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Waltham day shelter welcomes help from First Parish in Lincoln

Rev. Nate Klug (center), co-minister at the First Parish in Lincoln, with congregants Jonathan Donaldson (left) and Gary Taylor as they prepare to deliver donated clothing to the Community Day Center of Waltham.

A grant from the First Parish in Lincoln is helping the Community Day Center of Waltham (CDCW) create a program designed to keep people housed after they leave homelessness.

The CDCW is a low-barrier, drop-in day shelter for adults experiencing homelessness that offers showers, hot lunches, laundry, clothing, and other necessities while also helping people secure permanent housing. But adjusting to life indoors, managing bills, and rebuilding routines can become barriers to long-term stability without continued support.

The church’s $25,000 Jean Wood Preston Grant will fund the CDCW’s pilot Housing Sustainability Program, which “recognizes that getting someone housed is only half the battle,” said Chloe-Rose Crouch, executive director of the CDCW. “Many people who have spent years surviving on the streets need continued support as they adjust to housing. This funding will help us provide that support through regular home visits, assistance with furnishing apartments and setting up utilities, financial coaching, connections to employment and community resources, and early intervention before small challenges become housing crises.”

The CDCW partnership with the First Parish extends beyond grant funding; volunteers from the church have pitched in for years. After learning that the facility had completely run out of men’s pants (a constant need among guests), congregants organized a collection. “We got so much stuff it was unreal — the response was overwhelming,” said Susan Taylor, one of the volunteers at FPL. They filled an entire truck with donations, and many members went to the CDCW to sort clothing, serve lunch, and chat with the guests. Visits like this give guests a chance to “talk to people and socialize, as opposed to other places where they’re just handing stuff out,” Taylor added.

Applications for 2027 Preston grants will be sent out by the end of October, so email suggestions to fplgiving@gmail.com. To qualify, the core mission of the organization must be to provide services or advocacy such as affordable housing, enrichment programs for youth, health and human services, social justice, disaster relief, and protecting the natural environment.

My Turn: Eighth-graders raise awareness of teen mental health

By Klaudia Teksten and Veronika Sedlak

Our names are Klaudia Teksten and Veronika Sedlak and we are local eighth-graders from Lincoln Public Schools. We are working on our civics action project researching teen suicide prevention. Teen mental health is something that affects more people than we often realize, yet it is not always talked about openly. The suicide rate has increased by 30% in the past two decades and as of now is the third-leading cause of death among those ages 15-29 years old. As students working within this topic, our goal is to help raise awareness and make it easier for teens to get support before their struggles become more serious. 

The leading cause of teen suicide has proven to be depression and anxiety. Many young people experience overwhelming stress, pressure, loneliness, or feelings of hopelessness which can build up over time. These issues can occur from negative self-esteem, having been the victim or witness or violence, having a learning disability, as well as abusive use of alcohol, nicotine, and/or drugs. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, women experience depression and anxiety about twice as much as men due to factors like hormones and pregnancy. Helping teens feel heard and supported can make a meaningful difference in preventing a crisis.

One of the most important things we have learned is that many teens who are struggling do not always ask for help directly. Because of this, it is important for friends, families, teachers, and community members to recognize signs.

Some common signs that a teen may be struggling include noticeable changes in mood or behavior. This could look like becoming more withdrawn, losing interest in activities they once enjoyed, isolating themselves from families and friends, writing good-bye letters, and/or if an individual is talking about suicide. Other signs might include changes in sleep patterns or changes in eating habits. Increased irritability, difficulty focusing, or a sudden drop in school performance can also be warning signs. 

It is also important to pay attention to what people say. Even small comments about feeling hopeless or overwhelmed can be meaningful. While not every sign means something serious is happening, patterns or multiple changes at once are worth noticing. 

Through our project, we have been working to better understand how teens can access support. We spoke with our school counselor to learn about the resources available in our school and how students can get connected to additional help when needed. We also learned about the William James College INTERFACE Referral Service, which provides support outside of school and can be an important step for many students. 

These conversations helped us realize that support systems do exist, but not everyone knows about them or feels comfortable using them. That is why awareness is so important. If more people know what to look out for and how to respond, it becomes easier for teens to get help early on.

