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

News acorns

Forum on bike safety

There will be a Mass. Bike Forum co-sponsored by the Lincoln Cycling Safety Advisory Committee and members of the MetroWest cycling community to discuss how towns can create a safe cycling network in Middlesex County on Wednesday, March 28 from 7–9 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Richard Fries, executive director of MassBike, will speak on “Middlesex Revelations,” followed small-group brainstorming from 7:45–8:30 p.m. and a plenary discussion incorporating a summary, prioritization, and next steps from 8:30–9 p.m.

Fundraiser for L-S scholarships

Lotus Blossom (394 Boston Post Rd., Sudbury) will sponsor a fundraiser for the Lincoln-Sudbury Scholarship Fund on Tuesday, March 27. The restaurant will donate 20 of all orders between the hours of 5–9 p.m. when customers mention LSSF when ordering. There will also be representatives in attendance to answer questions about the scholarship application process.

Take library survey

The Lincoln Public Library encourages all residents to take the community survey to helpguide improvements and shape the future as it develops a new five-year plan of service. Each person in the household (kids too!) can submit a survey individually. Click here to take the survey.

Workshop on remembering names

The Friends of the Lincoln Public Library and the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging are co-sponsoring a free “Remembering Names” workshop with Neil Kutzen on Thursday, April 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the library’s Tarbell Room. The workshop will train attendees to remember the name of anyone they meet using Kutzen’s MemorizeBest program. Preregistration is required. To register, call 781-259-8465 ext. 202 or email lrothenberg@minlib.net.

Wates plays at next LOMA night

Rupert Wates

Rupert Wates is the featured performer at the next LOMA (Lincoln Open-Mike Acoustic) night on Monday, April 9 in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room. The event runs from 7-10 p.m., and Wates will perform a half-hour set starting around 8:30. He has released nine albums and he can be seen in this video performing “Waiting to Begin.” LOMA is a monthly event. Admission is free and refreshments are provided. Performers can sign up at the event or email Rich Eilbert at loma3re@gmail.com for a slot. There is a sound system with mikes and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups.

Get ready for Town Meeting with this Squirrel story roundup

Here’s a guide to stories published in the Lincoln Squirrel about some of the topics to be voted at at Town Meeting on Saturday, March 24. See the town website for a one-page summary of warrant articles and the full warrant.

The town election is Monday, March 26 from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Smith gym. Click here for more town information about voting. Scroll down for more information and to see the ballot.

Articles 8, 9, and 10 — Capital Planning Committee and Community Preservation Act appropriations
Article 26 — Reports from the School Building Committee and the Community Center Preliminary Planning and Design Committee
Articles 28 and 29 — Historic District bylaw amendment: Modernist homes and corresponding creation of a new Brown’s Wood Historic District
Article 30 — Bylaw amendment to create zoning overlay district and a preliminary development and use plan for the Mary’s Way development
Articles 32, 33, and 34 — Proposed bans on retail use of plastic bags and retail sale of individual plastic water bottles (citizens’ petitions)
Article 35 — Resolution in support of tighter regulation of gas leaks (citizens’ petition)

Town election

In the March 26 town election, the contest for two open seats on the Lincoln-Sudbury District School Committee has drawn the most attention. Lincoln resident Nancy Marshall is stepping down from the panel and fellow Lincolnite Carole Kasper is running for her seat. Meanwhile, Sudbury resident Gerald Quirk was up for reelection but unexpectedly withdrew from the race after the candidates’ filing deadline, so three other Sudbury residents—Cara Doran, Siobhan Hullinger, and Ellen Joachim—are running as write-in candidates.

Kasper and her supporters are urging residents to write in Joachim, but both Joachim and Hullinger have been the subject of numerous letters to the editor to the Lincoln Squirrel. All seats on the committee are at large, meaning neither town is apportioned a certain number.

There are also contested races for the Cemetery Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission. Cemetery Commission candidates are Susan Harding and Carol DiGianni, who is featured in a short video on the town website. Also in the video is a statement from Kasper starting at the 2:25 mark, and a video by Parks and Recreation Commission candidate Rey Romero and his daughter at the 5:25 mark. Romero is running against Sarah Chester and Adam Hogue for the single seat.

