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

Letter to the editor: Fox asks for your vote

To the editor:

My name is Valerie Fox, interim Town Clerk in Lincoln, and I am honored to be on the ballot for a three-year term as Lincoln’s Town Clerk. I will follow esteemed predecessors Susan Brooks, who served as Lincoln’s Town Clerk for 13 years and retired last July, and Nancy Zuelke, who ably served Lincoln in the role for 22 years.

Service is the key word for this position and is at the forefront of all its functions. One of the oldest positions in municipal government, the Town Clerk is the official keeper of town records, attesting by her signature and application of the town seal to the authenticity of everything from Town Meeting appropriations to the finality of Planning and Zoning Board decisions.

The Town Clerk serves as the administrator of elections, the chief registrar of voters, and the conductor of the annual town census. The clerk is the local liaison with respect to campaign finance, open meeting law, and conflict of interest laws. The office is also the registrar of vital records and the issuer of marriage licenses and dog licenses. And in Lincoln, the clerk serves as the town’s cemetery agent, overseeing the operations and maintenance of the four public cemeteries and providing assistance to families in the burial of their loved ones.

I hope for your vote on Monday, March 25 and feel so fortunate to be offered the opportunity to continue serving the residents of Lincoln as Town Clerk.

Sincerely,

Valerie Fox
250 South Great Rd.

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 Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: amend or defeat leaf blower measure

Here’s why we should all vote “no” on this proposed bylaw, along with a suggested amendment that would make it far less of an overreach.

  1. The proposed bylaw bans use by individual homeowners of their own gas-powered leaf blowers for seven months of the year. This may make a lot of sense to people who don’t use or have a gas leaf blower, but it’s an overreach to impose those sensibilities on everyone else.
  2. It offers no transition period nor any help for residents to replace gas leaf blowers with electric ones that would perform as well. It offers no recourse for individuals except to go out and buy new equipment plus extra batteries to do what their current equipment can easily do.
  3. While it reduces overuse by contractors, it has very little beneficial impact to others by banning individuals doing any of their own light summer yard work or winter debris removal on most of Lincoln’s rural, wooded, two-acre-plus zoning. Does that make any sense?
  4. It targets the noisy, polluting overuse of multiple simultaneous gas leaf blowers in summer months by lawn service contractors by banning all use, including that of individual homeowners. Why not limit that to the lawn service contractors?

Recommended amendments:

B2: For lawn service contractors, gas-powered leaf blowers may be used only from… (as proposed)

B3: Individual homeowners may use no more than one gas leaf blower from December 21 to March 19 and from June 1 to September 30, subject to the “time of day” limitations specified in section C.

By making the above changes, the Leaf Blower Study Committee would have a huge impact on the harmful and annoying overuse that is described in their literature and videos without denying individual homeowners the ability to act reasonably.

Sincerely,

Mark Deck
30 Silver Hill Rd.

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.

David Andrysiak, 2000–2019

David Andrysiak

David Roswell Andrysiak, age 18, died peacefully at home in Lincoln on March 13, 2019, with his parents by his side. Born on November 30, 2000, he was the beloved son of Christopher and Sarah (Donaldson) Andrysiak. He is also survived by an adoring extended family that he loved deeply.

David attended the Middlesex School in Concord, where he relished academic pursuits (particularly math), the Jazz Band, sports, and good friends. Blessed with a quick wit and kind heart, David formed deep relationships with peers, mentors, and teachers. He was eager to return to school in the fall of 2018 for his senior year, but health issues intervened.

David was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor when he was a fourth-grader at the Fenn School. He never let the tumor define him. Through years of chemotherapy and progressive loss of vision caused by the tumor, David demonstrated grace, resilience, and adaptability. When vision loss impaired his baseball-hitting skills, he dedicated himself to becoming an excellent pitcher instead. After additional vision loss made baseball (his favorite sport) unsafe, David shifted to golf. “I knew this day would come, it’s okay,” he said. 

David spent six summers at Camp Becket as a camper and counselor, enjoying time spent outdoors and the strong community. In August, David’s tumor unexpectedly hemorrhaged while he was working at camp. The Becket community saved his life that day; over the next seven months, Becket friends lifted David’s spirits with weekly visits full of laughs and reminiscences. 

Thanks to the generosity of Middlesex School and David’s determination, he returned to campus to audit two classes in early 2019. Greeting friends, making music, and taking classes gave David moments of great joy even as his condition worsened.

