipulating little foam blocks that represented segments of buildings and seeing how things might fit within property lines, wetlands and other features. The groups then shared their brainstorming ideas about each site with the entire gathering.

Pierce House — Possibilities include construction on the southeast corner of the property, underground beneath the parking lot, or even in Pierce Park, a notion that drew good-natured boos from some in the crowd.

Hartwell — This site resulted in the greatest number of feasible ideas. The parking and traffic pattern could be reconfigured and one or more two-story structures could fit on the site, perhaps with space in the middle to be shared by the PRD and the COA, residents said. The structures could also be used as swing space for a school building project. The primary concerns were keeping both age groups safe and protecting the stream that runs between Ballfield Road and the parking lot. Some even suggested putting a second entrance to the site on the east side.

Bemis Hall — Residents in this group saw the close proximity of the historic cemetery and Bedford Road as significant obstacles. However, Pollak noted that other towns have solved similar problems by expanding into an adjacent hillside via underground space with an atrium to let in natural light. “From an architectural standpoint it’s quite doable, but no one is recommending that this is the right thing to do with the mustering yard,” he said.

Commuter parking lot — Although it’s a good location for a senior center, the property is fully used on weekdays by commuters, and users would encounter a bottleneck in the Lincoln Road entrances that are also used for the mall.

The DPW on Lewis Street — Most of the conversation in this group focused on the “challenges and disorders” of the site, said Town Administrator Tim Higgins, who was a member of the group that looked at this location. At issue is relocating the DPW to the transfer station off Route 2A, “which is not an attractive use in any residential neighborhood,” he noted. Although the site has potential for mixed-use development for housing and retail, “there was more concern than creativity voiced about the site” as a senior center, Higgins added.

Residents who couldn’t attend the charrette were invited to complete a brief online survey or to attend one of the other community center public meetings:

  • Friday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. at a COA-sponsored open house in Bemis Hall
  • Friday, Nov. 7 at 8:30 a.m. (a joint session with the PTO and the School Building Advisory Committee) in the Brooks auditorium

Abacus and CCSC members will analyze the information gleaned from the forums to craft a proposal for residents to consider at the State of the Town meeting on November 15.

 

News acorns

acornDrumlin Farm offers winter CSA program

Registration for the winter Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program at Drumlin Farm is now open. Winter CSA shareholders will receive eight distributions from early November through mid-February of vegetables from the Drumlin Farm root cellar, including garlic, onions, brussels sprouts, cabbage, potatoes, sweet potatoes, radishes, beets, winter squash and more. Drumlin Farm offers full share, half-share and work share options, with greens share (fresh lettuce, arugula, and Asian greens from the greenhouse), egg share, and other add-on opportunities. Those with work shares, which are available for both the full and half-share options, commit to work with us for eight hours during October and early November for a $50 discount on the regular winter share.

Share pickups are Thursdays from noon to 5 p.m. The winter CSA at Drumlin Farm always sells out, so register early. Register online or download a registration form and mail with payment to CSA Coordinator, Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, 208 South Great Road, Lincoln MA, 01773. To register for a work share, please contact our CSA Coordinator at dfgrower@massaudubon.org.

Buy used books at monthly sale

The next Friends of the Lincoln Public Library (FOLL) book sale is on Saturday, Oct. 11 from 9 a.m. to noon in Bemis Hall. Check out the selection of good-quality scary fiction, non-fiction and children’s books and support the library. Hardbacks are $1, paperbacks are 50 cents, and a grocery bag full of books is only $10 Gift-quality books are individually priced. Book sales occur on the second Saturday of each month except August. Donate used books in good condition in collection bin in the vestibule at Bemis Hall. If you have valuable antique or collectable books you’d like to donate, please email FOLL@lincolntown.org. The FOLL cannot accept donations of magazines, textbooks, or materials with mold or writing in them.

Spaces available in self-defense classes for women

There are still spaces available in the two free self-defense sessions for women run by the Lincoln Police Department in October and November. Each session will be two nights for three hours each night. On the first night, participants will talk about general safety and then begin practicing physical self-defense moves like strikes, blocks, kicks, and knee strikes. On the second night, an officer suit up in a padded suit will “attack” participants, who will use moves to escape. This part of the course is intense but empowering.