There is also a question on the ballot:

Question 1. Shall the Town of Lincoln be allowed to assess an additional $600,000 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purpose of purchasing a new Fire Department engine, including all costs incidental and related thereto, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2018?

Board or CommitteeOpenings/termsCandidates
Board of AssessorsOne for three yearsEdward Morgan*
Board of Health
One for three yearsPatricia Miller*
Board of SelectmenOne for three yearsJennifer Glass*
Cemetery CommissionOne for three yearsSusan S. Harding,* Carol DiGianni
Commissioners of Trust FundsOne for three years—
DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park TrusteesOne for four yearsJonathan Rapaport
Housing CommissionOne for three years, one for two years, one for one year Evan Gorman,* Bijoy Misra,* Keith Gilber
Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School CommitteeTwo for three years**Carol Marie Kasper
Parks and Recreation CommitteeOne for three yearsAdam Hogue, Rey Romero, Sarah Chester
Planning BoardOne for three yearsGerald Taylor*
School CommitteeTwo for three yearsPeter Borden,* Alvin L. Schmertzler*
Trustees of BemisOne for three yearsMimi Borden
Water CommissionOne for three yearsRobert B. Antia*

* incumbent

** Carole Kasper of Lincoln is running for one of two seats. Three Sudbury residents—Cara Doran, Siobhan Hullinger, and Ellen Joachim—are running as write-in candidates for a second open seat.

Planning Board, Selectmen endorse Oriole Landing

The Planning Board voted unanimously this week to recommend passage at Town Meeting of a measure that would give preliminary approval to the Oriole Landing mixed-income housing project.

In its recommendation, the board included several conditions that will be reflected in conditions for any future approval of the developer’s formal application. If the Town Meeting measure (which would create a development district within the North Lincoln Overlay zoning district and also approve a preliminary land use plan) passes by a two-thirds majority, Civico Development must then come back to the Planning Board within two years to obtain a special permit and site plan review.

In the first portion of the board’s public hearing on March 6, neighbors protested the 60-unit proposal on a number of fronts, saying the project is too large, will cost the town money due to increased school enrollment from tenants, will significantly increase traffic in the neighborhood, and will allow the town to dispense with any future efforts at increasing affordable housing in town.

At the hearing continuation on March 20, Andrew Consigli of Civico detailed changes in the proposal that resulted from community input at various meetings and open houses. The original proposal called for a four-story building of rental units (15 percent of them affordable) plus a condo building. The plan now calls for no condos and two 30-unit rental buildings of two and a half to three stories, with 25 percent of the units deeded as affordable. Consigli noted that this adjustment was made possible by the promise of a no-interest loan of $1 million from the Lincoln Housing Commission. The sum does not need to be repaid to the town unless the affordability deed restrictions are terminated for any reason in the future.

Rather than tearing down the 1870s Dexter C. Harris house on the property, Civico has pledged to spend up to $100,000 to relocate the house between the two rental buildings and repurpose it as an open three-season indoor space for gatherings or studio use.

In response to traffic concerns, Civico agreed to a left-turn-only restriction out of the Oriole Landing driveway onto Mary’s Way from 6:30-9:30 a.m. on weekdays. The company also agree to donate $25,000 to Lincoln’s Complete Streets program to improve street safety and accessibility for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. (Last fall, the town received a $400,000 state grant for 10 projects that must be completed by September 2018.)

In their March 19 vote to endorse the Oriole Landing project, the Board of Selectmen specified that the $25,000 should be used if possible to create a roadside path along Old Concord Turnpike near the development. The Department of Public Works is also planning to paint a center line on Mary’s Way. In addition, Consigli said he was looking into the idea of offering a fee-based shuttle service between the development and the Alewife MBTA station.

“It’s a better plan from when we first came in with,” he said.

The town hired Lynne Sweet of Newton-based LDS Consulting in Newton to look at Civico’s fiscal impact statement. Her report estimated a net positive fiscal impact to the town of about $114,000 annually—just under the $115,000 predicted in the analysis commissioned by Civico.