While David lost his memory and his mental agility, his grace, gratitude, and kindness remained. “Thank you”, “How are you?”, “That was so nice for him to visit”: these were David’s words during the pain and confusion of his final weeks.

Hard-working, bright, and witty, David leaned in to life. Whether a subject he loved or disliked, a game he was winning or losing, David showed positive attitude, dry humor, and resilience. He could be counted on for a timely quip, an act of inclusiveness, or the grit to get through the final stretch. 

David most enjoyed baseball (playing and analyzing), school (working hard and doing well in the company of friends), music (listening, playing, composing), his dogs, and time with friends around a campfire. He always wanted to stay “in the game” even if that meant taking up a new position, new sport, or new instrument.

So many hearts are broken by David’s death. The Andrysiak and Donaldson families, as well as friends, mentors, and teachers, will miss him greatly.

Family and friends will gather to celebrate David’s life on Sunday, May 5 at 2 p.m. at the Middlesex School Chapel in Concord. Gifts in David’s memory may be made to support financial aid at two institutions that he loved: the David Andrysiak Scholarship Fund at Camp Becket, Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA, 748 Hamilton Rd., Becket, MA 01223, and the David Andrysiak ’19 Scholarship Fund at Middlesex School, 1400 Lowell Road, Concord, MA 01742.

Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord.  To share a remembrance or to send a condolence in David’s online guestbook, please visit www.DeeFuneralHome.com.  

Letter to the editor: deCordova/TToR integration should go forward

To the editor:

On Saturday, March 23, we will gather for our annual Town Meeting. Town Meeting matters. It is the legislative body for our town. It is in this legislative body where discussion, debate and ultimately decisions (votes) take place that will govern our town for the coming year. As in other legislative bodies, during discussion and debate, amendments may be offered and voted on. This is why citizens who are registered voters must be present to cast a vote.

This year, the town will be asked to support a major change to an institution that has been an integral part of the town’s life since 1950 — the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum.  Originally the estate of the late Julian de Cordova (1851-1945), it was gifted to the town in 1930 to be a public museum of art after Julian’s death. This gift has proved both a blessing and a curse for the town. The curse lies in the fact that Julian crafted a problematic will and did not provide for the ongoing support of this property and art collection. Over the decades, different boards and administrators have sought to find ways to maintain the museum and park. 

The town has been the beneficiary, as we have enjoyed innovative installations, a beautifully maintained (and expanded) facility, art classes, music programs, unique outdoor art, all in a stunningly landscaped setting. All this has been supported primarily by a few very generous donors, museum membership, and programs, with no financial support from the town. Valiant efforts by various boards, most recently led by Linda Hammet Ory, have not been able to “right the ship.” Continuing in the current structure, was unsustainable. Something had to change.

Under Ory’s leadership, the deCordova has found an enthusiastic potential partner, The Trustees of Reservations (TToR), to carry on the mission of the sculpture park and museum. TToR will bring not only financial backing and administrative support, but more importantly, a commitment to mission. TToR has years of experience in managing properties similar to deCordova (the Crane Estate, Fruitlands, etc.).

The deCordova the governance structure would be changed to include TToR. The governance of the museum is established through its bylaws, which can only be amended through town meeting vote.  We will be asked to vote on this change. Click here for more information.

From a Lincoln resident’s perspective, the experience of deCordova will remain the same.  Any major changes will be required to go before the Board of Selectmen and the town. The vote before the town is an opportunity to secure the future of this cherished property and institution while adding no financial burden to the town.

The leadership of the town — led by Selectman James Craig, the working group who crafted the agreement, the town’s administrative leadership led by Town Administrator Tim Higgins, the administrative leadership of the deCordova, deCordova director John B. Ravenal, and the leadership of the deCordova Board of Trustees and Overseers, Linda Hammet Ory — deserve our thanks and a vote of support for the proposed integration at our upcoming Town Meeting

Sincerely,

Sara Mattes
71 Conant Rd.

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.

Letter to the editor: support deCordova measure at Town Meeting

To the editor:

I’d like to ask for your support and vote affirmatively at Town Meeting this Saturday for the proposed integration between deCordova and The Trustees of Reservation.