  • Session A: October 28 and 30 from 6:30-9:30 p.m.
  • Session B: November 17 and 19 from 6:30-9:30 p.m.

If you have any questions or want to sign up, please email Jena Salon at jenasalon@gmail.com

Join St. Anne’s for Taizé prayer and supper

St. Anne’s in-the-Fields welcomes everyone for Taizé Evening Prayer with Communion on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 5 p.m. We’ll gather for meditative song, scripture contemplation and periods of silence in the manner of the Taizé monastic community in Taizé, France. Designed by our teen pilgrims Anna Hubbell, Nina Haines and Caleb Smith, who traveled to Taizé last February and supported by a quartet of professional singers, this candlelit service is sure to be a gift of stillness and beauty. Offered monthly, this late-afternoon series is open to all who wish to gather in meditation and prayer, regardless of faith background. Each month we explore innovative ways of worshiping together characterized by a range of prayer practices and a variety of musical expression. Worship will be followed by a simple supper served Taizé style. Young and old alike are welcome. All are welcome to St. Anne’s for the service and afterwards for food and conversation

Improv classes for kids at library

The Lincoln Public Library is offering “Jump Into Improv!” for kids in grades 4-7 on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30-5:30 p.m. on October 21 through December 9. During improv exercises, participants create characters and stories and act them out. Learn acting games and skills. No previous experience needed, and no lines or staging to learn—just lots of fun, laughter and creativity. The class will be taught by actor/teacher Sally Kindleberger. To register, visit or call the library at 781-259-8465.

Medicare information session on Oct. 24

Anyone on Medicare as well as their family members and other caregivers should plan to attend the sessions on “Medicare 2015 Updates” and “What You Need to Know to Change Plans” on Friday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. in Bemis Hall. The event offers an opportunity to find out changes in Medicare’s benefits and costs, as well as get information directly from supplemental insurance companies, the state’s Prescription Advantage program, and the town’s Veterans Services Officer. The program will be presented by Don Milan and Anne Meade, Lincoln’s SHINE counselors, along with staff from Minuteman SHINE, the health benefits counseling program. It is co-sponsored by the Lincoln Council on Aging and Minuteman SHINE. It is especially important to learn up-to-date Medicare information now, because this year’s open enrollment period (the primary opportunity to change plans) is October 15 to December 7. After that time, people with Medicare Advantage plans (HMO and PPO), and people with Part D prescription coverage may only change plans under special circumstances such moving, losing your employer’s coverage, etc.

October activities sponsored by COA

Here are the October activities sponsored by the Lincoln Council on Aging.

Enjoy old-time jazz with the Lincoln Trad Jazz Jammers
October 2 at 2:30 p.m.
If you ain’t been to one of these yet, find out what you’ve been missin’! Come celebrate the joy of jazz at Bemis Hall on Thursday, October 2 at 2:30 p.m. when the Lincoln Traditional Jazz Jammers will share with you their love of this hot and cool music in a delightfully spontaneous jam! If you find you just can’t sit still, go ahead and tap your toes or get up and dance as they belt out favorites we all know and love, like Ain’t Misbehavin’, Makin’ Whoopie and others. The musicians are mostly retirees, amateurs who give life to the music of the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s at the Trad Jazz Jams at Bemis Hall, the library, and the Colonial Inn on Wednesdays.

Chaplin meets Beethoven
October 3 at 1 p.m.
Mark your calendars for Friday, October 3 at 1 p.m., at Bemis Hall when the COA will show The Immigrant, a silent film by Charlie Chaplin, accompanied by a live string group, Con Affeto, which includes Lincoln residents Laura Bossert and Terry King and others. Con Affeto will play music by Beethoven, Mozart, Kreisler and more. They have performed on New York music station WQXR and elsewhere in the region. This event is supported by the Friends of the Lincoln COA. [Read more…] about October activities sponsored by COA

Jazz group gives books to library

jazzbooks

Vern Welch of CJALL (left) presents books to the library on behalf of CJALL. Accepting the gift were library staff member Lisa Rothenberg (center) and Haskel Strauss of the Friends of the Lincoln Library.

