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

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Town seeks tax work-off program coordinator

The town of Lincoln seeks qualified applicants for a stipend position of Work-Off Programs Coordinator. Under the direction of the Council on Aging director, this position will oversee implementation of the town’s Senior and Veterans’ Tax Work-Off Programs. Duties include assisting participants with applications and other forms, matching applicants and positions, and preparing and submitting administrative forms to the town. Excellent administrative, organizational, and verbal and written communication skills required. Annual $1,500 stipend. The Work-Off Coordinator may not participate in either work-off program while serving in this role. Please submit a cover letter and resume to Mary Day, Town Office Building, 16 Lincoln Road, Lincoln MA 01773 or jobs@lincolntown.org by Friday, April 19. The position begins July 1, 2019.

Survivor to speak at Domestic Violence Roundtable

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Round Table will present  “A Survivor’s Story” on Tuesday, April 9 at at 3 p.m. in the Community Safety Building (38 Cochituate Rd., Wayland). The speaker will share her journey of survival, recovery, and the reclamation of her strength and power. For more information or to volunteer for Roundtable events, please visit www.domesticviolenceroundtable.org.

Household hazardous waste collection dates announced

Pre-registered Lincoln residents may bring materials to the Minuteman Household Hazardous Products Regional Facility at 60 Hartwell Ave. in Lexington on one of eight dates in April through November. Choose a date that’s convenient and contact the Board of Health to obtain a registration form, which you must bring with you to the facility. You may visit the Board of Health in the Town Office Building Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed on Fridays in the summer), or call Elaine Carroll at 781-259-2613. You will receive directions to the site and information about acceptable materials and how to dispose of unacceptable materials.

The site is open on the following days from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.:

  • April 20
  • May 18
  • June 15
  • July 20
  • August 17
  • September 15 (Sunday)
  • October 19
  • November 2

Wedding showcase at Pierce House

​The Pierce House and Boston Event Divas invite you to a wedding showcase on Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28 from noon–4 p.m. at the Pierce House. Vendors including wedding planners, caterers, florists, and photographers and more will be on hand. There will be door prizes, and during the April 28 event, the Lincoln Minutemen and His Majesty’s Troops of the Boston Garrison muster at the Pierce House. Tickets on both days are $10 for groups up to four people; click here to register.

Talk on Codman and Edith Wharton

Historic New England is hosting a brown bag lunch and slide talk on “Edith Wharton and Ogden Codman: A Creative Kinship Talk and Tour” on Wednesday, April 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall, followed by a special access tour of Codman House from 1:30–2:30 p.m. (a single exception to the closure for construction; see News Acorns, March 26). Ogden Codman, Jr. and Edith Wharton wrote the 1897 classic The Decoration of Houses. Using original letters from Historic New England’s Codman collection, this illustrated talk offers an inside peek into their artistic friendship, which spanned more than 40 years.

Free to Lincoln residents, $10 for Historic New England members, $15 for nonmembers. Registration recommended; please call 617-994-6690 or buy tickets online. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Krzysztof Wodiczko

Lecture features artist Krzysztof Wodiczko

The 2019 Paul J. Cronin Memorial Lecture featuring acclaimed artist Krzysztof Wodiczko takes place on Friday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. Wodiczko is renowned for his large-scale slide and video projections on architectural facades and monuments that address themes of trauma, collective memory, and the power of mass media to disseminate and manipulate information. $5 for members and students; $10 for nonmembers; click here to register. Come early for a casual reception starting at 6 p.m. with wine, beer, and nonalcoholic beverages. Your lecture ticket includes one complementary drink ticket; additional alcoholic drink tickets will be available for $5 each.

Pastel painting workshop at library

Have you ever wanted to do a landscape, portrait, or special project in pastels? Bring a simple photo or just come to participate in an art workshop, lecture and demonstration with award-winning pastel painter Gregory John Maichack on Saturday, April 27 from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room. Participants will receive an engaging hands-on experience of basic pastel painting as well as advanced techniques. Everyone will receive help tailored to their projects, whether landscape, still-life or portraiture.

