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

Letter to the editor: ban e-cigarette sales at Town Meeting

February 10, 2019

To the editor:

The 2019 8th-grade Warrant Article Group. Left to right): Andrew Craig, Aleco Buendia, Isaiah Jones, Emily Appleby, and David Christenfeld (click to enlarge).

This year the 8th-grade Warrant Article Group (WAG), which consists of Emily Appleby, Aleco Buendia, David Christenfeld, Andrew Craig and Isaiah Jones, would like to ask Lincoln voters to support our proposition to ban the sale of e-cigarettes in town.

We had hoped to ban all cigarettes, but after we took a survey and talked with Donelan’s, we concluded that the town would not support such a total ban. We compromised, and now want to ban any future sales of e-cigarettes because there is a growing use among teenagers. Currently no one sells e-cigarettes in town.

To get our petition onto the warrant, we each collected ten signatures and will now take our idea to Town Meeting. We have learned a lot about town government while working on our citizens’ petition. We hope you will attend Town Meeting which is where we will discuss this more and ask for your vote.

Sincerely,

David Christenfeld
50 Old Winter St., Lincoln

Corrections

February 8, 2019

In the February 6 story headlined “Magic Garden gets ready to welcome Ducklings and Explorers,” Magic Garden co-founder Barbara Low’s name was misspelled.

In the February 5 story headlined “Who’s running for town office in March,” Town Clerk candidate Valerie Clerk’s name was inadvertently omitted from the list.

Both errors have been corrected in the original stories.

Letter to the editor: Picker running for library trustee

February 7, 2019

To the editor:

I am running for the open seat of Lincoln Library Trustee with a three-year term and I respectfully ask for your vote at the March 2019 town elections.

The Lincoln Library is an esteemed, well patronized, core institution in our town that provides valuable services across all age groups. It is served by a highly professional, competent, and experienced staff. It is one of the centerpieces of our community. If elected, as a trustee I would focus on working with the other trustees and staff to help establish priorities for library spending, collections, programs, facilities, staffing, and new initiatives. This needs to be done within constraints such as budget, space, and staffing.

I believe that it is very important for the library to maintain a good and current understanding of what services the people of Lincoln would like it to provide in this rapidly changing world. I would also work with the team to look at collaborations with other town boards and non-government organizations in town to look for new opportunities and to strengthen existing collaborations.

I look forward to your support on election day.

Sincerely,

Dennis Picker
58 Page 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.

Magic Garden gets ready to welcome Ducklings and Explorers

February 6, 2019

Magic Garden staff along with two of its founders get ready to open the new rooms. Left to right: assistant director Susan Scalisi, director Lori Leo, founding parents Barbara Low and Mary Jo Haggerty, Little Duckling teachers Karen Puglielli and Michele Landurand, and Little Explorer teachers Linda Pham, and Ligaya Ferguson. Click to enlarge, and see more photos below.

The sunny rooms are gleaming with brand-new toys, books, cribs, and tiny chairs—all ready for little children next month and a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 3:30 p.m.

Staff from the Magic Garden Children’s Center are busy preparing for the March 1 opening of two new rooms in a satellite location at the First Parish in Lincoln’s parish house on Bedford Road. For the first time, Magic Garden will care for babies age 2–15 months in its Little Ducklings room, as well as adding a Little Explorers room for toddlers age 15–24 months. Until now, the youngest kids at Magic Garden’s main Hartwell facility were 15 months old.

Two longtime teachers from the Hartwell facility—Michele Landurand, a pre-K teacher in the Starburst room for 27 years, and Karen Puglielli, a teacher in the Moonbeam room for 25 years—will staff the new rooms, along with two teacher aides.

Magic Garden has two rooms of its own in the parish house and will share two other rooms with the church’s education program. The renovations maximize the space with folding and sliding doors, and a wide exterior door was put in place of a window in case of emergency, when teachers will put the infants in one or two wheeled cribs and roll them outside.

One of the shared rooms has a wall-height bulletin board on wheels that can be swung back and forth 180 degrees for use by either set of children. Margit Griffith, the education director at First Parish, will lead Magic Garden’s music class, and there are also plans afoot to involve seniors (“grandfriends”) from the Council on Aging across the street.

Click images below to see larger versions. Photos by Alice Waugh.

