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

Police log for December 15–23, 2020

December 15

Granville Road (6:38 a.m.) — Officer on patrol found a package that had fallen off a delivery truck. Package was delivered to the residence.

December 16

Pierce House (3:36 a.m.) — A vehicle was seen with its lights left on belongs. It belongs to the caretaker, who was contacted.

Tower Road (9:00 a.m.) — Officer on a work detail reported a strong odor of natural gas. Fire Department and National Grid contacted; National Grid to handle.

Ashland, Mass. (9:28 a.m.) — A Fire Department member responded to Ashland for a dive team activation.

Lincoln Road (12:41 p.m.) — Minor two-car accident in the parking lot of the red commercial building; no injuries.

Town Hall (11:46 p.m.) — Officer saw two individuals walking near the front door of Town Hall. Officer checked the building and all was secure. The individuals went to a nearby home.

December 17

Oriole Landing, Mary’s Way (12:57 p.m.) — Caller reported a dog charged at him while at the residence. Animal Control Officer was notified to handle.

Sunnyside Lane (5:34 p.m.) — Council on Aging requested a well-being check on the residence. Officer responded and confirmed that the resident is OK.

December 18

Old Cambridge Turnpike (10:04 a.m.) — Caller reported an outside odor of natural gas. Fire Department responded and reported residual gas at the meter.

December 19

Old Concord Road (3:26 p.m.) — Caller reported a vehicle blocking the emergency gate on Old Concord Road. Cars were gone when officer arrived.

North Great Road (9:44 p.m.) — Officer checked on a vehicle pulled over to the side of the roadway. The driver was fine; he had pulled over to gather something in his car.

December 20

South Great Road (9:32 a.m.) — Caller was looking for information from the Fire Department.

December 21

Woodcock Lane (12:37 p.m.) — Car hit a utility pole. The road closed due to pole damage and one person was transported to local hospital; vehicle towed from the scene.

Lincoln School (1:40 p.m.) — Caller reported that buses at the school had snow on their roofs which they considered dangerous. Officer responded and evaluated and found no danger.

December 22

North Great Road (3:08 a.m.) — An unoccupied vehicle was parked in the visitor’s center lot. No one was nearby.

Lexington Road (2:20 p.m.) — Caller reported a vehicle was parked at a neighbor’s residence when no one should be home. No vehicle was located when the officer arrived.

Hallett Hill Road, Weston (5:09 p.m.) — Weston Fire Department requested an engine to respond to a residence for a reported house fire. Lincoln firefighters were cleared by Weston 20 minutes after arrival.

South Great Road (7:16 p.m.) — A vehicle was parked in front of Stonegate Gardens with no one around.

December 23

Lexington Road (7:20 p.m.) — Paperwork was delivered to the residence.

Lexington Road [different address from above] (7:22 p.m.) — Paperwork was delivered to the residence.

Lincoln Police Department (7:49 p.m.) — Officer assisted Weston police in using Lincoln’s breath test machine for an arrest.

Council on Aging activities in January

Here are some of the January activities hosted by the Lincoln Council on Aging. Most events are open to Lincoln residents of all ages. For a full list, including exercise classes, regular meetings of interest groups, and online chats with town officials, see the COA’s calendar page or January newsletter. Contact the COA at 781-259-8811 or gagnea@Lincolntown.org for Zoom links to events.

Lincoln Academy: The “Boy and His Dog” statue

Monday, Jan. 11 from noon–1 p.m.
The talk will explore the life and work of sculptor Cyrus Dallin with a focus on his Lincoln masterpiece, Storrow Memorial, given to Lincoln in 1925. Known affectionately to those in Lincoln as “Boy and his Dog,” the statue stands near the entrance of the Lexington Road cemetery and is a great feature of both Lincoln and Dallin’s work. The presentation is in conjunction with the Cyrus Dallin Art Museum, the Lincoln Historical Society, the Cemetery Commission, the Lincoln Town Archives, and COA. Details to follow.

Learn to host meetings on Zoom with Andy Payne

Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 1 p.m.
Andy will present some basic lessons and give you a chance to learn and explore Zoom’s settings and features in a low-stakes environment. Zoom is a very popular system for video chats with groups and is supported on Mac, Windows, iPhone/iPad, and Android devices. Click here to download Zoom if you don’t have it on your device. Once you have it installed, just click on a Zoom link to participate in a meeting. Zoom meeting link: https://zoom.us/j/577144331

Lincoln Academy: The Story Behind the Greatest of Liberations

Monday, Jan. 25 from noon–1 p.m.
This session with Bernice Lerner, author of All the Horrors of War, follows Glyn Hughes, a high-ranking British officer, and Rachel Genuth, a teenager from the Hungarian provinces, as they navigate their respective forms of hell during the final brutal year of World War II. Their stories converge in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where Hughes finds himself responsible for an unprecedented situation: 25,000 of 60,000 war-ravaged inmates are in need of immediate hospitalization, and Rachel is among those at death’s door. Their narratives tell a larger story about the suffering of the victims, the struggles of liberators who strove to save lives, and the human capacity for fortitude and redemption. For more information, call 781-259-8811 x102 or email gagnea@lincolntown.org.