Participants are encouraged to experiment with the artist’s professional-grade hard, soft and super soft pastels, professional pastel paper, etc. However, if you have your own pastels, please bring them. For adults and those over 14 if accompanied by an adult. Class is limited to 30 people and registration is required. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. Funding for the workshop was also provided by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.

One-man play about Herman Melville

Stephen Colins as Herman Melville

Celebrate the 200th anniversary of Herman Melville’s birth by enjoying a free performance of “Sailing Towards My Father” by actor Stephen Collins on Sunday, April 28 at 2 p.m. at Bemis Hall. The play chronicles the life of Melville (best known for his whaling epic Moby-Dick) from youth to old age, concentrating on his evolution as a writer and his complex relations with God, his parents and siblings, his wife and children, and Nathanial Hawthorne. It was written and directed by Carl A. Rossi. For more information, call the Council on Aging at 781-259-8811.

Letter to the editor: local initiative aims to help regional crisis

Editor’s note: for more information, see “New program aids Lincoln homeless and those at risk” (Lincoln Squirrel, January 14, 2019).

To the editor:

Last year, Gov. Charlie Baker declared a housing crisis in Massachusetts, and the issue of affordability largely stems from what many people count as positives: rising home prices and a booming economy.

Forgotten, however, are the individuals and families who can’t keep up — and homelessness is growing in Massachusetts. Last year, an estimated 20,068 people were experiencing homelessness, representing a 20.6 percent increase compared to 2010, according to an annual report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The numbers, advocates say, are woefully undercounted.

Lincoln’s Council on Aging (COA), in partnership with The Commons in Lincoln, a senior living community, is undertaking a new initiative to prevent homelessness in this area. Through the Staying at Home in Lincoln project, the council and The Commons in Lincoln will help people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless locate temporary emergency housing. The town’s social service staff also will assist the individuals in finding permanent housing and services to ensure they successfully remain in their new homes. The temporary emergency housing would be in places such as area hotels or motels, assisted living facilities, or other supportive housing.

The Commons in Lincoln is invested in the community, and this partnership with the COA is an example of that commitment. We want to help Lincoln and its residents work to stem homelessness, and start a ripple effect throughout the entire area where similar projects will emerge.

In Massachusetts, six out of 10 older adults living alone can’t afford the basic necessities of life such as food, housing in a safe community, and health care. This data hits close to home and is the driving force in what became of the Staying at Home in Lincoln project.

People of all ages are homeless or are at risk of being homeless. Some have lived in Lincoln for decades, while others are new to our area. Some have been highly paid professionals, while others have never had the advantages that have allowed them to earn a living wage. Some are single and alone, while others are the heads of families with small children. But for all those people, homelessness or the risk of homelessness is their main concern.

Sincerely,

Reynaldo LeBlanc
Executive director, The Commons in Lincoln

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

News acorns

Celebration of the life of Lucretia Giese

Lucretia Giese

The family of Lucretia Hoover Giese will host a celebration of Lucretia’s life on Thursday, May 23 at 3 p.m. in the Pierce House (see obituary, October 15, 2018). Among her many accomplishments, Lucretia was professor of art history at the Rhode Island School of Design, an expert on the paintings of Winslow Homer, chair of the Lincoln Historical Commission, and co-founder of the Friend of Modern Architecture/Lincoln. Please RSVP by Monday, April 15 to Henry B. Hoover, Jr. (hbhoover@aol.com).

L-S Jazz Night on Thursday

The L-S Music Department presents Jazz Night on Thursday, April 4 at 7 p.m. in the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School auditorium. The concert will feature students from L-S and Curtis Middle School; L-S groups include the Symphonic and Concert Jazz Ensembles as well as the Jazz Warriors and Select Jazz Combo. The groups led by Thomas Grandprey, Director of Instrumental Music, will perform jazz literature from the Great American Songbook as well as funk, and Latin genres. The concert is open to the public and admission is free.

Appointee to library board sought

The Lincoln School Committee invites and encourages any town resident with an interest in connecting the schools and the library to submit a short statement of interest as the committee’s appointee to the Lincoln Public Library Board of Directors. The School Committee thanks Martin Dermandy for serving in this capacity for the past six years, during which time he started the Local Heroes program and worked to connect the library and the schools, building on what the librarians had already developed.

