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

The Commons has fewest Covid-19 deaths among area facilities

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:

Long-term care facilities with 2+ known Covid cases and facility-reported deaths

TownTotal
cases		DatePopulation
(2010)		Cases as %
of 2010 pop.
Lexington1514/15/2033,4800.45%
Weston654/13/2012,0670.54%
Bedford*644/15/2014,1260.45%
Sudbury494/13/2018,9400.26%
Wayland264/10/2013,7200.19%
Concord224/13/2019,3230.11%
Lincoln164/12/206,7260.24%

* Staff and residents
** Cumulative COVID-19 deaths – includes residents only

Assisted living residences with 2+ known Covid cases

TownPopulation (2010 census)
Lexington33,480
Concord19,323
Sudbury18,940
Bedford14,126
Wayland13,720
Weston12,067
Lincoln6,726

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Area facilities that do not appear on either list:

  • Concord Health Care Center (Concord)
  • Artis Senior Living (Lexington)
  • Brookhaven/Gardenview (Lexington)
  • Lexington Health Care Center (Lexington)
  • Wingate at Sudbury (Sudbury)
  • Merriam Village (Weston)

Series of public forums scheduled in advance of Town Meeting

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. 

“My Turn” replaces “Letters to the Editor”

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

Planning Board candidate forum on June 11

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:

  • How will planning in Lincoln be influenced by the new world order? How will Lincoln’s relationship with Massachusetts, the nation at large, and the world influence any planning decisions? Do current events suggest we have any responsibility to think about the world at large when we think about planning in Lincoln?
  • How will the town support our local restaurants through this pandemic?
  • Is there anything the Planning Board can do to support social distancing and community building? 
  • What about housing, the transfer station, the DPW, and South and North Lincoln? What is the Planning Board’s role, and how should they collaborate with other boards and commissions?
  • And what about the school? Some people are worried that the refurbished building may be obsolete in a few years, or are wondering if we should reconsider the tax burden on residents What, if anything, can or should the Planning Board do to review the current school plans and potentially suggest alternatives?

Link to join the candidate’s forum:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86813510489?pwd=akR2WVZKWUY2djE3OFAyTlBCaTExZz09

  • Meeting ID: 868 1351 0489
  • Password: 310709

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:

My Turn: Rundell touts importance and accomplishments of Planning Board

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 Rundell

Dear 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.

My Turn: Robert Domnitz on why he’s running for Planning Board again

(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 Domnitz
Why I’m running for Planning Board (again!)

I 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.

My core values: preserve the town’s character, strengthen our community

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 background
  • Public sector (municipal): Lincoln Planning Board; Lexington Planning Board; Hanscom Field Advisory Commission; Route 2 Oversight Committee; Battle Road Scenic Byway Committee.
  • Private Sector: president (retired), Technical Collaborative, Inc., an electronics R&D firm.
  • Education: B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from MIT,  J.D. from Boston College Law School,
  • Contact: 781 259-1080, electbobpb@outlook.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.

My Turn: Minneapolis police conduct is offensive to the values of our department

(Editor’s note: This statement was published on the Lincoln Police Department’s Facebook page on May 29, 2020 and is reprinted here with permission.)

By Kevin Kennedy

To the Lincoln community:

Today, I join my fellow Massachusetts Police Chiefs and law enforcement across the country in condemning the actions and inactions of the four Minneapolis police officers involved in the death of Mr. George Floyd on May 25, 2020.  Our thoughts and sympathy are with the Floyd family. 

As a police department, we have embraced the six pillars of the President’s Task Force on 21st-Century Policing. We are committed to our standards of professional conduct, community policing, procedural justice, constitutional policing, and treating everyone with respect, dignity, empathy, and compassion.

The conduct of the officers involved was offensive to the values of our department and our  community. 

Sincerely, 

A. Kevin Kennedy
Lincoln Chief of Police

”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.

Letter to the editor: McFall invites students and parents to discuss racism

To the Lincoln community:

I write to you from a place of humility, acknowledging that, at this point in time, there are so many areas of uncertainty that I do not have clear responses to or concrete action plans to address. However, what is weighing most heavily on me right now is how to respond, in my role as a superintendent, to the civil unrest taking place across our country and the inequities and injustices experienced by members of our communities.