To celebrate the start of their 35th season, Classic Jazz at the Lincoln Library (CJALL) presented the Lincoln Public Library with “The Jazz Shelf,” a collection of books on classic jazz.

The books were originally owned by CJALL founders Bill Poisson and Ed Williams, and current members Harold McAleer and Vern Welch added a few of their own.

News acorns – 9/14/14

schoolPublic forum on school project this week

The School Building Advisory Committee will hold the first of four public forums on Tuesday, Sept. 16 from 7-9 p.m. in the Smith gym as part of the planning process for Lincoln School renovations and/or additions (see the Lincoln Squirrel, Sept. 8, 2014). The forums will be iterative in nature, beginning with a discussion of cost estimates of renovation components and moving through the development of a range of solutions.

[Read more…] about News acorns – 9/14/14

Lincoln Police warn citizens of phone scams

police logoThe following is a notice from Lt. Sean Kennedy of the Lincoln Police Department.

We would like to notify the community that we have received numerous citizen complaints over the past few months of several different telephone scams. These citizen complaints are not unique to Lincoln, as neighboring communities are fielding similar complaints. Several of these scams are specifically targeting the elderly community. Some of the scams that we and neighboring police departments have learned about include:

  1. A person calls reporting that they’re calling from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and are demanding that money for back taxes be paid immediately by wire transferring money from their bank account. In some cases the scammers are telling citizens that they have warrants out for their arrest and the money needs to be paid or they’re going to be arrested. The scammers are using “spoofed” phone numbers which allows them to use a computer program in which they can select a specific phone number. The scammer usually chooses a local number which appears on the citizen’s caller ID. The citizen assumes it’s a local number and it’s a legitimate phone call. In one case the scam caller spoofed a local government phone number.
  1. A person calls reporting that they’re calling from out of the country and their grandchild has been arrested and is sitting in a foreign jail, or they’ve been involved in a motor vehicle crash. In order to get out of jail or out of the country, they need money wire transferred or cash needs to be sent immediately via overnight mail to a specific address.

It’s important to know that the IRS and other government entities will never call citizens directly demanding money. They will send their correspondence through the mail. The most important thing to remember is: DO NOT provide any personal information to anyone over the phone such as your Social Security number, bank account number, credit card number or date of birth.

If you’re offered a “deal” over the phone or through the mail that seems too good to be true, it is. All these deals require the citizen to provide personal information. If you have provided your personal information, immediately notify the bank or the credit card company. You also want to do a credit check of your personal information using one of the credit monitoring companies (Equifax, TransUnion or Experian). It’s also a good idea to put a fraud alert on your credit.

Please call the Lincoln Police Department and report any suspicious calls of this nature.

Studies on community center, school renovations are underway

blueprintsBy Alice Waugh

Two design firms are now working in parallel on potential town construction projects—a community center and Lincoln School renovations—and both will be discussed at the State of the Town meeting on November 15.

After interviewing four candidate firms earlier this month, the new School Building Advisory Committee (SBAC) selected Dore & Whittier Architects to develop repair and renovation options for the Lincoln School. The firm’s work will build on previous studies commissioned by the town, as well as the work of the first SBAC to identify individual repair and renovation projects and get updated specific cost estimates for each. Voters approved spending up to $250,000 for the study (see the Lincoln Squirrel, April 3, 2014).

Meanwhile, following the recommendation of the Community Center Study Committee (CCSC), the Board of Selectmen has hired Abacus Architects and Planners to do a detailed study of several possible sites for a community center and offer estimates on the scope and cost for each. After being appointed by the Board of Selectmen in June, the CCSC received proposals from seven architectural firms and interviewed five.

Abacus will look at several sites identified in the 2012 report of the Community Center Feasibility Committee as well as any others that may come up. That report was a first step in identifying alternative sites for the Council on Aging, which has outgrown Bemis Hall, and the Parks and Recreation Department. While Park and Rec is happy with its location in the Hartwell pods, those buildings are due for renovation or replacement.

On the radar of both consultants will the Hartwell area, which could be repurposed as a community center and also serve as swing space for the Lincoln School to use during major renovations. The two firms are working independently, but if the town chooses to go ahead with both a school building project and a community center, the Hartwell site will certainly come into play somehow, “and we want to have an answer to how that’s going to work,” Fredriksen said.

