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

Town gets good news on school borrowing costs

The stack of bonds awaiting selectmen’s signatures at their meeting on Monday.

The impact on property taxes from the school project won’t be quite as bad as many had feared. The interest rate for the lion’s share of the bonds that the town will issue to fund the project is 3.379%, compared to the 4% and 5% projections outlined by the Finance Committee in November.

The town received eight competitive bids and a glowing bond-rating report, Town Administrator Tim Huggins reported to the Board of Selectmen on Monday night. The town will also retain its AAA bond rating, which he added is unusual for a town taking on this level of debt.

“The property tax impact will be significantly lower than the most conservative of our forecasts were showing,” Higgins said. Officials had been predicting a tax hike of 18–20%, but it now looks like it will be more in the 14–16% range, depending on the interest rate for a second, relatively small “cleanup” bond that will be issued towards the end of construction once the exact final costs are known.

Voters in December approved borrowing a total of $88.5 million for the school project, which will cost a total of $93.9 million. The initial bond is for $80 million; the rest of the funding includes $4.4 million from the town’s debt stabilization fund and $1 million from free cash.

A back-of-the-envelope calculation by Selectman Jonathan Dwyer indicated that the 3.379% interest rate could save the town half a million dollars a year compared to the higher rates that were projected earlier.

The favorable interest rate is largely due to the prudent financial management and planning efforts of current and former town officials, selectmen agreed. “We know [the debt is] going to be burden that all of us have to take on, but it could have been a whole lot more painful. Kudos to all those before us who paved the way,” Selectman James Craig said.

The Finance Committee will present revised tax-impact figures at the School Building Committee meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Hartwell multipurpose room.  

Letter to the editor: come to Saturday event on climate action

To the editor:

Climate change is a matter of grave concern. I applaud the work of Sen. Markey and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in their efforts to jump-start a bold response to global warming with their Green New Deal. The proposal still lacks metrics and clarity and is not likely to be approved by this Congress, but it’s making an important contribution by bringing climate change — as if wildfires, hurricanes, drought, and rising sea water are not enough — into the public discussion.  

We citizens need to put pressure on our president and our Congress for effective action in reducing carbon and creating a clean energy economy. We also need to focus on what we can do within our own local communities and in our own state. What steps will enable Massachusetts to have a green, carbon-neutral energy system? What organizations can we work with to increase our knowledge and our effective advocacy in regard to climate change?

350 Mass is a Massachusetts-based, grassroots climate movement supported by the Better Future Project, a Cambridge-based nonprofit organization. It aims to address problems of climate change in the context of creating a more live-able world for all of us. 350 Mass engages in political advocacy, direct action, and creating alliances. It is gaining widespread recognition throughout the state for its work addressing climate issues.

This Saturday, March 2 at 10 a.m. in Bemis Hall, the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee has invited Andrew Gordon, the legislative coordinator with 350 Mass, to lead us in considering how we can most effectively amplify our voices to support effective policies on global warming. Lincoln, with its approved plan for construction of a net-zero school, is in the vanguard of effective community action. Let’s find out what else we can be doing at the state and local levels, as well as to support our legislators in key national policy decisions. We invite you to join us for this discussion on Saturday.

Sincerely,

Barbara Slayter
Co-chair, Lincoln Democratic Town 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.

Storm addendum

A tree down on power lines on Farrar Road. Photo by Martin Dermady.

The wind tore most of the plastic sheeting from this Lindentree Farm greenhouse. Photo by Moira Donnell.

Two more photos of storm damaged have been added to the February 25 story about the wind storm’s effects in Lincoln (“Wind storm causes power outages, road closures“).

As of 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Eversource reported that there are still 72 customers without power due to 19 outages.

News acorns

Register to vote by Friday for Town Meeting, election

Friday, March 1 is the last day to register to vote prior to the Lincoln Town Meeting on March 23 and the Lincoln town election on March 25. Click here to check your voter registration status. Click here to register online, or register in person at the Town Clerk’s Office during regular business hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. the office will have extended registration hours on March 1 from 4:30–8 p.m.

Rail commuters asked for feedback on survey

The South Lincoln Planning and Implementation Committee invites regular users of Lincoln’s commuter rail station to complete a short online survey. The town is trying to get a better understanding of how commuters are currently accessing the station, the current demand for commuter rail parking, and how station accessibility can be improved for commuters arriving by all modes. The survey is being conducted in conjunction with a parking study the town is completing with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. Anyone with questions may contact Jennifer Burney, Director of Planning and Land Use, at burneyj@lincolntown.org.

L-S METCO hosts bingo night

Lincoln-Sudbury METCO invites residents to Family Bingo Night at the high school on Friday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m. There will be games, a raffle and food sales in addition to bingo. All proceeds benefit L-S METCO. For more information, email LSmetco.parentcommittee@gmail.com.

