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

Officials discuss school voting plan and possible outcomes

Town officials wrestled on Monday night with how to present the various school project choices to voters at the Special Town Meeting on June 9. And the biggest barrier to passage, unlike in 2012, will probably be building cost rather than design.

Even if a plan is approved in June, it still may see some changes; the June vote is only on the cost and the footprint, School Building Committee (SBC) Chair Chris Fasciano noted. In 2011-2012, the “preferred option”—a mostly new, 164,000-square-foot building with a two-story addition for $64 million—morphed into a 140,000-square-foot, $49.9 million building with a one-story addition that was only 35 percent new, once the schematic designs were finished and Town Meeting voted.

As for the mechanics of the vote itself, the tentative plan is to offer all six of the current options for a first vote by paper ballot to residents in the Brooks auditorium and in overflow space in the Reed gym. Then the two concepts with the most votes would go on to s second stand-and-count vote in both venues. Architects will then develop schematic designs for the winner, and there will be a bonding vote in the fall.

A simple majority is required for concept approval in June. The vote to bond the project in the fall will require a two-thirds majority at Town Meeting plus a simple majority at the ballot box shortly thereafter.

If the fall Town Meeting vote doesn’t pass by a two-thirds majority, the next step will depend on how close the vote is. Since the town is not bound by Massachusetts School Building Authority deadlines as it was in 2012, officials can continue to refine concepts and schedule more Special Town Meetings until a project wins approval. However, if the June vote is lopsidedly negative, “it means we missed a step on the way and we’ll have to regroup and see where we are,” Selectman Jennifer Glass said.

The Finance Committee also spent considerable time on Monday night grilling school officials and architects on details of how they arrived at their cost estimates and assumptions of how big the school building needs to be. Their questions followed up on written answers to dozens of questions that the SBC had submitted before the meeting.

The FinCom will meet on Thursday, May 3 to come up with a recommendation to the town—either for a specific option or “just a set of boundaries,” Chair Jim Hutchinson said. The SBC is trying to leave the decision in the hands of voters as much as possible, but “there will be something coming from our committee to let folks know what we’re thinking” in terms of a preferred concept, Fasciano added.

Residents at Monday’s multiboard meeting offered various other suggestions for the June vote, including allowing voters to choose which educational enhancements they would most like to see, or offering them a choice of three price points rather than specific design concepts.

Feedback from the various public forums so far has been overwhelmingly in favor of a compact building shape offering a high level of educational enhancement over the current school. However, people who attend such forums are often more engaged and informed and tend to be in favor of a project in general, and there will be a much broader cross-section of voters at Town Meeting, Glass noted.

Meanwhile, architects will present a seventh design concept to the SBC this week, and there will be another public forum in May to gauge sentiment and try to narrow down the options to be considered in June.

The June vote will focus only on a school project; the Community Center Preliminary Planning and Design Committee has agreed since the beginning of the planning process that construction on a community center will not start until after the school is complete, most likely in 2023. This is mainly because the school campus does not have space for construction staging areas and student swing space for two simultaneous projects, and there would not be any cost savings since the two projects are of such different sizes that the same contractors would not bid on both, officials said.

This is a disappointment to some seniors in town, including Barbara Low. “is it going to be another 10 years before a community center is looked at because there won’t be any more money [after the school project]?” she said.

But Hutchinson reassured her that town finances will not stand in the way. “We’re pretty comfortable that the community center could fairly quickly follow the school building project,” he said.

Though the bonding for both projects could be done in one go—or even borrowing the full amount for just the school in a single bond issue—this would be the :worst-case scenario,” hutchinson said. “Spreading it out will soften the impact a little bit.”

Current estimates for the school project range from $49 million to $109 million. Finance officials have already determined that the town can borrow up to about $97 million without affecting its bond rating or needing special permission from the state. However, the effect on individual property tax bills will carry more weight when it comes to how people vote, they noted.

