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

Stearns Room*

Letter to the editor: church needs “welcoming” handicapped entrance

letterTo the editor:

The recent flurry of letters opposing the proposed new Stearns Room paints quite a picture—how dare those First Parish people desecrate our sacred space! The low-pitched sections of the roof will be metal, there’s a terrace, and glass windows without shutters! It will be bigger than it is now, and part of the roof will be higher!

Guess what? If we are to make the presently dysfunctional space work, it has to be bigger, and that has been the plan since 2002. We have done our best to design a complementary, respectful addition, revising the plans at least five times in the past six years. Our first visit to the Historic District Commission was in September 2009, with a modern, butterfly-roofed design. Much has changed since then, and architects give the plan high praise.

The letter writers ignore the fact that the new building must have a welcoming handicapped-accessible entrance co-equal to the entrance by Bedford Road. If it does not, the sanctuary itself would require substantial renovation, with a wide ramp to the front door, alterations to the pews, the narthex, the choir loft and more. No one wants that.

The new building will have handicapped-accessible bathrooms and allow wheelchair access to both sides of the sanctuary. It will allow more of us to talk together after the service and to see the field to the west behind us. The new building will be far more functional and attractive and allow us to better serve the community.

Sincerely,

Peter Pease
40 Huckleberry Hill Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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 Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: “blatant disrespect” from church building committee

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To the editor:

We have watched Margaret and Warren Flint Sr. and other Lincoln citizens work hard to preserve the unique character of the town of Lincoln. As participants of the Flint Realty Trust, we gave land to the church for a small addition to the Stearns Room and an uncovered terrace. The scope of this proposed reconstruction has extended far beyond the original intent that accompanied the request for land from the trust.

The resolution of the Stearns Room renovation will be precedent-setting for the future of the town of Lincoln. For generations, the town’s character is what has attracted new residents and kept generations of families, including ours, living in Lincoln. New residents should come and enjoy Lincoln’s unique beauty—one that sets it apart from surrounding towns. Being “true to the values of Lincoln,” as stated by the First Parish Building Committee, has not been the aesthetic put forward by the building committee and architects.

We are most disturbed by the blatant disrespect the building committee has shown towards this aesthetic, given the building’s prominent position in the heart of Lincoln’s Historic District. The new Stearns Room is to have many large unshuttered glass windows, unlike its restored neighbors, and no longer echoes the design of the sanctuary as the present Stearns Room does.

The building committee has designed the new Stearns Room to have a glossy metal roof that does not reflect the New England historic look. The original church roof would have been wooden shakes and is now tastefully modernized to dark, conservative shingles. As part of the historic district viewshed, we cannot see this proposed metal roof as appropriate.

The Planning Board has not yet voted on the metal roof but has approved other features of the plan. The Planning Board is scheduled to vote on the metal roof on Tuesday, April 28. As citizens of Lincoln, please let the Planning Board know your views. Please tell them that metal roofs do not belong in the Historic District. We do not want the aesthetic integrity of the classic Greek Revival white church or the Historic District to be compromised. Please ask the Planning Board to require the new Stearns Room to have a shingled roof matching that of the sanctuary.

Our family always looks forward to coming home to Lincoln and our farm. We have loved showing new Flint descendants where our family has lived and worked for 12 generations. We hope that through town residents, the Historic Commission and the Planning Board, Lincoln will continue to be guided forward while being good stewards of our past.

Sincerely,

Margaret Flint Weir
A trustee of the Flint Realty Trust and eldest child of Margaret and Warren Flint Sr.
Lexington Park, MD

David L. Weir
Formerly of the Historic Preservation Team at George Washington’s Mount Vernon and grandson of Margaret and Warren Flint Sr.
Annapolis, MD

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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.

Letter to the editor: impact of Stearns Room addition

Editor’s note: Fitzgerald is commenting on the April 16 letter from Margaret Flint.
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To the editor:

As a former member of the Historic District Commission, I am surprised that the commission has not publicly voiced stronger objections to the significant expansion to this addition. It will be clearly visible not only to neighbors but to those passing through the area. It may also have an adverse impact on both the privacy and value of abutting properties.

The expansion may also increase the capacity of the facility that may generate more traffic problems and impact parking in a part of the center that is already often short of parking space. It is frequently difficult to find a parking spot to get into the library conveniently during its hours of operation. Bemis Hall also has too few spaces. What consideration has been given to that issue?

Sincerely,

Eleanor Fitzgerald
12 Juniper Ridge Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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.

Letter to the editor: maintain “quality of life” near church

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Editor’s note: The Planning Commission continued its April 14 hearing for the First Parish Church to April 28 at the request of the church, which still needs approval for its drainage and landscaping plans and the roof material for rebuilding the Stearns Room. It has already won zoning approval for the proposal.

