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

News acorns

Join Sept. 20 climate strike via 9:09 Lincoln train

On Friday, Sept. 20, many members of the Lincoln community plan to attend the Boston Youth Climate Strike at Boston City Hall and will board the 9:09 am train at Lincoln Station (see this letter to the editor). Around the country and around the globe, young people and their adult allies will be leaving school and work to raise their voices to protect the Earth’s climate from further damage by fossil fuel emissions. St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church invites anyone who is planning to take the 9:09 train to join us for a brief Liturgy for the Climate at Lincoln Station beginning at 8:45 a.m. as clergy and congregants offer prayers of blessing for the Earth and acknowledge the climate emergency threatening the future of humanity. See Massachusetts Mothers Out Front for more information on the Boston Youth Climate Strike.

Water Commission seeks new member

The Water Commission is seeking interested volunteers. The commission ensures that the town’s drinking water meets all applicable federal, state and local laws and standards, as well as ensuring that the system revenue covers system operations, debt service, and reserves. The deadline for submittals is Friday, Oct. 4. Send letters of interest to Peggy Elder, Administrative Assistant in the Selectmen’s Office, elderp@lincolntown.org. For information or an application, call the Selectmen’s Office at 781-259-2601.

Drumlin Farm gets $20,000 grant from foundation

Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary has receive a $20,000 grant from the Middlesex Savings Charitable Foundation to support its full suite of Leaders in Environmental Access for All (LEAF) programs for children up to age 18. Programs include specialized field trips and guided programs, vocational internships, staff training, and adaptive curriculum and equipment for special-needs students participating in Drumlin Farm programs.

“Funding will allow us to continue our robust vocational internships opportunities, grow our adapted curriculum based environmental education programing, and implement a variety of staff trainings on disability and inclusivity,” said Drumlin Farm Education Manager Jennifer Feller.

Talk on women’s suffrage in Mass.

The Lincoln Historical Society  presents Barbara Berenson, author of Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement: Revolutionary Reformers, on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 1:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Massachusetts was at the center of the national struggle for women’s suffrage; in a 1915 referendum, the men of Massachusetts voted two-to-one against woman suffrage. Nonetheless, in a remarkable reversal, Massachusetts ratified the 19th Amendment within three weeks after it was approved by Congress. Berenson is also author of Boston in the Civil War and is senior attorney at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Walk to benefit SVdP and Lincoln food pantry

Come on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 10–11 a.m. to St. Julia Church (374 Boston Post Rd, Weston) for a walk to raise awareness for people in need in Lincoln and Weston, and to benefit the work of our local Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) conference and the food pantry. Suggested donation $10 per person or $25 per family. This will be an easy walk along the new rail trail with an ice cream social at 11a.m. at St. Julia Church. SVdP provides emergency financial help to residents of Lincoln and Weston and operates a food pantry at St. Joseph Church in Lincoln that serves clients from both towns. 

Letter to the editor: join climate strike on Friday

To the editor:

I urge Lincolnites concerned about climate change to join the Global Climate Strike in Boston on Friday, Sept. 20, and to join in activities planned for the “Week of Action” to follow.

Responding to Greta Thunberg’s call for an uprising to raise awareness about the climate crisis, young people have organized a large climate strike event in Boston. This is part of a national and international campaign to demand faster action from our governments and industries on climate change. The more people who show up, the stronger the message!

The schedule for the day includes:

  • 10–11:30 a.m. — Community events at City Hall Plaza (art activities, partner organization tabling, sign making, community mural)
  • 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Main rally at City Hall Plaza (speakers, dances/songs/bands, slam poetry)
  • 1–1:30 p.m. — March to Massachusetts State House
  • 1:30–2:30 p.m. — Action at Massachusetts State House

Many Lincolnites will take the 9:09 a.m. train into Boston. If you arrive at the Lincoln platform by 8:45 a.m., you will be in time for a blessing by the new rector of St/ Anne’s Church. Possible return trains include the 3:30 from North Station.

As Bill McKibben recently wrote in The Guardian, September 20 “is shaping up to be the biggest day of climate action in the planet’s history… But it will only be a success on the scale we need if lots of people who aren’t the regular suspects join in. Many people, of course, can’t do without a day’s pay, or work for bosses who would fire them if they missed work. So it really matters that those of us with the freedom to rally do so.”

