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

Letter from the moderator #1: checking in at the June 9 Town Meeting

To the editor,

I know that many of us have spent many hours planning for and learning about the issues we will be discussing at the Special Town Meeting on June 9. My hope is that in the next several weeks (hopefully on Monday mornings) I can explain some of the procedures we will follow at the meeting. For those not familiar with Town Meeting, I am hopeful that this information will be useful. Please share this information with others and, by all means, discuss the issues and the procedures between and among yourselves.  

Today is the day to review the checking-in process for June 9:

  • Come to the lobby of the Donaldson Auditorium in the Brooks School on Ballfield Road. Parking is always tight so walking, biking or carpooling is encouraged.  
  • Please arrive between 9:00 and 9:15 to check in so you’ll be ready when the gavel falls at 9:30. 
  • Check in with the tellers if you are a registered voter and be sure to get your hand stamped. See below if you are not a registered voter.
  • Collect various documents on the tables inside the auditorium offered by the town boards and committees.  
  • If need be, there will be overflow space in the Reed Gym.
  • Find your seat and get comfortable. We have a full day ahead of us.

You have until Wednesday, May 30 to register to vote at the June 9 meeting. If you are not a registered voter, you may attend the meeting, but you must ask for permission from the meeting to speak and may not vote. You must sit at the side of the auditorium.

If you have any questions, please send them my way and I will do my best to provide answers.

Sincerely,

Sarah Cannon Holden, Lincoln town moderator
Weston Road
sarahcannonholden@gmail.com

Letter to the editor: school option C is best for sustainability

To the editor,

Mothers Out Front is a nonprofit organization with chapters around the United States committed to preserving a livable planet for future generations. Our Lincoln chapter has closely followed the School Building Committee process over the past year. We applaud the committee on their diligence in considering the educational goals for the project as well as critical planning for sustainability in design and operation of the school. These two values were cited as the two most important values in a survey of the Lincoln community at the beginning of the planning process.

The process is reaching an important milestone with the June 9 meeting, where the committee will ask the town to endorse a general building design for further development by the architects. Mothers Out Front sees this as a watershed moment which will influence the success of our school, our educators, and our students for the next 50 years. It is also an exciting opportunity for Lincoln to express its commitment to a stable and safe climate future, a commitment which has never been more critical.

We believe the design known as “Compact C” best meets Lincoln’s dual goals of a flexible, high-quality, and innovative school campus which can also operate on a net zero basis for energy consumption. “Net zero” refers to a building (home, school, or commercial) where the total amount of energy used by the building on an annual basis is roughly equivalent to the amount of renewable energy created on the building and its site. A net zero building eliminates the need to burn fossil fuels and thus eliminates carbon emissions (or purchase of energy generated in another state at unknown expense, freeing the town from future concerns of fluctuating energy prices).

The net zero goal is achieved through design features including compact design, improved insulation, a tight building envelope, natural light, and heating and cooling with highly efficient ventilation systems. Like Mass. Audubon’s new net zero education center, net zero at the Lincoln school would be achieved through the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the building and adjacent to the building, to produce the energy for the school. The Lincoln campus has the space needed on roofs, parking lots, and adjacent lands (if needed) to accommodate the school’s energy needs. This plan would also be compliant with Article 40, the town’s Facilities Energy Performance Standard passed in 2011.   

The Compact C design has many advantages for the students, teachers, and campus as a whole, and is the preferred design by the majority of educators. The Compact C design eliminates wasted space in hallways and allows for more time in the classroom or time spent on educational activities versus navigating long hallways. The Compact C building footprint also allows for an additional playing field, which benefits the whole community. Compact C includes the most desirable educational spaces, including hub spaces for grades 3–8. And a compact building improves energy efficiency by reducing the ratio of building envelope to internal volume, an important feature to consider over the next 30 years of operations.

A very strong and compelling second choice is the L3 option. It includes the hub spaces and other important educational amenities, and can also include the net zero/solar panels design. The disadvantages of L3 are the loss of the additional playing field, longer transition times for students navigating the building, and a less energy-efficient design. 

