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

Town Meeting and election notes

Green Energy Forum is Monday night

The Green Energy Forum originally scheduled for March 14 will take place on Monday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m. in Hartwell Pod B. Sponsors of the two plastic bottle Town Meeting warrant articles will be on hand to provide information and answer questions, as will supporters of the “Community Choice Aggregation” measure for electric power purchasing, and the “Protecting Consumers of Gas and Electricity from Paying for Leaked & Unaccounted-for Gas” measure sponsored by Mothers Out Front. Other groups will be on hand to provide information about energy efficiency programs and initiatives in town, including the new HeatSmart Program for discounts on home heating systems.

Meet L-S School Committee candidates

There are still two opportunities to meet and chat with Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District Committee candidates Carole Kasper of Lincoln and Ellen Joachim, a write-in candidate from Sudbury:

  • Tuesday, March 20 from 7–8:30 p.m. in the Hartwell multipurpose room on the Lincoln School
  • Wednesday, March 21 from 9:30–11:00 a.m. at the home of Sabra Alden (6 Brooks Hill Rd.).

Light refreshments will be served. If you’re planning to come to Sabra’s house on March 21, please email mhylton@bu.edu so organizers can obtain an accurate headcount.

LEAP to provide child care during Town Meeting

LEAP has offered to provide childcare to the community on Saturday, March 24 from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. so parents can attend Town Meeting. The discussions of the school and community center projects will probably be either just before or just after lunch, so the LEAP coverage should enable attending these updates.

The cost per child is $10 and children must be at least kindergarten age. Those interested must fill out this Google form with your child’s name, age, parent contact and any allergies. Anyone with questions may email Katie Hawkins at leap0615@gmail.com.

Get absentee ballots by Friday

Residents may obtain and cast absentee ballots for the March 26 town election at the Town Clerk’s office through Friday, March 23. Under state law, the office cannot allow anyone to deliver a physical ballot to a voter, although a family member may apply for an absentee ballot to be mailed to another family member. Click here for more information.

Girl Scouts bake sale

The Lincoln Girl Scouts are hosting a bake sale at Town Meeting on Saturday from 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. They will be selling a variety of delicious home-made baked goods and coffee, as well as Girl Scout Cookies (both boxes at $5 each as well as a la carte cookies) for those who may have missed out earlier in the year. All proceeds will support the third-grade troop’s service project which includes a donation to Buddy Dog Humane Society in Sudbury.

Letter to the editor: SSC member urges votes for Joachim

(Editor’s note: St. George is a member of the Sudbury School Committee.)

To the editor:

I am encouraging all voters to write-in “Ellen Joachim” for the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee. She is a known supporter of our students who has tirelessly served and advocated with integrity for our Sudbury schools, staff and students for over 15 years.

I have had the privilege and pleasure of working with and alongside Ellen for many years, starting at Nixon School as fellow PTO members and, more recently, for five years on the SPS School Committee. As a colleague she is collegial, fair, respectful, and able to take on and follow through with whatever needs to be done. She is a well-respected leader—a PTO chair at Nixon, and most recently School Committee vice chair, chair, then my vice chair.

As a trusted leader, Ellen has worked tirelessly for the academic and social/emotional wellbeing of all our students. Ellen is a good listener, respectful of all stakeholders and able to ask tough questions and make tough decisions. She has performed many duties including active liaison positions on multiple town boards. She has worked closely with Chief Nix and SPS administration to ensure comprehensive and strategic safety measures were put in place across the schools.

Ellen has been active in attending multi-town School Committee roundtable discussions and supported tri-district collaboration between LPS, L-S, and SPS. A former lawyer, she is well organized and process-oriented, and she has a solid understanding of budget drivers across Sudbury, negotiation experience, and an eye for efficiencies whenever possible.

I have no doubt that Ellen will bring fresh eyes, ears and thoughtfulness to the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee. She has true commitment and history as she is a former LSRHS graduate, and has been a parent at L-S for several years, with her third son a rising senior in the fall of 2018.

Please write in your vote for “Ellen Joachim” for Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee on Monday, March 26. Your vote matters!

Sincerely,

Lucie St. George
Concord 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.

Letter to the editor: Hullinger can see “the big picture”

To the editor:

I am writing this letter in support of L-S School Committee candidate Siobhan Hullinger.