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News acorns

February 5, 2019

Talk on education in the age of AI

Charles Fadel

“Educating Our Children in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” will be the subject of a talk on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. at the First Parish Church in Lincoln. The guest speaker is futurist, education expert, author and inventor Charles Fadel, who is convinced that “AI and biotech are about to redefine what it means to be human, and that the overarching goals of a modern education should be to nurture wise, versatile ‘Renaissance’ humans who have learned how to learn.” The Adult Education Committee at the First Parish is hosting this program, which is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged to ensure seating. For more information, contact Mary Helen Lorenz at mhelen@rcn.com.

See movies on Amazon, dragonflies

Movie night at the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust will feature “Wild Amazon” on Monday, Feb. 11 and “Skyhunter: World of the Dragonfly” on Thursday, March 14 at 7:30. Both movies start at 7:30 p.m. in the LLCT office at the Lincoln mall and are free.

“Wild Amazon” (45 minutes) filmed by Nat Geo Wild reveals dense forest concealing a hidden world of unusual wildlife and extraordinary stories of adaptation and survival—but human impact on this natural world has already dramatically altered it. Dragonflies existed 90 million years before the first dinosaurs hatched and are still found all over the world. “Skyhunter” (50 minutes) follows these predatory monster-larvae as they hover over ponds and pools. Their dazzling metallic colors and unique ways of flying are captured in slow-motion photography, and their journey in time is documented using remarkably realistic CGI animation.

Artists talk and kids’ vacation activities at deCordova

The deCordova Museum and Sculpture Park offers “Art for February Vacation” on Wednesday–Friday, Feb. 20–22 from 1–3 p.m. (drop-in). Stack, balance, knot, knit, and string sculptures together, inspired by the range of work included in “Sheila Pepe: Hot Mess Formalism.” Designed for families with children ages 5–12, but all are welcome. Free with admission or membership.

Exhibiting artist Sheila Pepe will give an artist’s talk on Thursday, Feb. 28 from 6:30–7:30 p.m. From ancient Rome to feminism to her personal biography, Pepe weaves together many far reaching subjects through her expansive fiber art installations and multimedia works. Free admission; registration requested.

DCR seeks comments on Walden Pond renovations

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation invites area residents to comment on alternatives for renovation of the Walden Pond State Reservation bathhouse and universally accessible connections between the Route 126 crosswalk, the bathhouse, and main beach. Click here to view a January 30 presentation. Comments may be submitted online through Friday, Feb. 15 or in writing to the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Office of Public Outreach, 251 Causeway St., 6th floor, Boston, MA 02114.

Domestic violence group offers volunteer training

The Domestic Violence Services Network, Inc. (DVSN) is holding its next Volunteer Advocate Training program at the Concord Police Department from March 12–30. This 40-hour training session is provided at no cost to attendees and is being held on evenings and Saturdays. Classes will be Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30–9:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m–3 p.m. on March 12, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23, 26, 28, and 30.

Once trained, DVSN’s volunteer advocates provide direct service over the phone, at the Concord District Court, and at Emerson Hospital to people affected by domestic violence. The training is designed to familiarize the volunteers with the many aspects of domestic violence and give them the skills necessary to provide confidential and appropriate services to DVSN’s clients. Those interested should call 978-318-3421 or e-mail to dvvap@concordma.gov. Applications are due by March 4.

Who’s running for town office in March

February 5, 2019

Here is a list of those who have filed appears with the Town Clerk to run for office in the March 25 election. Click here for links to the web pages for these boards and committees, which list current members. Candidates have until February 20 to withdraw in time to have their name not appear on the ballot.

Board or Committee	Openings/terms	Candidates
Board of Assessors	One (3 years)	Laura Sander*
Board of Health	One (3 years)	Steven Kanner*
Board of Selectmen	One (3 years)	James Craig*
Cemetery Commission	One (3 years)	Conrad Todd*
Commissioners of Trust Funds	One (3 years)	Douglas B. Harding*
DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park Trustees	One (4 years)	Linda Hammett Ory*
Housing Commission	One (3 years)	Keith Gilbert*
Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee	Two (3 years)	Kevin J. Matthews,* Cara Endyke-Doran
	One (1 year)	Candace Miller*
Parks and Recreation Committee	One (3 years)	Anita Spieth
Planning Board	Two (3 years)	Margaret Olson,* Stephen Gladstone*
School Committee (PreK-8)	One (3 years)	Trintje Gnazzo**
	One (2 years)	Susan Taylor
	One (1 year)	Adam Hogue**
Town Clerk	One (3 years)	Valerie Fox**
Trustees of Bemis	One (3 years)	Sara Mattes*
Trustees of Lincoln Library	One (3 years)	Dennis Picker
Water Commission	One (3 years)	Heather Ring

* incumbent running for reelection

** previously appointed to fill vacancies in 2018 (Trintje Gnazzo replaced Jena Salon and Adam Hogue replaced Alvin Schmertzler; Valerie Fox replaced Susan Brooks)

Town Meeting article list approved

February 3, 2019

The Board of Selectmen has approved the following articles for the Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, March 23. They’re scheduled to vote to sign the warrant with descriptions of each article on February 11. Keep reading the Lincoln Squirrel for more in-depth coverage of these items in the coming days and weeks.