While we believe the advantages of the net zero design are compelling from the point of view of reducing future catastrophic impacts from climate change, there are sound economic arguments as well. The energy markets of the future defy easy predictions in terms of cost escalation and volatility. A robust solar installation on the campus locks in stable, predictable energy costs for the next 30 years. Consider that the school spends approximately $220,000 currently on annual utility bills that cannot be spent for the core educational mission. Over the next 30 years, this expense will total at least $6.6 million. If a net zero design is built, the town will begin recovering the cost of the net zero elements on the first day the school is operational.

With the vote on June 9, we believe the town of Lincoln has an exciting opportunity to achieve 21st-century educational and sustainability goals with the design of the new school building. We feel that Compact C (our first choice) and L3 (our second choice) with net zero both advance the town’s educational goals and our town’s vision for a fossil-fuel free future. Please join us on June 9 to vote for a state-of-the-art teaching and learning environment for the next generation of Lincoln students. 

Sincerely,

Mothers Out Front Lincoln — Lincoln (Trish O’Hagan, Emily Haslett, Staci Montori, Robyn Bostrom, and Sheila Dennis

Drumlin preschool and director Canelli honored

Left to right: Mass Audubon Director of Education Kris Scopinich, Drumlin Farm Community Preschool Lead Teacher Rina Zampieron, Preschool Director and awardee Jill Canelli; Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary Director Renata Pomponi; and State Energy and Environmental Affairs Sec. Matthew A. Beaton. (Mass Audubon/Kelly Moffett photo)

Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary’s nature preschool and its director, Jill Canelli, have been honored with a Secretary’s Award for Excellence, which recognizes schools and teachers from throughout Massachusetts for their outstanding efforts to improve energy and environmental education.

The awards were presented by the office of State Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew A. Beaton in the rotunda of the Massachusetts State House on May 14.

Nature-based education is a fundamental element of Mass Audubon’s mission, and the Drumlin Farm Community Preschool is only one of the conservation organization’s state-licensed preschools, located at four of its wildlife sanctuaries. Another eight sanctuaries across the Commonwealth offer weekly nature preschool programs.

Canelli, an environmental educator for more than two decades, served as the founding director of the Drumlin Farm Community Preschool in 2007 before relocating with her family to Atlanta and continuing her work in environmental education. In 2014, she returned to Drumlin Farm and the preschool, and was especially happy to be part of the celebration surrounding its 10th anniversary in the spring of 2017.

Mass Audubon President Gary Clayton said the preschool and its director are very deserving award recipients. “We are honored to see this recognition of Jill Canelli’s exemplary work in raising the next generation of nature heroes at the Drumlin Farm Community Preschool, which reinforces Mass Audubon’s stature as a premier model for nature preschools statewide and beyond,” he said.

This is the third straight year that Mass Audubon, the state’s largest nature conservation nonprofit, has been honored by the Secretary’s Award for Excellence program. Last year, the organization was cited for its collaboration with the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust in that city. In 2016, it was selected for the All Persons Trails Guidelines Project which, modeled on Mass Audubon’s own accessibility initiatives, provides guidance and support materials for like-minded organizations nationwide.

Committees offer guidelines in advance of June 9 school vote

The Finance and Capital Planning Committees made some recommendations about a school project at the last public forum before the June 9 Special Town Meeting vote, but neither one endorsed a specific design option.

The FinCom recommended that the town stay within its state-mandated 5% debt cap, which would limit new borrowing to about $97 million. This eliminates the most expensive school concept—Option FPC at $109 million.

More information:

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At the May 15 forum, chair Jim Hutchinson repeated the other guidelines that members agreed on at their May 3 meeting. Members recommend that the town not wait until construction costs are more favorable, and judged that the estimates for square footage per student and construction cost per square foot re in line with those from other Massachusetts Schools.