My wife and I have had the wonderful opportunity to be involved in both organizations, she on the board of deCordova and I on the board for The Trustees. Through this mutual engagement, we know both organizations share overlapping purposes in seeking to connect people to special places of cultural and natural importance and inspire unique experiences that improve quality of life. Being part of The Trustees will secure deCordova’s future and create a long-lasting, strong financial future for our beloved institution.

if you haven’t been able to attend one of the many open forums, you can read more details on this proposed integration in this online FAQ, or simply drop me a note and I’ll be happy to connect. We all lead busy lives, but please take a moment this Saturday morning to come out and offer your vote for deCordova. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Bob Mason
207 Old Concord Rd.

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.

Letter to the editor: vote “no” on leaf blower question

(Editor’s note: this letter was sent by Byrnes Landscaping to their customers in Lincoln, and the Byrneses asked that it also be published as a letter to the editor.)

To the editor:

At the upcoming Lincoln Town Meeting, there is a proposed bylaw to limit/ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. We have compiled some facts and thoughts on this issue. Our purpose in writing this letter is to explain how the bylaw will affect our customers (and their neighbors), not to get into a debate about the studies completed by the commission.

Although the proposed regulation has come along way from the outright ban they originally proposed, it still bans the use of all gas-powered leaf blowers from June 1 to October 1 and from December 20 to March 20. The bylaw does allow for the use of electric blowers to be used during this period. If this by law passes, it will require Byrnes Landscaping to either stop cleaning debris from client’s properties or charge an additional fee to cover the extra time required and the new equipment to be purchased. 

Currently, battery-operated landscape equipment is three to ten times more expensive than its gas counterparts and is significantly under powered. We continually monitor the progress of this innovative industry and will invest in new greener equipment when it makes good business sense. Following are some common misperceptions and our responses.

1. All gas-powered blowers use two-stroke engines which exhaust large volumes of toxic emissions.

  • Byrnes Landscaping uses STIHL four-stroke hybrid blowers. They are equipped with reduced-emission engine technology. They deliver low emissions, increased fuel efficiency, and low noise when compared with their two-stroke counterparts.

2. There is no need to blow off any hard surfaces (walkways, driveways, patios, etc.) from June 1 to October 1 since there are no leaves falling.

  • We are blessed in Lincoln to have lush trees and sprawling properties. This also means that debris is constantly being dropped from trees. In the Spring/Summer we have flower buds, pollen, and other tree debris. In the late Summer we have acorns, and leaves from the birch and apple trees.  When debris is not removed it becomes a slipping hazard and it can stain hard surfaces.

3. If this bylaw passes, all noise will be gone in Lincoln, since leaf blowers are the leading cause.

  • During routine maintenance, blowers are only used on average for 3-5 minutes at the end of the job to clear debris. Lawnmowers, which are not included in this bylaw, are used on average for 20-25 minutes during routine maintenance. Lawn mowers create more noise than blowers; therefore, the limitations on sound during the summer will be marginal.

4. Other towns are restricting blowers; therefore, Lincoln will not be alone.

  • Lincoln is unlike any other community east of 495. Lincoln is comprised of large properties, dense tree coverage, and houses that are spaced far from each other. To make comparisons to Cambridge, Arlington, Newton, or a community in California is misleading and uninformed. Lincoln’s population density is 555 people per square mile. Lincoln is 8-27 times less dense than those compared communities.
Final takeaway

In New England, there are only a few months each year that we can enjoy the outdoors without bundling up. We appreciate this and want to make your outdoor Eden (which you all worked so hard to earn) beautiful and safe. Our crews are courteous, efficient, and receptive to individual customer needs. Please feel free to give feedback on this issue and let us know how we can better serve you.

We ask that you vote NO on this bylaw in its current form. We would support regulations on older two-stroke blowers. We would also support a phased-in approach to electric equipment. An immediate ban puts undo stress on DIY residents and the companies that operate in Lincoln.

We respect the fact that the Leaf Blower Study Group has been working hard for six years on this issue and value their opinions. However, we need to remember that this is a voluntary committee (with exception to town employees/other board members) and their time was donated because they had an agenda or strong views against leaf blowers from the onset. Length of time spent on a project should not dictate a desired outcome if an equitable conclusion has not been derived.

Sincerely,

Kyle and Brendon Byrnes
Byrnes Landscaping (82 Mill St., 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.

Letter to the editor: pursue a zero-waste lifestyle

To the editor:

It is an unfortunate reality that recycling is becoming harder to do, more expensive, and less effective. Plastic recycling for the most part has always been quite unsuccessful. Our oceans, rivers, food, and even our bodies are filling with plastics even though most of us have been optimistically washing and sorting our plastic for the recycling bin.

