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

My Turn: (Re)-elect Domnitz to the Planning Board

By Sara Mattes

I first met Bob Domnitz when I was the Board of Selectmen’s liaison to the Planning Board. I have watched Bob, over his previous tenure, navigate tough issues, come up with innovative solutions, engage with citizens with respect, and sometimes be on the receiving end of blasting critique. All the while, he maintained his droll sense of good humor.

First and foremost, Bob demonstrated over and over his sense of duty to the community as a whole, and the importance that all of us be part of critical decisions about directions for our town through the Town Meeting vote. Bob is “old school” that way — he trusted the messy business of democracy, encouraging debate and discussion, seeking full participation, and weighing all points before declaring his own.

[My role on the Planning Board] was only advisory. While I did not agree with him on all issues, I always respected his commitment to inclusiveness and open debate. He always brought all of us in to make the final decision

In addition to his role as collaborator in chief, I watched him navigate the tricky world of cell towers. His legal and technical expertise was critical for us to bring cell coverage to the town while making every effort to have as little deleterious impact on abutters, and where possible, bring revenues into the town. This was not easy. With the increased use of cell phones, demand for coverage increased, but so did resistance to having a tower looming from a neighbor’s yard.

The town faces many planning challenges ahead, not the least of which is the effort to revitalize South Lincoln and ensure the economic viability of our small retail district. Bob has demonstrated his commitment to bring all stakeholders, especially abutters, to the table, and giving them a voice and a vote. Past practice is proof that he believes that when making major changes to the town, the role of the Planning Board is to bring forward options and create a place to openly and freely debate the pros and cons of each path… and then, let the town decide.

That is why Bob Domnitz has my vote for Planning Board in this election.

Sara Mattes
71 Conant Rd., Lincoln

”My Turn” is a forum for Lincoln residents 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.

News acorns

Chat with Lincoln’s public health nurse

Do you have questions about Covid-19 prevention, transmission, symptoms, or treatment? Are there other concerns you have about seasonal health issues such as ticks and Lyme disease or EEE? Do you have general health questions? Join Tricia McGean, Lincoln’s Public Health Nurse, on Wednesday, June 10 at 10 a.m. via Zoom. Tricia will answer your questions and provide you with accurate and science-based information To attend, email bottumc@lincolntown.org. Advance registration required. 

Contribute to the town’s Covid-19 time capsule

To preserve our recollections of this time, the Lincoln Public Library is starting a digital Covid-19 time capsule. Everyone is invited to submit recollections, photographs, and videos. You can submit materials as many times as you want — daily, weekly or when you come across something that makes an impression on you. We would like to make the items and reflections open to the public, but we will only publish them or make them available in our archives with your permission. Click here to make submissions to the time capsule. If you have any questions or need assistance, please email lincoln@minlib.net. The time capsule form can also be found on the library’s website.

Town recognizes eighth-graders

The Board of Selectmen, on behalf of the Town of Lincoln and especially its eight-grade students, proclaimed the days of June 9 and 10 as “8th Grade Class of 2020 Days” within the Town of Lincoln. The proclamation was approved at the board’s June 8 meeting

Kids’ summer reading program event next week 

The Lincoln Public Library’s Children’s Room Summer Reading Program kick off Wednesday, June 17 from 1–6 p.m. (rain date: June 18 at the same time). Children and families are invited to drive to the library any time during that period to pick up summer reading materials, including information about virtual summer programs and the beloved Summer Reading Challenge. 

Families will remain in their cars while a masked staff member greets you and safely hands the reading materials to a masked family member in your car ready. The library is discouraging arrivals on foot or by bike and is asking all participants arrive and remain in their car. Come see what costumed character is on the lawn waving hello. Anyone with questions may email dleopold@minlib.net.

deCordova announces Cronin lecture speakers

Artists Mark Dion and Dana Sherwood will be the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum’s 2020 Paul J. Cronin Memorial Lecture speakers in a live event taking place virtually on Wednesday, June 24 at 6:30 p.m. Dion and Sherwood often collaborate on projects that explore how dominant ideologies and public institutions shape our understanding of history, knowledge, and the natural world. Their work exposes the human desire to tame nature and impose traits and categories on animals, plants and natural phenomena. For this live event, they will share insights into their collaborative process and offer a view into their studio practice from Copake, N.Y., where they live and work.