If you can’t make it to Boston on Friday, similar local events are planned in:

  • Sudbury (gather at First Parish UU Church, 327 Concord Rd., for sign creation at 11 a.m. and stand vigil at the common at noon)
  • Lexington (join the march from the Minuteman statue on the town green at 9:30 a.m., or gather at the Lexington High School football field at 10 a.m.)
  • other towns (I’ll be joining the event in Manhattan)

But wait, there’s more! The Week of Action following Sept. 20 includes the following opportunities for you:

  • Sunday, Sept. 22 — 350 Massachusetts will kick off its weeklong Charlie Baker Climate Catastrophe Tour. Gather at the State House steps from noon–1 p.m., then march to South Station, where our oversized Charlie puppet will give a press conference and set off on his statewide tour of climate catastrophes. The fun will include street theater and singing the new climate version of “Charlie on the MTA.” Find more details here.
  • Wednesday, Sept. 25 (preferably) — help flood the office of Chase Bank CEO Jamie Dimon with phone calls, demanding that Chase stop its massive lending to the worst parts of the fossil fuel industry. Find more background and a call script here.
  • Thursday, Sept. 26 — make your voice heard from 7–9 a.m. at the Framingham commuter rail station (details here).
  • Friday Sept. 27 — be at Dewey Park near South Station at 3:30 p.m. to join an action by Extinction Rebellion to “peacefully disrupt business as usual.” Find out more through their Facebook event page.
  • Saturday Sept. 28 — be in Bow, N.H., by 11 a.m. to join in the protest against the coal plant there. Go here to get more details, indicate interest, and/or donate.

Sincerely,

Paul Shorb
99 South Great Rd., Lincoln

Letter to the editor: Lincolnites attend a compelling Democratic convention

To the editor:

Lincoln’s delegates were (front row, left to right) Jerry Gechter, Joan Kimball, Sasha Golden, Barbara Slayter, and Jennie Morris; and (back row, left to right) Alex Chatfield, Travis Roland, Chris Loschen, Alisar Cohen, and Virginia Welles (click to enlarge).

Spirits were high last Saturday as some 4,000 Democrats gathered at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention in Springfield. Representing Lincoln were six delegates, four alternates, and one youth delegate, an activist senior from Lincoln-Sudbury High School.

Shannon Liss-Riordan and Steve Pemberton (candidates for U.S. Rep. Ed Markey’s seat in the primary) emphasized women’s rights, early childhood education, and getting corporate money out of politics. Others including current Reps. Lori Trahan, Seth Mouton, and Ayanna Pressley (via video) focused on fairness and addressing the dilemmas of our increasingly inequitable society.

There were many others with compelling personal stories and political objectives, but three speakers in particular stirred the crowd to cheers and chants as they vigorously waved signs with the speaker’s names: Maura Healey, Ed Markey, and Elizabeth Warren. All three electrified the MassMutual Center with calls for making “a democracy that works for all Americans” (Healey), implementing “big structural change” (Warren), an economy that does not “deny, deprive, and devalue” (Markey), and sharing a common recognition that “Mass Democrats don’t agonize, they organize.”

The final speaker was a compelling presentation by Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, who praised Massachusetts for its strong gun laws and touted the organization’s six million members determined to make a difference on gun violence. The plenary session concluded with affirmation by the delegates of 11 resolutions across a broad variety of political, social, and economic topics.

The afternoon breakout sessions featured panelists including State Sen. Jamie Eldridge, Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Joe Kennedy, and Framingham’s Mayor Yvonne Spicer as well as experts on the issues under discussion:

  • climate change, sustainability, energy, and the Green New Deal
  • realities of the immigration process
  • racism in American politics
  • narrowing the racial wealth divide in the Commonwealth
  • building coalitions and partnerships in the fight for Democratic values.

Lincoln delegates dispersed themselves among these sessions to glean new ideas and action agendas on each of these topics.

There will be a discussion of the convention and actions proposed for the 2020 elections on Sunday, Sept. 29 from 4–5:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall, facilitated by Lincoln delegates Alisar Cohen, Ginny Welles, Travis Roland, Alex Chatfield, Sasha Golden, Jerry Gechter, Jennie Morris, Chris Loschen, Joan Kimball, and Barbara Slayter.

Sincerely,

Barbara Slayer and Joan Kimball
Co-Chairs, Lincoln Democratic Town Committee

Committee trims $2.8 million from school project

After the latest round of updated cost estimates for the $94 million school project showed a $2.8 million shortfall, the the School Building Committee chose from a lengthy list of options provided by SMMA Architects to trim costs.

At several milestone points during the school project, the project team performs a new round of cost estimating; the latest estimates marked the end of the 60% Construction Documents phase. As it did after the first round of cost estimates last October came in about $9 million over budget, the SBC employed “value engineering” to decide where to save money This phase is when the specifications and details of building envelope and mechanical systems are decided, “so this difference in cost estimates is not unusual,” the SBC said earlier this month.