“The margins are very slim for this project,” Sweet said of the development’s projected finances. Because of the reduced density from the original plan and things like the LEED certification, “the numbers are really tight; there’s not a lot of wiggle room to add more costs,” she said in concluding that the $1 million loan is in fact necessary to make the project financially feasible.

“For me, this was a difficult decision,” said Planning Board member Lynn DeLisi after the vote.  “I was very impressed with Civico and how they interacted with the community, but on the other hand, I have great sympathy for the neighborhood. Cathy O’Brien made some very good points.”

O’Brien, who lives on Cambridge Turnpike and whose mother Mary’s house abuts the development site, raised numerous objections at the earlier public hearing. On March 21, she confirmed on LincolnTalk that she was the source of a town-side mailing that reiterated those objections and urged residents to vote “no” vote at Town Meeting.

“Neighborhoods are personal—it’s where we live,” Selectman Jonathan Dwyer said earlier this week when Selectmen unanimously voted to endorse the project. If voters approve it, “we need to help the neighborhood get that it needs to help them live with it.”

Selectmen James Craig and Jennifer Glass also expressed sympathy for the neighbors, who have had to live alongside two construction projects at The Commons as well as the Route 2 project in recent years. However, they couldn’t pass up an opportunity to guarantee the town’s state-mandated affordable housing minimum for years and thus avoid a much larger 40B housing project that could bypass local zoning restrictions. Weston and Wayland are both facing the real prospect of “unwanted large-scale developments that are really going to change the fabric and essence of those communities,” Craig said.

Letter to the editor: more support for Hullinger

To the editor:

I am writing in support of Siobhan Hullinger’s write-in candidacy for the L-S School Committee. Having known Siobhan for some time, I am confident that the thoughtfulness she brings to the conversation will be an asset to the district. I know Siobhan to be thoughtful and listen to people. She takes an approach that is thoughtful, deliberate, and considered. She is intelligent and informed, and will seek out advice and input from the whole community, regardless of town of residency, to ensure that we have a wonderful, thriving, academically challenging, and inclusive school community which does not leave anyone behind.

I encourage you to write in her name on the ballot for Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee.

Sincerely,

Craig Gruber
187 Goodmans Hill 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.

Meeting on safety at L-S; committee members sought

The Lincoln-Sudbury High School administration is hosting an open meeting for interested community members of both towns regarding school safety practices at L-S on Thursday, March 22 at 6 p.m. in the lecture hall. Administration and members of the L-S Safety Council will provide a detailed presentation on current safety practices and how the school proactively updates them on a frequent as-needed basis in consultation with our safety officers of both Lincoln and Sudbury as well with various state agencies and other non-profit organizations.

A new Lincoln-Sudbury Safety Review Subcommittee is also seeking members. The group—which expects to meet at least once weekly from the beginning of April to the middle of June—will review, report, and make recommendations on all operational, physical and educational aspects of Lincoln-Sudbury as they relate to the safety of students, faculty, and staff. Members will include:

  • One L-S administrator (recommended by superintendent)
  • One member of the L-S Safety Council (recommended by the council)
  • One Faculty (recommended by L-S Teachers Association)
  • One Student Services representative (recommended by L-S superintendent)
  • One student (recommended by L-S Student Senate)
  • Representative of the Lincoln and Sudbury Police and Fire Departments (recommended by those departments)
  • Two members of the L-S School Committee (recommended by that committee)
  • Four registered voters in Lincoln, Sudbury, and Boston (METCO), appointed by the L-S School Committee)
  • One alternate from the L-S staff
  • Two alternates from the public

Anyone wishing to be considered must send their interest in writing to frances_zingale@lsrhs.net by the end of the day on Friday, March 23. Submission should include a description of interest and any qualifications to be considered by the School Committee. Applicants are encouraged to attend the March 22 safety meeting. The committee review all recommendations and approve membership of the Safety Review Subcommittee in public session on March 27.

Letter to the editor: Civico expresses appreciation to community

To the editor:

In advance of Town Meeting being held this weekend, we would like to take this opportunity to extend our thanks to the Lincoln community. Since October 2017, Civico Development has been out in the community discussing the merits of our proposed Oriole Landing project. Throughout this time, we have learned about what the community refers to as “the Lincoln way” through hard questions, meaningful debates and fruitful discussions. Whether at a public meeting in the Donaldson Room, a community open house at the town library, or a conversation at the transfer station, the passion and pride of the townspeople were clearly evident.