The statement of interest for this three-year term should be sent to schoolcomm@lincnet.org by Friday, April 5. There will be interviews of all candidates in an open meeting of the School Committee on Thursday, April 11 at 7:15 p.m. in the Hartwell multipurpose room on the Ballfield Road Campus. Please address questions to schoolcomm@lincnet.org or to Jacquelin Apsler, chair of the Library Board of Trustees, at jgu.lincoln@gmail.com.

Wednesday “Crafternoons” at the library

The Lincoln Public Library is starting a new children’s program called Crafternoons every Wednesday at 2 p.m. Participants will get creative with crafts that emphasize reusing and recycling household items. All materials will be supplied by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library. Intended for grades 1 and up. No registration required. Call the Children’s Room for more information at 781-259-8465 x4.

Lincoln seniors can work off $1,500 in property taxes

Lincoln residents 60 and over who own and occupy property on which they pay taxes and are listed on the title may apply now to be part of the town of Lincoln’s Senior Tax Work-Off Program. Through the program, seniors work for a town department for up to 125 hours at $12/hour and receive an abatement of up to $1,500 on their May property tax bill.

Jobs may include administrative, outdoor, computer, programming, or other work and can be completed in any town department or the schools. Seniors may work fewer than 125 hours if they choose. Their schedule is up to them and the department they work for. For more information or to apply, call the Lincoln Council on Aging at 781-259-8811 and ask for COA Director Carolyn Bottum.

Two-part series on French history

The Friends of the Lincoln Public Library and the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging are offering a two-part presentation on French history on Saturday, April 13 at 2 p.m. and Wednesday, May 15 at 7 p.m. in the library’s Tarbell Room. Retired teacher John Gardella will give an overview of the French Revolution at the first session and the age of Napoleon at the second. The series will serve as a stepping stone to the library’s trip to the Museum of Fine Arts on Saturday, June 8 for a private tour of Toulouse-Lautrec and the stars of Paris (details TBA) Come to one or both sessions; both are free and open to people of all ages and no registration is required.

Council on Aging activities in April

Lincoln Academy with Richard Pierson: Healthy aging — a new science, a new art
April 1 at 12:30 p.m.
Come to Bemis Hall on Monday, April 1 at 12:30 p.m. when Richard Pierson, M.D., retired professor of medicine at Columbia University discusses “Healthy Aging: A New Science, A New Art.” As more and more people live to their 90s and 100s, “healthy aging” has become both absolutely essential and more complex. Pierson will talk about how ideas of aging have changed over the millennia, how our body composition changes and affects our health as we age, and how this will affect society and our everyday lives. All ages welcome.

Noticing walks with John Calabria
April 2 at 1 p.m.
LOCATION: Mt. Misery parking lot on Rt. 117
Enjoy a gently paced walk through nature guided by John Calabria on April 2 from 1-2:30 p.m. at a location posted at lincolnconservation.org. Bring walking sticks or walking poles if you like. Other walks will be held May 7 and June 4. If the weather is bad, call 781-259-9251 after 10 a.m. the morning of the walk for an update. Co-sponsored by the COA and the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust.

Lincoln Trad Jazz Band
April 5 at 12:30 p.m. [Read more…] about Council on Aging activities in April

Iconic Lincoln pot takes a hit

The Five Corners flower pot sustained damage after it was hit by a car (pieces of which can be seen at left).

The familiar flower pot marking the Five Corners intersection in front of the library was hit by a car on March 23 and is temporarily grounded.

Chief of Police Kevin Kennedy said the accident happened when a car driving south on Bedford Road tried to turn left on Trapelo Road. The car sustained more than $1,000 in damage, necessitating the police report, and several paving stones were also dug up in the crash. No one was injured and no charges were filed.

The town will have the flower pot repaired, but when that will happen is uncertain. “We will try to expedite the repairs as soon as possible, but we will be going through the insurance process, so I’m unsure as to a time schedule,” said Chris Bibbo, superintendent of the Department of Public Works.