NOTE: Articles 27–33 are proposed zoning bylaw changes and thus require a two-thirds majority to pass.

#	Article
	STANDARD TOWN MEETING ARTICLES
1	Election ballot:
2	Vote for committees, and other elected officers
3	Accept reports of town committees and officers
4	Set salaries of elected officials
5	Hear a report on property tax relief
6	Senior tax work-off program: vote to renew
7	Veterans tax work-off program: vote to renew
	OPERATING BUDGET
8	Town operating budget
	CAPITAL ARTICLES
9	Cash capital expenditures (detailed project list will appear in motions)
	COMMUNITY PRESERVATION
10	Community Preservation Fund (CPA) (detailed list will appear in motions)
11	Community Preservation Fund (CPA) (athletic fields)
	ROUTINE BUILDING MAINTENANCE
12	Annual classroom maintenance: $45,000
13	Town buildings maintenance: $111,363
14	Library maintenance: $50,000
	OTHER APPROPRIATIONS
15	Debt stabilization fund: appropriation to increase fund balance
16	OPEB trust fund (Town of Lincoln): appropriation to increase fund balance
17	OPEB trust fund (LSRHS): appropriation to increase fund balance
18	State roadway funds (chapter 90): annual vote to accept state highway grant
19	Lincoln school budget supplement: SpEd Medicaid reimbursement
20	Annual Bright Light Award
21	Revolving funds: annual vote to reauthorize existing revolving accounts
22	Cable television revolving fund: required annual appropriation
23	Transfer from cemetery perpetual care and/or sale of lots
24	Water Department: authorize bond for capital improvements to the water treatment plant (detailed list in motions)
25	Water Department: vote to appropriate and transfer to support the FY19 budget
26	Free cash article: annual article to balance budget/reduce tax rate
	GENERAL AND ZONING BY-LAWS
27	Section 13.6.3(a) solar energy systems general standards bylaw amendment
28	Section 4.1(c) non-conforming lots amendment: regarding land takings
29	Section 4.1(e) non-conforming use or structure amendment
30	Create parking benefit district
31	DeCordova: amend bylaw governance
32	Historic district bylaw amendment: Modernist homes
33	Demo delay bylaw amendment
34	Proposed general bylaw: use of leaf blowers
	CITIZENS' PETITIONS
35	Proposed general bylaw: ban on e-cigarette sales
36	Resolution in support of changing the state flag and seal of Massachusetts

Outdoor events at Farrington Nature Linc

January 31, 2019

Farrington Nature Linc (295 Cambridge Turnpike, Lincoln) is hosting the following family-friendly events:

Owl Prowl
Saturday, Feb. 9 — 4–6 p.m.
Have you ever seen or heard an owl in the woods? Join Farrington Nature Linc and Eyes on Owls for a live owl program in conjunction with an outdoor Owl Prowl.

Naturalist Marcia Wilson of Eyes on Owls will introduce the audience to owls found in New England and as well other parts of the world. Then we will head outside for a guided walk around Farrington’s property where will we do some “owling” (learning about owl calls and keeping our eyes out for owls). $10 per person, $20 for a family of four — click here for tickets.

Galileo Star Party
Saturday, April 13 — 7–9:30 p.m.
Do you want to learn more about the stars? Have you ever used a telescope to stargaze? Ever wanted to know more about the famous astronomer Galileo Galilei? See an evening performance by talented and professional actor Mike Francis as Galileo — perfect for all ages to learn about astronomy. Afterward, outside to our fire circle, we’ll have s’mores, and we’ll also set up and use telescopes, courtesy of the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston, to stargaze. Free; click here to register.

