Charles Calvin
Charles Calvin died on May 8. After a career at Polaroid, he was actively involved in Parkinson’s studies at Massachusetts General Hospital, where his brain has been donated for research. Click here for full obituary.
James Newkirk
Newkirk, who died on May 17 at age 75, started and ran several businesses in transportation and other fields. He was also an addictions counselor. Click here for full obituary.
A July 2019 overview of some of SLPIC’s completed and proposed improvements to the Lincoln Station area (click image to enlarge).
The South Lincoln Planning and Implementation Committee will be restructured into a smaller group and will shelve its South Lincoln rezoning proposal, at least for now
SLPIC was created in late 2016 as part of an effort to revitalize the area around the MBTA station and the Lincoln mall by enabling more business development and moderately priced housing while also encouraging pedestrian traffic and train ridership. Its subcommittees fostered projects to create a “pocket park” next and wayfinding signs, draw up a list of improvements for the MBTA station, and study the possibility of relocating the Department of Public Works to a site next to the transfer station to free up land on Lewis Street for other uses — an idea that met with protests from North Lincoln residents.
Last year, SLPIC unveiled a sweeping proposal to rezone parcels of land in South Lincoln to encourage mixed-use development with denser housing that what’s now allowed. It would also have streamlined the permitting process so that some projects could be approved by the Planning Board rather than having to go to Town Meeting. But many residents at two public forums, especially one in February 2020, were not receptive to the idea.
The committee also suffered from being simultaneously too large and too small, Planning Board members said at a May 26 meeting. It was large enough that it sometimes had trouble achieving a quorum for meetings, yet it did not include residents of the areas that would be affected, particularly the condo developments on Ridge Road.
“There was concern that opening that area up to more concentrated redevelopment might actually undercut some of the only middle-range housing in Lincoln,” Planning Board member and SLPIC co-chair Gary Taylor said.
The feedback the board received indicated that “it’s time for a bit of a rethink on how to approach this [and] find a middle ground between getting something done and letting the Planning Board loose to overdevelop the area,” Taylor added. However, because of the economic circumstances of South Lincoln businesses and the town as a whole, “we can’t really sit back and do nothing,” he added. “The problem is getting everyone to yes.”
Board members also recognized that SLIPC’s successor needs to gather more public input as it forms its proposals. “We need to get to a point where that group is meeting with the public and interested parties on some pretty regular, well publicized and well understood cadence,” chair Margaret Olson said.
“It was almost an economic development committee,” SLPIC co-chair Lynn DeLisi said. “It’s time for a change.”
The original plan was to have a vote on the rezoning proposal at a Special Town Meeting in the fall. Now the Planning Board will come up with a charge for the new group and discuss it with the Board of Selectmen before voting on a formal move. Olson proposed a smaller committee consisting of two members from the Planning Board, one from the Board of Selectmen and one from the Housing Commission.
“I am from the bottom of my heart grateful for listening to us in South Lincoln,” resident Jessica Packineau told the board. Packineau was one of the organizers of United Residents for Responsible Redevelopment, a neighborhood coalition that took issue with the rezoning proposal at the February forum.
“You all are going in the right direction,” Greenridge Lane resident June Matthews said. “All I ask for is representation of the constituents in the area.”
(Editor’s note: DeLisi is one of three residents running for two seats on the Planning Board. The Lincoln Squirrel published statements by all three candidates in March and new statements from Rick Rundell and Bob Domnitz earlier this week. There will be an online forum for the candidates on June 11.)
Dear neighbors,
I am once again reaching out to you to ask for your vote in the upcoming Lincoln election. The fact that a seat on the Planning Board is an elected one is significant. This means that you have a choice to decide who represents you.
My background and training are not as important as what I believe in and whether I will stand up and represent what you believe in. Here is what I am for:
While a member of the Planning Board, I actively participated in:
I immediately understood the issues raised by McLean Hospital in setting up a residential home in Lincoln and misnaming therapy “education.” And I understood very clearly from my own research studies the effects marijuana establishments would have on our town. I spoke up and was active on all these issues and more. Most importantly, I listened to and consistently was sensitive to the concerns of abutters about change.