“What the town can afford in a debt load/bond rating sense is not necessarily the same as residents’ appetite for expenditure,” FinCom member Andy Payne said. “What will residents be willing to invest in? That’s a very tough question to answer outside the ballot box but we’re trying to figure that out.”

HeatSmart plans info sessions; Solarize numbers are in

For those considering new home heating or cooling systems, HeatSmart Carlisle/Concord/Lincoln is running a “Meet the Installer” event on Monday, May 7 at 7 p.m. at Concord’s First Parish Church in Concord (10 Lexington Rd., Concord). HeatSmart will also have three open houses to showcase each heating technology:

Lincoln’s HeatSmart coaches are John Snell and Belinda Gingrich (HeatSmartLincoln@gmail.com). To register for an open house and get locations, go to HeatSmartCCL.org.

HeatSmart CCL is a community-based clean heating and cooling initiative to help residents and businesses lower their energy bills, improve comfort, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Similar to the Solarize campaign, HeatSmart is a grassroots program driven by volunteers in the three towns.

Lincoln added 15 solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for a total of 107.1 kW and 10 solar hot water systems for a total of 29 kW in the recently concluded Solarize Mass in Lincoln, Sudbury and Wayland (LSW) campaign. The towns selected SolarFlair and New England Solar Hot Water as installers through a competitive bid process and ran a promotion that ran from August 2017 through February 2018, including a month-long extension due to popular demand.

The three Solarize LSW towns added 53 solar PV systems for a total capacity of 407 kW, including 11 systems for 75.9 kW in Sudbury and 27 systems for 224 kW inWayland. For solar hot water, the towns contracted 27 systems for 2,150 square feet of solar collectors for an equivalent of 84 kW. This includes two systems in Sudbury for 8 kW and 15 in Wayland 15 for 7 kW. Lincoln more than doubled its solar hot water infrastructure, adding 10 new systems for a total of 16.

This was the second round of Solarize Mass for the three towns. In 2012, the towns added 137 solar PV systems. 

School, community center groups respond to Finance Committee questions

The current Ballfield Road campus.

Committees for the two campus projects have submitted answers to a series of questions from the Finance Committee in advance of two April 30 meetings on project costs.

A multi-board meeting on the campus projects begins at 6 p.m. in the Hartwell B pod, followed by a joint meeting of the FinCom and the Capital Planning Committee from 7:30–9 p.m. A Special Town Meeting on the projects will take place on June 9.

In their answers to the FinCom, both the school and community center committees recommended against building a school project and a community center at the same time, citing the different projects scopes and timelines, construction durations, and problems in using the campus while two projects were under construction simultaneously.

The Community Center Planning and Preliminary Design Committee (CCPPDC) noted that contractors who are able to build a 160,000-square-foot square foot project such as the school do not typically compete for 23,000-square-foot buildings, and “it is likely that using the general contractor and subcontractors that typically handle the bigger, more complex projects for the smaller community center will actually add cost to the community center.”

The School Building Committee offered some FAQs about cost estimates on its website on April 29. Earlier, the SBC responded to a list of questions from the FinCom on:

  • Factors driving the cost per square foot of the various concepts
  • Enrollment projections
  • Space and cost numbers for comparable projects in other towns
  • Incremental costs of specific features such as a new or renovated Smith gym, renovated auditorium, and hubs for grades 3-8
  • Construction cost inflation and escalation
  • Comparisons to revant data form the Massachusetts School Building Authority
  • Operation and maintenance costs (also asked by the CapComm)
  • What’s included in “soft costs”

The CCPPDC was asked to supply figures and assumptions used for capacity planning for the community center design, and to explain why Bemis Hall can’t be renovated for the Council on Aging. The group’s answers are here, with more information on their research here (click on the “Finance Committee information for April 30” tab in the middle of the page).

In a discussion of the square footage sought for the community center, the CCPPDC noted that even newer community centers in other towns have proved to be too small. “The one town our size that offers a senior facility larger than the senior component of the community center says that they are already short on space,” the committee wrote. “Almost all towns we spoke with, including those with quite new facilities, said that they built too small and now need more space. We do not want to make the same mistakes as other towns by assuming that their facilities are adequate for their population when they are not, especially when these mistakes cost towns more in the long run when additions need to be built.”