To the editor:

I would like everyone involved with the new Stearns Room to imagine themselves living on the corner of Lincoln Road and Sandy Pond Road, a 1/3-acre lot. Now imagine the proposed Stearns Room replacement right next door: a higher ridge line, a metal roof, the new building extending back many feet beyond what is there now, with added windows overlooking their lot. I would like everyone involved—the Planning Board through site review, the First Parish Building Committee, the congregation—to imagine how profoundly the design will alter the quality of life of those living on the corner.

Since they moved to town, time has not been kind to these neighbors. Traffic has multiplied; their view of the conserved Chapin Field—to which they contributed—has already narrowed, and now there is the threat of a building project that will restrict their property even more. If you lived there, would you want that? Or would you rather work to find compromise, to meet the needs, not just the wants, of both the congregation and the neighbors?

Quality of life is why we live in Lincoln. Let’s keep it.

Sincerely,

Margaret Flint
Lexington Road

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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.

Letter to the editor: forget First Parish “grandiose expansion ideas”

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Editor’s note: This is a copy of a letter sent by Ms. Harvey to the Planning Board.

To the editor:

I am a member of First Parish. When the renovation of the Stearns room was planned, I was in favor of it and contributed what was, for my circumstances, a generous amount. As things progressed and the plans became more and more grand, my approval became less and less enthusiastic. As things stand now, I’d be just as glad to have the mold problem remediated, the décor freshened up and the grandiose expansion ideas forgotten.

The cavalier attitude shown by the persons representing the First Parish in this situation toward the abutters is shameful. I am sorry that a community which I joined for its principles of unity and “service for all” has behaved in such un-neighborly manner.

To sum up: I hope that the Planning Board will use its power to put a halt to this sorry business.

Sincerely,

Adele Harvey
140 Lincoln Road, Unit 215

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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.

Letter to the editor: “surprised” at First Parish remarks

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To the editor:

I, like many other Lincoln residents, was surprised by the harsh quotes in last week’s article about First Parish Church’s ongoing interactions with the Planning Board. As someone who has no opinion on the reasonableness of the church’s proposed plans for expansion, I can only say that it was painful to read so many mean-spirited remarks about the members of a key board in town who work tirelessly to do the tough job of regulating development that citizens have elected them to do.

Everyone well knows that (volunteer) Planning Board members each put in hundreds of hours per year to address the matters that come before them. Like those who serve on our School Committee or our Selectmen, the residents who serve on town boards learn quickly that it is impossible to please every citizen all the time. Polite disagreement is perfectly fair; thinly veiled insults are not.

I intend to support Bob Domnitz who is running for reelection to the Planning Board. Bob has served with distinction for twelve years, bringing his legal and engineering training to bear on every matter. We are fortunate to have someone with Bob’s skill set and sensitivity serving on our Planning Board.  He (along with the entire Planning Board) has promised to remain focused on protecting the rural character and values of Lincoln. This is what Lincoln asked him to do when he was first elected in 2003 and this is what he has faithfully done.

Sincerely,

Maria O’Brien Hylton
5 Oakdale Lane

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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.

Letter to the editor: Flint responds on First Parish

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(Editor’s note: In her letter, Margaret Flint refers to a February 24 article in the Lincoln Squirrel that incorrectly stated that the First Parish Church has been trying for 12 years to win formal approval from town boards to expand the Stearns Room, when in fact it has been doing so only since 2012. The earlier article has been updated to reflect this correction.)

To the editor:

I would like to clear up a few misconceptions regarding the First Parish Building Committee’s application for a building permit to upgrade the Stearns Room. In 2001, my family donated land to the church in good faith and with the understanding that there would be a modest addition to the Stearns Room to improve handicapped access and to improve circulation. After many years of input from parishioners and subsequent design changes, the Building Committee finally approached town boards in 2012 with their proposed plan. This was just two and a half years ago, not 14 as was reported.

The Stearns Room renovation has changed from its original intent to become quite a large project that now includes, among other things, a meeting room and a gallery to display a history of the church. I have been dismayed by the change in scale of the project, which I feel diminishes the prominence of the lovely, simple sanctuary. I believe strongly that my husband and father-in-law would feel the same way. In fact, I believe the church has bitten the hand that fed them the land in their disregard for several requests dating back many months, beyond the square footage, to the planned new Stearns Room: the amount of glass, the height of the roof, the metal roof, and the door leading nowhere and which bumps out the southern profile of the building.