Hutchinson also presented updated borrowing impact information and comparisons to neighboring towns (Bedford, Carlisle, Concord, Lexington, Sudbury, Wayland, and Weston), with ranges depending on which school option is chosen and whether the bond interest rate is 4% or 5%. Those figures include:

  • Tax increase — On a home valued at $997,500, taxes would go up by $1,329–$2,983 in the first year.
  • Average tax bill — At $15,185, Lincoln now has the second-highest average single-family fax bill after Weston at $19,380, and it would remain that position. The average bill would climb to $16,300–$18,014.
  • Tax rate — Lincoln currently has the second-lowest tax rate; it would go up to the fourth- or fifth-lowest.
Capital Planning Committee weighs in

Capital Planning Committee Audrey Kalmus presented her group’s recommendations:

  1. The town should consider designs that are easily scalable in case school enrollment rises faster than projected.
  2. To meet its “current basic needs,” the school should have a full kitchen as almost all other schools now do (this would eliminate the $49 million repair-only Option R).
  3. The building should be capable of achieving net-zero energy use (this eliminated Options R and L1).
  4. To “maximize the school’s value for teaching and learning,” it should include the educational enhancements as recommended by the School Committee and administration, such as “hubs” for each grade if possible.

The only options that meet all four of the CapComm criteria are L3 and C.

A group of Lincoln architects presented a proposal to the School Building Committee meeting on May 2 for a revised Option L2 that they said would meet most of the educational objectives of Option L3 (including hubs for grades 3–8) but at a lower cost. “L2 is really a substandard scheme, not well developed like the other schemes,” Ken Hurd, one of the architects, said at the forum.

“The SBC appreciates the efforts of our town design professionals,” SBC Vice Chair Kim Bodnar said this week. “In addition to their memos that have stimulated thinking in the SBC and within the design teams at SMMA and EwingCole, Ken Bassett, Peter Sugar and Doug Adams volunteered to be on our SBC Design Team Subcommittee last summer.  Their engagement has been extensive and appreciated.”

At the SBC’s request, SMMA Architects also presented on May 2 a compact option costing $85 million (about halfway between L2 and L3 in price). However, with that constraint, the plan would not include the auditorium, which best meets the legal requirement for a Town Meeting assembly site within the town’s borders.

The May 13 blog post by the SBC outlines the committee’s reaction to the idea, as well as some of the differences between options L2, L3, and C. Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall noted that the June 9 vote will establish only the building’s footprint and cost limit, so through SMMA’s work in the summer and fall on the chosen concept, “we can design more efficient spaces in the building” and rearrange things internally to some extent.

Town Meeting format

“We’re expecting near-record turnout” on June 9, so registered voters can check in starting at 8:15 a.m. and go into either the auditorium or the Reed Gym. More than 700 people packed into the auditorium and lecture hall for the 2012 school project, and a few had to be turned away at the door due to fire safety concerns. (The vote was 370-321 in favor of the project, or 54%–45%, which did not meet the required two-thirds majority).

The first vote via voting machine will ask which of the six school concepts they prefer, and a second standing vote will ask then to express a preference for one of the two top finishers in vote #1. The winning concept will then go into the schematic design phase in preparation for a bonding vote at a Special Town Meeting on December 1 (which requires a two-thirds majority) and a town election on December 3, which requires a simple majority.

After Selectman Jennifer Glass outlined the procedure for June 9, several resident had questions and suggestions. One wondered what would happen if the town approved a plan that did not meet the town’s 2030 bylaw on energy efficiency; another asked why residents would be voting on both building shape and price rather than just cost.

“We often hear ‘How can you design something without a budget?’ but it’s hard to name an amount of money if you don’t know what you get for it,” School Committee Chair Tim Christenfeld said.

Between the June 9 vote and the Special Town Meeting in December, there will be more forums and surveys as the SBC continues to meet and the architects present details on the building’s design and cost. “The conversation is going to continue,” he added.

