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

A note to readers

Happy Thanksgiving! A couple of notes:

Letters to the editor

As we prepare for the Special Town Meeting on December 1 and the ballot vote on December 3 to decide on school project funding, the Squirrel will accept letters to the editor on this subject up until noon on Tuesday, Nov. 27. Readers are welcome to submit new letters or opinions they have already posted on LincolnTalk. As always, letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and those containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

A lot less logging in

Good news! I think we’ve found a way to “log in for a lifetime.” Previously, you had to log in again every three months or so, but now, your login is extended for one year every time you visit the site. As a practical matter, this means as long as you log in and read a story at least once a year, you shouldn’t have to log in ever again on that device, unless you clear your browser cookies, switch to a different browser, etc. If you ever have any trouble logging in or recovering your password, just let me know, and I can get you back into the Squirrel very quickly.

Enjoy the holiday!

Sincerely,

Alice Waugh
Editor, The Lincoln Squirrel
lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com
617-710-5542 (mobile) ~ 781-259-0526 (home)

Stopping for a sip (Lincoln Through the Lens)

Hummingbirds enjoy Harold McAleer’s feeder (or they did, when it was a bit warmer).

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.

Property sales in October

2 Emerson Rd. — Daniel Boynton to Alexi and Yumi Alanoly for $677,000 (October 31)

11 Reiling Pond Rd. — Harold Gill III to Sean Wirtjes and Nivi Jaswal for $1,094,000 (October 31)

26 Longmeadow Rd. — Robert Talanian to William Hobbs and Caroline Mitchell for $1,480,000 (October 31)

16 Stratford Way — Suzanne DiCiccio to the Nancy Lynne Paul Sillman Trust and the Sherwood Daniel Sillman IV Trust for $2,500,000 (October 24)

120 Lexington Rd. — Christopher Silber to Johan Karl Olav Skog and Leonora Balaj for $1,810,000 (October 12)

16 Old Winter St. — Betty Levin Trust to Peter A. and Hathaway F. Ellis for $1,150,000 (October 11)

0 and 73 Weston Rd (two lots) — Joshua C. Stirling to (1) Keith F. McDonald and Peter Buchthal (2) Keith McDonald and Elise W. McDonald for a total of $1,889,000 (October 5)

177 Concord Rd. — Jackson A. Caine to Scott and Lauren Yockel for $679,000 (October 4)

5 Sandy Pond Rd. — John J. Atkins to Scott and Sara Lupkas for $1,730,000 (October 1)

Letter to the editor: a “yes” vote is the wise choice educationally

To the editor:

The Lincoln School Foundation urges residents to vote YES at Special Town Meeting on December 1st and at the ballot on December 3.

In just two weeks, we as a town are being offered the unique opportunity to transform our school in a way that expands educational opportunities for the children of our community.

The new school building, meticulously designed by the School Building Committee with unprecedented community involvement, is a transformative renovation of the Lincoln School. Movable walls. Shared hubs. A learning commons. Exterior gathering spaces. A climate-controlled environment. Safer routes for bikers and walkers. And a building that gets its energy entirely from the sun.

The teachers and students of Lincoln School can use these transformed and new spaces in ways that improve the educational experience for all. The enhanced building will facilitate and enable more team teaching, differentiated instruction, project-based learning, and group work. These educational practices are not optional, frivolous, or excessive. They are absolutely required in order to deliver a high-quality education to children now and in the future—an education that develops the essential skills for success in tomorrow’s workforce: critical thinking, collaboration and creativity.

Lincoln School teachers are already working to foster these skills in Lincoln’s children. But the current building inhibits their efforts. It is difficult if not impossible for an entire grade to gather together without planning much in advance. Spontaneous, flexible groupings of students are limited by the walls that separate classrooms.

We have seen, within our own district at Hanscom, how a forward-looking investment in a school building can allow teaching teams to do more to reach each child in new and innovative ways, and we are so excited to see what more can be accomplished at the Lincoln School as teachers there are given the same opportunity to envision what new spaces will mean for their teaching.