Although you may say, “Why does a psychiatrist/neuroscientist who bridges gaps between research and the clinic think she knows enough to be on a town Planning Board?” However, my seven years on the Planning Board have taught me a range of planning and architectural principles, adding up to more years than I actually spent in medical school. Scientific methods need to be applied more in our decisions than would be imagined. My background and experience have certainly helped my decision-making on the Planning Board.
One last word, with specific regard to the South Lincoln Planning and Implementation Committee: I was not happy with the way it was running from almost its beginning, and was the first to advocate that it be radically revised or abolished. It was only last week that other members of the Planning Board all agreed to change it. However, I still am advocating for a member of the committee of five to be someone who represents the residents most affected.
I welcome comments, suggestions, and concerns anytime. You can email me at DeLisi76@aol.com or call me at 516-528-5366.
Sincerely,
Lynn E DeLisi
125 South Great Rd.
”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.
Dear Lincolnites,
It’s been a while since you heard from me. Some of you may remember me as the guy who wrote that weekly column in the Lincoln Journal about life and politics in Lincoln. Well, I’m ba-ack! At least for this one time, to wholeheartedly endorse Bob Domnitz for the Planning Board.
Bob is running for re-election because of his concern about the Planning Board’s current efforts to usurp Town Meeting’s role in approving significant development projects within the town. The Planning Board would like to revise the Zoning Bylaw so it alone would become the final arbiter on such projects, rather than Town Meeting.
Lincoln has an almost 300-year time-honored tradition and history of the Town Meeting form of government. Now is not the time to strip Town Meeting of its authority and weaken it. Join me in electing Bob Domnitz to the Planning Board.
Sincerely,
Neil Feinberg
104 Concord 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.
By Alice Waugh
The Commons in Lincoln has accounted for 16 of the town’s 36 cases of Covid-19, and all of the seven fatalities in Lincoln were residents of the facility who had additional medical issues, Lincoln Public Health Nurse Tricia McGean reported on June 1.
The virus has hit nursing and assisted living facilities especially hard nationwide, since their residents are usually elderly and often have comorbidities (two or more chronic diseases) as well as living in close quarters. Staff members often work at more than one facility, which may have increased cross-facility infection, especially earlier during the pandemic. Thirty-one staff members at The Commons have tested positive for the virus and 28 of them have recovered, McGean told the Board of Selectmen on June 1.
One hundred fifty-four residents of independent living units at the Commons were recently tested over a two-day period, and all were negative, McGean said. Those residents have been quarantined in their apartments and cottages, getting meals and groceries delivered outside their doors by staff.
“If you don’t go out, you can’t catch this virus,” she observed.
All staff and residents at The Commons are now being routinely tested going forward, said McGean, who praised the facility for its transparency with its residents and officials as well as its efforts in limiting infection control with personal protective equipment, isolation, and quarantining.
In a bit of good news, The Commons has seen fewer deaths than all but one of the long-term care facilities in the area, according to data posted on May 27 by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). The Campion Center, a 70-bed nursing home for Jesuit priests in Weston, has had one patient who contracted Covid-19 and 12 staff members who tested positive, and all 13 have recovered, said Executive Director Nick Gilbert. As of May 27, Weston had 106 cases among its 7,527 residents, state records show.
As a percentage of its patient capacity, the 42-bed Rivercrest Rehab and Nursing (part of Newbury Court in Concord) has had the most deaths at 29% (12 deaths), closely followed by the 40-bed Royal at Wayland Nursing and Rehab Center at 28% (11 deaths).
McGean also reported that seven Lincoln residents have had an antibody test for Covid-19. She noted last month that a positive antibody test could mean isolation for the person until they got a different test to see whether they currently had the virus. The DPH still recommends this, but in a sign of the rapidly evolving public health guidelines, the federal Centers for Disease Control has withdrawn the same recommendation. “Right now we’re getting two different stories,” she said.
There are no facilities in Lincoln that offer testing for active infection with Covid-19, though there are now hundreds of testing sites all over Massachusetts.