News acorns

Talk on school anxiety Thursday

School refusal, including school phobia and school anxiety, is an increasingly prevalent yet often misunderstood condition among pre-teens and teens. Join Dr. Ryan Conway for “Understanding School Anxiety and School Refusal” on Thursday, May 17 from 7–9 p.m. in Conference Room A at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional high School to learn about the warning signs of school refusal and what you can do to help teenagers who demonstrate these behaviors. 

Conway is a licensed clinical psychologist who utilizes cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and behavioral interventions for youth who struggle with anxiety and mood disorders. She recently founded NESCA’s Back to School program, an intensive treatment for school-refusing students. RSVP is suggested for materials preparation to lssepac.chair@gmail.com.

Donate old wheels in Bikes Not Bombs drive

Donate bikes, parts, accessories and tools to benefit Bikes Not Bombs in Saturday, May 19 from 9 a.m.–1 p.m.in the Hartwell parking lot. Bikes not Bombs will ship your old bike to international partners in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean or use them to teach local youth. They request a $10 per bike donation to defray storage, processing and shipping costs. 

Book talk and signing with Lincoln writer Burckett-Picker

Join Lincoln resident Jenifer Burckett-Picker as she speaks on her new book, Dad and Dunk in the Great War, on Thursday, June 7 at 7 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room. The book tells the very personal story of two young World War I soldier-engineers who met in training camp in Maryland, shipped over to France together, and worked behind the front lines in the Verdun area. It tells the story of a friendship forged in the horrors of war and continuing today through the fourth generation of the men’s families. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing.

Brinkley to speak on Thoreau

The Walden Woods Project and RESTORE: The North Woods will host Douglas Brinkley speaking on “Henry David Thoreau and the History of America’s Public Lands” on Tuesday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Walden Woods Project (44 Baker Farm Rd., Lincoln). Tickets are $30 for the VIP wine and cheese reception starting at 6:30 p.m. or $15 for general admission starting at 7 p.m. Click here to buy tickets.

Brinkley is CNN’s Presidential historian, a professor of history at Rice University, and author of numerous award-winning books on Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. His 2016 publication, Rightful Heritage, chronicles Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency and analyzes the tension between business and nature with respect to our natural resources. He won the National Outdoor Book Award for The Quiet World: Saving Alaska’s Wilderness Kingdom. Questions? E-mail wwproject@walden.org or call 781-259-4700.

Tree removal hearing on May 21

A public hearing will be held by the tree warden, deputy tree warden and/or their designees will hold a public hearing on Monday, May 21 at 7 p.m. at the DPW office (30 Lewis St.) to consider the removal of the below trees in the public right of way. The cutting and removal of the following trees has been made at the request of Eversource Energy. The trees have been marked with hearing notices and are being considered for removal because they are dead, in decline, or otherwise pose a safety or operational hazard to the safe and reliable operation of the Eversource Energy electrical system. The trees are marked as to size and type along the following roads:

  • Mill Street, 30″ oak, between poles 17/13 to 17/14
  • Mill Street, 30″ oak, between poles 17/13 to 17/14
  • Mill Street, 30″ oak, 40′ East of pole 17/14
  • 130 Lexinton Rd., 26″ hickory
  • 126 Lexington Rd., 33″ oak
  • 116 Lexington Rd., 18″ oak
  • 90 Lexington Rd., 20″ pine
  • 84 Lexington Rd., 33″ oak
  • Lexington Road, at pole 22/55, 22″ maple
  • Lexington Road, between poles 22/63 and 22/64, 35″ oak
  • 83 Page Rd., 33″ oak
  • Page Road, between poles 13/30 and 13/31, 20″ oak and 33″ oak
  • Page Road, between poles 13/31 and 13/32, 20″ oak
  • Page Road, at pole 13/35, 16″ oak
  • 44 Page Rd., 28″ oak
  • 40 Page Rd., 28″ oak
  • 83 Page Rd.across from 29, 15″ pine and two 26″ pines
  • 29 Page Rd., two 26″ pines
  • Page Road, at pole 13/49, 34″ locust
  • 49 Lincoln Roa Rd., 33″ maple
  • 100 Lincoln Rd., 33″ oak
  • Lincoln Road, between poles 24/45 and 24/46, two 20″ oaks
  • 233 Lincoln Rd., 33″ oak
  • Lincoln Road, across From 237, 20″ oak leader
  • 237 Lincoln Rd., 33″ oak
  • 244 Lincoln Rd., 36+” oak
  • 260 Lincoln R Rd.oad, 28″ oak