The artists’ collaborative installation, Conservatory for Confectionery Curiosities, is currently on view at the deCordova. Recalling a nineteenth-century horticultural hothouse, the octagonal windowed structure houses a display of what appears to be jellied desserts covered in insects partaking in the sugary sweets. Conservatory emphasizes how humans construct heightened, artificial versions of nature, particularly in cultivated gardens and sculpture parks.

“We’re excited to present this unusual opportunity to visit with Mark and Dana in their studios. Their work offers imaginative and often fantastical explorations of some of today’s central issues, including the relationship of humans to the natural world,” said John Ravenal, vice president of arts and culture for the Trustees of Reservations and the deCordova’s artistic director.

The lecture series was established in 1981 to consider topics broadly focused on changing attitudes towards contemporary art. The Cronin Lecture series is made possible by a generous grant to deCordova from the Grover J. Cronin Memorial Foundation. For more details and to register for the webinar, visit decordova.org/calendar/cronin-2020.

My Turn: Many are disenfranchised at Town Meeting

By Carol DiGianni

Since the pandemic is still clearly a hazard for those of us who are seniors, or otherwise incapacitated, it seems like an oversight not to have options for some form of remote voting on Town Meeting warrant articles.  There is remote voting in the upcoming election — why not for those of us whose economic life in impacted by the recent substantial hike in property taxes here in Lincoln? Seniors are a substantial demographic here and deserve the right to vote in their own behalf.

I for one feel it unfair to be penalized for staying safely at home while others who are more able-bodied can vote to impact (once again) my economic life. Given these extremely extenuating circumstances, I propose an immediate change in the law regarding in-person quorum for Town Meeting, in time for this town meeting, to allow absentee/early voting by mail or some form of real-time online voting. Thank you.

Carol DiGianni
140 Lincoln Rd., Lincoln

”My Turn” is a forum for Lincoln residents 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.

Hanscom students compete for national history award

Seven students at Hanscom Middle School will represent Massachusetts in this year’s National History Day, a rigorous academic contest that engages 500,000 middle and high school students in historical research.

The Hanscom student projects — all based on this year’s “Breaking Barriers” theme — include exhibits, research papers, and documentary films. The projects were selected for the national contest at Mass History Day, overseen by the Massachusetts Historical Society.

“This is an incredible accomplishment for such a small school,” said Erich Ledebuhr, principal of Hanscom Middle School, which has 266 students on Hanscom Air Force Base in grades 4–8. “I’m extremely proud of all our students and teachers.”

This is the fourth year HMS students have entered the contest under guidance of teacher Jay Peledge. “Our ‘Bessie Coleman’ group just finished the final touches on their documentary, including working in a last-minute interview with Bessie’s grandniece, Gigi Coleman, whom we’ve been trying to get in touch with since October,” he said.

The Coleman film about a pioneering black woman aviator was created by seventh-graders Malinda Jenkins and Morgan Gibson. Other contestants are seventh-grader Madison Yablonski for a research paper on women anthropologists, “The Trimates;” eighth-graders Talla C. Graham and Kirsten D. for “Ted Geisel’s War on Illiteracy;” eighth-grader Emily Doucette for an exhibit on Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; and eight-grader Andrea A-R for a documentary titled “Stonewall: The Riots that Sparked a Gay Revolution.”

Typically there would be a week-long program for contestants at the University of Maryland, but this year the ceremonies will be held virtually from June 14–20, and a virtual awards ceremony will take place on June 20 from 3–4:30 p.m.

 

 

My Turn: BLM movement must extend to prison reform

By Laura Berland

Nowhere are racial disparities more starkly on display than in our nation’s prison system. African-Americans are incarcerated in state prisons across the country at more than five times the rate of whites, and at least ten times the rate in five states.

If you think Massachusetts is an exception to this terrible reality, you would be mistaken. While black and brown people make up 20% of Massachusetts residents, they make up 55% of the state’s prison population. Over 1,000 men and women serve life without parole sentences in Massachusetts, the fifth-highest rate in the country. Our parole board is so dysfunctional that it has a backlog of over 250 commutation and pardon petitions that have not been acted on.

As the vast majority of people in prison are sentenced by the states rather than the federal government, it is imperative to direct reform efforts at the state level if we are serious about addressing this issue.