As the state slowly reopens, McGean’s work will now include educating staff at summer day camps about infection prevention. Gov. Charlie Baker announced this week that camps and child care centers can open as soon as June 8 with restrictions.
Click the arrow within a column header to sort by that column:
| Town | Total cases | Date | Population (2010) | Cases as % of 2010 pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington | 151 | 4/15/20 | 33,480 | 0.45% |
| Weston | 65 | 4/13/20 | 12,067 | 0.54% |
| Bedford* | 64 | 4/15/20 | 14,126 | 0.45% |
| Sudbury | 49 | 4/13/20 | 18,940 | 0.26% |
| Wayland | 26 | 4/10/20 | 13,720 | 0.19% |
| Concord | 22 | 4/13/20 | 19,323 | 0.11% |
| Lincoln | 16 | 4/12/20 | 6,726 | 0.24% |
* Staff and residents
** Cumulative COVID-19 deaths – includes residents only
| Town | Population (2010 census) |
|---|---|
| Lexington | 33,480 |
| Concord | 19,323 |
| Sudbury | 18,940 |
| Bedford | 14,126 |
| Wayland | 13,720 |
| Weston | 12,067 |
| Lincoln | 6,726 |
Town officials have planned public forums on various aspects of the fiscal year 2021 budget that will be voted on at the Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, June 13. The forums offer an opportunity for residents to ask questions after viewing slide presentations that will be posted ahead of time on the Town Meeting page of the town’s website.
Click on the name of an event to register for the forum and get the Zoom link. Note: this table will be updated as necessary with passwords or other updated instructions.
To our readers:
Starting today, the Lincoln Squirrel will run opinion pieces and letters under the banner of “My Turn.” This is more in line with how other newspapers and websites handle their “op ed” sections (opposite the editorial page, though the Squirrel does not feature editorials by editor/publisher Alice Waugh).
In the past, we’ve published opinion pieces and open letters to fellow Lincolnites as “letters to the editor,” but newspapers traditionally apply that label to letters that are addressed directly to the paper’s staff commenting on previously published news stories or opinion pieces. “My Turn” more accurately reflects the diverse nature of first-person Lincoln Squirrel pieces by residents, whether they’re expressing an opinion about something, advocating a certain political or social action, thanking the community for help, or offering any other first-person public communication from a Lincoln resident to the editor or the town at large.
Previously published letters to the editor will still be grouped in their own category in the dropdown menu found in the left-hand column of the Squirrel website, but future pieces will be filed under “My Turn.” As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.
Alice Waugh
Editor/publisher, The Lincoln Squirrel
lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com
Lincoln resident Sharon Antia will host a forum on Zoom with the three Planning Board candidates running for two openings in the June 15 election on Thursday, June 11 at 7 p.m.
If you have a question you’d like to ask one or more of the candidates, please email it to sharon.antia@gmail.com and she will compile and ask as many questions as possible. Alternatively, on the evening of the forum, we will accept questions via the chat function in Zoom as time allows. Questions that have already been suggested include:
Link to join the candidate’s forum:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86813510489?pwd=akR2WVZKWUY2djE3OFAyTlBCaTExZz09
Click here to learn about early voting and voting by absentee ballot, and to obtain forms for either option. You can also vote in person on June 15 from 12–4 p.m. at Town Hall.
More information:
Editor’s note: Rundell previously wrote a letter to the editor in February announcing that he was running for reelection, and he was included in a roundup of Planning Board candidates published on March 5.)
By Rick RundellDear Lincoln neighbors,
I’m running for re-election to the Planning Board, which I have been serving on since 2013. I’m joined for the only contested seats in this year’s election by my friends and colleagues, incumbent Lynn DeLisi and former member Bob Domnitz. I have nothing but admiration and deep respect for each.
The Lincoln Squirrel invited each of us to share some thoughts with their readers before the election was postponed back in March. Since then, a lot of things have changed, and I’d like to introduce my candidacy for the June 15 election now.
As I am the only architecture professional on the board or among the candidates, your vote for me brings a uniquely effective and meaningful voice to the important work of that body.
I have four decades of experience in the building industry. I am a member of the American Institute of Architects and hold credentials from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program of the US Green Building Council. I presently lead innovation programs focused on the architecture, engineering, and construction for a global design software company.