Both committees will schedule public discussions before the State of the Town meeting. After a comprehensive $49 million school project failed to win enough support at a special Town Meeting in 2012, some residents said it was because of insufficient communication and public input beforehand.

“The primary reasons for choosing Dore & Whittier Architects were their emphasis on listening to the community—their desire to conduct separate meetings with stakeholder groups as well as their overall understanding of the importance of developing choices and providing accurate cost estimates,” the SBAC said in a statement distributed by co-chair Becky McFall, superintendent of schools. “The SBAC is striving to focus their efforts on process and community engagement, as opposed to the specifics of a particular option. Community input to the consultants will be vital and community members will be encouraged to contribute at several key points along the way.”

The CCSC will hold a town-wide charette in the fall, and while dollar figures will not be discussed, “we want see what those [community center] scenarios would look like and see what direction residents are inclined to go in,” Fredriksen said. “We’re taking it one step at a time.”

The CCSC meets every other week; its next meeting is Thursday, Aug. 7 at 8 a.m. in the Town Office Building. Agendas, minutes, documents and additional information are available on the CCSC’s web page. The SBAC will start its work with Dore and Whittier on Wednesday, Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Hartwell Multipurpose Room.

July/August activities offered by Council on Aging

bemisHere are the Lincoln Council on Aging activities for July and August.

Easy yoga
Wednesdays beginning July 2 at 9 a.m.
Would you like to try yoga but are worried it may be too rigorous for you? Try the Council on Aging’s new Easy Yoga class with experienced instructor Jai Kaur Annamaria San Antonio! The class will be held on nine Wednesday mornings at 9 a.m. beginning on July 2 at a cost of $45 for the course. You may do the class on the floor or in a chair and the instructor will help you adapt the poses to your special needs. You may try one class for free! You may also sign up for the fall classes which will begin on Wednesday, September 24 at 9 a.m. and run for eight weeks at a cost of $40. Please sign up in advance by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. This class is subsidized by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

Make earrings or a pendant
July 2 at 1 p.m.
Join Hilary Taylor of Merlin’s Silver Star Studio on Wednesday, July 2 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. to make a pendant or pair of earrings using clay embedded with fine silver. After firing, the clay burns off, leaving your piece in silver. Bring items with texture (bits of nature, lace fabric, a piece of metal with a texture) to use in your piece. No experience is needed and you will surely enjoy your finished piece! You’ll receive your piece 10 days later. The workshop is part of a series of crafts workshops offered by the Old Town Hall Exchange and the Council on Aging at Bemis Hall featuring artists associated with the Exchange! The workshop is intergenerational, so bring along grandchildren or other friends or relatives middle school age or older. The workshop costs $15 per person. Sign up is required. Please sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. This workshop is supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. [Read more…] about July/August activities offered by Council on Aging

News acorns

Police warn residents of chimney repair scammers

A number of Lincoln residents have received calls or visits from the Lysco Chimney Maintenance and Repair Co. saying they’re in the area and asking if homeowners would like their chimneys cleaned. The Lincoln Police warn that this company has a long list of complaints against them for being very aggressive on the telephone and then, if the homeowner agrees to have them clean the chimney, wanting to perform other costly repairs that do not need to be done and are not done properly. The workers are using a white van with the word Lysco on it. If you have concerns or have had Lysco come to your home, please call Lincoln Police Officer Surette at 781-259-8113.

Drumlin Farm hosts Strawberry Day

Madeline in field Celebrate the strawberry harvest by heading to Drumlin Farm on Saturday, June 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dig in the dirt with our farm staff, meet some berry-loving animals, and pick your own strawberries to take home. Drumlin’s strawberries, like all of its produce, are grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.

All activities except strawberry picking are free with admission ($8 for adults, $6 for seniors and children 2-12, free for Mass Audubon members). Pick-your-own strawberries will be available for purchase from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., weather permitting and while supplies last, with a limit of one quart per person picking.