Wanda Paik: Classical piano music recital

Monday, Feb. 1
Wanda Paik will present a recital of some her favorite classic piano pieces, anchoring it with a masterpiece: J.S. Bach’s “Toccata, Fantasia and Fugue in D major.” Also on the playbill are works by Frederic Chopin (“Impromptu in A-flat major,” “Nocturne in C-sharp minor,” and “Etude in A-flat major,” which was thought to make the piano sound like an Aeolian harp); Brahms’s iconic “Intermezzo in E-flat minor,” which weaves an ancient Gregorian chant throughout the piece; and Debussy’s luminously beautiful “Clair de Lune” from the “Suite Bergamasque,” followed by his sweeping, jazzy Prelude from the “Suite Pour le Piano.” For details, email gagnea@lincolntown.org.

Caring transitions: educate yourself before a healthcare crisis

Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m.
Join elder law attorney Sasha Golden and Emily Tamilio of Deaconess Abundant Life to learn about navigating healthcare in a crisis. These local professions will walk us through the continuum of care from skilled nursing to rehab and back home again. For details, email gagnea@lincolntown.org.

News acorns

Town-wide scavenger hunt runs through Jan. 3

Join the Lincoln trails scavenger hunt now until January 3. Go to the six locations in town, find a hidden QR code, and scan it — you’ll be taken to a Padlet page for that location, where you can post a selfie to prove you were there. Visit all six spots and claim a $10 gift certificate to the Twisted Tree Café or Something Special (one certificate er household while supplies last). Open to all who live, work, or go to school in Lincoln. Click here for more information.

If you’ve posted your photos from all six locations, send an email to selectmen@lincolntown.org with your name and address, and indicate which gift certificate you’d like (as of December 28, three groups had already finished the hunt and written in to claim their gift certificates. If you’re having trouble with the technology, take a selfie at each location and send them to the same email address.

Second youth talent show in the works

The Lincoln youth talent show hosted via Zoom on December 23 was a resounding success, and the organizers are planning to make it a recurring event, with the next show on February 12.

L-S seniors Achla Gandhi and Dasha Trosteanetchi dreamed up the event to boost community spirit during the holidays and raise money for Save the Children, a nonprofit currently focused on helping kids who have been impacted by the pandemic. Twenty-two groups performed and almost 50 families attended online. The original fundraising goal was $1,000 but as of December 28, the event was just $30 short of its new $2,250 target. Here are links to videos of the talent show: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

For the February 15 show, Gandhi and Trosteanetchi are letting Lincoln residents decide which charity or cause that donations should benefit. To send suggestions or to register to perform, email kids4covid.19@gmail.com (please include your name, age and talent if you’re an aspiring performer).

You can give Fire Dept. access to your home in emergencies

The Lincoln Fire Department participates in the Knox Box program, whereby residents may purchase a lockbox with a key to their home. The lockbox that mounts on the outside of your home can be unlocked only by the Fire Department with a master key. Click here to purchase a box. If you need one only for a short time, contact Ben Juhola at the Fire Department (781-259-8113) about renting one.

Also, if anyone in your household is on oxygen or other any other medical machine that would create a risk during a power outage, you may let the Fire and Police Departments know by calling 781-259-8113. They can then check on you when the power goes out or let you know of a scheduled outage.

Honor a teacher and staff this holiday season

The Lincoln Public Schools are one of the few districts in the state that has remained open for full-time in-person learning, and this has only been possible because of the efforts of LPS administrators, teachers, and staff. For a special way to thank a teacher, administrator, teaching team, or other staff member, consider giving an Honor a Teacher or Staff (HATS) certificate. The Lincoln School Foundation’s HATS program lets you recognize specific Lincoln educators while supporting the LSF. For a small donation, the LSF will prepare a certificate of appreciation with your personalized message, to be delivered by email. Click here for details. Donations support LSF’s grants to teachers and innovation in the classroom, which have been all the more important this year.

Obituaries

Shirley Stone

Shirley Stone passed away on December 13 at age 94. Click here for obituary.

Joseph Burns

Joseph Burns died on December 4 at age 75. Click here for obituary.

Roberta Berry

Roberta Berry died on December 1 at age 73. Click here for obituary.