I’m proud of contributing to many important things the Planning Board has accomplished during my tenure. I am most proud, however, of advancing the professionalization of the board and streamlining its operations. Today’s board no longer keeps applicants, abutters and stakeholders into the late hours of the night as we debate minutiae and then ask for return visits to cover simple administrative measures. By empowering our capable professional planning staff, we respect the time and resources of our applicants and the commitment of our volunteer board members. At Town Meeting in 2018, we eliminated the burdensome and procedurally questionable “pre-meeting” requirement which obliged every applicant to attend at least two board meetings and often more before getting anything done.
At that same 2018 Town Meeting, we also limited with a five-year sunset provision the creeping expansion of Site Plan Review. Prior to this, property after property had become permanently encumbered with the obligation to bring even the most trivial improvements before the board. Changes that many residents could make as of right were closed off to properties once they had fallen under Site Plan Review. I am proud to have successfully advocated for the Planning Board to rein back its own authority, which threatened fair processes and a level playing field for citizens of the town.
I am least proud of the number of in-person meetings I had to miss during my last term due to professional obligations. Struggles with attendance are inevitable if the town hopes to attract active, engaged industry professionals to serve on town boards and committees. I am committed to doing a better job of over my next term. Sadly, circumstances related to the pandemic over the coming year will likely make this easier.
These are extraordinary times. We are isolating ourselves and wearing protective gear to engage in the most routine tasks of community life. Our cities are burning with rage and fear. A generation is losing confidence in the shared values on which our democracy has been built. We question what one citizen, one local board, or one small town can do to make a difference.
When we started campaigning in March, the most important question in the world seemed to be what authority our open Town Meeting might be willing to entrust to a group of elected board members. While I do support Town Meeting as a venue for important town planning and development changes, today that seems a discussion for another day. Today the most important questions in the world are overwhelming and seem to change every day. Today, more than ever before, it is important for our town to be led by creative, active, and engaged citizens bringing a broad, professional, and experienced perspective to our local challenges and opportunities.
If you value, as do I, the broad engagement of our citizens and community in public process; objective, respectful and fair treatment of all stakeholders; and the appropriate role of town government in our lives and property, then I ask for your vote this coming June 15 or whenever you complete your absentee ballot.
With gratitude for your consideration,
Rick Rundell
76 Todd Pond Rd., Lincoln
rick.rundell@gmail.com
rickrundell.com
”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.
(Editor’s note: Following is a statement submitted to the Lincoln Squirrel by Robert Domnitz, who is running in the only contested race in this year’s local election. He was included in a roundup of Planning Board candidates published on March 5. In 2015, he narrowly lost a race for reelection to Gary Taylor.)
By Robert DomnitzI previously served on the Lincoln Planning Board for 12 years, from 2003–15. I’m hoping to come out of “retirement” because I think our current Planning Board is heading in the wrong direction regarding revitalization of the Lincoln Station area. They are developing a complex revision to the town ‘s zoning bylaw which they believe will foster increased business activity and greater housing density.
Although this goal deserves town-wide consideration and debate, a key feature of their proposal is that they — and they alone — will have authority to approve large-scale development proposals without review by our Town Meeting. This is a dramatic departure from our traditional reliance on Town Meeting for major decisions. It will allow a five member Planning Board to make unreviewable decisions about changes to one of Lincoln’s most important and diverse neighborhoods.
As a member of the Planning Board, I will work to ensure that our Town Meeting continues to play the central role in Lincoln’s decisions about land use. I believe that the Planning Board’s current effort to foster revitalization of Lincoln Station without meaningful participation of Town Meeting is needlessly divisive. Conversely, with Town Meeting’s participation, we have the opportunity to welcome projects that appeal to neighbors, business owners, and the Town at large.
Our Zoning Bylaw is an expression of these same core values, allowing us to manage growth and change responsibly while respecting our historic and rural heritage. We benefit in Lincoln from the farsighted, altruistic actions of residents who conserved large tracts of land and adopted strategic preservation-oriented zoning. We are all stewards of this precious legacy.
”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.