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

Lincoln’s efforts to thwart cut-through traffic go way back

By Kerry Glass

One way to keep out traffic: Don’t tell travelers where the roads are.

For the first 75 years after Lincoln was founded, the town felt no need for an official road map. The roads ran where Lincoln residents needed them, and new roads were created and old ones were closed by debate and decision in Lincoln’s town meetings. The road “maps” were scrawled descriptions by the town clerk in town records: “beginning at Lexington line, so running southerly over John Headley’s land and through Joseph Brooks’ land, the said Brooks to have liberty to hang a gate on the said way at his southerly bounds.”

Then in 1794, the Great and General Court required all towns to submit “accurate plans” of their borders, rivers, bridges, and roads. But only county roads had to be shown on these maps. So that is all that Samuel Hoar, the town surveyor, included when he drew up the town’s official map—just four county roads, one in north Lincoln and three in south Lincoln. It was not until 1830 that the Commonwealth required towns to submit maps showing all town roads. Lincoln had no choice and finally produced a complete road map. Yet even on this map, no names were shown for the roads (that’s a story for another time!).

Part of an 1830 map of Lincoln by John G. Hales. showing the town center — and the lack of road names. Source: Digital Commonwealth.

The town felt strongly that even these county roads mainly benefited other towns but not Lincoln. And so the town resisted. The Concord/Cambridge Turnpike (now Route 2) was a good example. The path of the turnpike was laid out in 1803, and it plowed through hills and wetlands in Lincoln, just so travelers between Cambridge and Concord would have the shortest and straightest route possible. Lincoln fought unsuccessfully against the turnpike, and later the town also resisted straightening the paths of two other roads through town—the Middle Road (now Trapelo Road) and the North Road (now Route 2A).

Lincoln had more success in preventing a major highway from running north and south through the heart of town. To this day, in contrast to neighboring towns, Lincoln does not have a numbered highway running through its town center.

For more on the history of Lincoln’s roads, see Tracing the History of Lincoln’s Ways, a 2019 manuscript by Kerry Glass, accessible by contacting the Lincoln Historical Society.

“Lincoln’s History” is an occasional column by members of the Lincoln Historical Society.

Capital spending requests on tap for Wednesday presentation

Capital spending requests that residents will vote at at Town Meeting on May 15 include funds for school furniture and equipment, a public safety radio system, and a new town well.

The Capital Planning Committee (CapCom) and the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) will host a joint Zoom presentation on their proposals on Wednesday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. Click here for the agenda, which includes the Zoom link as well as brief descriptions of each item.

CapCom is proposing a total of $2,762,310 in two separate warrant articles that will be up for a vote on May 15. Article 7 seeks $937,695 for nine items. The single largest request is $410,557 for furniture and technology needs for the renovated Lincoln School that were cut earlier to stay within the construction budget. The only other six-figure item is $380,000 to refurbish the Fire Department’s ladder truck.

In a separate vote, CapCom will ask for $1,824,615 to replace the fire and police department’s public radio system. That item was originally considered for approval at the the 2020 Town Meeting but was deferred in favor of restoring some of the cuts to the school project.

The CPC is seeking approval to spend a total of $1,385,646 on 16 items costing $1,281,834 plus $103,812 from the housing reserve fund. Those items include $355,000 to repair the library’s parapet and $307,891 for debt service for the Town Office Building renovations as well as $161,200 for Lincoln School playground equipment and $200,000 for land acquisition.

Water Department funding

The Water Department is seeking capital spending totaling $907,600. That includes about $350,000 to complete a project to reduce total trihalomethanes (TTHM) in the drinking water, since they have been slightly over the state-mandated limit for some time. TTHMs are formed as the result of required chlorine disinfection on pond water with increasing levels of plant matter and algae.

Voters approved spending $330,000 in 2019 for the first phase of the project to install coagulation treatment to filter out more of the organic matter in the pre-treatment phase. The new expenditure will pay for equipment to handle the residuals from the treatment process so the chemicals can be safely released from the water plant without violating its discharge permit.

Water Commission chair Jim Hutchinson said the money needed for this second phase was not brought up last year as a future expense because the final cost was very uncertain at that time. Also, the commission’s Town Meeting presentation was limited to only items to be funded that year at the request of Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden in the interest of keeping the meeting short.