I have worked with Siobhan on the HOPEsudbury board for a few years now, and she is genuine in her endeavors to be of service to others. Siobhan leads the Community Outreach Committee and has educated herself further about nonprofits, training with the Metrowest Nonprofit Network. Siobhan is not only ready to serve, but also willing to educate herself to be the best possible board member, whether for HOPEsudbury or the L-S School Committee.

What better qualification for the L-S School Committee than to have a board member who actually is in touch with the school, its administration, teachers, parent organization, and beyond? Not only is Siobhan an active parent volunteer, organizer, and spectator with many L-S Committees and activities, but she also serves on the board of the Lincoln-Sudbury Scholarship Fund Dollars for Scholars. Serving on this board (unaffiliated with LSRHS) provides an opportunity for discussions not limited to just scholarships for students. Because members are both from Sudbury and Lincoln, it also provides an opportunity for conversations about a common goal, transcending town lines. As an LSSC member, Siobhan will bring to the table thoughts and ideas based on real observations and experiences.

Sudbury and Lincoln residents can be confident that any decisions put in front of a school committee on which Siobhan serves will have the full rigor of vetting and discussion required to make an educated plan, providing what is best for students, faculty, administrators, and taxpayers alike. Sio knows how to remain objective and make decisions based on what is best for all parties. To me, she models how to stand back and look at the “big picture.”

Siobhan’s decision to run for public office was not one taken lightly by her or her family, but they know how passionate she is. As LSRHS begins to write its next chapter, taxpayers from Lincoln and Sudbury alike need to know their LSSC members will remain vigilant to the need of all stakeholders.

Please join me and write in “Siobhan Hullinger (55 Washington Dr.”) for L-S School Committee on Monday. A vote for Siobhan is a vote for both Sudbury and Lincoln.

Beth Farrell
55 Peakham Road, 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.

Some background on the Historic District proposal

(Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the Lincoln Review and is reprinted with permission.)

What if a species of tree appeared to be threatened with disease, let us say, on your property. Should you be worried? How would you assess the situation? What could be done? How would you measure the loss? If we alter the scenario and describe the pending loss as not of trees but as part of Lincoln’s history, architecturally and culturally, we can see the ideas behind a forthcoming town initiative.

At Town Meeting on March 24, the town will be asked to consider an initiative: the addition of 18 Modern houses located throughout town to Lincoln’s existing Historic District, and the creation of a new Historic District with 11 houses in the Modern neighborhood of Brown’s Wood. For several years, the Historic District Commission (HDC) and the Friends of Modern Architecture (FoMA) have been working on this initiative with owners of Modern houses who are voluntarily participating. Its purpose is to help preserve and protect the defining characteristics of Modern buildings, structures, and neighborhoods, and in doing so, to sustain the treasured look and feel of the town. According to the Massachusetts Historical Commission, “the strongest form of protection is a local historic district created through a local bylaw or ordinance.” The Massachusetts Historic District Act provides for the addition of noncontiguous houses to a local district.

A little background: the HDC is an official Lincoln board. It came into being with establishment of Lincoln’s Historic District by vote of the town in 1981. Its members are appointed and have oversight over the Historic District, which currently consists of 73 properties in four areas: Lincoln Center, Woods End, Codman Farm, and Cory-Brown-Hunt on Conant Road.

According to Lincoln’s bylaw, the HDC is “intended to preserve and protect as a permanent legacy the significant historical areas and distinctive architectural characteristics of the town of Lincoln in their settings.” This is achieved through guidelines in the bylaw for buildings and structures within the district. HDC members are responsible for approving requests for permanent exterior alterations above grade and visible from a public way, and new construction and demolitions; and for determining the appropriateness of a requested change in relation to the historical and architectural significance of the building or structure and its site.

The HDC can issue a certificate of nonapplicability for ordinary maintenance and a certificate of hardship in certain instances when refusal of a request would create a hardship for the applicant. Certain alterations and additions, itemized in the bylaw, are excluded from consideration. This bylaw would govern the Modern house being added to the Historic District; the new Brown’s Wood Historic District would have several additional provisions developed in consultation with the members of that district.

FoMA, a local nonprofit organization, was founded in 2005 to promote greater awareness and appreciation of Modernism’s contribution to Lincoln’s architectural and cultural history. FoMA encourages efforts to preserve this legacy for the town and for future generations of homeowners.