Fairy Festival
Saturday, May 4 — 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Calling all fairies, elves, gnomes, and other magical creatures! Farrington is hosting its annual Fairy Festival on May 4. We will feature our Fairy Post Office where you can write to the fairies and they will write back. Join one of our guided hikes through our enchanted woods to meet the Fairy Queen, make a fairy house in our pine forest, and create and take home three small fairy crafts. $20 for each adult/child pair — click here for tickets.

News acorns

January 30, 2019

Green Sisters at next LOMA night

The Green Sisters.

The Green Sisters are the featured performer at the next LOMA (Lincoln Open-Mike Acoustic) night on Monday, Feb. 11 in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room. The event runs from 7–10 p.m., and the Green Sisters will perform a half-hour set starting around 8:30 with combinations of guitar, violin, mandolin, banjo and bass. Here’s their version of the classic 1950s hit “Walkin’ After Midnight.” Admission is free and refreshments are provided. Performers can sign up at the event or email Rich Eilbert at loma3re@gmail.com for a slot. There is a sound system with mikes and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups.

Talk on “Countess Maritza” operetta

“Opera for Everyone” with Erika Reitshamer will feature a look at Countess Maritza by Hungarian composer Emmerich Kalman on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room. The three-act operetta libretto by Julius Brammer and Alfred Grunwald had its world premiere in Vienna in 1924.

Reitshamer has lectured at the library on numerous occasions she was fundamental in the formation of the Boston Lyric Opera Company more than 35 years ago. She is a board member of the New England Opera Club and former vice president of the Boston Wagner Society. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.

Scholarship fund accepting applications starting Friday

On Friday, Feb. 1, the 2019 Lincoln Scholarship application process will open to Lincoln resident high school seniors and other applicants who fulfill the eligibility requirements as stated in the instructions for the Ogden Codman Trust Scholarships. The Lincoln Scholarship Committee awards multiple one-year, need-based scholarships to graduating high school seniors, thanks to public support. They are also administrators of two endowed awards, the Fannie Campbell Academic Award and the Sumner Smith Community Service Award, as well as multiple four-year scholarships that are supported by the Ogden Codman Trust. The deadline for all applications is April 1 at 3 p.m. Questions? Email LincolnScholarship@lincolntown.org.

deCordova gets $150,000 grant for exhibition

The deCordova Sculpture Park and has received a $150,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to support Visionary New England, an exhibition and catalogue opening in 2020, organized by Curator Sarah Montross.

“We’re honored and grateful to receive this incredibly generous grant from the Henry Luce Foundation,” says John B. Ravenal, Executive Director at deCordova. “Not only does it greatly support our efforts in bringing this significant exhibition to the public, but it also speaks to the creativity, thoughtfulness, and innovation demonstrated by our curatorial team.”

Visionary New England is a group exhibition of contemporary art inspired by the rich history and ongoing impact of New England’s visionary, spiritualist, and utopian practices. From Transcendentalism and utopian agrarian communities in the mid-1800s to the merging of mysticism and psychology in the early 20th century to the psychedelic experiments of the 1960s, New England has long nurtured alternative ways of creating community and social reform. Grounded in this legacy, Visionary New England will feature artwork that will offer a perspective on society and power, as well as a hopeful vision for future harmony between humanity and the natural world. An array of public programs, lectures, performances, and partnerships with nearby historic sites will enrich the exhibition. Visionary New England has also received support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and other funders.

Domestic Violence Roundtable collecting Valentine’s Day donations

January 29, 2019

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan joins Roundtable members in 2018 in filling Valentine’s Day bags for families in area domestic violence shelter programs.

Area residents are invited to donate items and help fill Valentine’s Day bags for those temporarily living in local domestic violence shelters and transitional housing programs on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m. in the Wayland Public Safety Building.

Each February, the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable collects gift bag items for women, children and men who are being assisted by REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, The Second Step, and Voices Against Violence. The bags were decorated by the children from the Sudbury Extended Day program. Small gestures like the gift bags let families know they are supported in their decision to leave an abusive situation and brighten their day.

Items needed for the bags include gift cards for CVS, Target, grocery stores, etc.; personal items such as full-size bath products, socks, cosmetics, nail polish, hair products, phone cards, journals, postage stamps etc.; and items for children such as crayons, coloring books, small stuffed animals, non-violent toys, and stickers, as well as bath and hair products, books, diaries, movie passes, iTunes cards and candy for older kids.

Anyone interested in contributing to the collection may contact the Roundtable at info@dvrt.org. There will be a collection basket in the lobby of the Wayland Public Safety Building (38 Cochituate Rd.) from February 5-12.