The Lincoln Winter Carnival, an annual event sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Committee, starts on January 29 and features a pancake breakfast, a snow sculpture contest, poetry, bingo, and lots of other events for both adults and kids.
The carnival is designed to foster a sense of community throughout the town of Lincoln, and all events are sponsored by Lincoln-based organizations. Please check individual event details for age limits, admission fees, pre-registration information, etc.
The proposed sports court would go in the blue area next to the tot playground behind the Codman Pool parking lot (click to enlarge).
By Alice Waugh
Lincoln will have a new outdoor court with lighting for basketball, tennis, street hockey and other sports by late summer if officials and voters give a funding thumbs-up.
The proposal by the Parks and Recreation Committee (PRC) calls for a $146,000 multi-sport moveable court to be installed next to the playground at the rear of the Codman Pool parking lot. The court surface, which would be made of perforated plastic and surrounded by netting, could be taken up and relocated if staging space is required during a school building project.
Although Lincoln has recreational facilities for children and town tennis courts, “what we really have is a big gap in the sixth-to-eighth-grade, high school and college-age folks,” said PRC chair Jonathan Dwyer in a January 8 presentation to the School Committee, which oversees use of school property.
The court could serve as an outdoor drop-in sports facility for teenagers and others in the afternoon, early evening and weekends all year round, since it could also work as an ice-skating rink, Dwyer said. “This brings them back to the [Lincoln School] campus and connects them more to the town as they [remember] hanging out at the playground, at the pool and on the fields,” he said.
The location also has the advantage of easy access and parking next to the existing lot and its streetlights, “so we’re not creating a new lit area located in the middle of nowhere—we’re just augmenting what’s already there,” said Dan Pereira, director of the Parks and Recreation Department.
The court would also expand the town’s after-school tennis program, which usually can’t start until after April school vacation because the clay courts need more time to recover from the winter snow and ice.
The PRC estimates that the facility would cost $146,000, including lighting and a water line extension. A traditional court with a poured concrete base would cost about $20,000 less, but it would not have the advantage of being movable and water-permeable, Pereira noted. The Community Preservation Committee has determined that the project qualifies for Community Preservation Act funding and is considering the proposal for recommendation as part of its funding request at Town Meeting in March, Dwyer said in his written proposal to the School Committee.
If funding is approved at Town Meeting, installation could begin in early August and would take about a week, making it ready for use by August 30.
“This sounds like a fun thing to bring forward and could be a real benefit to students,” said Jennifer Glass, chair of the School Committee, which voted unanimously to support the PRC’s request.
To the editor:
The Community Center Study Committee and the Lincoln Council on Aging invite Lincoln residents of all ages to a public meeting on Friday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. in Bemis Hall to explore the need for a new community center in town.
The Community Center Study Committee (CCSC) was appointed by the Board of Selectmen to evaluate options for the long- and short-term facilities needs of both Parks and Recreation and the COA, in addition to the numerous other community organizations which currently use such town facilities as Bemis Hall and the Hartwell School buildings for their activities and storage. Questions to be explored by CCSC, discussed at November’s State of the Town Meeting and next spring’s Town Meeting, are whether Lincoln should have a Community Center and, if so, where it should be located and whether it should be new construction or adapted from within an existing structure.
At the October 17 meeting, residents will have the opportunity to learn more about the space and programming needs of the departments and community organizations and the options being considered, then have an open discussion of what programs, activities, and services should be included and where either a combined or separate facilities should be sited. This meeting, along with a charrette held on October 8 (see the Lincoln Squirrel, Oct. 14, 2014), are the first steps in its dialogue with residents to explore and discuss various options. We hope that any residents who were not able to attend the October 8 evening event will come to the October 17 public meeting. The CCSC will then take information learned during the workshop as they go forward. Refreshments will be served.
We hope to see you on October 17!
Sincerely,
Dilla Tingley
5 Laurel Drive
Community Center Study Committee and Council on Aging board 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 must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, 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.
It takes two to plug the fountain’s lower holes and force water out the top and onto a friend.
By Jonathan Dwyer
Chair, Parks and Recreation Committee
On Labor Day, Lincoln’s Codman Pool closed on a high note until next summer. The weather was warm and humid, and the pool was a popular place to be. Stacey Mulroy, Assistant Parks and Recreation Director and pool director, noted that the crowd enjoying a last dip in the pool was the biggest of the year, even bigger than the July 4-5 crowd. In recent years, the temperature was cooler and people came for a last dip and quickly left. This year, many stayed until the last tick of time.
“We’re trying to extend summer as long as we can!” said DeAnna Mori. Apparently so was her daughter, still playing with the fountain in the new wading pool with friends.
The original wading pool was replaced when it was discovered that the leaking underground pipes could not be replaced without removing the existing pool and decking, triggering an opportunity to replace the pool with one that complies with current safety and accessibility codes. [Editor’s note: see the Lincoln Squirrel, March 15, 2013]. Mulroy explained that the new pool has been very popular with two- to eight-year-olds and is designed for accessibility with a “zero-entry” section that slopes from deck level to water level and downward to its deepest point, allowing people to easily wade into the pool.