Everything we wrote in our June letter to the editor remains true: “A commitment to excellence in education and innovative practices is a collective enterprise that is deeply embedded in the values of this community.”

We value education in Lincoln. And a YES vote on December 1 and 3 is a vote for education.

Sincerely,

The Trustees of the Lincoln School Foundation

Cathie Bitter, Chair
Ginger Reiner, Treasurer
Liz Wilkinson, Secretary
Becky Bermont
Juliana Delahunty
Alison Donnelly
Lis Herbert
Jen Holleran
Peter Hussey
Tareef Kawaf
Caroline Nordstrom
Elaine Papoulias
Tricia Thornton-Wells

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

Fireside Chats coming up

Now that Lincoln has voted in favor of being a “safe and welcoming community,” what does it mean? How are we currently honoring this charge, and how can we improve? Anyone who has (or has not) been made to feel safe and welcome is invited to join the discussion on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 10–11:30 a.m. in the Lincoln Woods community room.

On Saturday, Dec. 22 (same time and place), the Fireside Chat will address “Healing Our Divisions.” Using Them: Why We Hate Each Other—and How to Heal by Ben Sasse, we’ll talk about why there’s so much anger in our country, how our everyday actions and decisions feed into this, and whether we can love our neighbors even when we have differing opinions.

CSA veggies for sale

Each year during Thanksgiving week, Lindentree Farm CSA offers an organic vegetable share for members and others—this year on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 20 and 21. If interested, email lindentreecsa@gmail.com.

Annual L-S alumni soccer game next week

The Lincoln-Sudbury Alumni Soccer Game is being held for the 26th time on Saturday, Nov. 24 at noon.  It’s a casual game for alumni from any era. To RSVP, email Tim Mangini at tim_mangini@wgbh.org or post on the group’s Facebook page.

Cradles to Crayons children’s clothing drive

Please drop off your donations of children’s gently used clothing at the Liepert home at 108 Trapelo Rd. in Lincoln (leave bags by garage door) for Cradles to Crayons before Friday, Nov. 30. Sizes infant through adult small. Most-needed items include sweaters and sweatshirts, but children’s clothing/shoes for any season are welcome. For a full list of accepted items, visit Cradlestocrayons.org. Email sarahliepert@me.com with any questions.

Buy crafts and gifts from local artisans

Samples of jewelry that will be on sale at the GiftLocal Lincoln event on December 1.

The Old Town Hall Exchange is hosting a local artisan/crafter holiday market at the Pierce House on Saturday, Dec. 1 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 2 from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. On sale will be home-made chocolate bars, photographs, cards, woven household items, hand-blown glass bowls, upcycled mittens, jewelry, art clothing, knitted sweaters, soaps, and lotions. For details, visit the GiftLocalLincoln Facebook page.

Touch of Christmas Fair at First Parish

The First Parish in Lincoln will hold its annual Touch of Christmas Fair on Saturday, Dec. 8 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. in the Parish House (14 Bedford Rd.). There will be many hands-on activities for children; Santa will arrive at 11 a.m., and children can have photos taken on Santa’s lap. There will be a baked-goods table and a handmade craft table, as well as second-hand antiques, housewares, jewelry, homemade holiday wreathes, and centerpieces for sale made by many volunteers the week before the fair. Lunch will be served from noon–1 p.m. Admission is free. 

Town seeks social worker, members for two groups

The Town of Lincoln seeks qualified applicants for the 12-hour-a-week grant-funded position of Town Social Worker. Under the direction of the Council on Aging director, this person will provide social work services to Lincoln residents under 60. Duties include case management, call reassurance and follow-up, and problem resolution as well as family counseling, home visits, and maintaining on-call status. A master’s degree in social work or an equivalent mental health field required with a minimum of three years of progressive experience. Pay range is $25–$30/hour. Please submit a cover letter and resume to Mary Day, Town Offices, 16 Lincoln Rd., Lincoln MA 01773 or jobs@lincolntown.org by Saturday, Dec. 1.