Also on the Water Commission’s wish list is $480,000 to replace the aging Tower Road well, which has been on their for several years. The group is hoping to pay for the well and the TTHM system by bonding $830,000. The other items on their capital improvements list will be paid for from Water Department retained earnings.

This is the third bonding request in two years for the Water Department. Voters approved almost $2 million (including the $330,000 for the first part of the TTHM project) in two separate measures in 2019, followed by $225,000 in borrowing voted at the 2020 Town Meeting.

“Much like the town as a whole, the Water Department has regular capital needs that are not properly handled in an operating budget, and need to be requested separately and funded with bonding or reserve funds. And that will continue to be the case going forward,” Hutchinson said. “It is true that the requests made in FY20-21 and that we are making for FY22 are larger than normal, due in part to the department previously falling behind on replacing aging infrastructure and in part due to the TTHM issue. Looking forward, we are striving to get back to a more ‘steady state’ level of requests for FY23, but there is always some amount of uncertainty and potential for surprises about capital needs.”

Water Department capital funding requests
CategoryDescriptionAmountFunding Source
Regulatory compliance with high TTHM levelsResiduals handling & neutralization system upgrades at water treatment plant (WTP) to comply with the EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System discharge permit$350,000* Bonding
Aging infrastructureReplace Tower Road Well (current well cannot pump at desired rates despite aggressive cleanings due to clogged shutter-type screen)$480,000Bonding
Aging infrastructureReplace compressor #2 at WTP (two compressors in service since 1995; replace the one with more hours on it)$25,000Retained earnings
Increase resiliencyInvestigate cost and engineering needed to interconnect with Wayland. A backup water source is needed for our emergency response plan.$13,600Retained earnings
Increase resiliencyEvaluate current condition of storage tank and reconsider previously proposed solutions to what is currently our sole storage tank. $39,000Retained earnings
Required by Mass. Water Management Act permitConduct water audit to determine what happens to the water we produce. $31,500**Retained earnings
Total water capital projects:$939,100

* Subject to adjustment up until ATM motion is finalized, as T&H work to better define scope of this project.

* The Water Commission voted to remove this item from the warrant pending feedback from the state DEP on the town’s previous numbers.

This may be a bad year for Lyme disease

By Rhea Karty

(Editor’s note: Karty, a Lincoln resident, is a senior at Lincoln-Sudbury who has always been interested in biology, particularly diseases and ecology. “After taking biology and AP biology, I wanted to continue to broaden my understanding and look into some practical applications,” she said. “Lyme disease was really meaningful to me because many of my friends and coaches from cross-country and school have had scary experiences with it. So I worked with my former biology teacher (Ms. Shopiro) to develop an independent study curriculum where I studied the ecology, immune response, treatments, and microbiology of Lyme, and I interviewed some doctors and community members. Now I’m doing some projects to spread awareness.”

Acorns and mice and ticks — oh my!

With the onset of spring comes the bane of New England: Lyme disease. Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, other diseases may have slipped off our radar, but Mother Nature is not so quick to give us a break. In fact, there may be a significant uptick in Lyme disease cases this year due to a bumper crop of acorns.

Oak trees operate in cycles: they naturally have years where they produce blankets of acorns and others where they have very few. As you may have noticed, 2019 was a particularly plentiful year for acorns in suburban New England, called a mast crop These blankets of acorns are great for wildlife and rodents, but also provide a building block for Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is caused by bacteria and is transmitted to humans through the bite of black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis), sometimes known as deer ticks. The ticks pick it up from mice and other small rodents that are already infected with the bacteria.

Ticks feed three times in their life. In their larval stage just after they hatch from eggs, they bite and drink the blood of mice and small rodents. This is when they potentially become infected with Lyme disease. (Surprisingly, even though they are called deer ticks, they don’t actually get Lyme disease from deer.) Once a tick picks up Lyme disease, it will carry it for the rest of its life and is able to transmit it to humans.

In the next two years of a tick’s life, it will bite once or twice more. This is when humans can get the disease.

Our ecosystem operates in harmony, where changes in one section cascade to other areas. The plethora of acorns from the mast year provides plenty of food for the rodent population, which will then cause a higher population of infected ticks for the next one to two years, so, the acorn mast year in 2019 will be felt this year with increased ticks.

An illustration of how Lyme disease is transmitted between species (click to enlarge). Image courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

With indoor restrictions on gatherings still in place, we’re all hoping for an active outdoor spring. However, as kids go outside to play and families begin to start biking and walking in the woods, we should be aware that Lyme disease will be particularly bad this year and must keep an eye out for the symptoms. Here are a few things you can do to stay protected:

Dress — wear light-colored clothes, long pants, high socks, and bug spray, especially when venturing off trail.

