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

Board hears options for DPW alternate sites and construction

A sketch by Weston and Sampson of how the Lewis Street DPW site might be reconfigured (click to enlarge).

Consulting engineers detailed the need for new Department of Public Works facilities in a presentation to the Board of Selectmen — but with the school project underway and a new community center up next, the town isn’t likely to have the money for a major upgrade any time soon.

As part of a larger project to look at rezoning and redeveloping parts of South Lincoln, Weston and Sampson was hired in 2017 to identify the current and future needs of the DPW and to identify a potential site to address those needs. Their report released in January suggested a new facility costing about $15 million.

The Lewis Street DPW facility was built in the 1950s and 1960s, “and there’s been a significant increase in their responsibilities, but the facility really hasn’t kept pace,” Jeffrey Alberti, vice president and general manager of the Facilities division at Weston and Sampson, told the board at its April 22 meeting. The covered vehicle storage space is inadequate; “they do a great job of packing them in like sardines” with only inches of clearance, while other equipment is stored in makeshift structures of concrete blocks.

The facility is also out of compliance with current mechanical, fire, and plumbing codes and presents “safety concerns and operational inefficiencies,” Alberti said.

The firm showed a sketch of how one might reconfigure the current DPW site with new structures including enclosed maintenance, vehicle leaning and storage areas, but even then, the school buses now parked there would probably have to move to another new site. “It becomes tight once you start developing it with a new building,” Alberti said. “And it’s not really allowing for many other public functions” such as public parking or a public septic system.”

The firm drew up a list of potential sites for a refurbished or related DPW bases on the properties’ size, zoning, current use, floodplain, wetlands, conservation designation (if any) and present use. Other possible sites identified in the study are on:

  1. Old Bedford Road across from Battle Farm Road, on land owned by the Massachusetts Port Authority
  2. Virginia Road just west of the Lincoln North office park, on land owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  3. Virginia Road just north of site #2, on land owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  4. North Great Road between the transfer station and Mill Street, on land owned by the federal government
  5. Cambridge Turnpike, on land owned by Farrington Memorial

Narrowing down the choices will require “a much higher-level assessment of the preferred site or sites” including subsurface conditions as well as zoning and permitting costs, Alberti said.

Building or rebuilding the DPW facility regardless of location would cost about $15.2 million. That figure includes the cost of decommissioning and demolition of the current site plus temporary facilities during the construction period, but would not include land acquisition costs. The facility will also have to include at least one structure (the salt shed) that’s 30 to 40 feet high to accommodate the salt pile and trucks.

“This is a pretty shocking number to many people because they look at these facilities as the highway barn and the garage, but I like to tell everyone that this is an operational facility and it has to be designed to today’s building codes,” Alberti said. This includes equipment to pressure-wash sanders and trucks and then collect and store the runoff for later removal, as well as a stormwater system that’s more complex than those found on the average street.

Selectman James Craig asked if any of the other towns Weston and Sampson has worked with have broken out their DPW facilities into more than one site. Actually, Alberti said, about 95% of towns are consolidating their DPW into a single site for greater efficiency, though some towns store seasonal equipment off-site.

“Given our capital commitments, spending $15 million is down the road a ways,” noted SLPIC member Gary Taylor.

DPW Superintendent Chris Bibbo said afterwards that “whatever the study would recommend would be fine with us” and that it would be “acceptable” to wait several years for a renewed facility. “We have equipment storage that’s very, very tight, but we manage to keep all the equipment under the garage roof,” he said.

The DPW is currently doing some renovations to update its office space using money from its regular operating budget for materials and labor by DPW staff as time permits, Bibbo said.

News acorns

Lincoln team wins Latino and African American Tenacity Challenge Competition

The winning L-S Tenacity Challenge Team, “America’s Future.”

The L-S Tenacity Challenge Team “America’s Future,” whose members are all Lincoln School alumni, won first place in the 2019 Latino and African American Tenacity Challenge Competition on April 27 at Bedford High School. Their victory marks the first time a Lincoln-Sudbury team has placed in this competition. Each year, teams of LatinX and African-American students from urban and suburban high schools across Massachusetts compete for scholarship prize money. This year’s theme was “The Social and Political Significance of Hip Hop, Rap and Spoken Word.”

Led by advisor and history teacher Caroline Han, students Jada Edwards, Keith Hylton, Kares Mack, Jaelynn Rodney, and Jesus Tejeda prepared for four events: the Science and Math Quiz Bowl, Latino and African-American Literature Response, History Oral Argument, and Mural Challenge. By earning the highest overall score out of 34 schools, members of the L-S team will each receive a $1,000 scholarship.