So what can you do if you think someone might be struggling?

First, check in with them. This does not have to be a big formal conversation. Simply asking “Are you okay?” can make a huge difference. Listening without judgement is one of the most important things you can do.

Second, encourage them to talk to a trusted adult. This could be a parent, teacher, school counselor, or another trusted adult they feel comfortable with. You do not need to get all the answers; helping them connect to someone who can support them is what matters.

Finally, take concerns seriously. If something feels off, it’s always better to speak up than to stay silent. Looking out for one another is an important part of building a supportive community. 

Our project is not just about learning; it is about making change. By sharing this information, we hope to help our school and Lincoln community become more aware, more supportive, and more prepared to help teens who may be struggling. Everyone has a role to play. Sometimes, noticing small changes and reaching out can make a bigger difference than we realize.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. 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.

Car will collect data on condition of Lincoln roads

You may see an odd-looking vehicle puttering about town as soon as this week. The town has hired Citylogix, which uses a specially outfitted car to assess the conditions of Lincoln’s roads.

The vehicle-mounted sensing technology collects LiDAR/imagery data and 360° imaging technology to measure road defects, such as cracking, bumps, and potholes that will help the town identify and prioritize road repair needs. This initial step is expected to take about a week, but it may be delayed if it rains, said Department of Public Works Superintendent Stephen Olson.

The cost of the survey is $48,580, which includes comprehensive pavement condition data collection for all public roadways and three years of access to the Citylogix asset management software platform. “This platform will provide cost estimates for different paving scenarios, enabling us to analyze various strategies for rehabilitating the roadway network,” he said.

The goal is to use the data to determine the scope of a projected town-wide roadway infrastructure project as well as for short-term goals. The Finance and Capital Planning Committees estimated in March that a town-wide road project would cost about $12 million in FY 2029.

The part of Bedford Road that has gone though two different excavations for new water mains and drainage pipes is scheduled for repaving in spring 2027, Olson said. The soil and temporary patching over a trench in a road needs some time to settle from traffic, often over a winter.

Correction and clarification

  • The May 18 legal notice about a proposed 20-unit housing development at 109 Page Road, 279, 283, and 295 Cambridge Turnpike had an incorrect headline. The Lincoln Squirrel website post’s headline of “Legal notice: Planning Board hearing (Civico)” was correct, but the headline within the body of the notice should have read “TOWN OF LINCOLN PLANNING BOARD — NOTICE FOR DEFINITIVE DEVELOPMENT AND USE PLAN.” The notice has been corrected.
  • The May 18 story headlined “Fate of trees to be announced on June 8” included a final paragraph about an upcoming webinar on trees, but that event is not related to the rest of the story on the removal and/or pruning of roadside trees. It is republished here: 

The Lincoln Tree Preservation Study Group and Lincoln Land Conservation Trust will host a Zoom webinar on Thursday, May 21 from 7:00–8:15pm on “Trees and People Around the World: A Historic Perspective.” Matt Foti of Foti Tree and Landscape in Lexington will share knowledge gained from years of exploring the relationship between trees and people, including the historic significance of some of our own native trees. He’ll also talk about how people’s lives depend on trees for food, protection, fuel, medicine, religion, shelter, and even transportation. Click here to register for the webinar.

Board accepts $1.35 million in donations for community center

At the meeting at which the Select Board accepted to community center donations were (left to right) Town Administrator Tim Higgins, Select Board member Kim Bodnar, Community Center Building Committee co-chair Sarah Chester, Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging chair Rhonda Swain, Patrick Lawler of the FLCOA, Select Board member Jim Hutchinson, Peter von Mertens, donors Faye and Peter Speert of the FLCOA, Select Board member Jennifer Glass, and CCBC co-chair Jonathan Dwyer.

The Select Board on May 11 formally accepted donations totaling $1.345 million in donations to defray the cost of the community center now under construction.

It was the culmination of the previously announced donations of $1 million from the Friends of the Council on Aging and the Odgen Codman Trust ($500,000). The FLCOA donation was jump-started by bequests many years ago from the Pascoe and Hurff families.

