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

New program aids Lincoln homeless and those at risk

Homelessness or near-homelessness here in Lincoln? It’s happening more and more often, so a new initiative will provide temporary housing and other help for families at risk.

The Staying at Home in Lincoln project will allow Lincoln residents who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to stay in temporary emergency housing while social services staff from the town work to arrange permanent housing, as well as any services and benefits required to ensure that the resident will be successful in their new home. This temporary housing could include area hotels or motels, assisted living facilities, or other supportive housing.

The Commons in Lincoln will provide funding for the project, and the Council on Aging and The Commons will work together to craft the program model.

As a retirement community, The Commons has close ties with the COA and its programs, but the connection goes deeper. “We’re part of the Lincoln community, and the Staying at Home project will help us stay engaged with Lincoln and also help address a community need that goes to the heart of helping our neighbors,” said Reynaldo LeBlanc, campus executive director at The Commons. “The project is an opportunity to help residents in the community of all ages, and when [COA Director Carolyn Bottum] reached out to see if we were interested, it was a no-brainer.”

In the past, the COA and the St. Vincent de Paul Society have offered rental assistance to residents at risk of eviction because of inability to pay rent due to some extraordinary circumstance. However, the town organizations has recently seen an increase in residents who are homeless or close to it for other reasons including domestic violence and elder abuse, mental illness or physical disabilities, natural disaster, and legal issues. In the last five years, the COA has dealt with 10 situations of homelessness or near-homelessness in Lincoln (one each in 2014 and 2015, two in 2017 and six in 2018).

“We think that this is probably the tip of the iceberg — there are likely other residents who simply never asked for help and so we weren’t aware of their situations. Because we’re the COA and seniors may be more likely to come to us, there may be more younger people we’ve missed,” Bottum said.

Eight of the 10 cases are seniors, one is a single mother, and one is a family with two parents (both with school-age children). In both family cases, both parents are working but don’t make enough money to take care of emergencies that arise or keep up with rent while waiting for subsidized housing.

What’s become of those 10 cases since 2014? One passed away while waiting for subsidized housing’ three were able to find subsidized or other appropriate housing in Lincoln after waits of some months, five moved out of town, and one continues to be at risk of eviction until subsidized housing opens up.

Letter to the editor: Susan Taylor running for School Committee

Dear neighbors,

I ask for your vote on March 25 for the two-year position on the Lincoln School Committee. With your support, I hope both to bring the perspective of my years in Lincoln community service and to pay forward the great benefit that Lincoln’s commitment to education has given to my now-adult children.

My husband Gary and I have been active in the Lincoln community since we moved here in 1990. I now serve on the Scholarship Committee and as a trustee of Farrington Nature Linc (a children’s program based in Lincoln). I’ve been a Lincoln Public Library trustee and president of the Lincoln League of Women Voters. When my children were students here, I served on the Principal’s Council, the METCO Coordinating Committee, as a Girl Scout leader, and Sunday school teacher, and as active supporter of Lincoln sports, drama, outdoor recreation, and music for children.

I believe that as technology and cultural diversity broaden and challenge the ways we provide education, community engagement and critical thinking become even more valuable. All of us are needed to provide the inspiration, guidance, experience, financial oversight, safety and affection our children should have from their home town and school.

I can think of nothing more vital to Lincoln than the strength of our schools, and I look forward to working with you for all our children and for “the village” that loves them.

Sincerely,

Susan Hands Taylor
2 Beaver Pond 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.

Upcoming opportunities to discuss, participate in government

Forum on widening participation in town governance

The Special Town Meeting in December has led to conversations about how to diversify the group of residents involved in Lincoln’s governance, as well as how to increase voter participation. There will be a forum to discuss these issues on Saturday, Jan. 26 from 10–11:30 a.m. in the Community Room at Lincoln Woods, 50 Wells Rd. (please park in unmarked spaces).

Run for town office

Are you looking for a rewarding if occasionally vexing way to feel more connected? Willing to undertake new challenges? Unafraid to speak up? Then run for local office! Nomination papers, which are available at the Town Clerk’s Office now, must be returned by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 1. The annual town election will take place on Monday, March 25.

The following offices will appear on the March ballot:

  • Town Clerk (three years)
  • Board of Selectmen (one seat for three years)
  • Board of Assessors (one seat for three years)
  • K-8 School Committee (three seats—one for one year, one for two years, and one for three years)
  • Water Commissioner (one seat for three years)
  • Board of Health (one seat for three years)
  • Cemetery Commission (one seat for three years)
  • Planning Board (two seats for three years)
  • Commissioner of Trust Funds (one seat for three years)
  • DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum trustee (one seat for four years)
  • Housing Commission (three seats: one for year, one for two years, and one for three years)
  • Parks and Recreation Committee (one seat for three years)
  • Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee (three seats — two for three years and one for one year)
  • Bemis Trustee (one seat for three years)
  • Lincoln Public Library Trustee (one seat for three years)

For additional information, please contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 781-259-2607.