L-S Community Sing this week

The L-S Music Department presents its annual Community Sing on Thursday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the L-S auditorium. Come hear L-S’ five student-led vocal groups and Chamber Singers perform. The featured piece is Eric Whitacre’s “Five Hebrew Love Songs” with string quartet, piano, and the L-S Concert Choir, choir alumni, parents and community members.  If you would like to join us in singing the Whitacre, contact L-S Choral Director Mike Bunting at michael_bunting@lsrhs.net for details. The event is free and open to the public.

Sales of snacks and refreshments will support the L-S Friends of Music, which invites everyone to their annual meeting on Thursday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Conference Room A at L-S. All parents of music students and community members are welcome. Talk to board members, meet fellow music program supporters, and learn about opportunities to get involved.

Wash your car, help the eighth grade

Saturday, May 18 is the annual 8th-grade car wash and bake sale. The event is a key source of funds for all activities around graduation, including the student dance party, the family party, T-shirts, etc.  Each wash is only $10. Swing by Town Hall any time between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. If you’re away or would just like to make a donation, please click here.

Get down at Club Codman

Dance to the music of the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and beyond (and wear costumes to match your favorite era) at Club Codman, an adults-only fundraiser in the Codman barn on Saturday, May 18 from 8:30–11:30 p.m. Cash bar. Tickets are $45 for CCF members and $60 for nonmembers; click here to purchase.

Test-drive an electric vehicle

Tired of going to gas stations and paying for oil changes and also want to do something significant about climate change? Please come and test-drive an electric vehicle (EV) at the First Parish in Lincoln (FPL) on Sunday, May 19 from 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. There will be two Teslas available, and possible a Chevy Bolt and Hyundai Kona as well. EV owners will also be on hand to share their experiences.

As an example, a 2018 Chevy Bolt last year gets over 300 miles per charge in the summer and (over 200 miles in the winter) and costs as little as half the current list price when you factor in available federal and state subsidies and the volume discount that has been negotiated by Lincoln’s partner, the Green Energy Consumers Alliance. Replacing an internal combustion engine car with an EV will remove 3–5 tons of CO2 emissions annually from your total carbon footprint, which works out to an overall carbon footprint reduction of around 20% for typical car owners. Please click here to RSVP. Call Green Energy Committee Chair Peter Watkinson at 339-224-0000 with questions.

See Lincolnites in “None But the Best”

In Good Company Theater presents “None But the Best” by Patrick Gabridge (original music by Dan Ryan) on Saturday and Sunday, June 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall. It tells the remarkable story of Boston publisher Daniel Sharp Ford, who quietly used his wealth to help thousands of disadvantaged people during the turbulent post-Civil War/Gilded Age years. Two Lincoln residents are in the cast — Cindy Bencal plays Ford’s wife Sarah, and Nancy Knight sings “The Fire” in a trio. Tickets are available at ingc.co/lincoln (use discount code “Lincoln” to get $5 off).

Candidate for cable committee sought

The Board of Selectmen is seeking a volunteer to fill a vacant seat on the Cable Advisory Committee. The CAC represents the board in all aspects of cable television licensing, including advising and negotiating on renewal licenses or original licenses, monitoring compliance, and serving as custodian of all reports and records made under the terms of any cable television license. The complete charge can be found here. Letters of interest should be sent to Peggy Elder, Administrative Assistant in the Selectmen’s Office, elderp@lincolntown.org by May 31. For information call the Selectmen’s Office at 781-259-2601.

Free heat pump brings Codman Community Farms closer to net zero

The indoor unit of Codman Community Farm’s new heat pump.

CCF Board President David Alperovitz, New England Ductless owner Joseph Wood, and CCF Farm Manager Pete Lowy with the heat pump’s outdoor unit.

Codman Community Farms has been selected as a recipient of a free cold-climate heat pump from New England Ductless, one of the installers for HeatSmart Carlisle, Concord & Lincoln (HeatSmart CCL), based on the success of that program.

HeatSmart CCL is community-led initiative to learn about and purchase clean energy technologies. New England Ductless of Milton was selected through a competitive solicitation as the air-source heat pump installer for the organization. In 2018, with support from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, HeatSmart CCL secured contracts to install 49 cold-climate air-source heat pumps and 23 ground-source heat pumps.