Data tracking of racial disparities in incarceration shows numerous ways that communities of color are disproportionally targeted. Blacks are nearly four times as likely to be arrested for drug possession despite overwhelming evidence that whites and blacks use drugs at roughly the same rates. Then there is the policing that targets specific areas either covertly or overtly as in the case of “stop and frisk.” These are just a couple of examples.

The negative impacts of incarceration extend well beyond the actual sentence and include limited job prospects, housing instability, family disruption, stigma, and disenfranchisement. Because of concentrations of poverty and imprisonment in certain areas, entire communities feel these negative impacts.

Crime has been steadily declining since 1990 but police department budgets keep growing, and the endless building of prisons and jails continues. There are so many vested interests in keeping and expanding the prison and jail population, from the food and phone vendors to the Correction Officers’ Union, that it has become a beast that continually needs to be fed.

The massive protests signal that the time has come for a different approach. As budget season is upon us, let’s turn the words “black lives matter” into meaningful action. Currently, there is a proposal in the Massachusetts legislature to build a $50 million women’s prison (roughly 500 women are currently incarcerated in Massachusetts) as well as regional lockup for pre-trial detainees.

Let’s demand that our state representatives and senators say no to more prisons and jails and increased policing and instead direct funding towards investment in communities of color through community-based organizations. Let’s seize the moment to put maximum effort towards true criminal “justice” reform legislation that begins to address the brutalization of people of color through mass incarceration.

Laura Berland
15 Hillside Rd., Lincoln

”My Turn” is a forum for Lincoln residents 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.

Water Commission to hold forum on its spending requests

The Water Commission will hold a public forum via Zoom on Tuesday, June 9 at 9 a.m. in advance of the June 13 Town Meeting to take comments and answer questions about its fiscal-year 2021 budget, which includes a capital borrowing request of $270,000 and an operating budget of $1.835 million — 38% higher than this year’s.

Earlier this year, the commission raised water usage rates by 28%, increased the base charge from $35 to $50 per meter, and approved a plan (to be implemented next year) that will assess base charges for condos and apartment buildings by dwelling unit rather than by water meter. 

The sharp increases in recent spending are a result of numerous factors: aging equipment, insufficient preventive maintenance and upgrades in recent years, a series of chemical accidents and other events, engineering costs to design the nearly $2 million in capital projects already approved for bonding, and staff turnover combined with a tight labor market that left the Water Department chronically short-handed and required expensive outside contractors to fill the gaps. The department has recently hired two water treatment plant operators after raising the starting salaries and has hired part-time workers to fill the remaining vacancy.

“We have come to a point like an old house where some of the origin systems are starting to fail and need to be replaced,” Water Commission Chair Ruth Ann Hendrickson said in a recorded presentation posted on the 2020 Town Meeting website. 

The capital requests include $125,000 for chemical handling and ventilation system replacement at the water treatment plant. Voters previously approved spending $500,000 for the work, but bids came in 25% over what was budgeted. Jim Hutchinson, a Finance Committee member who has been part of a team reviewing the department’s operations and budgeting, looked carefully for other items to cut, “but we were unable to find that amount of savings, and rebidding would probably not lower the cost and would cost a lot of money in itself,” Hendrickson said.

The rest of the borrowing request comprises $100,000 to install a system to reduce the amount of organic matter in the pond water before it’s treated, and $45,000 to replace some of the obsolete programmable logic controllers (PLCs) in the plant. Possibly due to warming temperatures, organic matter in Flint’s Pond has doubled since 2002, Hendrickson said. This material reacts with the chlorine added later to produce trichloromethanes. Lincoln has slightly exceeded the state-mandated limit for those chemicals in its drinking water over the past year or so.

Replacing all the PLCs would also require new software and would cost $400,000, “and we didn’t feel it was prudent at this time since we didn’t know our long-term plan to invest another $400,000,” Hendrickson said.

Consultants will begin next month formulating recommendations for that long-term plan, which could mean continuing to invest in Lincoln’s plant or switching to getting water from the MWRA. The latter choice would still require an investment of “probably several million dollars” to install the infrastructure to hook up Lincoln’s pipes to the MWRA system, she said.