Shirley Stone

Joseph Burns

Roberta Berry

News acorns

Youth talent show coming up on Wednesday

The Kids4Covid talent show will be live on Zoom on Wednesday, Dec. 23. Entrance starts at 5 p.m., and the show begins at 5:15. Everyone is welcome; donations from adults who watch are requested, but organizers understand that the pandemic has affected everyone differently. All donations will go straight to Save the Children. The goal is $1,000 and the effort has raised $665 so far. Donate here, and watch on Zoom here.

Mass Audubon offers free admission for foster families

Furthering its commitment to connect people of all ages and backgrounds to nature, Mass Audubon is now participating in the Wonderfund Access Card program, which serves thousands of children in foster care with the state Department of Children and Families (DCF). Foster families can now enjoy free access in 2021 for up to four individuals per visit to Mass Audubon’s network of wildlife sanctuaries, including Drumlin Farm. Wonderfund, which serves more than 5,000 DCF foster families statewide, joins other programs for which Mass Audubon is a participating partner year-round, including EBT Card to Culture, ConnectorCare Card to Culture, and Blue Star Families.

College magazine profiles alumna and MCC fundraiser Schmergel

Joanna Schmergel and her successful ongoing estate sale to benefit the Lincoln METCO Coordinating Committee is the focus of a story in the Norwich Bulletin, a publication of her alma mater, Norwich University. Quoting fellow Lincolnites Erica Gonella and Pilar Doughty, the article described how Schmergel, a former lieutenant in the army’s 82nd Airborne division, “jumped in feet-first, Airborne style” when she was first asked for a donation to the MCC.

My Turn: Thank-you to Jackie Lenth

By the Town Clerk office staff

The Town Clerk’s Office wishes to honor the work of Jackie Lenth, who donated protection sleeves for our election plexiglass screens. As Covid-19 rendered the use of the screens necessary, protection sleeves ensure that they will not be damaged in storage. Another Lincoln volunteer, Tricia Deck, donated the fleece for each of the sleeves. Her donation of the fabric is greatly appreciated, especially because of all the fun and bright patterns! Jackie hand-sewed 13 protection sleeves which otherwise would have been priced at $80 each.

Jackie Lenth with some of the screen sleeves she made for the Town Clerk’s office.

Using salamander, Boston Celtics, and other festive patterns, Jackie also worked to incorporate the Lincoln spirit into each of the sleeves. We appreciate Jackie’s craftsmanship and her dedication to the office and the town! Jackie also donated a great number of hours at the election, working alongside over 50 other terrific volunteers including her husband.

Thank you for your donation, Jackie!

”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.

My Turn: Lincoln phone book postponed due to pandemic

By David Levington

The Lincoln Public Library is a treasured resource that has been especially important to many town residents during these past ten months as we’ve all weathered the pandemic together. Our wonderful library staff has truly risen to the challenge to provide much-needed services and outreach activities to help us stay well, safe, and entertained: curbside book pickup for all… expanded book groups and Zoom discussions supplemented with related films… speakers and special programs for all ages via Zoom… and access, by appointment, to the Archives Room and personal browsing. We all thank them heartily for their creative ideas in helping us through this difficult time and appreciate their hard work behind the scenes to provide these opportunities.

The Friends of the Lincoln Library (FOLL) is a nonprofit group that raises funds to augment Library items and activities not included in the town budget. One important and visible project is the Lincoln Telephone Directory, which we publish every two years and distribute to every household. It’s a valuable resource to Town residents as well as for our many sponsors and has provided a major source of funds for the Library from fees paid by our advertisers. This year, the FOLL board has reluctantly decided to postpone the directory for now as we await safer, healthy, and economically more stable times before gathering data and soliciting advertisers. We ask our readers to hold onto their 2019 issues and continue to patronize our advertisers. The directory will remain a valuable resource, just not quite as up to date.

We thank everyone who supports our library — patrons, supporters, business sponsors, staff, and volunteers — and wish you all happy and healthy holidays and new year!

Levington is president of the Friends of the Lincoln Library.

”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.

Lincoln’s catalpa tree gets some preventive maintenance

By Cathy Moritz

Workers attach cabling to branches of Lincoln’s twisted catalpa tree to help protect them from breakage.

The beloved twisted tree in front of the Lincoln Public Library is estimated to be 110 to 120 years old — at least 50 years older than a typical Northern Catalpa. In a joint project, the Friends of the Lincoln Library (FOLL) and the Lincoln Garden Club (LGC) have funded a preservation project that could extend the life of the tree another 20 to 30 years.