Modernism in Lincoln

Modernism refers not to a specific style but an international idea. Dating from and reflective of the post-World War I period, Modern architecture uses mass-produced materials and scientific and engineering innovations in an effort to improve living and working conditions by providing fresh air and light in efficient, affordable designs. Modernism values honesty of structure and purpose expressed through simplicity of form, direct use of materials, open floor plan, large glass windows which foster connection between interior and exterior, and design specific to site.

In Lincoln, Modernism has a long and distinguished history. Lincoln became an important incubator for Modern residential design beginning in the late 1930s. The first Modern residence in town was completed in 1937. During the 1940s and especially post-World War II, Lincoln grew rapidly. The town’s proximity to Cambridge and Boston, and the educational and cultural opportunities those cities offered, attracted a population drawn to and interested in participating in Modern ideas and ideals. Many architects were attracted to Lincoln and found residential commissions. Some architects also joined with local residents to work with innovative town planning, including the development of several Modern house neighborhoods in town.

Woods End Road, the town’s first Modern neighborhood, became part of the town’s Historic District in 1981. Other Modern neighborhoods dating from the 1940s to 1960s include Old Concord Road, Brown’s Wood, Twin Pond Lane, Tabor Hill, Woodcock Lane, Rockwood Lane, Stonehedge Road, and Hiddenwood Path.

Although other towns possess important Modern houses or neighborhoods, Lincoln has an inventory of considerable breadth and influence. From 1937 to 1969, over 300 Modern residences as well as civic, cultural, and commercial buildings were constructed in Lincoln. This collection of Modern houses uniquely includes 14 pre-World War II houses, some of which were designed by architects for their families.

Following World War II, academics and professionals moving into town as well as local residents commissioned Modern houses, and, as before, architects also designed for their own families. The local, nationally and internationally recognized architects who have practiced in Lincoln include J. Quincy Adams, Lawrence Anderson, Walter Bogner, Marcel Breuer, Earl Flansburgh, Walter Gropius, Henry Hoover, Carl Koch, Thomas McNulty, Cyrus Murphy, G. Holmes Perkins, Walter Pierce, Constantin Pertzoff, Frances Quarton, Lucy Rapperport, Mary Otis Stevens, and Hugh Stubbins. Through their academic work and teaching, architectural firms, publications, and extent of commissions, their influence frequently extended well beyond Lincoln.

Certain houses in Lincoln already have a measure of protection, a basis on which the HDC would like to build through this initiative. For instance, the 1937 home of Henry Hoover and the 1963 home of Earl Flansburgh are under the Preservation Easement Program of Historic New England (HNE). In addition, HNE owns the property of Walter Gropius and maintains the residence as a house museum. The Gropius House is also on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as a designated National Historic Landmark, and is within the Woods End area of the Historic District. The residence of Marcel Breuer likewise is within the Woods End area of the Historic District. Three Modern houses are within the Lincoln Center area of the Historic District, and two more Modern houses are protected by a Lincoln Rural Land Foundation conservation easement governing the buildings’ envelope.

The HDC and FoMA believe that more examples of Modern architecture in Lincoln warrant the attention and protection the Town’s Historic District bylaw can provide. They therefore ask for town support of the proposal outlined above, believing it can provide the town and interested homeowners a significant mechanism by which examples of the important architectural and cultural period of Modernism in Lincoln’s history can be protected for the future.

—Andrew C. Glass and Lucretia H. Giese, for the HDC and FoMA

Town Archives launches new digital website

The architect’s sketch and floor plan for the Lincoln Public Library (click to enlarge).

The Lincoln Town Archives (LTA) has launched a new website at lincolntownarchives.omeka.net to highlight treasures from their historical collections. The site features selected archival materials and exhibits about Lincoln’s local history, including some rarely seen images and artifacts—all easily accessible online. 

Currently the LTA is featuring a new digital exhibit called “R.D. Donaldson: A Vernacular Carpenter.” The exhibit explores the life and legacy of Lincoln builder Robert Douglas Donaldson and is based on research conducted by late Lincoln resident Robert Loud. It also highlights photographs and documents recently donated by R.D.’s grandson, Craig Donaldson. Archives intern Indrani Kharbanda assisted in the creation of the exhibit.