Voting at the national level

Learn how ranked-choice voting, which aims to improve the fairness and effectiveness of elections, when Jim Henderson, a board member of Voter Choice Massachusetts, leads a session on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 3 p.m. in Bemis Hall (coffee and tea will be served starting at 2:45). (Coffee/tea at 2:45.) Henderson will present the case for ranked-choice voting and lead the audience in a voting exercise to find out how the process works. Click here for a recent letter to the editor on the subject.

Apply for bike/pedestrian committee

Lincoln is seeking volunteers to serve on the new Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (see “New bike/pedestrian group seeks members”). Letters of interest are due by Tuesday, Jan. 15.

 

Letter to the editor: Gargeya won’t seek reelection

To the editor:

I would like to announce that I will not run for re-election to the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Committee. I have been humbled by the support of the citizens of Lincoln and Sudbury over the past 12 years and four terms in service of the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School District.

Any good that has come out of my terms is due to working with my wonderful colleagues over the years on the L-S School Committee, the collaboration with remarkable volunteer politicians and appointed officials on various boards and committees, and exemplary public servants of both towns. Their continued hard work towards the benefit of our schools and towns inspires me.

Lincoln-Sudbury is the crown jewel of our communities. It is my hope that it remains so. We are fortunate to have highly talented, dedicated staff, faculty, and administrators at L-S. Their daily work keeps LS what it is — a different kind of place, singularly devoted with kindness and compassion to the growth and well-being of all students, all the while maintaining an uncompromising goal of academic excellence. The day any organization rests on its laurels is the day it starts to decline. I am happy to report that at L-S, there is desire, capacity, and action to innovate.

If you believe in public education where all students are cared for, if you are able to devote the necessary time, and if you have the passion to serve, please do consider running for the L-S School Committee.

Even as I step down from the L-S School Committee, I hope to remain in the public arena. Henry David Thoreau asks in Walden, “How can he remember well his ignorance — which his growth requires — who has so often to use his knowledge?” I will use my time away to learn about my ignorances so I can grow.

Sincerely,

Radha Raman Gargeya
120 Powder Mill Rd., Sudbury

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.

Major leaguer (Lincoln Through the Lens)

About 25 years ago, the late President George H.W. Bush was in town to visit with his sister, Lincoln resident Nancy Bush Ellis, before they all went to a family wedding in the Berkshires. The Bushes went out for a walk and came upon a T-ball game on the playground of the Lincoln School. One of the players was the son of current Lincoln resident Fred Hopengarten (second from left). Bush asked if he could join and play some ball. “After a while, his wife Barbara and sister (right rear) tired of watching George play baseball and announced that they were going back to Nancy’s house,” Fred recalls. “Bush replied that he thought he’d like to stay a while and play some more. This made their Secret Service agent jump into action, as he couldn’t divide himself and be with both. Moments later, another Secret Service agent came running through the woods to escort Barbara and Nancy. So how long did the President stay and play ball? “As long as he chose to do so. You don’t say no to George Bush.” Photo courtesy Fred Hopengarten

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.

Road work in Concord will affect Bypass Road

Starting later this month, drivers heading toward Concord Center from the Meriam’s Corner area will be detoured as the town of Concord performs roadway and drainage improvements along Cambridge Turnpike between Lexington Road and Route 2A.

The work will necessitate intermittent and occasional full road closure during daytime work hours. When Cambridge Turnpike is closed, eastbound traffic will be detoured to Bypass Road Lincoln via Lexington Road Concord (see map below). Westbound traffic will be detoured to Walden Street via Route 2.

Lincoln police will monitor the detour routes and coordinate with Concord police to minimize any impact on Lincoln’s roadways. The project is expected to take about a year.

Traffic will be detoured around a segment of Cambridge Turnpike (solid line), with Bypass Road in Lincoln bearing some of the eastbound Route 2 traffic (click map to enlarge).

Letter to the editor: can ranked-choice voting strengthen our democracy?

To the editor:

The midterm elections of 2018 have sparked new interest in a process of voting for candidates known as ranked-choice voting (RCV).

An August 7 editorial in the Boston Globe asserts, “The Massachusetts legislature would be wise to adopt ranked-choice voting, coupled with a robust voter education campaign for statewide elections.” Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin has revealed that he is open to the idea of RCV. Some have suggested that RCV might be an appropriate issue for a ballot question. But why all of a sudden are we just now hearing about ranked-choice voting?