News acorns

Instrumental concert at L-S

The Lincoln-Sudbury Spring Instrumental Concert is Thursday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium. There is no charge for admission and refreshments will be sold at intermission by the L-S Friends of Music. Band works include “Legends of the Yucatan” and “Goddess of Fire.” Orchestra will feature selections from “Peer Gynt.” The combined bands and orchestra will perform the Symphonic Suite from “The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring.”

​​Farrington Fairy Festival 2018

Farrington Nature Linc (291 Cambridge Turnpike, Lincoln) is hosting its annual Fairy Festival on Saturday, May 5 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Join a guided hike through our enchanted woods to meet the Fairy Queen, write to the fairies and they’ll write back Fairy Post Office, make a fairy house in our pine forest, and create and take home. Preregistration is required; tickets are $20 for one child-adult pair and $10 for each additional person in your party. Children under 3 are free. All elves, fairies, and gnomes should be accompanied by an adult. Best suited for children ages 4-10, although younger and older children are welcome. For more information, contact Tina DuBois at tina@naturelinc.org or 781-888-0868.

Film and discussion on college relationship violence

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable will join with Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School and Wayland High School to host on Thursday, May 10 at 7 p.m. at Wayland High School (264 Cochituate Road, Wayland) in inviting members of the community, particularly parents of high school students, to a film-based workshop about relationship violence produced by the OneLove Foundation. The short film, “Escalation,” tells the story of two college students who fall in love but whose relationship ultimately turns violent. After a screening, a guided discussion about warning signs of relationship violence will be led by a trained facilitator.  Student members of the Mentors in Violence Prevention Teams at the two high schools will also share information about their work and answer questions about “Escalation.”

L-S French students host movie night

See “Le Voyage de Fanny” (“Fanny’s Journey”) at the fifth annual French Movie Night on Friday, May 11 at 7 p.m. in Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Auditorium hosted by the 2018 “French Cinema” classes. Admission is free, but organizers we will be accepting donations for Save the Children. “Fanny’s Journey” (rated PG, in French with English subtitles) is the riveting true story of a young Jewish girl leading a group of Jewish children through Nazi territory to freedom in Switzerland. Directed by Lola Doillon. The students would like to thank the Early Language School of Sudbury, a bilingual French preschool in Sudbury, and EFGB (Éducation Française Greater Boston).

Garden Club plant sale coming up

It’s time for the Lincoln Garden Club’s biennial plant sale on Saturday, May 12 at Codman Barn from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. On sale will be perennials from members’ gardens including daisies, bloodroot, and phlox; container gardens designed by club members, and four species of native plant plugs: Aruncus dioicus, Liatris spicata, Veronicastrum virginicum, and Helenium flexuosum, as well as a table of garden bric-a-brac. The sale supports Garden Club activities such as arrangements for homebound, plantings for the watering trough at Five Corners and at Codman and Lincoln Road intersection, and presentations for the whole town such as our November 2017 lecture, “Gardening with Native Plants: Why it Matters.”

 

Lincoln-Sudbury walkout planned after alleged sexual assault of student in 2013

In the wake of a sexual assault lawsuit recently filed against Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, some students have planned a walkout for 9:30 a.m. on Monday, April 29.

L-S Superintendent/Principal Bella Wong noted in an email to the L-S community on Sunday night that the walkout is permitted by school policy. However, non-L-S individuals who aren’t already at the school for a specific school-related purpose will be excluded from campus during the event.

The school as well as Wong, Director of Special Education and Director of Student Services Aida Ramos, and East House Housemaster/Associate Principal Leslie Patterson were sued  on April 24 by a former student who claims the school discriminated against her and inflicted emotional distress after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by two other students in 2013.