The flower pot was installed in 1892 by Henry F. Jenks of Pawtucket, R.I., as a watering trough for horses, according to town historian Jack McLean. “In addition, water would flow over the sides and be caught in a smaller trough around the outer edge of the base, where dogs could also drink. It was hooked up to the town’s water system, with the water coming out of a top section that is no longer present (the street signs that projected above the flower pot stood where the water source was located),” he said in an email.

McLean noted that the town had a second similar watering trough at the intersection of what is now Routes 117 and 126 which is now on the grounds of the Old Town Hall on Lincoln Road, still with its original top section. A third horse-watering trough of a different design still stands at the intersection of Lincoln and Codman Roads.

Lincoln GearTicks team advances to world championship

By Kevin Ji

The Lincoln-based GearTicks robotics team did well at a state championship in Oxford, Penn., earlier this month and advanced to the world championship in Detroit in April.

The GearTicks take part in a competition called the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) for middle and high school students, where they design, build, and program robots to compete in a challenge each year while also promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) in their community. Teams all over the globe compete in this competition.

This year’s challenge, Rover Ruckus, features whiffle balls and gold cubes. Each team must design a robot that can deliver as many of these “minerals” into the lander — an elevated box with separate containers for the whiffle balls and the cubes. At the end of the game, robots get extra points for attaching to the lander and lifting off the ground. On top of that, each team can program a set of instructions for a 30-second autonomous period at the start of the match, where robots get points for finding a gold mineral in a randomized place and dropping off a “team marker” in the corner of the field, along with other tasks.

The matches were intense. After winning four out of five qualifying matches, the GearTicks were ranked fourth seed and became the division finalist in the tournament. The GearTicks were also runners-up for the Inspire Award, the highest award at the competition. The team impressed the judges with their community outreach and robot design.

The team was very excited to attend the states, meeting other teams and participating in the matches, and the volunteer event organizers were genuinely happy to be there. There were lots of laughs, dancing, and even ice cream.

GearTicks at the FIRST Tech Challenge in Pennsylvania included (left to right) Jack Hutchinson, Ben Morris, Olivia Crisafi, Ken Hawkey, Amelia Pillar, Audrey Gammack, Evan Lee, and Erin Crisafi (crouching with the team’s robot). All are Lincoln residents except Morris, who is from Sudbury. Other team members are Kevin Ji from Sudbury and Linconites Alex Payne, Andreas Muzila, Howie Tsang, Laura and Emily Appleby, Prerna Karmacharya, and Ken Hawkey.

 
 

 

Town Meeting 2019 roundup

Here are some of the measures approved by residents at the March 23 Annual Town Meeting. See previous stories for coverage of the votes on the leaf blower bylaw and the deCordova/Trustees of Reservations integration.

Town budget

Voters approved a FY 2020 budget of $41.55 million, a 10.3% increase from this year’s budget of $37.68 million. The total includes $4.29 million in debt service for the school building project and a 2.39% increase in the operating budget. Property taxes on the median-value house (assessed value of $998,400) will increase by about $1,781 or 12.7%. See pages 4 and 6 of the Annual Town Meeting Financial Section and Warrant for pie charts showing revenues and expenditures by category.

Capital and community preservation items

Voters approved the requests from the Capital Planning Committee and Community Preservation Committee (see the Lincoln Squirrel, March 14, 2019). Also approved in a separate vote was an appropriation of up to $400,000 for an irrigation systems for the Codman athletic field next to the pool. This will be the second irrigated field in town; the first is the new Wang field on Bedford Road set to open this spring (the town’s first new athletic field in 60 years).

The largest capital item was $600,000 for a new roof for the Hartwell school building. The roof was installed 31 years ago but was designed to last for only 20, and the Finance Committee recommended doing it this year “because we could fit in in budget and we are worried about long list of capital projects on the docket in coming years,” FinCom chair Jim Hutchinson said.

Recognitions

This year’s Bright Light Award went to Gary Davis, who was recognized for outstanding volunteerism. Davis, a retired architect, headed a project to digitize and create a searchable index of Planning and Department of Public Works documents, as well as updating the Planning Department filing system.