Mothers Out Front Lincoln is working to reduce the use of single-use plastic and aspiring towards adopting a zero-waste lifestyle. We have been inspired by the David Suzuki Foundation’s Zero Waste Pledge, which states the following.

We agree to adopt one or more of the proposed actions:

  1. REFUSE single-use plastic items that I can do without
  2. ASK for reusable cutlery and pass on plastic straws
  3. REPLACE single-use items with reusable items
  4. GIVE UP nonrecyclable plastic disposable items
  5. PROMOTE the choice of single-use items made of eco-responsible materials
  6. BUY items that contain recycled plastic
  7. PICK UP plastic debris in cities and natural areas
  8. REDUCE the amount in my recycling bin without increasing the size of the bin
  9. APPLY the 5Rs: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot/compost
  10. ASPIRE to a zero-waste lifestyle

We are excited to announce two new initiatives we are working on here in Lincoln that will help move our community towards a zero waste life style, apply the 5Rs, and reduce our disposable waste and carbon footprint.

  1. A zero-waste pop-up showcase — This year at Town Meeting, we will have a table showcasing some of our favorite zero waste products — things like shampoo bars, sunscreen in aluminum tins, cotton produce sacks, and plastic-free laundry pods. There are so many great everyday use products that don’t have disposable plastic. We will have a handout available with online sourcing. We are also hopeful that local businesses will start carrying some of these items so we can shop sustainably and locally.
  2. Town-wide composting with Black Earth Compost* — Lincoln can reduce its carbon footprint and significantly reduce our waste going to landfills and/or incinerators. It will be both easy and beneficial for Lincoln to adopt some form of commercial composting. Mothers Out Front Lincoln is excited about this endeavor and is figuring out how to make it happen in Lincoln.

*Black Earth Compost is a composting company based in Manchester, Mass., that offers environmentally responsible composting services ranging from residential pickup to site-based pickup to municipal-wide programs. They process all of their compost on site, do not mix in any outside waste, and forgo lawn clippings to keep chemicals out of their final compost product, which they would then drop off back in Lincoln for customers to use. They already serve all of the surrounding towns and have significantly reduced the amount of waste going to those landfills and/or incinerators. They are half the price of other composting companies because of their efficient and reusable bin system.

Please stop by our table at Town meeting to learn more about this exciting possibility and to check out our fantastic zero waste products. If you have any favorites or questions, please do share them with us in person or via email at lincolnMOF@gmail.com. Hope to see you Saturday!

Sincerely,
Staci Montori for Lincoln Mothers Out Front

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.

Letter to the editor: vote “yes” on leaf blower bylaw

To the editor:

The leaf blower bylaw being proposed at Town Meeting by the Conservation Commission represents the culmination of six years of work involving research, education, events, and public forums. Its final form incorporates input from commercial landscapers and residents gathered during public meetings.

It allows the use of gas-powered equipment in the fall and spring seasons when more power may be needed for major cleanups while encouraging use of non-fossil fuel alternatives like electric tools, which are allowed year-round without restriction. Exclusions can be sought for public safety and emergency situations.

New models of electric blowers are much quieter than gas blowers. Their noise dissipates more readily and does not easily penetrate walls and windows compared with gas blowers. Toxic/carcinogenic exhaust is eliminated and greenhouse gas emissions reduced.

Passage of the proposed bylaw will help Lincoln preserve and protect the health and well-being of residents, protect our environment from excessive and harmful levels of noise and pollution, and take a modest step towards helping Massachusetts reach its greenhouse gas reduction targets. Importantly, it also contributes to Lincoln’s reputation in environmental stewardship. In passing the bylaw, Lincoln will join with nearly 100 communities in the US and worldwide who have taken similar actions around this particular lawn and garden tool.