Top image: the original proposed design showing fiber cement rainscreen, and the two brick options now being considered instead (click to enlarge).

The biggest VE item by dollar amount is changing all proposed fiber cement rainscreen to brick, saving almost $507,000. The SBC has not yet decided on which of two brick options to select (see the Sept. 11 presentation starting with slide 18 labeled “Current design”). 

In recent weeks, architect and longtime Lincoln resident Edmund Stevens has raised concerns about the school project on LincolnTalk several times, saying that the proposed removal of the bell tower “is nothing less than barbarous” and that the school building design resembled “a strip mall.” At the SBC’s second value engineering meeting on September 4, he objected  to some of the proposed design elements and the SBC process in general. “I don’t think anybody really knows that this building looks like… it’s total chaos,” he said.

Stevens kept trying to speak after being asked to desist and said, “You’re not going anywhere!” But SBC member Peter Sugar silenced him with raised voice, saying “Neither are you, sir!”

Stevens afterwards told the Lincoln Squirrel that he had not participated in school project discussions up until now because he had been “out of circulation” with lymphoma, and because he initially thought the design would be “at least up to the level of the town hall renovation, which was excellent.” He said he did not vote at the Special Town Meeting that narrowly rejected a state-approved design in 2012 but could not recall why.

Going into the third and final value engineering (VE) meeting last week, “our VE decisions continued to be guided by our project principles, and no decision was without vigorous discussion and understanding,” said SBC member Kim Bodnar. “There were no easy or hardest items to cut. All VE items were met with rigorous scrutiny and an understanding of how they impacted the project.”

The project now moves into the 90% Construction Documents phase, when the final details are fleshed out in preparation for putting the project out to bid for areas that are subcontracted such as plumbing and HVAC, etc. This phase will be complete by the end of December and one more round of cost estimates will take place before the bid documents are finalized.

Second round of value engineering items approved by the SBC
ItemCost
Change all proposed fiber cement rainscreen to brick – structural steel support required to support brick$506,739
Eliminate lightning protection system$267,523
Replace all VRF heat recovery systems to heat pump systems. This would involve changing the heat recovery condensers ACCUs to heat pump condensers ACCUs and removal of all the branch controller units for the VRF zoned systems$246,466
Change concrete walkways to bituminous except 5' pads at exterior door locations – hybrid option$222,578
In Dining Commons and Media Center: Change wood ceiling to 2x2 ACT. Suspended/surface construction type linear lights be replaced to recessed linear type simulateously. Eliminate upright sprinkler heads$187,468
Change proposed brick veneer at north elevations rear of building to ground faced CMU – hybrid option$144,039
Eliminate all corridor phenolic lockers; provide metal lockers $134,550
Simplify acid waste neutralization system to point-of-use chip-type system- delete pit acid neutralization room including equipment, pit, foundations for pit, waterproofing and associated MEPs for this space. Revise system at 7/8th grade Science classrooms per sketches provided.$109,953
Eliminate all exterior wood benches$109,540
Eliminate sun shade/PV canopies at Reed corridor (1,610 square feet)$103,882
Reduce LF by 50% for proposed masonry mechanical enclosure walls and sound liner panels at condensing units$96,985
Eliminate 1'x4' ACT in hubs; provide 2'x2' ACT$74,507
Eliminate all roof drain overflow piping on the interior at new construction and install scuppers on roofs$61,852
Use chain-link fence and gate in lieu of steel picket at Pre-K playground$57,285
Reduce concrete walkways in front of building$56,051
Eliminate one remaining doghouse light-gauge metal framing, roof insulation and membrane roofing and replace with insulated ductwork above the roof$25,000
Eliminate proposed Data Acquisition System$50,299
Change all proposed PT-base to rubber except at locations with PT wainscot$49,611
Add Dx coil at ERVs and reduce capacity of FCUs and reduction of ductwork per sketches and descriptions provided.$42,922
Use ProPress fittings in lieu of soldering for copper fittings for domestic water$37,439
Reduce quantity of clocks to what is indicated in drawings$31,115
Maintain existing interior floor hatches$30,738
Reduce area of heavy-duty pavement to standard-duty$29,314
Eliminate gas piping and turrets in grade 6 science (as a result, gas piping can be rerouted to eliminate 440 linear feet of gas pipe and three expansion/seismic loops)$27,593
Reduce scope of snow guards at sloped roofs to 775 linear feet$23,752
Substitute Category 6 cable in lieu of Category 6A except for the wireless access points$22,462
Reduce allowance for replacement of existing roof decking by 50%$16,766
Eliminate locker room phenolic lockers; provide HDPE lockers, and salvage and reuse existing HDPE lockers$16,733
Reduce the thickness of the new construction slabs on grade to 4” in the classrooms and office areas. 5” would remain in the Learning Commons area and loading dock areas.$14,757
TOTAL$2,797,918

Police log

(Editor’s note: The Lincoln Squirrel will start publishing a selection from the daily logs of the Lincoln Police Department roughly once a week.)