Tim Higgins was recognized for his 25 years of service as Town Administrator. His citation noted his “integrity, accessibility to the community, creative problem solving. tireless diplomacy, eternal optimism, endless patience and thoughtful leadership.”

“There are very few dull moments in Lincoln; we seem to move from one interesting and challenging project to another,” Higgins said in accepting the award, which included his very own parking spot at Town Hall. “If you’re a public policy nerd like I am and a history-oriented person, you can’t imagine a better place to spend your career.”

Departing Water Commission chair Packy Lawler and School Committee chair Tim Christenfeld were also thanked for their service.

Solar bylaw

Residents approved changes to new definitions for roof-mounted solar systems, energy storage systems and carport/canopy PV systems; financial and ownership arrangements to allow power purchase agreements; increased height limits for canopy-carport solar arrays; and adding a general waiver section. See section starting on page 11 of the list of motions (Article 28) for details.

State flag and seal

Residents voted to support creation of a state commission to study the idea of changing the Massachusetts state flag and seal, which some believe depicts oppression of Native Americans by English settlers.

“I would put to you that this is your version of the Confederate flag,” said Patricia Thornton Wells, who grew up in Georgia. “It has symbolism that means certain things to certain people that is very offensive. Most people in my town growing up didn’t take offense, but every African American does. I think this needs to be reconsidered from the context of all the people in our community.”

Noting that the motto on the flag and seal reads in part, “By this sword we seek peace,” resident Peter Pease said, “If that is not an aggressive statement… It seems so wrong to put people who owned this land before we came and have them on a flag… with a sword over their head. Please, let’s get this out of here.”

About a dozen residents voted nay, including Michael Coppock. He referred to the Native American on the flag, partly modeled on Metacomet, who led a rebellion known as King Philip’s War. “It was most deadly war in U.S. history as a percentage of population loss… he abandoned his father (Massasoit’s) of peace,” he said.

Other measures approved

  • Authorization to bond $1.1 million for the Water Department
  • Bylaw changes:
    • Adding an exception for nonconforming lots that were reduced in size by an eminent-domain taking
    • Adding two new properties to the Brown’s Wood Historic District
    • Clarifying the definition of “demolition” under the demolition bylaw
  • A ban on sales of e-cigarettes (a preemptive measure since no stores on Lincoln currently sell them). A handful of residents voted no.

Voters approve ban on cannabis businesses in Lincoln

Lincoln voters have affirmed a ban on cannabis retail businesses in Lincoln that was first passed at a Special Town Meeting in October 2018.

Lincoln residents voted in favor of legalizing sales of recreational marijuana in Massachusetts in a statewide vote in 2016. Because of that result, state law required a twi0thirds majority at Town Meeting and a simple majority in an election if residents wanted to ban cannabis businesses within Lincoln. The ban can be reversed by another vote in the future if the town wishes, but once cannabis sales are legalized, they can’t be banned later. 

In unofficial results, the ban was affirmed this week by a margin of 279-126 (69% to 31%) on the ballot question. Last October, the ban achieved the required two-thirds majority by a tally of 73% to 27%.

Personal, noncommercial growing and possession of recreational marijuana are unaffected. Massachusetts law allows residents 21 and older to use the drug and have up to one ounce on their person (up to 10 ounces in their homes). Households with one adult over 21 can also grow up to six marijuana plants, or 12 plants if there are two adults in the household.

The Lincoln move also will have no effect on potential home delivery of marijuana products, should the state’s Cannabis Control Commission decide to allow it. As the law now stands, medical dispensaries can deliver cannabis products to registered patients but doesn’t permit deliveries of recreational pot.

Residents also voted in a new slate of town officials in this week’s election (though none of the races was contested). Click here for full election results. 

 

News acorns

Gordon to speak on climate change action

On Saturday, April 6 at 10 a.m. in Bemis Hall, the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee will host Andrew Gordon, the legislative coordinator with grassroots climate movement 350 Mass, will give a talk on “Becoming an Effective Advocate on Climate Change and Environmental Justice.” Following a brief presentation, Gordon will lead a conversation about how we can make a difference. Coffee and pastry will be served starting at 9:45 a.m.