Below are some statements extracted from our research findings on leaf blowers and health:  

  • Children’s Environmental Health Network – Noise from sources such as lawn mowers and leaf blowers can result in hearing loss, stress, high blood pressure, headaches, sleep disturbance, reduced productivity, mental health problems, and reduced quality of life.
  • Harvard Medical School – The noise that causes sensorineural hearing loss is usually not one deafening bang but decades’ worth of exposure to the high decibel accessories of daily life: leaf blowers, car horns, traffic, movie theater sounds, and so on.
  • Massachusetts Medical Society – Gasoline-powered leaf blowers pose health risks to both workers and the general public.
  • Medical Society of the State of New York – Recommends guidelines that would dramatically reduce the toxic emissions and noise level of gas leaf blowers for reasons of health.
  • Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC – Leaf blowers create large volumes of airborne particulates, many of which are respirable. Inhalation of these small airborne particles can provoke asthma and other respiratory diseases in children and can increase the severity of chronic lung disease in our elderly. Some of the other potential pollutants from leaf blowers and internal combustion power tools are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and, even, ozone formed from some of these other pollutants. Even lower-level exposures have been associated with respiratory and central nervous system effects.
  • The intense, high-frequency noise that [gas] leaf blowers generate can cause loss of hearing in the workers who operate these machines and can also affect hearing in children and other persons
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Being around too much loud noise — like using a leaf blower or going to loud concerts — can cause permanent hearing loss.

A copy of the bylaw proposal, an FAQ sheet, and supporting resources are on the Leaf Blower Study Committee’s web page.

Sincerely,

Jamie Banks (chair of the Leaf Blower Study Committee)

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.
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Election ballot includes marijuana question

For the first time in recent memory, the March 25 town election does not feature any contested races—but there’s a ballot question that will decide whether marijuana retail establishments will be allowed in town.

Because Lincoln residents voted in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana in the 2016 state election, a ban on retail establishments in town requires two things: a two-thirds majority at Town Meeting, and a simple majority at the ballot box. The ban passed by a vote of 73–27% (140–53) at a Special Town Meeting in October 2018. Monday’s election is the second step needed to enact the ban. A “yes” vote will affirm the ban that was approved in October.

The regulatory path for banning marijuana businesses is a one-way street; a ban can always be reversed in the future, but once legalized, they can’t be prohibited later. A retail ban would not affect the statewide legalization of possession (in limited quantities) and private use of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes.

Click here to see a previously published list of residents running for town office. A sample ballot appears below; click on the image to see larger versions.

Water Dept. needs to borrow more than $1 million

New state requirements and deferred maintenance mean that the Lincoln Water Department is asking to borrow just over $1 million.

Of the $1.01 million to be requested via bonding at the March 23 Annual Town Meeting, $817,000 is earmarked for regulatory compliance items required by the state Department of Environmental Protection’s 2018 Sanitary Survey of the Lincoln system. Another $128,000 will pay for for overdue maintenance and replacement of failed equipment (curb boxes, gate valves and hydrants), and $60,000 for a standby generator for the Tower Road well.

The department also plans to transfer another $155,000 from its retained earnings fund to pay for other overdue maintenance items including a truck, repairs to the pump station, office furniture, communications upgrades, and paving work after last year’s Bedford Road water main break, bringing the total planned capital investment to $1.165 million. (See page 46 of the Town Meeting Financial Section and Warrant for details.)

The bond will be repaid entirely from user fees and the Water Department’s retained revenue. The department operates as an enterprise fund, meaning that revenues are expected to meet or exceed expenditures on a year-to-year basis and its budget is separate from the rest of the town’s. In January, the Water Commissioners approved a rate hike (the first since 2015) and a three-tiered system of charges to encourage water conservation.

As required by the Safe Drinking Water Act, DEP surveys are done every three years to inspect surface water system’s facilities, operations, and record keeping. “This year they recorded a lot of violations,” said Water Commissioner Packy Lawler. “I can’t explain why in 2015 none of these things showed up… if [the items] had been demanded at that time, we would have known about it.”

Lawler said he couldn’t comment on whether previous Water Department Director Greg Woods was remiss in being unaware of the problems or failing to address them. Woods was succeeded by current director MaryBeth Wise in March 2018.

The two recent water main breaks (the Bedford Road incident in August 2018 and another along Route 2A between Hanscom Drive and Bedford Road last month) don’t mean that the system as a whole is about to fail, despite the age of its pipes, Lawler said. Officials hope in the future to proactively replace the mains a bit at a time, but a study done several years ago indicated that the cost would be prohibitive at $1 million per mile (Lincoln’s 55 miles of water mains).

Newer technology to reline pipes from the inside without digging up the roads is coming along, Lawler said. “I’m keeping my fingers crossed that that cost will come down to the point where we could begin to proactively repair the mains in place.”