With the expert advice of the Arnold Arboretum’s Sean Halloran and professional arborist Jonathan Bransfield, along with the approval of library trustees and town officials, the Lincoln Catalpa Committee planned an extensive preservation project. On December 11, a crew from Bransfield Tree Co. spent over four hours in two tall bucket trucks to perform the preservation work, which included cabling the upper limbs to help them withstand wind and snow, pruning unstable or dead wood from the canopy, and fertilizing and installing a protective mulch ring around the trunk. A videographer filmed the project and interviewed the crew, and Bransfield promised that a finished video will eventually be available to all.

A fresh layer of mulch covers the ground beneath the tree.

The Committee was organized last spring to promote the preservation of the tree and coordinate a project to propagate clones of it. Members hope that at least one of the clones will twist as dramatically as the parent tree so that the tradition of a twisted tree at the library can continue. The committee includes Cathy Moritz, FOLL and LGC board member; Peter Sugar, library trustee; Bobbie Myles, library director; LGC members Cynthia Ferris and Eileen McCrory, and past FOLL president and LGC board member Daniela Caride. Questions about the group’s work can be directed to coordinator Cathy Moritz at cathymoritz@gmail.com.

In a public presentation sponsored by the LGC, Halloran, head of woody plant propagation at the Arnold Arboretum, gave a talk on the twisted tree, the cloning project, twisting trees in general, and tree planting tips. Interested Lincolnites who missed the presentation on November 1 can view it here.

Clarification

The December 17 article headlined “Board tackles vacancies and staff positions, postpones Town Meeting incorrectly noted that it was unclear whether residents will be allowed to vote by absentee ballot in the town election in March 2021. In fact, absentee voting is always allowed for municipal elections in cases where voters will be absent from town during normal polling hours, have a physical disability preventing them from getting to the polls, or religious belief. This year, taking precautions around Covid-19 was included under the “disability” clause of absentee ballot conditions.

“No-excuse” early voting by mail become permissible as a result of the pandemic and was recently extended until March 31, 2021. Early voting in person is not allowed for municipal elections.

Board tackles vacancies and staff positions, postpones Town Meeting

The Board of Selectmen appointed several residents to fill vacancies on boards and in the Planning Department and also voted to postpone the Annual Town Meeting normally held in March.

Paula Vaughn-MacKenzie is the new Director of Planning and Land Use. She has been the acting director since the leave and then departure of Jennifer Burney. The vote came after the Planning Board “voted unanimously and enthusiastically to support Paula in this role,” Planning Board chair Margaret Olson said at the selectmen’s December 14 meeting.

Rachel Drew was confirmed to one of two appointed seats on the Housing Commission. Those seats have five-year terms, while the other three seats are elected on a three-year rotation. Drew succeeds Diana Chirita, who had served on the commission since 2014. The other appointed seat is currently held by Allen Vander Meulen.

Selectmen also spoke with Reanna Wu and Julian Huertas, two of the three candidates to fill a longtime vacancy on the Zoning Board of Appeals. A third candidate, John Carr, was not able to attend the meeting. A second opening is expected soon as a long-time member plans to retire, ZBA Chair David Henken said.

Other appointments made this week were:

  • Community Preservation Committee — John Ottenberg, replacing John Valpey
  • Battle Road Scenic Byway Committee — Robert Domnitz, replacing Paula Vaughn-MacKenzie, who is the new director of Planning and Land Use. Domnitz also served on the Planning Board.
  • Emergency Assistance Fund Committee — Mary Stechschulte, replacing Jane Thomas
  • Pierce House Committee — Peter Braun (replacing Lucia McMahon) and Barbara Peskin (replacing Jean Horne)
Staff positions

Selectmen also heard a proposal to fund two other town employee positions as part of the fiscal 2022 budget. If approved, a part-time position in the Town Clerk’s office will become full-time to help handle the added workload resulting from administering elections (largely due to the advent of early voting) as well as death certificates. That job has required more time since the Care Dimensions Hospice House opened in spring 2018.

The part-time town social worker position was created with grants in 2019, with the understanding that the town would eventually assume the expense once the grants’ funds were exhausted. Social worker Emily Morrison helps residents under age 60, complementing the Council on Aging’s social worker for seniors. The council itself plans to change its name to the Council on Aging and Human Services to reflect its expanding services.

Annual Town Meeting

The 2021 Annual Town Meeting has been postponed to an outdoor May 15 event because of the ongoing pandemic, although the town election will go ahead indoors as planned on March 29.

The change was approved this week by the Board of Selectmen, though there are details that need to be ironed out. Among them: where exactly on the school campus the meeting will take place, given the ongoing school construction project, and what will be on the agenda. in the interest of time efficiency amid the pandemic, last year’s ATM was stripped of some of the usual warrant articles, including votes on several citizens’ petitions.

Also to be determined is whether residents can vote in the town election by absentee ballot, and how to coordinate it with the school’s schedule when classes are in session.