The following marked trees, are also being considered for removal by the DPW because they are dead, in decline, are posing a safety operational hazard, or at the request of the abutting property owner. These trees are marked as to size and type along the following roads:

  • South Great Road, two 21″ maples, across from pole 7/77
  • 80 Tower Rd., 30″ pine
  • 80 Tower Rd., 36″ pine
  • 80 Tower Rd., 36″ pine
  • 80 Tower Rd., 12″ Tree
  • 82 Conant Rd., 30″ pine

Lincoln quilters show their wares at Codman Community Farms

The latest projects by the Lincoln Quilters—individual scenes about Codman Community Farms rendered in fabric—are now on display (and for sale) in the CCF farm store.

Click on a thumbnail below to see a larger image:

Drawn together by a shared interest in quilting and fiber arts, the nine Lincoln Quilters—Anne Crosby, Nancy Constable, Tricia Deck, Linda MacNeil, Margaret Olson, Lucy Sachs, Kate Sacknoff, Jane Solar, and Dilla Tingley—began meeting five years ago to inspire each other, share their creations, get suggestions from others on personal projects, and develop new pieces as a group. They generally have a project going that stimulates and challenges members and their creativity.

The nine framed fabric art pieces by the quilters are on display in the Codman Barn inside the farm store. Proceeds from sales will be donated to Codman Community Farms.

Town Clerk transition coming; Deputy Town Clerk sought

With the impending retirement of Town Clerk Susan Brooks on June 30, Deputy Town Clerk Valerie Fox will serve as interim Town Clerk until the position is up for election at Annual Town Meeting in 2019. The town is therefore inviting applicants for the open position of full-time Deputy Town Clerk starting on July 1.

The Deputy Town Clerk provides supervisory and administrative support to help the Town Clerk discharge the duties of the office including, but not limited to:

  • Maintenance of vital records
  • Licensing and permits
  • Records management
  • Cemetery and Town Archives support
  • Election administration

Thorough knowledge of Town Clerk operations and service functions preferred. Candidates for this 40-hour-a week position must demonstrate exceptional verbal communication and interpersonal skills, customer service skills, multitasking ability and management support skills. 

A bachelor’s degree is preferred, along with several years of office and customer service experience, preferably in a municipal setting. Candidates should have demonstrated organizational skills and the ability to prioritize workflow, accuracy and attention to detail, and proficiency with MS Office applications.

Regular hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m., with a 40-hour, four-day work week during July and August. Some evening and occasional Saturday hours will be required for special events such as Town Meetings and early voting. Salary range (grade 11) is $26.16/h0ur to $33.12 hour.

To apply, submit a cover letter and resume to the Town Clerk’s office, 16 Lincoln Rd., Lincoln, MA 01773, or email as a Word document or PDF to brookss@lincolntown.org by June 1.

News acorns

L-S students raise money for kids at Emerson Hospital

Left to right: Vicky Hopley from Emerson’s Pediatric Intervention Team (PIT), Gabriella DeSantis and Julia Hultin of the L-S Pediatric Intervention Club, and Mallory Harrison from the PIT. Gabriella is a senior heading to Fairfield University in the fall as a nursing student. Julia is a junior and will become the president of the club in September.

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School’s Pediatric Intervention Club (PIC) recently raised more than $500 through bake sales at the school, which they donated to Emerson Hospital’s Pediatric Intervention Team to support the Coping Kit program. The kits contain developmentally appropriate comfort tools and activities for children receiving care at Emerson. More than 30,000 Coping Kits have been distributed to children at Emerson since 2006. In addition to raising funds for the hospital, the PIC updates photos in the hospital’s Emergency Department to provide an engaging distraction activity for families in the waiting area.