Hendrickson noted that the commission had also planned to ask for $25,000 for security cameras and electrical evaluation work. The group deferred that for now, though “we may come back for this next year,” she said.

Late last year, the commission said it expected to ask for even more capital spending in fiscal 2022 to replace the aging Tower Road well and remodel the second floor of the pump station. The cost estimate for the well project at the time was $575,000 to be split over two years, so another six-figure amount is likely in the cards for the fiscal 2022 capital budget.

Dismay over continued expenditures

“We’re not really solving a problem, we’re just patching what’s breaking,” Selectman James Craig said at a June 1 meeting of the board where Hendrickson made a similar presentation. “Every year we’re going to need more money to throw at it… are we buying ourselves a sufficient amount of time?” 

Hendrickson replied that almost every major system has been or will soon be repaired or replaced, and “that should carry us for five years minimum.” If the town decides to switch to the MWRA, the process would take three to four years, she said.

“There should have been an opportunity to see this coming several years ago. The timing is unfortunate. It’s frustrating, and I realize it’s frustrating for you as well,” Craig said.

The Water Department is “a complex system and Water Commissioners are not really in a position to understand it in depth. You really have to rely on your superintendent,” Hendrickson said. “Nobody was more shocked than the Water Commission when these things started to happen.” Before current superintendent MaryBeth Wiser was hired, the department “prided itself for years in bringing in budgets that were less than the 4% [annual increase] guidance. We should have been at least meeting that,” she added.

Candlelight gathering for Black Lives Matter draws hundreds

A candlelight gathering organized on the fly by a Lincoln high school student drew hundreds of Lincolnites to Pierce Park on Friday evening for reflection and solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. It was one of hundreds of protests and vigils that have spontaneously taken place all over the country since the death of George Floyd at the hands of white Minneapolis police officers on May 25.

“It was an amazing experience, pulled together between Wednesday evening and Thursday noon when we were fortunate to meet with the town’s leadership and welcome their help,” said Diane Auger, whose daughter Emilie had the idea for the gathering. “We are so grateful to be living in Lincoln and hoping to effect change in this time, and we believe based on the tremendous turnout, so many others feel that as well.”

“Take your power, hold your ground, and speak out,” Emilie Auger exhorted the crowd.

Quoting author Toni Morrison, Selectman Jennifer Glass noted that “the function of freedom is to free someone else… We will not do nothing.”

Emilie’s sister Erika Auger also spoke, asking the audience to “be a better ally” by signing petitions, donating, supporting black-owned businesses and contacting legislators.

“It’s not the role of people of color to teach us about injustice and history,” she said. “Understand and recognize your white privilege, and normalize changing your mind when you get new information. Start the dialogue with your children, parents, grandparents and coworkers, and never stop educating yourself.”

The First Parish Church bell tolled at the start and end of an eight-minute period of silence as the mask-wearing crowd, many of them holding candles or lights, stood quietly or knelt. The only sound came from birds chirping and frogs rumbling in the twilight.

Click on images to see larger versions and captions:

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”139″ gal_title=”Candlelight gathering – June 2020″]

Capital funding, community preservation requests detailed

Voters at Town Meeting on June 13 will be asked to approve a total of $1.73 million for items requested by the Capital Planning Committee (CapCom) and the Community Preservation Committee (CPC).

The two most expensive items on the list of 12 sought by CapCom are $108,000 for a loader for the Department of Public Works and $74,813 for a dump truck for the Conservation Commission. CapCom is also requesting $189,431 in three other warrant articles for routine classroom, town building, and library maintenance. The $680,000 total is 37% less than last year’s $1.08 million figure. 

Earlier in the budget season, the CapCom and Finance Committee were also expecting to request $1.69 million for a new radio system for the fire and police departments, but that item is being deferred.

The CPC is seeking $1.05 million for 11 items in the categories of historic preservation, community housing and open space (there are no recreation requests this time). That includes $379,450 in debt service on the Town Office Building project, $210,000 for driveway and parking lot improvements at Codman Community Farms, $89,000 to replenish the conservation fund, and additional expenses of $224,662 (most of it split between debt service for the Wang property and a 10% reserve for housing). The total represents an increase of $228,000, or 28% over last year’s CPC amount.

Click here to see details of the requests in a recording of a public forum held by the two groups via Zoom on June 5.