Interest is surging in Massachusetts because of two specific elections, one in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District and the other in Massachusetts’s 3rd Congressional District. Why Maine? In 2016, Maine became the first state to enact ranked-choice voting for statewide elections for governor, state legislature, and Congress. The state used RCV for the first time in November 2018 when the votes for the top two of four contenders in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District were too close to declare one a lawful victor. The process of RCV ultimately proved effective and efficient in determining the winner without resorting to a runoff.

Why is there now interest in the seat in the 3rd Massachusetts District, which Niki Tsongas held for a decade? There were ten individuals competing in the Democratic primary. Because of the distribution of votes among all ten, and since no candidate achieved a majority, a runoff was required for the top two. RCV would likely have resolved the election without a costly and time-consuming recount.

How does RCV work? Instead of picking just one candidate, ranked-choice voting allows you to rank the candidates on the ballot — as many or as few as you like — in your order of preference. If one person gets 50 percent of the vote, no further action is necessary. If no candidate gets 50 percent or more of first-choice votes, then the last-place candidate is eliminated and that candidate’s votes automatically get reallocated to the second choice listed on those ballots. RCV ensures that whoever wins has the support of the majority of voters and not just an electoral plurality.

Supporters believe that RCV frees voters from being pressured to choose between two or more preferences, and solves the problem of “spoiler” candidates who don’t actually reflect a majority of overall voter preference. According to Eric Maskin, a Nobel prize-winning Harvard economist, RCV gives all voters the opportunity to cast their vote according to their individual preference as well as a means to determine which candidate is most preferred by a majority of all votes cast.  The method has been used by the Cambridge City Council since 1941 as well as in municipal elections in Memphis, San Francisco and Minneapolis and in parliamentary elections in Australia and Ireland, as well as in the recent midterm Congressional vote in Maine.

Closer to home, a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization, Voter Choice Massachusetts, is dedicated to educating the public and fostering legislative support for RCV. Supporters believe that RCV frees voters from being pressured to choose between two or more candidates, and solves the problem of “spoiler” candidates who don’t actually reflect a majority of overall voter preference.

Lincoln residents are proud of their grassroots politics, cherish their Town Meeting, and treasure their civic activism. On January 20, we in Lincoln have an opportunity to learn from a nonpartisan expert, Jim Henderson, board member of Voter Choice Massachusetts, the pros and cons of RCV and its relevance to Massachusetts. We hope you will join the discussion and help us all to reflect on the utility and value of RCV for statewide elections in Massachusetts on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 3 p.m.  in Bemis Hall.

Sincerely,

Barbara Slayter and Gary Davis
Co-chairs, 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.

New bike/pedestrian group seeks members

A new Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) is being formed to advise the Board of Selectmen and other committees and boards on issues of cycling and pedestrian safety, and interested residents are invite to apply.

The BPAC will pick up where the Cycling Safety Advisory Committee (CSAC) left off, working with town departments to study options for making Lincoln’s roadways safer for cyclists and pedestrians. “The selectmen hope that the knowledge gained will become a natural part of our thinking and planning within DPW, Planning, Roadway & Traffic, Public Safety, and Parks & Recreation,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said.

The CSAC was formed in 2017 to develop recommendations for improving cycling safety after two bicyclers (Eugene Thornberg and Mark Himelfarb) died in road accidents in Lincoln in 2016. The group issued its report in October 2018 outlining the state of the roads for bike riders, what steps had already been taken, and what more could be done to improve safety. Members performed an “audit” of major biking roads, cycling on each one and documenting hazards with GPS positioning and photographs.

Even as the study was being completed, the town was already fixing some road safety issues with the help of a Complete Streets grant. Among the work done so far: adding a pedestrian island and lights at the intersection of Lincoln Road and Route 117, repairing several roadside paths, and changing the stop lines and other markings on the south side of Route 117 at the intersection with Tower Road.

Among the CSAC’s accomplishments:

  • Revived the Bike to School program
  • Developed and distributed a “Rules of the Road” bookmark for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians
  • Worked with Lincoln police to increase “educational” traffic stops for both drivers and cyclists who violate Massachusetts traffic laws related to cycling.
  • Worked with other town officials to install “Bikes May Use Full Lane” signs (with additional help in research and lobbying from L-S student Ashley duToit, who worked on the initiative as part of her Gold Star project)

Other recommendations for future work include:

  • Making improvements to the intersection of Routes 117 and 126 as well as Route 2A. Both projects will require working with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).
  • Working with Hanscom Field, Minuteman National Park and the Hanscom Area Towns Committee (HATS) to lobby MassDOT for safety improvements along Route 2A.
  • Asking MassDOT to build a bicycle/pedestrian tunnel to reconnect parts of the town isolated by Route 2, such as reconnecting Lexington Road or Page Road south of Route 2 with Lexington Road north of the highway.
  • Reinstituting the Bike Safety Program as part of the school curriculum.