The new LTA website also includes an exhibit titled “From Bookcase to Building: A History of the Lincoln Library,” adapted from an original physical display created by Marjorie Hilton for the Lincoln Town Archives’ grand reopening in 2009. It chronicles the history and development of the Lincoln Public Library, and spotlights documents such as the Constitution of the third Social Library in Lincoln (1840) and images of the original Lincoln Library building in the 1880s.

As an ongoing digital project aimed at providing easy remote access to archival collections and promoting local history, Town Archivist Marie Wasnock will add more historical items and exhibits to the site periodically. 

The Lincoln Town Archives collects, preserves, and provides access to the history and culture of the town of Lincoln. Collections include municipal records, manuscripts, books, photographs, audiovisual materials, and other ephemera documenting the history of Lincoln from 1746 to the present.

Adults and students walk out to protest school gun violence

A group of Lincoln residents stands vigil on Tuesday, one month after the Parkland school shooting.

Undeterred by the recent heavy snowfall, a group of Lincolnites held a 17-minute silent vigil in South Lincoln on March 14, the one-month anniversary at the Parkland, Fla., school shootings. The following day, students at the Lincoln School and Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School walked out of school for 17 minutes to protest gun violence.

The school walkouts were delayed a day because schools were closed on March 14, two days after a blizzard dropped almost two feet of snow on the area. But adults braved the cold on Wednesday and stood silently for 17 minutes to commemorate the 17 students and adults who were shot. Organizer Sharon Antia played a bell tone on her phone once each minute as participants took turns reading the names of the victims.

Although the First Parish Church rang its bell 17 times at 10:00, it couldn’t be heard at Peace Park—but bells rang out anyway at the end of the vigil as a commuter train approached.

“I just felt I had to find a place to be open about what I feel about guns and this tragedy,” said vigil participant Toby Frost.

At the vigil, “I was thinking about my own children. When I see something like that, the unimaginable horror as a parent I would feel…” said Margit Griffith, her voice trailing off.

“As students, it’s kind of scary to think about [a shooting] and that it could be a younger adult who just graduated high school,” said Griffith’s daughter Emma, 14. “Guns are meant for war—they shouldn’t be anywhere near students.”

“Our Constitution and our democracy are being hijacked by a false understanding of the Second Amendment,” said Chris Damon.

“No one should be able to purchase that kind of weapon, especially at that age,” said her son 14-year-old Javi Damon. Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz used an AR-15 in the Parkland school shooting.

The next day, hundreds of students at L-S left class and walked around the high school with signs and a student speech. Police were on campus to prevent anyone from entering or leaving except in an emergency.

At the Lincoln School, about 150 students in grades 5–8 also walked out. Student Council members read names and brief pieces of information about each of the 17 people who were killed in Parkland, and the names were interspersed with poems, moments of silence, and one impassioned plea to end gun violence.

After they reentered the building, the students had an opportunity to reflect on the event by talking to adults and each other, writing letters to students or lawmakers, draw, write on sticky notes to be posted around the school in response to the question “how can we take care of each other?”

Some scenes from the walkout and student signs that were taped afterwards to windows at L-S (click an image to enlarge):

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Letter to the editor: Matthews supports Kasper, Hullinger

To the editor:

The Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee is losing two long-serving colleagues and this election on March 26 will be crucial in finding strong, thoughtful, and hardworking successors to Nancy Marshall and Gerald Quirk. I am writing this as an individual and not in my capacity as a member of the committee and its current chair, but my experience definitely informs my views. The towns of Lincoln and Sudbury are losing two key committee members, both have been serving on our current contract negotiations committee, so it is clear how critical this election will be to the future of L-S. Our towns need to send the best two candidates to serve for the next three years.

Carole Kasper is from Lincoln and has served her community and Sudbury well. She is a collaborative, dedicated, thoughtful leader and is a candidate at a time when there is much hard work to be done. She has already worked with the LSSC with her service on the L-S School Start Time Subcommittee and was a major force on that committee determining L-S’s need to balance start time and end time with our student’s health needs. Carole has proved her leadership qualities with her work with middle school parents from Lincoln and aiding in the transition of students from Lincoln Middle School to L-S.