Environment — Consider spraying for ticks or other remedies like tick tubes, essential oils, chickens, keeping deer out of your yard, maintaining a well-kept yard, and staying away from the edge of the woods.

Awareness — check for ticks after going outside. If a tick is pulled out within a short period of time, Lyme disease may be avoided. Make sure you have all the parts of the tick, including the eight legs and head.

If Lyme disease is caught and treated early, the worst effects can be prevented with antibiotics, so keep an eye out and be prepared. For more information about Lyme disease and symptoms, visit www.cdc.gov/lyme or www.mass.gov/service-details/lyme-disease.

“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.

Police log for April 17–23, 2021

April 17

Cranberry Hill Road, Lexington (7:01 p.m.) — Lexington Fire Department requested an engine respond to a fire alarm; call was canceled en route.

April 18

Old Concord Road (10:44 a.m.) — Acting on a complaint, a parking ticket was issued to vehicle parked in No Parking zone

Bake Bridge Road (3:00 p.m.) —Caller reported cars parked on the side of the road. Officer checked the area but the road was passable and there were no violations.

April 19

Juniper Ridge Road (6:46 p.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle pulled over on the side of the road. Everything was fine, officer is clear

April 20

Weston Road (9:41 a.m.) — Cars parked on Weston Road close to the five-way intersection were moved along.

Tower Road (6:47 p.m.) — Resident reported that someone filed a fraudulent unemployment claim in their name.

Officer checked on a person walking along the roadway in dark clothing. The party’s vehicle was towed from Walden Pond, and officer assisted them with information as to which company towed the vehicle.

April 21

Trapelo Road (2:02 p.m.) — A group of juveniles fishing at the reservoir were asked to move along.

Trapelo Road (2:13 p.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle parked at the Cambridge Reservoir reservoir pump house. The vehicle belonged to an employee.

April 22

Tower Road (8:27 a.m.) — Police received report that the railroad gates were stuck down. the MBTA was notified and reset the gates.

Doherty’s service station (11:54 a.m.) — Officer  stopped a vehicle that was reported as being stolen. After the vehicle pulled into Doherty’s and the officer spoke with the party, it was found that the vehicle’s license plate was stolen. The entering police agency was advised to correct the notification.

Mary’s Way (1:12 p.m.) — A caller wanted to speak to an officer regarding an issue with a resident allegedly harassing staff members and other residents. Officer spoke to the reporting party. All of the incidents happened in the past, and the caller was advised to contact police if and when the incidents happen so they can be addressed.

April 23

Codman Community Farms (12:41 p.m.) — Court paperwork was delivered.

Birchwood Lane (3:43 p.m.) — Court paperwork was delivered.

Drumlin Farm (8:29 p.m.) — A caller reported that several vehicles were parked in the field. Officer checked on the people, who were star-gazing.

Planning Board presentation to focus on bylaw proposals

Lincoln officials are gearing up for Annual Town Meeting with advance presentations via Zoom starting Tuesday night.

The Planning Board will explain and take questions about two measures — an accessory apartment zoning bylaw revision and a new illicit discharge/stormwater management general bylaw — on Tuesday, April 27 starting at 7 p.m. Click here for the Zoom link (meeting ID: 994 5136 7238; passcode: 317537).

The changes to the accessory apartment bylaw would add a cap on the number of accessory apartments allowed equal to 5% of all residential units in Lincoln. The board also proposes to remove limitations on the age of structures that are eligible to add accessory apartments, and to require a minimum rental term of 30 days where the accessory apartment or principal dwelling is occupied as a rental unit. 

Lincoln voters approved the Affordable Accessory Apartment program four years ago, but it was only recently that the state officially OK’d it, so the local rules needed some tweaks before the program can finally launch.

Stormwater proposal

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified land disturbance and polluted storm water runoff as a major source of water pollution. Under Lincoln’s federal and state environmental permits, it’s required to work on a range of measures including adoption of a Stormwater Management Bylaw.

This bylaw would prohibit pollutants and other non-stormwater discharge such as an indoor drains, sinks, toilets, or washing machines from being discharged into the storm drain system or a water course. The Planning Board would administer the town’s Stormwater Management program and adopt regulations including rules to ensure erosion control during construction.