The town is also seeking volunteers for the Historic Commission and the Historic District Commission. More information on the mission and purview of the organizations can be found on their website. The deadline for submittals is Friday, Nov. 30. Click here for an application. For more information, call the Selectmen’s Office at 781-259-2601.

Letter to the editor: Lincoln teachers urge “yes” vote on school project

To the editor:

The Lincoln Teachers Association, the Lincoln School Committee and the Lincoln School Administration have a long history of working collaboratively to support the education of the children in Lincoln. It is with this collaboration in mind that we are reaching out to the residents of Lincoln prior to the new school building vote in December. The Lincoln Teachers Association strongly supports the school building project for several reasons.

In our work together, the LTA, School Committee, and administration share a commitment to teaching the children of Lincoln in a forward-thinking manner. We aim to create an innovative learning environment where students’ academic and social development can flourish, where students develop confidence to see themselves as leaders of their own learning, and one that fosters collaboration amongst students and faculty. We see the following as some of the positives points in the building project:

  • A new building will provide a climate-controlled environment that will better allow students and teachers to better engage in and focus on learning.
  • The variety of spaces the new building will provide allows students to be taught in a variety of different groupings and allow for more interdisciplinary and collaborative work.
    between students and within teaching teams. These spaces are more suitable for collaborative, project-based learning.
  • In addition, the numerous learning spaces allow teachers to better meet student needs, as we have a variety of teaching spaces to work within.
  • The new learning commons, dining space, and media center/library have the flexibility to be used in a number of ways, both for the school and the community.
  • A dedicated kitchen/dining space allows for the gyms to be used full-time for learning.
  • Given the beautiful town we live in, it is always our desire to get students outside for both learning and recreation. The new building provides opportunities to further connections to the outdoors.
  • The specific design of the building for grades 3–8 allows for better use of resources and provides dedicated spaces for collaboration.
  • Bringing preK into the same building allows all the teachers in Lincoln to work together as we teach students from preK to eighth grade. It allows for greater cross-grade interaction and eases the transition from preK to K.
  • With a central entrance and single administrative suite it allows the building to truly feel like a preK–8 building.

The LTA hopes you take these factors into your thinking during the upcoming building project process vote and decision. As always, we look forward to seeing residents in and around the school and appreciate your support in our efforts to provide the best education for your children along with the School Committee and administration.

Sincerely,

Matt Reed and Elaine Herzog
Lincoln Teachers Association co-presidents

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.

Lincoln commemorates 100th anniversary of World War I armistice

Among the World War I memorabilia on display from the collections of Beth Ries and Peter Harvell were fearsome hand-to-hand weapons but also “trench art” created by soldiers from spent shell casings and other materials.

One hundred years to the day after the World War I armistice was signed, voices rose in song and the memories of the three Lincoln servicemen killed in World War I were honored on November 11.

More than 100 attendees filled Bemis Hall for the Veterans Day event in a parallel to a celebration held in the same exact spot (Bemis Hall) in May 1919. The singers and speakers were different, but the songs sung and the servicemen honored were the same, culminating with the presentation of Massachusetts Medal of Liberty to four descendants of one of those who died.

In 1917 when the United States entered the way, Lincoln had 1,200 residents. Of those, 32 percent were foreign-born and thus not eligible to serve in the military, but 72—or about about 40 percent—of the other men in town joined the service.

“For most who served, the war was brief but intense,” said Donald Hafner, an expert in international politics and American foreign policy.

Among the Lincoln veterans who survived were Bertram Anderson, a bugler with the 7th Cavalry who fought as part of Canadian and British forces, served in a balloon squadron, and was the white commanding officer of an all-black engineering service battalion. Another, Ralph Bamforth, spent two years on a training battleship on the East Coast, where German submarines sank 32 Allied ships in the summer of 1918. A third, Thomas Eliot Benner, volunteered to be a long-range bomber pilot—a job where the life expectancy was 90 days for those who survived the training, Hafner said.