Also  In 2018, Codman Community Farms (CCF) began to work towards a goal of having the farm’s operational buildings becoming net-zero energy while simultaneously reducing the farm’s overall reliance on fossil fuels. With the completion of a 54 kW solar electric array expected in June 2019, this goal will be realized. CCF has taken other steps to meet the goals of its Green Energy Plan, including installing a solar hot-water system for egg washing and farm house staff, evaluating bids for the solar electric array, and applying for a state grant to support additional measures.

The farm had considered installing a cold-climate heat pump but did not proceed due to budgetary constraints. However, New England Ductless made this possible in April by installing a Mitsubishi Hyper-Heat cold-climate heat pump in Codman Farms’ 700-square-foot kitchen/dining area, which is used for cooking classes, nutrition education, farm luncheons and dinners, and other events.

The new heating and cooling system replaces an inefficient propane furnace and non-functioning central air conditioner, and makes the farm’s operational buildings fossil-fuel-free. When the solar array is operational, the heat pump will heat and cool the kitchen/dining area while producing no greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the installation allows CCF to remove two unsightly propane tanks and eliminates the need for propane deliveries.

The Lincoln Historical Committee was especially pleased that the company was able to conceal the heat-pump line set in the attic space to help preserve the historical character of the space.

HeatSmart CCL will host heat-pump educational events on Saturday, June 8 from 1:30–3:30 p.m. in the Concord-Carlisle High School learning commons and Tuesday, June 11 from 7–8:30 pm. in the Wayland Public Library. Click here for more information.

Craig Hill dies at age 90

Craig C. Hill

Craig C. Hill, age 91, of Lincoln and Bedford, passed away on May 6 after a many-year battle with multiple systems atrophy. He was supported during his illness by an amazing group of caregivers including Carol, Paula, Lisa, Gerry, and Vera. 

Craig had many talents and was an architect, editor, inventor, poet, and translator of The Complete Fables of La Fontaine, widely praised as one of the most vivid and imaginative translations of the 17th-century fabulist ever produced.

Craig was born in San Antonio and attended the University of Texas and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He and his wife of 62 years, Heather, resided in Lincoln for 44 years before moving to Bedford. They traveled extensively and often with groups of close friends and spent more than 30 summers with friends and family at their home in Truro.

Craig is survived by his wife Heather, daughter Amanda and her husband Kevin, son Matthew and his wife Lisa, son Thomas and his wife Emmanuelle, and grandchildren Malcolm, Hazel, Hannah, Hardy, Montgomery, and Calvin. He is also survived by his brother Roger Hill of San Antonio. Craig was also the brother of the late Marian Hill.

A private burial service will be held at Lincoln Cemetery. To share a remembrance or to send a condolence in Craig’s online guestbook at Dee Funeral Home, click here.

Lincoln committee pushing ahead with green goals

Gathering data on Lincoln’s greenhouse gas emissions and encouraging specific ways for residents to use more green energy are among this year’s goals for the Green Energy Committee (GEC).

The GEC serves as the primary resource for the town to identify technologies, initiatives, and means to reduce Lincoln’s CO2 emissions. One of its long-term goals is for the town’s public buildings to achieve “net zero” status for energy use by 2030 (with production of renewable energy equivalent to fossil fuel consumption) as required by a 2011 Town Meeting vote.

Among the efforts underway: finalizing a proposal for community choice aggregation, which uses the power of group electricity purchasing to offer a greater percentage of electricity from renewable sources than the 15% now required from Eversource. The voluntary Lincoln Green Energy Choice program will also offer a fixed price for electricity supply over a longer period of time. The prices for power will be slightly higher than they would be otherwise, though the figures for different sources of electricity under the program won’t be known until the town signs a contract with an electricity supplier.

The GEC also hopes to gather data and report each year on CO2e emissions. “CO2e” means carbon dioxide equivalent, which gauges carbon footprint by expressing the impact of each different greenhouse gas in terms of the amount of CO2 that would create the same amount of warming.

“Our focus is on tracking CO2e emissions and reductions data so that we can figure out how to have the biggest impact on reducing them as we develop a plan to become carbon neutral by 2030,” said GEC chair Peter Watkinson. The group is in discussions with a third party to provide this data for the town of Lincoln and “expects progress this quarter,” he added.