Donate used bikes to benefit Bikes Not Bombs

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School junior Ethan Webber is organizing a Bikes Not Bombs Bike Drive to collect used bikes to benefit Bikes Not Bombs on Sunday, April 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of Hartwell Pod A on the Lincoln School campus. Bikes Not Bombs is a nonprofit organization that collects used bikes and ships them to international programs in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, or uses bikes to teach local youth about bicycle mechanics. 

Ethan’s volunteer work at Bikes Not Bombs preparing bike shipments to Ghana and El Salvador inspired him to launch a bike drive in Lincoln and support the use of bikes for international social change. Suggested donation of $10/bike to defray storage, processing, and shipping costs.

Garden Club hosts talk on Thoreau and trees

The Lincoln Garden Club invites residents to a lecture on “Thoreau and the Language of Trees” by author Richard Higgins on Tuesday, April 9 at 7 p.m. in Bemis Hall, in anticipation of the group’s Lincoln Tree Tour event this coming June. The talk is free of charge and open to the public. Higgins (a photographer, former Boston Globe staff writer, and co-author and editor of several books) will explain how trees inspired Thoreau’s creativity as a writer, his work as a naturalist, his philosophical thought, and his spiritual life. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing.

Residents approve plan to integrate deCordova with TToR

The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum will move forward with plans for integration with The Trustees of Reservations (TTOR) after a unanimous vote of approval at the March 23 Annual Town Meeting.

The deCordova sought a partnership because it was not on stable footing financially. Its income from membership and admission fees and other sources has not been enough to sustain the organization, which has relied for years on large gifts from a handful of donors to keep operating.

“Our structural weakness puts enormous pressure on contributed income,” said John Ravenal, the deCordova’s executive director, said on Saturday. Donations provide 45 percent of the $4.94 million operating budget, said Paul Blanchfield, a Lincoln resident and member of the integration working group.

The integration agreement reached by the boards of the two organizations last year was contingent on the town’s vote to approve changes to the bylaws that govern the structure of deCordova’s board, as well as the completion of a $15 million fundraising campaign ($10 million of which will go into the deCordova’s endowment). The campaign is still $3.5 million short of its goal; donations can be made online or by calling 781-259-3628.

Under the new arrangement, Lincoln will continue to own the deCordova land and buildings, but they will be maintained by TToR. The integration (which officials hope to complete by July 1)  is not officially a merger because TToR will assume management of the deCordova as one of its affiliates, while the deCordova retains its own 501(c)(3) status.

The TToR manages more than 100 properties. Previous TToR integrations included the Boston Natural Areas Network in Boston in 2008, the Fruitlands Museum in Harvard in 2016, and The FARM Institute in Edgartown in 2016. 

The deCordova’s activities, curatorial mission, and holdings will not change, and Lincoln residents will continue to have free access to the grounds and museum. TToR plans “significant investment in landscaping and deferred maintenance” but expects to see savings through “staffing efficiencies, greater membership, and marketing capacity to help stabilize dipping attendance,” Ravenal said.

There will be “no adverse impact on the cherished small-town quality” of the deCordova, and the organization will not ask the town for funding in the future; in fact the integration wll “eliminate the risk” of the town having to step in financially to maintain the property, which could have required $1 million a year, Ravenal said.

“The town of Lincoln takes its responsibility as steward and landowner of the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum very seriously, and town officials have worked diligently to ensure transparency, public involvement, community input, and strong collaboration with The Trustees throughout this process,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said in in a statement after the meeting. “We are pleased that our residents had the opportunity to understand the issue before their positive vote and the town is thrilled to have found a partner that shares our core values.”

“We are so pleased to receive this vote of approval from the town of Lincoln and thank everyone from the community who came out to offer their support,” Barbara Erickson, TToR president and CEO, said in the statement. “Today’s vote brings us another step closer to realizing this important partnership between two organizations who believe in the power of connecting people to nature and culture through engaging art experiences. We look forward to the prospect of welcoming the deCordova into The Trustees family.”