Allegations in the lawsuit include the following (the plaintiff is referred to as“Jane Roe” and the two boys are not named):

  • During a football game at the high school on November 1, 2013, Jane was lured to an adjacent field by the boys, who assaulted her on the bleachers of the field adjacent to the football field and in an unlocked storage shed near the bleachers. “Although Jane tried to resist, the perpetrators forced Jane to perform oral sex and penetrated her with their fingers.”
  • In text messages to Jane afterwards, “both perpetrators admit to having acted improperly and [begged] for Jane’s forgiveness and silence.” One of them told her he was terrified of going to “juvie” and losing his girlfriend if the incident became public. He tried to persuade Jane to keep silent by indicating that he was crying, to which Jane said that she’d “been crying ever since I left u guys,” and continued, “I resisted… I tried to run away… you both raped me.” In a separate text exchange with the other boy, Jane confronted him for attempting to justify his actions to another classmate by saying he was ‘drunk and high’.”
  • Six days after the incident, Jane reported it to L-S clinical counselor Sue Leichtman, who notified Patterson and Jane’s mother, a Lincoln-Sudbury teacher. Jane also showed screenshots of the text messages between her and the boys. Sudbury police subsequently began investigating. Jane’s parents obtained Harassment Prevention Orders from Middlesex County Juvenile Court to prohibit the boys from interacting with her.
  • Though Jane returned to school on November 12, she was unable to attend classes because the boys were allowed to remain in school and shared classes with her. Patterson therefore had her sit in the East House common area for most of the day. “She was not assigned work to complete and had little to no interaction with teachers, counselors or other Lincoln-Sudbury personnel. She spent her days sitting alone, listening to her iPod” while a steady stream of students, including the boys, passed through the area to check their mailboxes.
  • Wong told Jane’s parents that the school could not give them information about any investigation or discipline, citing privacy concerns because “the perpetrators were allegedly special education students, as was Jane.”
  • L-S did not provide Jane with any counseling or therapy services. She began seeing a therapist at her family’s expense.
  • On November 20, Patterson told Jane’s parents that L-S was finally allowed by the police to conduct its own investigation of Jane’s allegations, but that the school was not allowed to talk to the perpetrators and had no authority to punish or remove them from the school.
  • Because the school could not adequately support Jane or keep her apart at all times from the boys, it suggested she enroll in a therapeutic school, EDCO Collaborative School (then in Watertown). The district denied the Roes’ request for Jane to attend a different equivalent public or private school closer to home; also, her EDCO education was inferior because she had to drop her double enrollment in math, did not receive a wellness credit, and could no continue as a two-season athlete. When Jane’s special education liaison sent her a recommendation for private schools, she was reprimanded by Ramos.
  • In March 2014, Jane was admitted to Anna Jacques Hospital for a week after telling her therapist she felt suicidal.
  • L-S launched the BEACON program in the fall of 2014 for students who had either formerly been outplaced due to depression and anxiety or to avoid such outplacement, but Jane’s parents were told she did not qualify.
  • In the fall of 2014, Jane’s parents enrolled her at Lawrence Academy at their expense. She graduated from that school in 2017.
  • In October 2015, the district told the Roes that its investigation of Jane’s allegations was inconclusive. However, in August 2017 after both boys had graduated, Jane’s mother received another letter from Ramos and South House Housemaster Peter Elenbaas claiming that the 2015 letter had incorrectly reported the school’s findings. “In that August 2017 letter, Lincoln-Sudbury for the first time admitted and acknowledged that its investigation had found ‘that there was sufficient evidence that an interaction of an egregious nature did occur on the evening of November 1st, and that the boys’ conduct substantially violated one of the core values of L-S’.”
  • Lincoln-Sudbury “deliberately failed to accurately report the results of its investigation prior to August of 2017 because the perpetrators remained students at the school and defendants did not want to contend with adverse publicity or parental complaints about the presence of known perpetrators of ‘physical assault and inappropriate sexual behavior’ within the school.”

The lawsuit charges L-S with failure to train and supervise response to sexual assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and discrimination on the basis of gender in violation of Title IX.