St. Anne’s services around Lent

Lent begins on Wednesday, March 6, and on that day, St. Anne’s Episcopal Church will offer services of Holy Eucharist with Imposition of Ashes at 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Beginning March 10, the regular adult forum will be a Lenten book series focusing on Because of This I Rejoice: Reading Philippians at Lent. All are welcome at the men’s discussion group at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesdays, and the women’s bible study at 10 a.m. on  Thursdays (no advance reading expected).

Conversation about changing views of masculinity

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable will host a facilitated conversation about the controversial Gillette video entitled “Is This the Best a Man Can Get?” on Tuesday, March 12 at 3 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room of the Wayland Public Safety Building (38 Cochituate Rd., Wayland). The event commemorates White Ribbon Day, a global movement of men and boys working to end male violence against women and girls and promote healthy relationships, gender equity, and a compassionate vision of masculinity.

Wind storm causes power outages, road closures

High winds caused a large tree to fall on this blue car parked near Donelan’s (click to enlarge). Photo by Joanna Schmergel

It was a winter storm without the snow or a hurricane without the rain, but even without any precipitation, Monday’s wind storm to tear down plenty of trees and limbs in Lincoln.

As of 5 p.m., Eversource reported that Lincoln had 347 customers without power due to more than 20 separate outages. In neighboring towns, there were 1,183 customers without power in Lexington, 953 in Wayland, 508 in Sudbury, and 517 in Weston. Downed trees, power lines and utility poles closed parts of Farrar Road, Old Concord Road, Macintosh Lane, Fox Run, Deerhaven Road and Huckleberry Hill, police reported.

A tree down on power lines on Farrar Road. Photo by Martin Dermady.

The wind tore most of the plastic sheeting from this Lindentree Farm greenhouse. Photo by Moira Donnell.

No injuries were reported, though a falling tree in the Donelan’s parking lot near Lincoln Woods damaged a couple of cars. Police Chief Kevin Kennedy said. Given the several hours of very high winds he noted that the damage would have been much worse if there had been foliage on the trees, or the storm had included heavy snow or ice, he added.

Because the Department of Public Works is busy clearing brush and trees from roads, the transfer station will be closed on Wednesday, Feb. 26.

Rudder… flaps… takeoff! (Lincoln Through the Lens)

Swans seen in bottoms-up and liftoff mode. (Photos by Harold McAleer)

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

Letter to the editor: response to leaf-blower proposal critique

To the editor:

As a member of the Leaf Blower Study Committee, I thank Mr. Deck for his thoughtful critique of our initiative (Lincoln Squirrel, February 20, 2019). In truth, I find more common ground than I might have expected, and have only two points of disagreement.

(1) Mr. Deck says his own leaf blower use has no impact on his neighbors. I wonder if that is truly the case — I know from my own neighborhood experience that the sound of gas-powered leaf blowers several properties down from my home carries way farther, and is significantly more intrusive, than the users perhaps know.

(2) The civil disobedience Mr. Deck proposes to practice should the leaf blower by-law pass is a seriously slippery slope. By this same logic, perhaps we could dispense with those annoying stop signs by the library, for example. Reasonable courteous Lincolnites would simply defer to each other voluntarily at that corner. Maybe — but not likely. As a community, we recognize the need to balance individual rights against larger common interests. We believe the proposed leaf blower by-law does that, and we invite Mr. Deck to throw in with us.

Sincerely,

Robin Wilkerson
31 Old Winter 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.

News acorns

Actress to portray Abigail Adams

Abigail Adams, wife of a president, mother of a president, and sister of the captain of Lincoln Minutemen, will be portrayed by Sheryl Faye in a one-hour show on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. at Bemis Hall. The show is sponsored by Friends of the Council on Aging and the Lincoln Historical Society as a tribute to Harriet Todd. (Note: the “Ford Flappers, and Fitzgeralds” session scheduled for the same day has been postponed until Thursday, March 7 in Bemis Hall.)

Evensong, Climate Justice Ministry film at St. Anne’s

The St. Anne’s choir.

On Sunday, Feb. 24 at 5 p.m., St. Anne’s will present a service of choral evensong, a beautiful Anglican liturgy in which the word of God is illuminated by music. The choir will chant the psalm and prayers, and offer the mystical “Collegium Regale” settings of the “Magnificat” and “Nunc Dimittis” by Herbert Howells.

There will be a showing of the film “The Devil We Know” at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church on Tuesday, Feb. 26 as part of the church’s ongoing series of films on climate justice. “The Devil We Know” is the story of how a synthetic chemical used to make Teflon products contaminated a West Virginia community. But new research hints at a much broader problem: nearly all Americans are affected by exposure to non-stick chemicals in food, drinking water, and consumer products. A representative of the Toxics Action Center will discuss the organization’s work. A simple vegetarian soup supper will be served at 6:30 p.m. and the film will begin at 7 p.m. Donations will be accepted to help with the cost of screening rights.