The FLCOA also contributed another $345,000 it raised from about 100 private donors, with significant sums from the Desai family and Dilla Tingley and her late husband Fred, as well as the Hammett Ory family and Faye and Peter Speert.

The $1.345 million total was supplemented earlier this month by a donation of $40,000 from Peter von Mertens for a rain garden that had been cut earlier from the project due to cost. 

“This is just the best news I’ve had in a long time, and your generosity is amazing and so welcomed by the town,” Select Board member told the donors at the meeting.

Two different ideas floated for former Stonegate Gardens property

A concept for 144 units of housing at 339 South Great Road proposed by Roy MacDowell.

The now-vacant Weston Nurseries on South Great Road has sparked ideas for different uses for the property from two people… and they happen to be brothers.

Bruce MacDowell owns the nursery property and two houses on either side. He and his wife Lynne Bower-MacDowell ran Stonegate Gardens there for years, but she died in 2023. Bruce tried to keep the business going but eventually turned it over to the Weston Nurseries chain, which decided in January to close the location, citing revenue and business model issues.

Bruce’s brother Roy, head of Baystone Development in Weston, floated an idea to the Planning Board on April 14: a development of 144 two-story rental units occupying the nursery parcel plus one of the adjoining house lots owned by Bruce totaling 6.5 acres. The concept would include creating 144 parking spaces and an underground sewage treatment facility while preserving the stone greenhouse (which Bruce built himself over a period of years) as a common area. Baystone’s previous projects include housing in several towns including Weston (680 South Ave.) as well as larger projects such as Cronin’s Landing and Longview Place in Waltham.

Before submitting any formal proposal, MacDowell said he wanted to “get the pulse” of the board. “If I don’t get the feeling from the board this is something you could support or the community would support, frankly we won’t spend the time” pursuing it, he said. 

He noted that the property is zoned for residential use and is not in the Housing Choice Act zones approved for new multifamily housing in March 2024, so there would have to be a zoning change such as a new overlay district, which would require a simple majority at Town Meeting. He offered to designate 25% of the units as affordable, and he and the board discussed the idea of a swap of parcels between the MacDowell property and the HCA zones in South Lincoln. For the state to approve such a move, “we would have to make our numbers work,” board member Margaret Olson said.

The Planning Board was noncommittal, saying it was really up to the town. Olson suggested that MacDowell reach out to neighbors and residents, perhaps in a Zoom meeting, and if sentiment was favorable, bring it to the State of the Town meeting in the fall.

Bodhi Healing

Meanwhile, also on April 14, Bruce MacDowell submitted a Zoning Board of Appeals application to allow a new business, Bodhi Healing, to operate on the nursery property. Bodhi Healing is a “community-centered, science-backed wellness sanctuary dedicated to somatic healing, frequency-based therapies, and the restoration of whole-person health,” according to the application, which describes in detail how parts of the property would be used.

There would be few if any changes to the exteriors of the structures, the application says. It envisions private treatment rooms in the westernmost building, a cafe and retail shop in the main building, a studio for movement classes and educational programming in the greenhouse building, and in the basement, a holistic frequency and detoxification technology suite, including individual wellness equipment rooms for appointment-based sessions.

In an email to the Lincoln Squirrel on April 14, Roy MacDowell said he and Bruce “are aligned on the overall direction and understand his desire to explore multiple options for the property. We believe the location is excellent for multifamily housing, though we recognize that any such project would require significant permitting and Town Meeting approvals. At the same time, Bruce has been considering an alternative that would allow more of the existing site to remain as is.

“The Bodhi Wellness [sic] proposal that Bruce is exploring would likely require a special permit or a variance and, from what we understand, would also need to raise substantial capital to become a reality,” MacDowell continued. “With the site currently vacant, it made sense to Bruce to conduct initial due diligence on a couple of alternatives, both of which may or may not ultimately prove feasible. At this time, our intention is to continue pursuing our multifamily project on a more passive basis while we see whether the Bodhi project can move forward and secure the necessary funding and permits.”