While noting that she could not comment on the specifics of the lawsuit that had been reported by various media outlets, Wong addressed the issue of sexual assault in two emails to the L-S community on April 27. In the first, she urged any student who had experienced unwanted verbal or physical sexual contact to notify someone at the school.

“The second you disclose to a trusted adult at L-S you will receive immediate attention and support,” Wong said. “You can tell ANY adult in this building and they will know what to do to make sure you get the help that you need.”

In the second email, Wong outlined the school’s measures to prevent sexual assault and support victims, including education around boundaries and consent, peer leaders trained through the Mentors in Violence Prevention program, self-defense classes and security cameras.

When an allegation of sexual assault occurs, “the police are provided the first opportunity to fully interview the affected parties in order to ascertain criminality,” Wong said. “We are able to interview the students more fully once the police have had their opportunity to interview. School discipline can only occur after these interviews are held. At the close of any incident of sexual assault, we also conduct a separate Title IX investigation to ensure that the civil rights of the student involved have been adequately protected.”

“We rely on every member of our community to help each of our students reach their fullest potential and to keep them safe. We cannot stress enough the importance of their learning about how to best maintain their own personal safety, and to reach out when in need of support,” Wong said.

Correction

In a set of obituaries published on April 25, the nickname of Elizabeth “Bisty” Donaldson was misspelled. The original story has been corrected.

Council on Aging activities in May

Piano class with Wanda Paik
May 1 and 15 at 10 a.m.
Dust off your piano music books and come to the piano class at the COA led by Wanda Paik. This class is open to all pianophiles, whatever your level, to play, share, and learn more about how to play and practice to help reach your goals. This class will be held on May 1 and 15 from 10–11:15 a.m. at Bemis Hall.

Mindfulness walks in nature
May 1 at 1 p.m.
Spring can be a very special time to connect with nature through walking in a mindful way. Join naturalist John Calabria for a series of walks in some of Lincoln’s most beautiful places on Tuesdays May 1 and June 5 beginning at 1 p.m. Where the walks will take place is to be determined. Unplug, disconnect from the world for a while and let your senses come alive in nature. These are co-sponsored by the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and the Lincoln Council on Aging. For more information, including locations of the walks, go to lincolnconservation.org.

Surviving and thriving through life’s challenges
May 2 at 9:30 a.m.
No matter what your phase of life or what you have encountered in life, you can learn and apply the scientifically-proven tenants of Positive Psychology to become more resilient and happier. Come to Bemis Hall at 9:30 on Wednesdays, May 2, 16, and 30 and June 13 to learn practical strategies, share practices, build connections and support each other. Facilitated by Alyson Lee, Social Worker, Life Coach, Certified and Licensed Facilitator of Positive Psychology. Funded by the Friends of the COA.

The many faces of loss: a new group
May 2 at 10 a.m.
As we age we confront loss in many forms. It may be the death of loved ones. It may also be dealing with physical health, or cognitive changes in loved ones, friends or in ourselves. It may include regrets about lost opportunities and we may also confront the recognition of our own mortality. Claire Gerstein, LICSW, one of the COA’s social workers with many years of experience helping people navigate the losses of later life, will be facilitating a group that will give people the opportunity to talk about these issues in a supportive environment. The six-week group will run on Wednesdays 10–11:30 on May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 and June 6. Signing up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811 is helpful but not required. [Read more…] about Council on Aging activities in May

Obituaries

Bitsy Donaldson

Family and friends will gather to honor and remember Elizabeth “Bisty” Donaldson on Saturday, May 19 at 2 p.m. at the First Parish Church in Lincoln. Donaldson, who died on March 19 at age 99, was a former member of the Lincoln School Committee, PTA, Lincoln 4-H Club, and First Parish in Lincoln choir.

David Ganley, 84 (March 28) — resident of The Commons.

Pat Seiden

Stefanie “Pat” Guzewicz Seiden, 82 (March 25) — former eucharistic minister at Holy Family Parish in Concord.