Through a collaborative approach working with the HOW Group, Planning Board, Housing Commission, Housing Trust, Historic Commission and all of the various town departments, the process has been a positive experience for our team. We appreciate the organized and “attention to detail” manner in which the town officials led meetings and conducted the public process.

We have heard the concerns regarding density and height, historic preservation, school impacts, fiscal benefits, traffic concerns, and neighborhood impacts, and have responded. We hope our responses have clarified and resolved your questions in a meaningful way.

Throughout the process, we have gained the support and endorsement of the Planning Board, Housing Commission, Historic Commission, and the Board of Selectmen. This Saturday we hope to gain the support of the community through approval of a bylaw amendment to establish a North Lincoln Planning Development Overlay District and a Preliminary Development and Land Use Plan. If you have any remaining questions before Town Meeting, we will also be holding a community open house this Thursday from 4:30–8:30 p.m. at Bemis Hall. Please come by and enjoy some snacks and refreshments.

We hope to see you on Saturday at Town Meeting, and if approved, we look forward to working with the community through the site plan permit process.

Sincerely,

Andrew Consigli
Civico Development

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.

Letter to the editor: LSSC’s Mostue urges write-in votes for Joachim

(Editor’s note: Mostue also wrote a previous letter in support of L-S School Committee candidate Carole Kasper. There are two openings on the committee.)

To the editor:

I am submitting this letter in support of write-in candidate Ellen Joachim for the position of School Committee Member for Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. Ellen will bring to the committee a unique and valuable background:

  • She has served six years on the Sudbury K-8 School Committee, which will strengthen and inform her transition to the high school. 
  • She has served as both chair and vice chair of the Sudbury K-8 Committee, an indication of her leadership and commitment.
  • An L-S graduate herself and the mother of two L-S graduates (with a third a junior), Ellen knows first-hand the value of  a challenging and supportive education in a safe environment.
  • As a lawyer, Ellen will offer her legal training in forming school policy.

I am entering my eleventh year of service on the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee. Having Ellen join us would be a welcome addition. As one who has observed her on the Sudbury K-8 Committee, I have been impressed with her ability to listen to all perspectives before making decisions. I trust Ellen will uphold the responsibilities and limits of the position of school committee membership.

Please join with me and vote for Ellen Joachim on Monday, March 26.

Sincerely,

Patricia Mostue
3 Lexington Rd., Lincoln
Member, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School 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.

Letter to the editor: candidate may favor Lincoln paying more for L-S

 To the editor:

I wrote a recent letter to the editor supporting the candidacy of Carol Kasper and Ellen Joachim. This brought me an interesting phone call from a Sudbury resident, who will remain nameless. He referred me to this 2010 column by Mike Hullinger, husband and endorser of Siobhan Hullinger, who is running as a write-in candidate for the Lincoln Sudbury regional school committee.

Since he has written to support Ms. Hullinger’s candidacy, it seemed fair game to provide the link to his column. I recommend reading it before going to the polls. It takes the long-held position by a number of Sudbury residents that Lincoln is not providing its fair share of financial support for the high school. This, as I understand it, is one of the main justifications for the proposed superintendent consolidation of the high school and Sudbury K-8 systems.  In fairness, I cannot confirm that Ms. Hullinger shares her husband’s position, although my source insists that this is the case.

Sincerely,

Eric Harris
138 Bedford Rd., Lincoln

CapComm, Community Preservation Act items up for votes

Click the image above to see the full draft list of Community Preservation Act items plus explanations for each.

Here are the lists of items to be voted on in Saturday’s Town Meeting warrant article 8 (Capital Planning Committee or CapComm) and article 10 (Community Preservation Act or CPA). The capital items total $687,070, and there will be a separate vote in warrant article 9 on a debt exclusion appropriation of $600,000 for a new fire engine. 

The draft list of 16 CPA items total $978,805. With the addition of another $92,235 for affordable housing (by state law, 10 percent of a town’s CPA revenues must be set aside for this purpose), the total request comes to $1,071,040. 