I know that this message will not resonate with everyone. I also know that I may make points that may be misconstrued. My intent is to acknowledge what many of us are experiencing and feeling and to share some possible ways to come together as a community for reflection, sharing, and consideration of our collective responsibility to make things better.

I do not presume to understand what it is like to be a person of color in our country. But, the only way I know to make sense of what is happening is by making connections to my own personal experiences.

In 1992, I was a middle school teacher in an unincorporated (not a town or city) area of Los Angeles County — Lennox, Calif. This was the community that I grew up in and began my career in education. It is a poor community where most parents work in service industries in and around the Los Angeles airport. The schools were a safe haven for students within the community. I am providing this context because what is taking place now, and has taken place for decades, mirrors what occurred in Los Angeles in 1992 in response to the acquittal of four police officers related to the beating of Rodney King.

As the riots ensued, most school districts closed, but we remained open knowing that our parents were not in positions of privilege and could not stay home from work to care for their children. We kept our students in self-contained classrooms and provided opportunities for discussion about what was taking place and how they were feeling. As you can imagine, my students expressed a wide range of emotions including anger, frustration, fear, inability to reconcile the outcomes with the evidence, and a sense of hopelessness. I perceived their expressions as an overall knowing that they were not valued and protected in our society.

As their teacher, I had a feeling of deep despair. My messages to my students had always been expressions of hope: if you have a goal and you work hard, you can succeed. I held myself up as a model for my students as someone who grew up in their neighborhood and attended the same schools. But in this moment I knew that much of what my students were feeling was the truth and that my message that all you need to do is work hard was not a truth. While much of our lived experience was the same, the color of my skin provided me with privilege and opportunities that they did not have. And the color of my skin provided me with the very basic necessity of a level of safety that they did not experience.

I am certain that students in our schools are feeling these same emotions and always have. The recent acts of violence against persons of color and the ensuing injustices have not created these feelings; they have always been there. When our institutional systems clearly tell you that you have no voice, then you are forced to find other means of communication. I do not say this to universally condone the actions that have been taken, only as an understanding of how we have ended up where we are. It is difficult to think about my experience in L.A. 28 years ago and to see that the experience for black and brown people in our country has not changed. Combined with a pandemic that is disproportionately affecting communities of color, racial inequities have been magnified, and my heart goes out to our families who are shouldering the impact of it all right now.

Please remember that our principals, social workers, school psychologists, and other school personnel are available if you need assistance.

An opportunity for members of our community to come together is scheduled for Thursday evening. Lincoln School grade 5-8 students will have the opportunity to join a discussion group on Thursday during the day. I am providing information below and hope that you will join us.

Please be well.

All the best,

Becky McFall
Superintendent, Lincoln Public Schools

1. Anti-racism resources for parents and educators

2. Event for adults — Thursday, June 4 from 6–7:30 p.m.
A 90-minute webinar from with Kathy Lopes, LICSW for parents, staff, and community members to acknowledge the educational, health, and social-emotional impact of Covid-19 (inclusive of local and national racism) on their communities and the current racial violent acts occurring in the country. Lopes will provide data, age-appropriate strategies, and resources to support adults in navigating the topic of systemic racism and how to approach these tough conversations with children of varying ages.

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://simmons.zoom.us/j/92663677391?pwd=Y3Y0OFBXZ2I3S3Y4TEh4ZXBmakxpQT09

  • Meeting ID: 926 6367 7391
  • Password: 459805
  • For call-Ins: (646) 558-8656

3. Student sessions for Lincoln School grade 5-8
There will be two group discussions, one for students in grades 5-6 and one for students in grades 7-8. Discussions will be guided by the students’ needs and the groups will be facilitated by mental health staff, METCO staff, and teachers. 

  • Grades 5-6: Thursday, June 4 from 10–11 a.m.
  • Grades 7-8: Thursday, June 4 11 a.m.–noon

The link to join will be sent in a letter of invitation to the student sessions on Monday.

Information for Hanscom Middle School student sessions will be provided early this week.

Police log for May 19–24, 2020

May 18

Codman Road (8:06 p.m.) — Resident reported that a friend in Wayland may be the victim of a crime in Wayland. Wayland police were advised of the report.

Morningside Lane (9:11 p.m.) — Party reported being harassed by a party known to them. Report taken; party advised of their legal options.