News acorns

Talk on Lincoln farming past, present and future

“Lincoln Has Long Been a Farming Town—Where Will This Heritage Take Us?” is the topic of a program presented by the Lincoln Historical Society and the Agricultural Commission on Sunday, May 6 at 2 p.m. in Bemis Hall.

It’s garlic mustard pull time

Fight invasive plants and pull garlic mustard with your neighbors from April 25 through May 31. Free paper leaf bags will be distributed to residents at the transfer station on Wednesday, April 25 and Saturday, April 28 from 9 a.m.–noon. After that, bags will be available at the Conservation office above Lincoln Kitchen in the mall (courtesy of the Lincoln Garden Club).

Drop off full bags behind the DPW Lewis Street near the cell tower Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m. (no wall lettuce or yard clippings). The DPW will also pick up bags through May 31 if you contact them at 781-259-2612 or stacyc@lincolntown.org. Allow a few days for pickup. For more information and a fact sheet on garlic mustard, click here.

First Parish holds May Market

The First Parish in Lincoln will hold its annual May Market “Trash and Treasurers” fair on Saturday, May 5 from 9 a.m.–noon in the parish house auditorium (14 Bedford Rd.). The fair offers antiques, collectibles, jewelry, household goods, furniture, and much more. Shoppers who arrive before 9 a.m. can enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee while they wait for the doors to open. All proceeds go to the First Parish in Lincoln. Past fair proceeds have funded projects such as a kitchen renovation, a sidewalk between the church and Parish House, and the Children’s Chapel. “It takes two years to collect the treasures and it’s recycling at its best. You’ll find things you never knew you needed,” said Tucker Smith, May Market committee chair. Any leftover items are donated to Households Goods, Inc., an Acton-based nonprofit that provides donated furniture and household items to the needy.

Teach a class at L-S Adult Ed

Are you interested in teaching an adult education class in fall or early winter, or a course you’d like to see offered by Lincoln-Sudbury Adult Education? The program is especially looking for classes in technology, literature, writing, foreign languages, and history for students in middle school and older. They’re happy to help you design a course and work with you on the details. For more information, email adult.ed@lsrhs.net by May 31. 

Free tours at Gropius House, Codman Estate

There will be free guided tours on the half-hour of the Gropius House and the Codman Estate on Saturday, May 5 from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. The Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area has invited the 45 towns and cities within its bounds to participate in “Hidden Treasures 2018,” a regional celebration.

Mother’s Day Country Breakfast at Pierce House

The Pierce House will host two Mother’s Day Country Breakfasts on Sunday, May 13 at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. under the tent, complete with lawn games and music. Advance reservations required; see the menu and reserve by May 10 by clicking here. $45 for adults, $40 for seniors and $20 for children 6-12 (free for children under 5). Catered by Tastings Caterers. Private rooms are available at an additional cost of $35; a minimum of eight people is needed to reserve a private room, with a maximum of 18 people.

Cabaret with Crowe and Harris

The Lincoln Public Library presents and evening of cabaret with Mary Crowe and Evelyn Harris on Wednesday, May 16 at 7 p.m. in the Tarbell Room. Cabaret originated in France in the 16th century, expanded to Germany and England in the 1930s and crossed the pond to the U.S. soon afterwards. Many songs were written by classical composers. Crowe and Harris will perform cabaret songs by Poulenc, Britten, Bolcolm, and Weill, as well as contemporary cabaret songwriters Carole Hall, Harriet Goldberg and Crowe herself.

The pair perform as a duo and with the Lincoln Hill Trio at jazz clubs at art centers, retirement communities and libraries throughout the Boston area. Their latest CD of Mary’s original songs, “Rebound,” was well reviewed in Metronome Magazine. Crowe has been on the Voice Faculty of Indian Hill Music School for 20 years and Evelyn Harris teaches Suzuki piano from her studio in Lincoln. For more information and calendar of upcoming performances, click here. The concert is sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.