Other GEC goals for 2019:

  • Work with the School Building Committee on a high-efficiency school building powered completely by onsite solar PV arrays to achieve a net zero campus.
  • Encourage residents to buy or lease electric vehicles. Work to make it easier and less expensive to purchase residential charging stations, and investigate locations for public charging stations in town.
  • Continue residential efforts including encouraging home energy efficiency measures, energy-efficient heating/cooling systems, and solar installations.
  • Encourage/enable the development and implementation of solar PV projects at non-residential locations, including the Lincoln School, Codman Community Farms, the Lincoln Mall parking lot, the First Parish in Lincoln, the Public Safety Building, and the transfer station.

The Codman barn is now having solar panels installed, and the First Parish in Lincoln (FPL) Parish Committee has approved installation of solar panels on the roof of the parish house across from Bemis Hall (they now need approval from the Historic District Commission, according to Larry Buell, chair of the FPL Outreach Committee).

FPL Green was formed in fall 2017 under the leadership of Tom Walker in response to a membership poll that named energy and climate change as the most urgent public priority among a dozen possible. Twenty families are now driving electric vehicles and 35 are using 100% wind-generated electricity, Watkinson said.

Harold Smith, 1933–2019

Harold Smith at Open Studio in Lincoln. (Photos courtesy Eric Smith)

There will be a memorial service on Sunday, May 19 for Harold Dean Smith — husband, father, artist, engineer — who passed at Emerson Hospital on April 23 at age 85, just after celebrating 55 years of marriage to Elizabeth “Betty” (Harris) Smith.

Harold was born in St. Louis, Mo., on October 10, 1933. He was the son of the late Silas Clark Smith, Jr. and Verna Louise (Eichmeyer) Smith Roloff. Harold was raised with his brother Bernie, and they shared great times sailing toy boats in Clifton Park pond, playing on swing sets at the Bryan Mullanphy School, making toy paper airplanes, blowing up tin cans with firecrackers, using windup trains to knock down wooden block buildings, visiting Grandpa, and sledding down Sulphur Street (swing wide at the bottom of the hill and steer hard to miss the house across the street — impossible but he did it anyway).

Harold graduated in 1957 from the University of Washington in St. Louis with a degree in architecture, in which he had an interest from an early age. He went on to earn two advanced degrees from MIT  in civil and environmental engineering (1957) and civil engineering (1961). He was employed by Simpson Gumpertz and Hager for 32 years as a structural engineer. During that time he worked on the Epcot Center in Florida, the John Hancock Tower, telescope facilities in Hawaii, and as a consultant for Firestone, among many other projects.

He was a quiet, reserved man who enjoyed his time painting. He was a longtime member of the Lincoln Recreation Department’s Open Studio and he showed his watercolor paintings on occasion. He was honored to have his work chosen to be part of the 15th edition of the book Splash15: Creative Solutions (part of the Splash: The Best of Watercolor series). He was also the primary designer behind the design and layout of the local magazine the Lincoln Review.

Smith and two of his grandchildren.

Some of Harold’s most beautiful work was his early pen and ink drawings that captured the simple flavor of his beloved Lincoln. In his later years, his art was inspired by his international travel. This included France, England, Turkey, India, New Zealand, Japan, Hungry, Anguilla, and many more. He enjoyed traveling with his wife and photographing the places they visited. He shared his view of the world with others and using some of those photos as the basis for his paintings.

Harold is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Harris Smith; his brother, Bernard Smith; his four children, Dean Smith, Caron King, Eric Smith, and Craig Smith; and five grandchildren, Jessica Smith, Krysta Smith, Susannah King, Kamille Smith, and Stephen Smith.

There will be a private burial at the Lincoln Cemetery. Relatives and friends are encouraged to gather for a memorial at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 19 at the First Parish Church. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory can be made to the Annual Fund of Washington University, c/o Washington University, Campus Box 1082, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130. Click here to leave a note in his online guest book at Dee Funeral Home.

A “watershed” moment for the deCordova

An installation similar to “Watershed”: “Culvert Carin” (2013) by Andy Goldsworthy (private collection, California). © Andy Goldsworthy, Courtesy Galerie Lelong & Co., New York & Haines Gallery, San Francisco. Click image to enlarge.

A new commissioned work, Watershed — a site-specific work designed to interact with the deCordova’s Sculpture Park’s unique natural environment will make deCordova the only public institution in New England with an outdoor work by internationally renowned British artist Andy Goldsworthy.

Throughout his career, Goldsworthy has explored the power of water. Its force, energy, and impact respond to the rhythm of weather, and have strong and powerful consequences on the landscape. Watershed is composed of an open-fronted, nine-by-fifteen-foot granite stone structure, partially-embedded in the slope of deCordova’s pond-side hill.