Town boards have been generous to the church in granting exemptions for the Stearns Room. The February 24 article stated that “…the church has argued that, given the constraints of the property, it cannot fulfill the goals of a Stearns Room expansion without the exemptions.” To that I respond, perhaps the goals of the Stearns Room are too grand, given the constraints of the property and its place in the historic town center.

The article also quotes a member of the Building Committee as follows: “…it is not our intent to simply build real estate, but to create an experience that is spiritually uplifting and satisfying to the soul as well as true to the values of Lincoln and an entire spiritual community.” It is my belief that taking into account the concerns of neighbors and trying to reach compromise is what most people would consider being true to the values of Lincoln, especially in light of this building’s place in the Historic District.

Sincerely,

Margaret Flint
Lexington Road

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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.

First Parish hopes to clear final hurdle tonight

firstparish-sm(Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect corrections made on February 28.)

By Alice Waugh

The First Parish Church is going before the Planning Board tonight in hopes of getting a final go-ahead for the controversial Stearns Room replacement, but some are worried that the process could drag on even longer.

Discussion among church officials about expanding the Stearns Room, which dates from 1963,  began in 2001 when the Flint family donated a parcel of abutting land to the church. The current proposal calls for a covered, handicapped-accessible entranceway from the sanctuary as well as handicapped restrooms, a sitting area with a fireplace, and a space on the south side of the addition for robing, private phone conversation, and gatherings at various times including after Sunday services when the Stearns Room is full. The room would open to a small patio and a view of the field to the west.

To carry out its plan, the church needed several zoning exemptions, and the process of trying to obtain town approvals began about two years ago. At several hearings, residents objected to how the proposed addition would look and argued that the church should not be exempted from zoning regulations. In response, the church has argued that, given the constraints of the property, it cannot fulfill the goals of a Stearns Room expansion without the exemptions.

In a victory for the church, Planning Board approved most of the site plan in February 2014 and granted relief from zoning limits on lot size, lot width and parking—but it denied the requested four-foot setback on the north side of the property. Based on that decision, building commissioner Daniel Walsh denied a building permit in March 2014.

The church subsequently appealed to the Zoning Board of Appeals, saying applying the setback requirement to the property’s north side was not reasonable in this circumstance, pursuant to the Dover Amendment, and should not be enforced, according to minutes of the ZBA’s meeting on June 19, 2014. The Dover Amendment is a state statute that exempts agricultural, religious and educational corporations from certain zoning restrictions.

At that June meeting, the ZBA granted permission for the north side setback by a 4-0 vote (member Megan Stride abstained). However, the board noted that the church would have to go back to the Planning Board to finish the site plan review process. Tonight the Planning Board will consider those elements of the site plan it hasn’t already reviewed, such as landscaping, lighting and drainage—”things they didn’t get around to before,” said Director of Planning and Land Use Chris Reilly. The Planning Board can’t revisit the building itself, which has already won the necessary approvals; “they have to be disciplined and look just at the remainder of the site plan review process, unless someone brings forth new information,” he said.

But Lincoln resident Ken Hurd, an architect who has been working for the church, was not reassured. “There have been hints that they want to look at more things,” he said. “They have changed their minds before, so we just don’t know.” Asked for specifics, Hurd said the board approved minutes of a September 2013 meeting in November of that year but later rewrote them shortly before its vote in February 2014.

“There’s a little lack of trust about what they say and what gets posted,” Hurd said on Tuesday afternoon.

On behalf of the First Parish Building Committee, Hurd this week wrote a letter to the Planning Commission to reiterate the benefits of the new addition, saying it would “affirm the dignity of everyone who might be part of this community institution… It is not our intent to simply build real estate, but to create an experience that is spiritually uplifting and satisfying to the soul as well as true to the values of Lincoln and an entire spiritual community.”

Meanwhile, the church also needed approvals from the Historic District Commission to demolish the old Stearns Room and build a new one. After a contentious hearing in November 2014, the commission voted to grant a certificate of appropriateness for the new construction by a vote of 5-2, with members Ruth Wales and Bryce Wolf voting no. The commission also voted 6-0 (with Wolf abstaining) to grant a demolition permit.

Previous coverage in the Lincoln Squirrel:

Letter to the editor: Don’t harm historic area with church addition

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Editor’s note: The Historic District Commission is scheduled to discuss the First Parish Church at its meeting on Thursday, Nov. 13.

To the editor:

The First Parish Church in Lincoln, built in 1842, a beautifully made Asher Benjamin design on the Historic Register, is the center of our Historic District. The First Parish has proposed an addition, much larger than the church. The Historic District Commission is evaluating the appropriateness of that proposal. The first consideration of an addition might be to limit expansion to the least distraction from the historic church on a tiny lot.

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