One of the Lincolnites who did not return was John Farrar Giles, who enlisted as age 20 even though no one under 21 was subject to the draft. He was killed in battle during a German artillery barrage in Seicheprey, France. Another from Lincoln, Pvt. Wilder Marston, was wounded in the Second Battle of the Marne in July 2018 and later died of his wounds in an Army hospital—one of 12,000 American dead and wounded in the battle.

A third Lincoln resident in the service, Charles A. Cunnert, died in an army hospital of scarlet fever. The son of German immigrants, he joined army before the United States declared war and served on the Mexican border under Gen. John “Black Jack” Pershing fighting raids by Mexican revolutionary general Pancho Villa.

On the home front, in addition to stocking first aid kits and knitting items for servicemen, women moved into traditionally male roles, Palmer Faran said. Women took up farming and also worked as telephone operators, factory workers, and stenographers. This shift in roles and attitudes played a major role in passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote in time for the 1920 election.

Lincoln women certainly did their part as well, BJ Sheff said. Louise Derby was one of many who enlisted as yeomen in the U.S. Navy to free up the male sailors for combat duty. Helen Osborn Storrow offered up her summer house on Baker Bridge Road (now the Carroll School) as a convalescent home for injured soldiers, and Ruth Alden Wheeler volunteered for overseas duty with the Red Cross in France and later Switzerland after the war, where her duties included writing letters home for soldiers and searching among the wounded for those reported missing.

Descendants of John Farrar Giles surrounded by Lincoln Veterans Officer Peter Harvell (far left) and Sen . Michael Barrett (far right) during the medal ceremony.

“There are many divisions that, not for the first time, that seem to split us as American citizens… but the one institution that survives to unite us is the idea of military service… despite misgivings about particular wars,” said Mass. Rep. Michael Barrett before the medal presentation to Giles’s descendants. “For individual servicepeople, we stand with profound respect.”

Seventeen veterans were just elected as new members of Congress from both parties, Barrett noted. “There’s something on which to build back a sense of commonality and sense of shared commitment.”

Corrections

Due to a math error by the Lincoln Squirrel, the tax increase and debt stabilization fund figures given in a November 12 article headlined “Borrowing plans for school project outlined” were incorrect. Borrowing $88.5 million at an interest rate of 4–5% will result in property tax increases of $2,415–$2,717 (not $560–$700 as originally stated).

However, this full increase will not appear in the first year of repayment, because the Finance Committee may divide the borrowing into two or more separate bond issues or tranches. Thus,  the $2,415–$2,717 increase would not be in year one but might take two to four years before it reaches that level of increase. Then this higher level would remain in effect for the life of the 30-year bonds.

On December 1 (Special Town Meeting) and December 3 (election), residents will be asked to approve the total bond amount of $88.5 million, but it will be up to the Finance Committee at a later date  as to how the debt will be financed in terms of tranching.

The debt stabilization fund currently stands at $5.5 million, not $5.2 million as originally stated. This means that if $4.4 million of that is used on the school project, there will be roughly $1.1 million left for future needs. 

The original article has been updated to reflect these corrections.

Borrowing plans for school project outlined

(Editor’s note: this post was updated on November 13 to correct errors in the tax increase range and the debt stabilization amount.)

Lincoln residents will be asked if they approve borrowing $88.5 million for the school project, which will cost a total of $93.9 million. This will result in a property tax increase of somewhere between 17.2 percent and 19.4 percent, depending on the bond interest rate (assuming it is in the 4–5 percent range). 

The Finance Committee unanimously recommended that the town pay for the project with an $88.5 million bond issue plus $1 million in free cash and $4.4 million from the debt stabilization fund. That fund currently stands at $5.5 million after voters approved adding $772,000 at the Annual Town Meeting earlier this year.