September 12

Motor vehicle accident — Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (9 a.m.)
No injuries; one vehicle towed.

Road rage – Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (10:10 a.m.)
Incident involving two vehicles traveling eastbound when one driver threw their iced coffee at the other. The call was transferred to the State Police. 

September 11

Aid to public – 231 Aspen Circle (5:49 p.m.)
Police assisted a resident who wanted to report a missing family member who lives elsewhere. They were referred to the department where the person lives.  

Suspicious circumstances – Wells Road (12:26 a.m.)
A resident complained about teenagers in the Lincoln Woods community room after it closed. 

September 9

Noise complaint – 49 Wells Rd. (11:56 a.m)
Person was playing loud music; police told then to turn it down.

Suspicious circumstances – 168 Lincoln Rd. (1:33 a.m.)
Person reported an odd light flashing in the back of the house. It ended up being a vehicle from SavaTree that had its hazard lights flashing.

September 7

Suspicious circumstances – 241 Old Concord Rd. (1:52 p.m.)
Resident wanted a storage container off his property. He allowed an individual to store stuff in it but he now wants it gone. 

Suspicious person – Trapelo Road. (6:06 p.m.)
People were fishing.

September 6

Missing person over 21 – deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum (2:56 p.m.)
A woman got lost on the trails while hiking and police helped her get her back to the deCordova. She wasn’t injured and walked out of the woods on her own.

Warrant arrest – Hanscom law enforcement, 3 Robbins Rd., Bedford (9:03 am.)
Minaie Mohsen, 67, of 95 Webster St. in Needham was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

 

News acorns

Climate Justice Film Series continues

The Exxon Valdez leaking oil.

The St. Anne’s Episcopal Church’s Climate Justice Film Series continues on Tuesday, Sept. 24 with a free screening of the new film, “A Concerned Citizen: Civics in Action.” the film documents the work of Dr. Riki Ott, a whistleblower who predicted the Exxon Valdez oil spill hours before it happened and came to the aid of her Alaskan community in their battle for fair compensation for their loss of health and income. There will be a light vegetarian supper at 6:30 p.m.; the film starts at 7 p.m.

The film series, now in its fifth season, has become a space for community-building among local climate and environmental justice activists. Since this movie is short (41 minutes) there will be a time for announcements and updates on what’s happening related to climate and environmental work in the region afterwards. For more information, contact Alex Chatfield, adchat@aol.com, 781-697-0140.

Art show issues call for artists

Lincoln-affiliated artists and artisans of all ages are invited to show their two- and three-dimensional creations for sale or display at the fourth annual Lincoln Arts Show from Friday–Sunday, Oct. 25–27 in Hartwell Pod B. Sign up by Monday, Oct. 14 at 5 p.m., at the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department or online here. Any late entries will be accepted on a space-available basis. Registrants will be sent an artist statement and labels to complete and email back by Monday, Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. Entry fees (waived for students):

  • 2-D works (paintings, photos, etc.): $10 per work; maximum four works per artist. 
  • 3-D works (pottery, hand crafts, etc.) on a 3’ x 8’ table, $25 for half-table; $50 for whole table.

There is no commission; artists are responsible for sales taxes. All work must be ready to hang or present. Artists or their designees will be responsible for hanging/displaying and removing their own works. Hanging materials and tools are provided. 

The schedule is as follows:

  • Hanging/displaying: Thursday, Oct. 24 from 4–6 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 25 from 9–11:30 a.m. 
  • Opening reception: Friday, Oct. 25 from 5–7 p.m.
  • Exhibit times: Friday, Oct. 25 from 3–5 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 26 from 12–5 p.m.;  Sunday, Oct. 27 from 12–3 p.m.
  • Takedown: Sunday, October 22, 3–4:30 pm.

Questions? Contact Sarah Chester at schester636@gmail.com. Sponsored by the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department and the Lincoln Council on Aging.

Latest wildlife observations posted

As fall approaches, bids and butterflies are on the move, and acorns and deer are abundant in the area according to observations made and gathered by Gwyn Loud in her latest monthly wildlife column on the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust’s website. See the site’s blog archives for previous columns as well as other news items, photos, and videos.