Special programs during the day:

  • 10:30 a.m. — Garden Guests: Wonder who may be nibbling in your garden? Meet one of our animals and find out!
  • 11:30 a.m. — Wild Wetlands: Get an up-close look at what’s going on in our local ponds
  • 12:30 p.m. — Fields for Food: Visit with some of the wild birds and mammals that make fields their habitat
  • 2 p.m. — Foxes Love Strawberries: Learn more about our fascinating foxes as our wildlife care staff feed and care for them
  • 2:30 p.m — A Taste of Drumlin: Sample the first fruits (and veggies!) of the season
  • 3:30 p.m. — Seeing Seeds: Explore the magic of how a seed turns into a new plant
  • 3:45 p.m. — Turtles Love Strawberries Too: Meet one of New England’s turtles up close

Below are some of the other programs coming up at Drumlin. See the Drumlin schedule website for details on events, costs and ages.

  • Fairies and Fireflies — Wednesday, June 11 from 7:30-9 p.m.
  • Evening Hayride and Campfire — Friday, June 13 at 4:30 p.m. or 6 p.m.
  • Morning Chores — Saturday, June 14 from 8-10 .a.m
  • The Bird Next Door Field Trip II — Saturday, June 14 from 3-9:30 p.m.
  • Great Blue Heron Rookery — Sunday, June 15 from 8-10:30 a.m.
  • Fungi Field Walk — Sunday, June 15 from 1-3:30 p.m.
Monthly book sale this Saturday

The Friends of the Lincoln Library’s monthly used book sale is on Saturday, June 14 from 9 a.m. to noon in the basement of Bemis Hall. You can fill a paper grocery bag with adult and children’s books for only $10 (tax included). We also have a good selection of individually priced special books, as well as some CDs, DVDs and audio books.

We always need more books, so donations may be left in the wooden boxes in the Bemis Hall entrance on Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. No textbooks, no magazines or books that are musty or have been written in, please.

Berryfield Farm offers therapeutic programs

Berryfield Farm in Lincoln is offering Hooves, Paws & Claws (HPC) and Pony Partners. HPC is a  six-week program for young adults age 18-22 years with a focus on teaching adult social skills and accountability to the group and the horses. Appropriate students for this program are able-bodied, have receptive and expressive language, can follow directions, and are able to do simple tasks with minimal support. The six-student  program meets on Friday afternoons from 3:30-5:30 p.m. starting Friday, June 13 and costs $235 (limited scholarship aid is available) Fore more information, contact Director of Programming and Instructor Allie Richardson at friendsfortomorrow@gmail.com or 617-823-5271.

The Pony Partner Program is an experiential empowerment group for able-bodied girls age 8-10 who have a love of animals and are struggling socially, personally and/or academically. PonyPartners is not about learning to ride; it’s a chance to explore and develop knowledge of horses, the herd (both two- and four-legged) and the power of body language. The six-student program will meet on Friday afternoons from 3:30-5:30 p.m. for 10 weeks starting September 5 and costs $550. Limited scholarship aid is available for both programs. Interested parents should contact instructor and program coordinator Lucy Cornish at lucyfcornish@gmail.com or 781-538-6769.

Scholarship application deadline is June 16

Reminder: students who are already attending higher education institutions have until Monday, June 16 to apply for a need-based scholarship. These awards are available only to Lincoln residents who are currently attending a college, university, vocational school or community college. n institution of higher education. Application instructions and forms are available on the Lincoln town website.  Funding for this program has been provided by the Ogden Codman Trust. 

Drumlin Farm honored for science education work

Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm has been honored for its dedication to science education and their commitment to collaborative partnerships at this year’s Museum Institute for Teaching Science (MITS) annual meeting. MITS is an umbrella organization that brings together museums, nature centers, and other science and cultural organizations to provide professional development programs for educators with the goal of improving STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. The event spotlighted the role of informal science organizations like Drumlin Farm in increasing scientific literacy among both students and teachers.

Lincoln vets socialize at COA lunch
Lincoln veterans and their spouses enjoyed a special barbecue lunch at the Council on Aging on May 30. Photo collage by Howard McAleer.

Lincoln veterans and their spouses enjoyed a special barbecue lunch at the Council on Aging on May 30 (click to enlarge). Photo collage by Howard McAleer