May 19

Trapelo Road (2:25 p.m.) — Resident reported there is someone on their property that they want removed. Officer spoke to the individual and they were sent on their way.

Woods End Road (3:47 p.m.) — Resident turned in old firearm and ammunition to be destroyed.

May 20

First Parish in Lincoln (stone church) (1:28 p.m.) — Report that a power line to the building is down on the ground. Eversource was notified to respond.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (3:34 p.m.) — Caller reported their car was on fire on Rte. 2 west near Lexington town line. Officer arrived and put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. Fire Department arrived a short time later to handle.

Tower Road (3:54 p.m.) — Family member requested a well-being check on a resident. Officer checked and everything was OK; family member was on scene.

Old County Road (7:20 p.m.) — People who were fishing were moved along.

Lincoln Road (9:55 p.m.) — A business owner reported finding a disheveled male inside his vehicle while parked in the mall parking lot. The party was last seen walking on Lincoln Road. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate him.

May 21

Sandy Pond Road (3:28 p.m.) — Officers with Concord police at the town line investigated a report of someone finding bones in the woods. They were determined to be animal bones.

Concord Road (4:20 p.m.) — Party reported that a bicyclist wasn’t wearing a mask while on trails between Walden Pond and Flint’s Pond.

Walden Pond boat ramp (4:32 p.m.) — Report of a male party exposed himself near the boat ramp. State Police handled the incident

Old County Road (6:48 p.m.) — Report of people fishing. Officer moved them along.

Sandy Pond Road (7:44 p.m.) — Caller reported a brush fire. Fire Department arrived as the homeowner was putting out the fire.

May 22

Lincoln Road (9:28 a.m.) — Report of possible identity fraud. Investigation is ongoing.

Trapelo Road at Old County Road (9:46 a.m.) — Two-car crash. No injuries; report taken.

The Food Project, Concord Road — Manager complained of cars parking in the Food Project lot and going to Walden Pond.

Morningside Lane (3:49 p.m.) — Legal document relating to previous harassment given to a party, with a copy held at Lincoln Police Department.

Trapelo Road (4:39 p.m.) — Report of people fishing. Officer moved them along.

Wells Road (10:01 p.m.) — Caller reported hearing an alarm going off. Officer found it to be a septic system alarm. Management was notified.

Page Farm Road (3:48 a.m.) — Caller reported seeing a male party via their security system on the porch; packages possibly stolen. Officers were unable to locate the party and reported that there were packages on the porch.

May 23

Trapelo Road (12:54 p.m.) — Report of people fishing. Officer moved them along.

Wells Road (1:03 p.m.) — Elderly confused party believed someone was in the house. Officers responded and everything was fine.

Lincoln North office building, Old Bedford Road (2:34 p.m.) — Caller reported a small fire in the mulch. Fire Department handled.

Lincoln Police Department (3:14 p.m.) — Party stated that her son was bitten a while ago by an animal and was looking for information about medical care. Party refused Fire Department medical assistance.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (3:14 p.m.) — Caller reported seeing a mattress in the roadway. The information was passed along to State Police in Concord.

Kelly Lane, Hanscom Air Force Base (7:10 p.m.) — Officers assisting Hanscom security with a report of a missing juvenile. The party was later located.

Kelly Lane, Hanscom Air Force Base (8:52 p.m.) — Caller was looking for information on the missing juvenile. They were advised to contact Hanscom security.

May 24

Concord Road (12:58 a.m.) — Report of an outside fire at Walden Pond. The incident was found to be in Concord; officers assisted Concord police.

Sandy Pond Road (10:07 a.m.) — Caller complained of cars parking along Sandy Pond Road in front of his house and requested additional No Parking signs. No cars were found parked on the road. The officer spoke to the resident and left a message with the DPW requesting additional signage.

North Great Road, Paul Revere lot (2:41 p.m.) — Officer assisted the National Park ranger with a report of people using a metal detector and digging.

Trapelo Road (4:08 p.m.) — Report of people fishing. Officer moved them along.

Tower Road (4:49 p.m.) — Party found a dog in their yard. A short time later, it was returned to the owner.

North Great Road (6:49 p.m.) — Caller couldn’t find their car after walking in the National Park. Officer assisted the party.

Mt. Misery parking lot (7:47 p.m.) — Caller requested a check on someone sleeping in a vehicle. The party was fine, just taking a nap.