The work will be built in a vernacular style, echoing stone walls and structures found throughout New England, using local materials and the expert assistance of Goldsworthy’s team of British wallers. On the structure’s interior rear wall, stonework will radiate in concentric circles from a drain outlet centered in the wall—a powerful evocation of water’s energy and pattern. Goldsworthy hopes that local environmental organizations will engage with the work and its attention to rainwater.

In times of heavy rain, water that flows across deCordova’s paved upper lot will be collected and channeled underground to pour from the outlet in the work’s rear wall, giving form to the usually unremarked course of groundwater across hard surfaces and allowing people to see and hear the work come to life. In dry weather the wall will stand expectantly, waiting to be activated. The work will serve to illustrate both the impermanence and the lasting effects of water, through the growth of residues like mineral deposits, moss, and patina. With the invitation to enter the piece, the human presence in all of these periods activates the work and its lifetime.

“The permanent installation of Watershed will enhance deCordova’s offerings for visitors passionate about the connection between art and nature — and for those who simply wish for the unforgettable experience of encountering a Goldsworthy installation in the landscape,” said deCordova Executive Director John B. Ravenal.

Installation begins this spring and is expected to be complete by the end of 2019. Major funding for this project is provided by the Nancy Foss Heath & Richard B. Heath Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as numerous generous private supporters.

News acorns

French cartoon to be screened at high school

Come see “Astérix et les Vikings,” a family-friendly movie organized by L-S students in a fifth-year French Cinema class, on Friday, May 17 at 7 p. m. in the L-S auditorium. The 79-minute movie based on a French comic strip follows Asterix and Obelix as they set off in hot pursuit to rescue Chief Vitalstatistix’s lazy nephew, Justforkix, from the Viking Olaf after the chief asks them to toughen up his nephew.

Talk at St. Anne’s on Nicaragua efforts

Sarah Junkin Woodard from the Center for Development in Central America (CDCA), a nonprofit, faith-based organization, will speak at St. Anne’s Church on Sunday, May 19 at 11:15 a.m. Woodard, who has worked in Nicaragua for 25 years, will explain how the CDCA responds to human needs created by natural disasters and poverty in the second-poorest nation in the western hemisphere. Joining her is Grace Sweetser, a former Lincoln resident and St. Anne’s parishioner who served for six months as a volunteer at the rural medical clinic run by the CDCA Jubilee House after college. 

Have coffee with an L-S School Committee member

Carole Kasper of the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee will host listening sessions on the following dates:

  • Friday May 10: 9–10 a.m. at the deCordova Café, and 11 a.m.–noon at Sudbury Coffee Works (15 Union Ave., Sudbury)
  • Tuesday, June 4: 9–10 a.m. at the deCordova Café, and 11 a.m.–noon at Karma Coffee (100 Boston Post Rd., Sudbury)

Talk on attracting birds and butterflies

Naturalist John Root will present a program on “Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Beneficials to Your Garden” on Thursday, May 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Public Library. This is one of the activities listed in the “Hidden Treasures” booklet published by Freedom’s Way, a nonprofit that works in partnership with the National Park Service to help people explore (natural, cultural or historical treasures hidden in plain sight through family-friendly community organized programs in greater Boston. Pick up a copy of the brochure at the library.

This free program is supported by in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Additional funding was also provided by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.

Celebrate L-S grads with balloons

Do you know someone in the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Class of 2019? If so, congratulate him or her with a graduation balloon in a fundraiser for the Class of 2021. Large

blue foil balloons imprinted with “Congratulations L-S Grad” are being sold for $6 each and will be delivered to graduates’ homes a few days before graduation, accompanied by a good luck card. All proceeds go to the Class of 2021 Steering Committee. Order from this LSPO web page by May 20.

Community sessions on heating and cooling with heat pumps

Learn about cold-climate air-source heat pumps, geothermal systems, and heat pump water heaters at events hosted by HeatSmart Carlisle/Concord/Lincoln and EnergizeWayland. Perfect for those who:

  • want to learn why electricity for heating/cooling is environmentally friendly
  • don’t have air conditioning but want it before summer temperatures arrive
  • have an old heating system (e.g.,more than 15 years) and want to know about replacement options to oil, propane or gas

Meet installers to learn what systems might work for your home. Find out about the financial incentives available to you. Hear from neighbors who have installed systems and local installers. Meet your community coach who can help you sort it all out.

The events are on Saturday, June 8 from 1:30–3:30 p.m. in the Concord-Carlisle High School Learning Commons (500 Walden St., Concord, 2nd floor) and Tuesday, June 11 from 7–8:30 pm. in the Wayland Public Library (5 Concord Rd., Wayland).