South Sudanese program seeks volunteers

The South Sudanese Enrichment for Families program is looking for volunteers for its Saturday Bridges program, which brings together Sudanese children, parents, local students, volunteers, and professionals for enrichment programming during the academic year. Offerings include:

  • Preschool with pre-literacy and early literacy support for 3-4 year olds
  • Outdoor experiential education at Drumlin Farm for elementary and middle school students
  • Infant care
  • Adult workshops covering topics including parent-teacher conferences, Individual Educational Plans (IEPs), how to find resources in the community to support families, and how to look for signs and symptoms of trauma.
  • Personalized tutoring for adults

The program runs on Saturdays from 1:30–5:30 p.m. on March 16, April 6, April 27, and May 11 in the Hartwell pods. Orientation training for all volunteers will be held on Wednesday, March 6 at 7 p.m. at 10 Meadowdam Rd. in Lincoln. For more information, see www.SSEFBoston.org and email Keith Johnson at kjohnson@lincnet.org.

Cross-cultural film workshop for kids

A free cross-cultural filmmaking workshop for students aged 12–14 interested in collaborative movie-making with a twist will take place on Saturday, March 16 from 12:30–4:30 p.m. at the Flint Farmstead at 39 Lexington Rd. in Lincoln. Facilitated by Tom Flint and Japan’s only youth filmmaking organization, Children Meet Cinema, students team up for a filmmaking experience that allows them to explore the magic of cinema and create their own version of a famous film. The experience will consist of collaborative discussions, shooting, editing, screenings, and more. Space is limited to eight participants. For questions or registration, contact Flint at tflint@alumni.risd.edu or 617-930-1560.

Film: “Anton Chekhov’s The Duel”

The Lincoln Film Society presents “Anton Chekhov’s The Duel” (2010, in English) on Thursday, March 7 at 6 p.m. Escalating animosity between two men with opposing philosophies of life is played out against the backdrop of a decaying seaside resort along the Black Sea coast, leading to a duel as comically inadvertent as it is inevitable. Directed by Dover Kosashvili.

Events for parents of 8th-graders

“Life at L-S,” a parent-to-parent conversation about the 8th-to-9th-grade transition with Lincoln School Principal Sharon Hobbs and L-S veteran parents and administrators, will take place on Monday, March 4 (rescheduled from February due to snow) from 7–8:30 p.m. in the Hartwell multipurpose room. The program will focus on extracurricular elements of a busy high-schooler’s life so families have contextual knowledge prior to the L-S course selection process in March. There will also be an information session and building tour for middle-school parents on Thursday, March 7 from 7:30–8:30 p.m. For more information, contact Carole Kasper at carolemkasper@gmail.com or Hobbs at SHobbs@lincnet.org.

Discussion on Modernism in Lincoln

Please join us on Sunday, March 24 from 4–6 p.m. at the Lincoln Public Library to listen to a recent interview with Doug Adams about his relationship with Walter Gropius — part of an ongoing effort to record oral histories of Lincoln residents with interesting connections to modernism. Adams will be on hand for informal discussion afterwards.

Letter to the editor: proposed leaf blower bylaw is an “overreach”

To the editor:

In a recent posting to the Lincoln Squirrel (“Leaf blower issue comes before voters again,” February 18), proponents of a Town Meeting proposal to limit the use of leaf blowers describe their proposal as noncontroversial. I disagree, and I strongly urge Lincoln residents to oppose it in its current form.

The proposal limits my rights to use my leaf blower responsibly and with no harm to my nearest neighbors. Instead of a ban that can’t hope to anticipate all reasonable exceptions, the committee should seek for the town to adopt leaf blower use guidelines and focus on education instead of rules that limit their reasonable use.

I agree that the wanton use of leaf blowers can be both an environmental and health problem, but many Lincoln homeowners such as I live on the edge of a forest where leaves blow in and become lodged in gutters and corners around the house. This happens year round and I sometimes use a leaf blower to help dislodge them. I don’t use lawn services that overuse them. I don’t blow dirt off my driveway into the air. I live hundreds of yards from my nearest neighbor. As a result, when I use a leaf blower, it causes none of the harm that the proposers of this ban refer to. I can’t always limit my use to the hours proposed. None of these restrictions should apply to individual homeowners using leaf blowers themselves on properties over two acres.

It’s great that this group of citizens has been able to get the town to use leaf blowers more carefully in public areas and to get more people to use electric leaf blowers. I believe that the first step as described in this article has achieved a good result for us all. These efforts should continue.

This next step as proposed is an overreach. I understand that it is well intentioned, but it goes too far and limits the ability of homeowners to act reasonably — even if it simultaneously discourages unreasonable use. If the proposal is passed by Town Meeting, my only alternative will be to ignore the ban and use my leaf blower when I need to. No one will know, especially in winter when everyone is indoors over a quarter-mile away with their windows shut. But each time I have to do that, I’ll rue the day that the majority of my neighbors somehow found themselves justified to deny me the right to act responsibly on my own property.

We’re better than this. We can do better than this.

Sincerely,

Mark Deck
11 Boyce Farm Rd., 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.