Two library events to be rescheduled

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Lincoln Public Library has had to cancel the May 16 Cabaret Night with Mary Crowe and Evelyn Harris (to be rescheduled in the fall) and the May 17 session on President Franklin D. Roosevelt, to be rescheduled later this spring.

Vets and seniors can work for town to pay property taxes

Residents 60 and older or veterans of any age who are the owners of record of the Lincoln home they live in can earn discounts of up to $1,500 (for seniors) and $1,000 (for veterans) on their property tax bills by working for the town. Participants are paid the minimum wage ($11 an hour), and a variety of jobs are available in many different town departments and in the schools. For more information, call the Council on Aging at 781-259-8811.

Farmers’ market seeks vendors

The Lincoln Farmers’ Market organizers are looking for additional vendors for the market that begins on Saturday, June 16 and will run into October at the Codman Community Farms from 9:30 a.m.–1 p.m. featuring live jazz music. Candidates include small, family-run vegetable farm vendors or producers of hand-made goods including baked items, coffees and teas, flowers, crafts, etc. Items must be produced or assembled in Lincoln or adjacent towns (no vendors with items for resale). Vendors must commit to at least half of the 20-week season, and there is a $10 fee per day. For details, email lindentreecsa@gmail.com.

Lincoln Democrats hear from state candidates in 3rd District

By Barbara Slayter

More than a dozen Lincoln Democrats attended the annual breakfast of the 3rd MAD (Middlesex Area Democrats) on May 12 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Waltham to hear from candidates for the upcoming September 4 primary and the midterm elections in November.

Participants gave an enthusiastic welcome to State Sen. Mike Barrett, who has been battling leukemia. “Democrats have a personal challenge and responsibility for addressing Trumpism,” Barrett declared. “Our work is cut out; it is not going to be easy; let’s get to it!”

The two Democratic candidates for governor, Jay Gonzales and Bob Massie, both emphasized their immigrant roots, strong support for a single-payer health care system and welcoming safe communities, and concerns about renewable energy, climate change, and a range of other progressive issues. Gonzales, who worked with former Gov. Deval Patrick, asserted that Gov. Charlie Baker is bad about standing up to hate and discrimination, while Massie proclaimed that if Democrats can win in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Alabama, surely they can win in Massachusetts.

Click on a photo to see a larger version:

 

Cambridge-born political humorist Jimmy Tingle and Quentin Palfrey, a lawyer and policy maker from Southborough and Weston, are vying to be the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor. Tingle spoke movingly about the opioid crisis and the faltering public transportation system in Massachusetts, which lacks a high-speed train between Boston and Springfield or a link between North Station and South Station. Palfrey emphasized his long-term commitment to the fight against poverty and inequality through his work in the Poverty Lab at MIT, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, and in President Obama’s White House and Commerce Department.

All four candidates stressed that Democrats in Massachusetts must take back not only the corner office in the State House but also the leadership of our country. Massachusetts has been a leader in progressive change, and under Baker, the state is failing in this role and needs to re-assume its progressive mantle for leadership and change, they said.

Candidates for Governor’s Council Marilyn Devaney (candidate from Waltham who has served on the council for nearly 20 years) and Nick Carter (a lawyer from Newton) addressed the guests, as did Donna Patalano, a candidate for Middlesex County District Attorney. Patalano, who is challenging incumbent Marian Ryan, is focusing her candidacy on the need for reforms within the criminal justice system, which she says is characterized by gross disparities along racial lines.

Other speakers at the breakfast included Democratic candidates for the 14th and 15th Massachusetts House districts in Middlesex County to replace Cory Atkins and Jay Kaufman, respectively, and Secretary of State Bill Galvin, who offered information on scheduling and procedures for voting in Massachusetts, including early online voting, automatic registration, and same-day voter registration. Guests also heard from Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim, who is running against Galvin for secretary of state.