More information:

Future presentations will be announced to give residents as much advance information as possible with the goal of keeping the outdoor May 15 ATM as short as possible.

Obituaries

Bojan Rip, 43

Rip was a native of Sarajevo, Bosnia and worked as an engineer at Bose. He died on April 20. Full obituary.

Manson Solomon, 79

Solomon, who died on March 26, was best known to Lincolnites as a founder of the Lincoln Traditional Jazz Band. Full obituary.

Carol Wagner, 84

Wagner, formerly of New Jersey and Florida, was a nurse, teacher, and family counselor. She passed away on February 15. Full obituary.

Bojan Rip

Manson Solomon

  

Clark Gallery moving from mall to Lewis Street

The Clark Gallery was packing up on Thursday.

(Editor’s note: this story was updated on April 23 to include a comment from Christina Van Vleck.)

The Clark Gallery in the Mall at Lincoln Station is moving across Lincoln Road to the recently refurbished commercial space on the ground floor of 2 Lewis St. and may open in their new location as early as next week.

Geoff McGean, executive director of the Rural Land Foundation, which owns the mall, confirmed the move. The gallery was a tenant at will in its 1,400-square-foot space and will not be liable for any future lease payments.

The 2,300-square-foot space that the gallery will occupy includes a kitchenette and ADA-compliant bathrooms, according to the property’s website.

Van Vleck and her husband began renovating the upper floors of the distinctive Lewis Street property (also known as the 1870 Wyman Cook House) in late 2016 with the plan that their family would live there. Last year, they started renovating the retail space on the building’s east side adjacent to the railroad tracks after the MassDOT field office, travel agency, and barber shop left, and Lincoln Cleaners moved to 10 Lewis St. with an entrance abutting the tracks.

Clark Gallery owner Dana Salvo said he was in talks with the Lewis Street owners from very early in the renovation planning and wouldn’t have signed the 10-year lease unless he could occupy both units on the ground floor. “I don’t think they imagined one tenant” at the outset, “but it was good timing — when they knew they were going to have just one tenant, it really opened up what they could do with the space upstairs,” he said. “They’ve done such a good job with that building. They have a really good eye and a good vision.”

“We received a great deal of interest in the space,” Van Vleck said. “Given that septic constraints currently preclude any food service establishments, the gallery feels like a wonderful opportunity to welcome the community in to experience the newly renovated space and enjoy the beautiful artwork featured in the gallery’s collection.

The 1,375-square-foot commercial space on the second floor is occupied by a tech start-up run by a local Lincoln business owner, she said.

A Lincoln Road view of the renovated space.

The goal for the new Clark Gallery space is not necessarily to attract a higher volume of visitors, “but it just allows us to program a bit differently,” Salvo said. “Contemporary art is a really small niche — I don’t get a lot of foot traffic. People that come are intentional.”

One of the things he didn’t have before is the brick patio along Lincoln Road, which might accommodate outdoor seating and one or more Clark sculptures. Three of its sculptures are now on the lawn in front of the restaurant, he noted.

“I like being in Lincoln in a destination space and that’s not really changing. It’s not like I’m moving” out of town, said Salvo, noting that the gallery has been in the mall for about 30 years.

The RLF is looking for a new tenant for the Clark Gallery’s former mall space and “we’ll be focused initially on trying to find a retail tenant,” McGean said. “We continue to look at all options for improving the vibrancy of Lincoln Station.”

Students stage Legopalooza with help from GearTicks

One of the Legopalooza presentations.

By Victor Han and Olivia Crisafi

On April 3, 11 teams of elementary schoolers from seven towns concluded their FIRST Lego League Explore season at the third annual Lincoln Legopalooza.

FIRST Lego League Explore is a branch of First Lego League for children ages 6–10. Students use motorized Lego bricks to learn robotics and teamwork through a fun interactive game challenge. This year, the challenge titled “Playmakers,” placed emphasis on finding ways to be active and be healthy. 

Lincoln’s high school robotics team, the GearTicks, usually runs the Legopalooza in late November, but in-person events were not possible this season. Given the GearTicks’ own experience with online competitions this year — which have allowed them some semblance of a traditional season — they aimed to provide the same opportunity for these elementary schoolers. With the help of Stephen Green, the Massachusetts FLL Explore Partner, they spent months organizing the logistics of the online event, planning fun activities and virtual judging sessions, and designing laser cut trophies. 