(Note: Capital Planning items are listed in descending order of dollar amount, not as they appear on the Town Meeting warrant)

ItemAmountSponsor
Replacement of the library air conditioning system$305,000Library Trustees
Purchase of a medium dump truck for the DPW$80,000Selectmen
Purchase and equipping of one replacement marked cruiser for the Police Department, and to authorize the disposal of, by sale or otherwise, any related excess vehicles or equipment$40,575Selectmen
Purchase of a district-wide safety/security radio system for the Lincoln Public Schools$39,104School Committee
Purchase and installation of instructional technology-display & audio for the Lincoln Public Schools$36,361School Committee
Purchase and equipping of one replacement unmarked cruiser for the Police Department, and to authorize the disposal of, by sale or otherwise, any related excess vehicles or equipment$34,600Selectmen
Migration of email to the cloud$26,000Selectmen
Replacement of existing guardrail$25,000Selectmen
Replacement of the IT firewall at town offices$16,000Selectmen
Replacement of a fire hose$15,200Selectmen
Engineering assessment of the culverts at the Pierce House$15,000Pierce House Committee
Services of a radio communications consultant to assess our current public safety radio system infrastructure for our Communications Department and its related equipment$14,000Selectmen
Replacement of five (5) portable radios for the Communications Department$13,785Selectmen
Replacement of the phone system at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School$11,224L-S School Committee
Purchase of additional CCTV security cameras at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School$7,717L-S School Committee
Replacement of a water heater at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School$7,504L-S School Committee

 

Letter to the editor: LSSC’s Marshall supports Kasper and Joachim

(Editor’s note: Marshall is currently on the LSSC but is not running for reelection.)

To the editor:

I write to fully endorse Carole Kasper’s and Ellen Joachim’s candidacies for the L-S School Committee. Lincoln voters should robustly support them at the polls on Monday, March 26. There are two open seats, as Gerald Quirk of Sudbury and I are both stepping down. Carole’s is the only candidate name printed on the ballot. Ellen is a write-in candidate from Sudbury. 

Carole and Ellen are both strong leaders. They have been collaborative, engaged, and thoughtful contributors to many community and educational initiatives at L-S and in Lincoln and Sudbury. There is hard, good work to be done, engaging committees in both towns, attending to the L-S School Committee’s regular business, crafting a fiscally responsible budget, and listening to constituents in Lincoln, Sudbury, and Boston. Carole and Ellen will put in the hours and foster relationships and will represent the integrity of our regional high school and our communities well.

Carole was active on the L-S School Start Time Subcommittee; she analyzed and collated the data that went into the final report. She fully understands and supports L-S’s efforts to find a way to allow a later start time for our students. Carole’s recent work chairing the Lincoln Campus Master Plan Committee was critical to the town’s next steps in our school and community center discussions. 

Ellen will be a strong advocate for our high school; she understands the nuanced Lincoln/Sudbury partnership. Ellen’s legal expertise and her six years on the Sudbury School Committee provide lenses that will support the L-S School Committee’s work and positive relationships with our K-8 districts.

Ensuring our students feel safe socially, emotionally, and physically at L-S is a priority for both Carole and Ellen. Carole’s depth of experience in her consulting work will contribute to open, thoughtful conversations about school safety. Both of them will seek to balance L-S’s strengths in allowing students to be resilient and well-prepared for life after high school with the realities and pressures of our world today.

Carole and Ellen will work diligently with our Finance and Capital Committees, engage constituents and town officials openly and respectfully, and support LSRHS faculty and staff in their continued efforts to educate and prepare our students for the 21st century. They will be guided by the core values of L-S and approach their service mindful of what is best for all students.

Having two Lincoln seats at L-S is not guaranteed; supporting Carole with a very high turnout in Lincoln is critical to assuring our high school is served well by both towns. Carole’s name is printed on the ballot. Along with Ellen, there are two other write-in candidates from Sudbury. Carole and Ellen have complementary skills to partner productively and positively for LSRHS.

Absentee ballots for registered Lincoln residents who will be out of town are available from the Town Clerk through Friday, March 23.  Applications for absentee ballots can be obtained via the Town Clerk’s website.

Sincerely,

Nancy Marshall
23 Beaver Pond Rd.

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.