Anyone interested in serving on the BPAC should send a letter of interest to Peggy Elder, administrative assistant in the Selectmen’s Office (elderp@lincolntown.org) by Tuesday, Jan. 15. For more information, call the Selectmen’s Office at 781-259-2601.

News acorns

Public hearings coming up

The Board of Water Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Thursday, Jan. 10 at 5 p.m. at the Lincoln Town Offices on its plan to institute first rate hike since 2015 (see the Lincoln Squirrel, Jan. 6, 2019).

The Historic District Commission will hold a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 17 to consider the approval of a report recommending (1) the addition, at the request of the property owners below, of the following properties to the Brown’s Wood Historic District, and (2) the preparation of a warrant article to approve the same for vote at Town Meeting on March 23, 2019.

  • 8 Moccasin Hill Road (owned by Lewis and Rosemary Lloyd)
  • 18 Moccasin Hill Road (owned by Neal and Kimberly Rajdev)

The Lincoln School Committee will hold a formal budget hearing on Thursday, Jan. 10 and is scheduled to vote on the FY20 budget on Thursday, Jan. 24. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. the Multipurpose Room, Hartwell building. Copies of the proposed budget are available for review in the Lincoln Public Schools Business Office, 2nd floor, Hartwell building.

Cabaret concert at L-S

The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Music Department presents its annual Cabaret Concert on Friday, Jan. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the L-S cafeteria. The evening will feature contemporary, pop, Broadway, and jazz music performed by instrumental jazz ensembles and combos, and student vocal and a capella groups, including duets and soloists. Tickets are $5, with a $20 cap for families. Snacks and beverages will be sold by the L-S Friends of Music.

Find out about ranked-choice voting

Learn how ranked-choice voting could improve the fairness and effectiveness of elections when Jim Henderson, a board member of Voter Choice Massachusetts, leads a session on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 3 p.m. in Bemis Hall (coffee and tea will be served starting at 2:45). (Coffee/tea at 2:45.)  Henderson will present the case for ranked choice voting and lead the audience in a voting exercise to find out how the process works.

Next up for play-reading group: “The Curious Savage”

The play-reading group at the Lincoln Public Library will read “The Curious Savage,” a 1950 comedy set in the living room of a sanatorium, on Tuesday, Jan. 8 and 15 at 11 a.m. All are invited to join the play-reading or just listen — no experience necessary. The group meets on every second and third Tuesday of each month at 11 am. For more information, call Sally Kindleberger at 781-799-4892.

Jazz night at deCordova

One of the photos by Larry Fink in the deCordova exhibition, Primal Empathy.

On Friday, Feb. 1 from 6–8:30 p.m., deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum will host a Jazz Night, featuring a live performance by the Patrick McGee Quintet in the Larry Fink: Primal Empathy photography exhibition gallery. As a special treat, exhibiting artist Larry Fink will play harmonica with the band. The event also features cocktails (one per ticket with more for purchase, art-making activities for all ages, and access to all exhibitions on view. Click here to buy tickets ($25 for nonmembers, $20 for members, $10 for college students with ID, $5 for kids 17 and under).

Water Department proposes rate hike

The Water Department will hold a public hearing on Thursday, Jan. 10 at 5 p.m. at the Lincoln Town Offices on its plan to institute first rate hike since 2015.

Residents are charged quarterly for town water in a three-tiered system based on their level of usage (0–20,000 gallons, 20,001–40,000 gallons, and 40,001 gallons or more). The Water Department plans to raise the charges by 10 percent, 15 percent and 20 percent, respectively, while the base change for all users will go up by $5 per quarter, said Water Commission member Ruth Ann Hendrickson.

“We’re really focused on minimizing the impact on lower-level water users who are conservation mindful,” she said.

Part of the increased revenue will be used to pay off an anticipated bond of about $1 million. Investments are needed because the Water Department is now subject to Occupational Health and Safety Administration rules, and because of recent annual inspection of procedures and methods “with a new inspector who had a big long list of things we have to do differently,” Hendrickson said.

“Just to make a perfect storm, we had some big failures this [past] year,” she added. Those included a water main break outside the library, an acid sink, and a 3,000-gallon water heater used to clean the treatment plan filters.

The three-tiered pricing structure and quarterly billing were introduced in 2015 to encourage conservation with the goal of meeting water usage limits required by the state Department of Environmental Protection. Although its budget and revenue structure must be approved by the town, it is funded entirely by user fees, and its revenues are expected to meet or exceed expenditures on a year-to-year basis, with the difference held in reserve to fund emergency repairs and system improvements.

The department plans to apply for a state program that offers zero-percent interest on bonds, though it’s unknown whether it will be accepted, Hendrickson said. As part of the process for qualifying for bonding, the Water Commission has developed a long-term financial and capital improvement program.

If approved, the increased rates will become effective on all rates and charges on any bill for usage after January 1, 2019.