Appealing bark (Lincoln Through the Lens)

Morning sun backlights a Japanese paper bark maple on Beaver Pond Road. (Photo by Allen Vander Meulen)

Readers may submit photos for consideration for Lincoln Through the Lens by emailing them to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. If your photo is published, you’ll receive credit in the Squirrel. Photos must be taken in Lincoln and include the date, location, and names of any people who are identifiable in the photo. Previously published photos can be viewed on the Lincoln Through the Lens page of the Lincoln Squirrel.

deCordova readies museum-wide photography exhibition

Karl Blossfeldt, Urformen der Kunst (page 41), 1928/1929, photogravure. Gift of Arlette and Gus Kayafas in honor of Jennifer Gross. Photograph by Clements Photography and Design, Boston.

The Trustees and deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum announce the fall opening of Photosynthesis, a museum-wide celebration and examination of photography spanning a range of topics and artists. Opening October 12 and on view through March 29, 2020, Photosynthesis comprises three separate shows featuring works drawn from deCordova’s permanent collection along with loans from artists and private collectors. All of deCordova’s galleries will be devoted to photography during this period.

All the Marvelous Surfaces: Photography Since Karl Blossfeldt explores the impact of Blossfeldt’s acclaimed 1920s series “Art Forms in Nature” on present-day approaches to ornamentation, scale, and abstraction. Peter Hutchinson: Landscapes of My Life offers visitors a rare opportunity to view photographs and photo collages by an underrecognized pioneer of Land Art. Truthiness and the News examines the evidentiary role of photography from the first half of the 20th century to the current age of post-truth politics.

Charles “Teenie” Harris, Girl reading on stacks of Pittsburgh Courier newspapers, c. 1940, printed 2001, silver gelatin print. Gift of Gus and Arlette Kayafas. Photograph by Clements Photography and Design, Boston.

“We are excited to present three timely exhibitions that unite photography’s expansive capacity for artistic expression and engagement with urgent contemporary issues,” said Sarah Montross, senior curator. “Photography is often considered the most democratic artistic medium — a form of imagery that we all use and absorb daily but may not have time to question and appreciate. These shows blur the lines between nature and art, fact and fiction, and reveal photography’s potency in shaping perception of the world around us.”

Other events related to Photosynthesis:

Art and Journalism in the Era of Post-Truth Politics
Saturday, Nov. 2, 1–4:30 p.m.
In conjunction with Truthiness and the News, this symposium brings together journalists, historians, and artists to reflect on how we look at images and read the news critically in an age in which the concept of truth seems to hold ever less weight. Free with admission or membership

Gallery Talk with Artist Lucy Kim
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Join artist Lucy Kim and curator Sarah Montross for an in-gallery conversation about Kim’s work in relation to photographs in All the Marvelous Surfaces. Free; registration requested.

Peter Hutchinson, Conflicting Seasons: Alliterative Landscape Series, 2002, photo and ink on board. Collection of the artist. Photograph by Clements Photography and Design, Boston.

What’s Your Truth? Art-Making Workshop with Emily Bhargava
Saturday, Nov. 16, 10 am–12:30 pm
Using newspapers, magazines, and advertisements as source materials, put your truth on display with a glass and collage project inspired by the Truthiness exhibition. Tickets required ($40 for members, $45 for nonmembers).

Art and the Environment: A Local History
Thursday, Nov. 21, 6:30–8 p.m.
How have artists responded to New England’s diverse coastal and river ecosystems, as well as the region’s layered indigenous, colonial, and industrial histories? Art historian Kirsten Swenson connects past and present environmental art and landscape design, from Frederick Law Olmsted to Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Mags Harries, and Lajos Héder. Free; registration requested.

Art Nouveau Mosaic Workshop
Wednesdays, December 4 and 11, 6:30–9 p.m.
Inspired by exhibition artworks and Karl Blossfeldt’s art nouveau influences, create a nature-inspired mosaic in this two-session workshop with artist Emily Bhargava. Tickets are $75 for members, $90 for nonmembers; click here to purchase.

Curator-led tour of Truthiness and the News
Thursday, Jan. 30, 6–7 p.m.
Join Koch Curatorial Fellow Sam Adams for an in-depth walkthrough of exhibition Truthiness and the News. Free; registration requested.

Correction

An item in the September 11 edition of News Acorns incorrectly stated that Drumlin Farm was rescheduling its annual Harvest Feast originally planned for October 6. The event is hosted by Codman Community Farms, not Drumlin Farm, on Saturday, Nov. 2. (Drumlin Farm is having its own Fall Harvest Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 14). The News Acorns have been updated.