It’s unclear where Bodhi Healing is currently located, and business owner Alison Zook could not be reached for comment on April 16. According to her LinkedIn page, she founded the company two years ago after a career in account management and sales for Becton Dickinson, a medical technology company, and GlaxoSmith Kline. She changed direction due to personal crises and a “spontaneous spiritual awakening,” her website bio page says.

Mary Ann Hammett, 1934–2026

Mary Ann Hammett

Mary Ann (Wilkinson) Hammett, age 91, passed away on March 23, 2026, after a long, full life.

Mary Ann was born December 13, 1934, on a farm in Evans County, Ga., to William Rufus Wilkinson and Annie Mae (Bowen) Wilkinson. She grew up alongside three brothers — “BJ” Benjamin Jackson, Paul, and Joe. At the age of 12, her family moved to Claxton, Ga., where she later graduated from Claxton High School. She went on to attend Georgia Teachers College, now known as Georgia Southern University.

As a young woman, Mary Ann discovered a passion for ballroom dancing. She became an instructor for Arthur Murray Dance Studios in Savannah, and in 1956, she achieved top honors as the overall winner of the Southeastern United States All-American Arthur Murray Ballroom Dance Instructors’ Competition. While teaching, she met her future husband, Wilford “Willie” Hammett, a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, also a Georgia native. They married in Savannah in 1957.

Mary Ann and Willie’s early married life took them to Japan, where they welcomed their children, Gregory and Linda. Their youngest child, Janice, was born in Virginia, where Mary Ann lived with her three young children while her husband served in the Vietnam War. For two decades, the Air Force led their family across the country, including assignments in Minnesota, Virginia, Idaho, Ohio, and Florida. Throughout these years, Mary Ann taught ballroom dance to fellow Air Force couples, and she dedicated 20 years as an American Red Cross swim instructor.

After Willie’s retirement from the Air Force, the family settled in Milledgeville, Ga., where they owned and operated the Hammett Chrysler-Plymouth dealership. Mary Ann remained active in her community, teaching ballroom dance to adults and teens. After 20 years in Milledgeville, Mary Ann and Willie retired to Savannah, returning to the city where their love story began. Willie passed away in 2000.

In 2005, Mary Ann married Clifford Herbert “Herb” Diercks, a retired Air Force test pilot who grew up in Iowa. They shared many joyful years together until his passing in December 2016.

Mary Ann was a woman of many talents and interests. In addition to ballroom dance, she especially enjoyed classical architecture, gardening, interior design, keeping informed about current events, and studying the Bible. Above all, she took great pride in raising her three children and ensuring they received excellent educations.

In 2019, Mary Ann moved to Newbury Court in Concord, Mass., where she lived independently until recently, enjoying her later years living close to her children and grandchildren.

Mary Ann will be remembered for her elegance, devotion to family, and the lasting impact she made on all who knew her.

Mary Ann was preceded in death by her first husband, Wilford “Willie” Hammett, and her second husband, Clifford Herbert “Herb” Diercks. She is survived by her loving children and their spouses: Gregory Wayne Hammett and Kate (Irwin) Hammett; Linda G. Hammett Ory and Andrew Ory of Lincoln; and Janice Hammett Dreier and Alexander Dreier. She also leaves behind her cherished grandchildren: Abigail Ory, Audrey Ory, Tyler Ory, Benjamin Dreier, Olivia Dreier, and Lucy Dreier.

Mary Ann’s funeral will take place at 10:30am on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Baker McCullough Funeral Home, 7415 Hodgson Memorial Drive in Savannah, Ga. Visitation will begin at 9:45am before the service. The burial at Greenwich Cemetery will take place immediately following the service.

In lieu of flowers, you may donate in Mary Ann’s honor to the Historic Savannah Foundation, the American Heart Association, or the American Lung Association. Local arrangements have been entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord, which provided this obituary.  For Mary Ann’s online tribute page, click here.

Correction

The March 31 article headlined “Cuetos wins Trustees of Bemis seat as write-in candidate” incorrectly stated that there were no contested races in the March 30 town election. In fact, two candidates were vying for one seat on the Parks and Recreation Commission. Newcomer Hilary Dionne beat out David Onigman for a seat on the Parks and Recreation Commission by a vote of 365–246. Onigman had been serving as an appointed member to fill a vacancy.