Clark addresses impeachment and other issues with area Democrats

By Barbara Slayter and Joan Kimball
Lincoln Democratic Town Committee

Rep. Katherine Clark at the Middlesex Democrats breakfast.

Rep. Katherine Clark’s vigorous and penetrating analysis of critical issues both local and national brought numerous rounds of applause at the Middlesex Area Democrats breakfast on May 4.

Twenty Lincolnites were among nearly 100 enthusiastic Democrats from Waltham, Weston, Sudbury, Carlisle and other towns gathered at the Hilton Garden Inn in Waltham. They listened as Clark detailed how Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is “obstructing,” or preventing legislation from moving forward. The House has passed bills on gun safety, net neutrality, equal pay for equal work, voting rights, and dark money, but none of them has made its way past McConnell to the Senate floor.

McConnell, Clark said, has gone so far as to say we don’t need an infrastructure bill, even after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had met on the topic with President Trump. Clark strongly advocated for local action saying that action starts here, not in Washington, and that we must work at home with state representatives and selectmen locally and support candidates who will make a difference.

Asked if impeachment  is “on the table,” Clark said, “Definitely it is. We cannot simply run out the clock.” However, Democrats have to bring the American people with them; impeachment, she asserted, should neither be undertaken nor avoided for political reasons. Rather, there must be a careful gathering of evidence, including a specific opportunity for the House to hear Robert Mueller’s testimony, as well as that of other key witnesses, and an effort to assure that the American public fully understands the events that have taken place, Clark said.

All this needs to be in a context of clarity about constitutional responsibilities, and a serious effort to prevent foreign influence in elections, including the upcoming presidential and congressional elections in 2020, she added.

Other elected officials contributed key observations on critical topics. State Sen. Mike Barrett, a leader in the effort to limit greenhouse gases via carbon pricing, linked climate change to refugee migration, since farmers and laborers in many parts of Central America are no longer able to make a living in agriculture. He praised Waltham for its policies for effectively serving its refugee population, especially those from rural Guatemala, who are coming in unprecedented numbers but are revitalizing the city.

Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian noted the significant mental health issues afflicting the prison population and the need to address the connections among mental health, drugs, and crime.

Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan discussed the “interference” she’s encountered with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). She and another district attorney have filed a federal lawsuit demanding that courthouses be places of sanctuary, assuring public safety for witnesses, victims, and defendants.

Everyone paused in a moment of silence for Lincoln’s Foster Fargo, who passed away on April 14, and speakers expressed appreciation for the many years of work by his wife, former State Sen. Susan Fargo.

Cafeteria manager Hillson wins national award

Sandra Hillson

Sandra Hillson of the Lincoln School has been named Northeast Regional Manager of the Year by the national nonprofit School Nutrition Association (SNA). Considered the highest honor a school nutrition manager can earn, the award recognizes a cafeteria manager who has demonstrated dedication and ingenuity to improve his or her school meal program.

A seasoned cafeteria manager, Sandra Hillson takes great pride in her staff’s ability to prepare healthy and appetizing school meals from scratch. Working in a small one-oven kitchen, Hillson excels in time management and menu preparation and is known for collaborating with staff to develop new recipes and present healthy food options in a way that students will be encouraged to try, the SNA says. She utilizes foods grown seasonally in school gardens and locally sourced produce from area farms as part of Lincoln school district’s Farm to School program. Hillson was instrumental in organizing a recent collaboration with local apple and peach growers.

Hillson is well versed in catering to specific dietary restrictions, even working with students who might have aversions to certain appearances or food textures. She and her staff have developed special menus to accommodate students with allergies, cultural dietary restrictions and more to ensure all students feel welcome in her cafeteria.

School nutrition professional development and education is important to Hillson, who is Serve Safe certified, CPR certified and Allergen Aware certified. She takes the time to train staff on daily paperwork and production sheets so they’re aware of the work done behind the scenes as well as their own responsibilities. She ensures that all staff complete the district’s annual mandated training and steps in during training days so that her staff can attend Epi-Pen, Heimlich maneuver, fire safety, and school lockdown training.

“Sandra Hillson’s dedication to her students’ safety, health, and satisfaction is an example to all in the school nutrition field,” said SNA President Gay Anderson. “She goes above and beyond her duties, advocating for children’s health and constantly seeking out additional opportunities for professional development.”

Hillson will be honored at the School Nutrition Association’s annual national conference in St. Louis in July.