The custom laser-cut trophy given to each team.

The GearTicks were impressed with the younger students’ tenacity through such a challenging season. The FLL Explore kids created masterful posters to showcase their season, gave a spirited online presentation of their models, and demonstrated teamwork in working together virtually.

Some of the project highlights included a walkathon that one team participated in to help their community. Another team learned how to RipStik to challenge themselves over the course of their season, and a third team explored Tinkercad. Every team received a custom laser-cut award to highlight their successes.

“The event was well planned and well executed. The limitations imposed by the need to hold a remote festival seemed nonexistent,” Green said.

While it was a new experience to run a virtual event, the GearTicks were thrilled to be able to celebrate the students’ accomplishments for the third year in a row, and they hope to be back in person next year. 

Police log for April 10–16, 2021

April 10

The two arrests came as a result of a multiagency saturation patrol and sobriety checkpoint on the night of April 9-10 as described in the April 9 police log.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (1:02 a.m.) — Frank Kotopoulis, 43, of Acton was arrested and charged with OUI/drugs (second offense) and was later bailed to appear in Concord District Court.

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (1:22 a.m.) — Mario Alvarez, 26, of Leominster was arrested and charged with OUI/liquor. He was later bailed to appear in Concord District Court.

Red Rail Farm Road (12:01 p.m.) — Fire Department assisted the homeowner with a brush pile fire that was getting out of their control.

Trapelo Road (5:15 p.m.) — A group of juveniles were fishing at the reservoir. They were moved along.

Granville Road (5:47 p.m.) — Homeowner called to report their brush pile fire was out of control. Fire Department responded.

Goose Pond Road (6:31 p.m.) — Caller reported cars parked on both sides of the roadway. Officer responded, but there are no signs prohibiting parking on the street. The caller was advised that they may wish to call the DPW regarding signage.

Pine Ridge Road (9:01 p.m.) — Police received a report of a car hitting a tree on Farrar Road and driving off towards Oxbow Road. The area checked but nothing was found.

April 11

Kenney Lane, Concord (2:30 a.m.) — Concord police requested an officer to assist them at a residence. The call was canceled as the officer was driving there.

Battle Farm Road/Old Bedford Road (2:56 a.m.) — Caller reported hearing very loud music. Officer checked the area and the music wasn’t coming from the Battle Farm Road complex. However, at 3:20 a.m., an officer came across 60-80 cars in the Hartwell lot of Minute Man National Park playing loud music. The large group left the area when the officer arrived. The National Park Service will follow up on the matter.

Lincoln Road (8:59 a.m.) — A party reported a person standing near the train station crying. Officers checked on the party and assisted by bringing them to the Alewife MBTA station to assist them.

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (12:44 p.m.) — State Police reported kids throwing rocks at cars. Officers checked the area but found no sign of them.
Granville Road (12:58 p.m.) — A caller reported that the previous day’s brush fire had rekindled. Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire.

Concord Road (1:33 p.m.) — Caller reported a large brush pile on Old Concord Road that appeared to be out of control. Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire

Winter Street (6:30 p.m.) — Officers followed up with a neighbor dispute and spoke to both parties (civil matter).

April 12

Lincoln Road (8:43 a.m.) — A caller from a business reported that an employee who was terminated is now back at the property causing a disturbance. Officer responded but the party was no longer on scene.

Huckleberry Hill (10:39 a.m.) — Caller requested a well-being check on a resident. Officers checked and everything was fine.

Virginia Road (7:39 p.m.) — Caller requested a well-being check on a resident. Officers checked and everything was fine.

April 13

Lincoln Woods (10:04 a.m.) — Management requested information on a vehicle that has been parked on the property. Officer spoke to management and advised them of their options for removing the vehicle.

DeCordova Museum (5:45 p.m.) — Caller reported driving by and smelling an odor of gas. The area was checked but there was no sign of an odor.

April 14

Lincoln School (1:12 p.m.) — Minor crash involving a bicyclist; no injuries.

Concord Road (4:55 p.m.) — Council on Aging requesting a well-being check due to a resident not feeling well. Officers and Fire Department responded; Fire Department brought the party to a local hospital.

April 15

Old County Road (5:32 p.m.) — People fishing at the reservoir were moved along.

Stratford Way (7:32 p.m.) — Caller reported being a victim of fraud.

April 16

Nothing of note.