Siobhan Hullinger from Sudbury,is well known from the community service she has already done. She serves on three boards in Sudbury: HOPEsudbury, the LSPO, and the L-S Scholarship Fund. She was also elected to and served on L-S School Council and has had three children go through L-S with her last child as a sophomore. She is hard-working, thoughtful, collaborative and best of all, very familiar with the unique culture of L-S. The towns of Lincoln and Sudbury need Siobhan on the L-S School Committee to do the hard work and make the difficult decisions that preserve the excellence in the academic experience for all students and preserve the unique culture that the two towns have fostered in L-S.

Please join me in voting for Carole Kasper and Siobhan Hullinger (a write-in candidate) on March 26. Help keep the L-S School Committee the high-performing team it currently is.

Sincerely,

Kevin J. Matthews
Haynes 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.

Obituaries

Raymond Dunn III

Raymond Dunn III, 75 (March 7) — former administrator of  New England Rehabilitation Hospital and founder/CEO of Advantage Health Corp.

Arthur Tetreault, 94 (January 9) — part of husband-and-wife team of builder-developers and real estate agents.

Letter to the editor: Sudbury selectman endorses Hullinger

(Editor’s note: Brown is a member of the Sudbury Board of Selectmen).

To the editor:

I am writing to support Siobhan Hullinger for a seat on the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School School Committee in this year’s election.

Siobhan has a long record of volunteering for community service and a notable record of service at the high school. This not only demonstrates her commitment to the school and the L-S community, but also provides her with an understanding of the specific strengths, weaknesses, and unique culture at L-S. She understands the need for collaboration among L-S, Sudbury, Lincoln and METCO to create a seamless academic experience for our students, to address school start time recommendations, and to create an effective administrative structure for our schools.

Further, Siobhan is thorough and meticulous in her research and in deriving her conclusions and recommendations. This requires time, effort and analysis upon her part, and she undertakes this work with an open mind. I have learned to consider her statements carefully, even when we might disagree. Her willingness to argue passionately on the issues while maintaining a courteous and civil manner to her colleagues is one of her great strengths.

I urge you to write in Siobhan Hullinger for L-S School Committee on March 26.

Sincerely,

Pat (Patricia) Brown
34 Whispering Pine 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.

Letter to the editor: Hylton endorses Kasper for LSSC

To the editor:

I write to encourage my fellow Lincoln voters to get to the polls on Monday, March 26 and to cast their votes for Carole Kasper of Lincoln and Ellen Joachim of Sudbury for the two open seats on the L-S School Committee.

Carole is well known to many in town, having served in a variety of volunteer capacities. As everyone who has worked with her will attest, she is smart, hardworking, a natural leader, and an excellent listener. She is the only candidate whose name will actually appear on the ballot this year, so casting a vote for her will be a straightforward civic exercise!

As most know, Lincoln is not guaranteed any seats at all on the L-S School Committee. In order to make sure our voice is heard, it is imperative that a candidate like Carole, who is a strong and effective advocate for high-quality public education, joins the committee with a powerful signal of support from the community.

OK, you might ask, then who is Ellen Joachim and why should I support her for a seat as well?  To all who generally believe (as I typically do) that political races in Lincoln are dull, predictable affairs, this year is a clear exception. L-S School Committee incumbent Gerald Quirk unexpectedly withdrew from the race a few weeks ago. Ellen came forward and, after several weeks of campaigning, has demonstrated that she is by far the best choice for Lincoln voters and Sudbury voters who are committed to the high academic standards and all-around excellence L-S is known for.

Ellen served for many years on the Sudbury K-8 School Committee and is very familiar with the political landscape in Sudbury. She values the terrific faculty and rich programming L-S is rightly proud of, and she is eager to include Lincoln in any and all conversations about how to improve the experience for the wide range of students at L-S.

Like Carole, Ellen is serious about collaboration and process and is committed to the joint project that Lincoln and Sudbury began in 1954 of running a first-tier regional high school. As with any relationship, there are from time to time important issues that arise which potentially divide the two towns. These include, for example: finances, governance, and potential curriculum changes.

With Carole and Ellen on the School Committee, we increase the likelihood of intelligent and practical solutions to these questions. What do you get for your vote? That’s simple: more in the way of sensible solutions and less divisive rhetoric—a good bargain for voters under any circumstances.

On March 26, vote for Carole Kasper and write in Ellen Joachim’s name on the ballot!

Sincerely,

Maria O’Brien Hylton
5 Oakdale Lane, Lincoln

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.