For a tax bill of $14,008 on a property valued at $998,400 (the 2019 median figures), the tax increase would translate to roughly $2,415–$2,717 (see table below). However, this full increase will not appear in the first year of repayment, because the Finance Committee may divide the borrowing into two or more separate bond issues or tranches. Thus,  the $2,415–$2,717 increase would not be in year one but might take two to four years before it reaches that level of increase. Then this higher level would remain in effect for the life of the 30-year bonds.

On December 1 (Special Town Meeting) and December 3 (election), residents will be asked to approve the total bond amount of $88.5 million, but it will be up to the Finance Committee at a later date  as to how the debt will be financed in terms of tranching.

After its vote on the funding recommendations, the Finance Committee released the following statement:

“On June 9th, the town decisively supported a school project that embodied educational values and sustainability through a renovated school project. We believe:

  • The SBC has faithfully executed on this charge designing a project staying within the $93.9 million budget,
  • The town can finance it and should be able to maintain our AAA bond rating,

and thus FinCom supports this project.”

A table showing the range of possible tax increases due to borrowing for the school project (click to enlarge).

News acorns

Mass Innovation Night in Lincoln on Tuesday

This month’s Mass Innovation Night, where startup companies present their products, will be at Lincoln North (55 Old Bedford Rd.) on Tuesday, Nov. 13 from 6–8:30 p.m. The event features networking with entrepreneurs, experts, and sponsors. The top four favorite product/companies from online voting prior to the event (as well as the in-person favorite) will present five-minute pitches.

“Once Upon a Mattress” this week

Performances of the LSB Players’ production of “Once Upon a Mattress” will take place on November 14-17 at  7:30 p.m. at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. Click here for details.

Learn about using more green energy

Come join members of the Lincoln Green Energy Committee to ask questions about how you can reduce your impact on climate change or just listen to the ideas of others at an informal session on Wednesday, Nov. 14 from 1–2 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Ask about energy assessments on your home, energy-efficient heating systems, electric cars, solar systems, the net-zero school project, the community choice aggregation program, or whatever you like.

Donate or purchase items to benefit domestic violence roundtable

Each year, the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable sponsors a family from a local domestic violence agency for the holidays. These agencies need help to provide happy holidays for families in shelter and to meet the ongoing needs of additional families who have been victims of domestic violence. Sponsored families are anonymous, though the agency will share the number of family members and their ages. Match yourself with a smaller family to sponsor, or invite relatives, friends, and colleagues to join you in sponsoring a larger family.

For those who can’t sponsor a family, gift cards for food, clothing, and other necessities to stores such as Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, CVS, Target, and Stop & Shop are welcome. Wrapping paper, ribbon, and tape are also needed. Advocates from each agency provide help with “wish lists” for survivors and their children. The deadline for gift delivery is Monday, Dec. 3. To learn more about how you can help, contact:

Screening of “Westfront 2018”

The Lincoln Library Film Society will screen “Westfront 1918” on Thursday, Dec. 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the Tarbell Room. The 1930 film (in German with French and English subtitles) follows a group of German infantrymen in the trenches of France during World War I.

Dobrow to speak on new book about Emily Dickinson

The Lincoln Public Library and the Lincoln Historical Society present Lincoln resident Julie Dobrow speaking about her latest book, After Emily: Two Remarkable Women and the Legacy of America’s Greatest Poet on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. in the library’s Tarbell Room. Dobrow is a professor with appointments in Tufts University’s Department of Child Study and Human Development and the Tisch College of Civic Life. After Emily is the untold story of the mother and daughter who opened the door to Dickinson’s poetry. Copies of the book will be available for signing.

Works by Lincoln artist Milan on display

The Bemis Hall gallery will exhibit artworks by Lincoln artist Ellen Milan from mid-November through December. Milan has taught in Wisconsin, Israel, and in the Boston area. During a ten-year stay in Israel, she established regional art programs and a group studio/gallery in the Old City of Jerusalem. This show at Bemis Hall includes pastels, paintings on silk, and watercolors. Many of the pieces were inspired by the gardens and landscape in Lincoln at Farrar Pond Village.