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

Neighbors protest Oriole Landing plans

Civico Development’s landscaping plan for Oriole Landing (click to enlarge).

Neighbors of the proposed Oriole Landing mixed-income housing development offered impassioned protests over the plan at a March 6 Planning Board public hearing that continues on Tuesday, March 20 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.

If approved, the project would guarantee that Lincoln will have well more than the minimum 10 percent affordable housing units required to block a 40B housing development, which would be allowed to bypass many town zoning regulations. The first steps are “yes” votes at Town Meeting on March 24, one to approve the preliminary site plan and the other to make a zoning change to allow the development. The developer would the have to return for Planning Board approval of a final site plan incorporating traffic, parking, landscaping, drainage and septic, etc.

The existing 1870s Dexter C. Harris house on the property will be relocated to stand between two 30-unit residential buildings and serve as a garden house with a large unfinished space inside for gatherings or possible studio use, said Andrew Consigli of Civico Development.

Current plans call for 60 one- and two-bedroom units (25 percent of them affordable) ranging from 644 sure feet to 1,142 square feet in two three-story buildings. The company originally hoped to include 12 condominiums as well, but backed off due to community concerns, Consigli said.

The Garland Road/Deerhaven Road neighborhood stands to see significantly increased traffic during the morning rush hour, according to traffic engineers, who suggested that to minimize this impact, the town might prohibit a right turn from the development onto Mary’s Way in the morning, or make Mary’s Way one way westbound.

Seeking to allay fears that the development would cause a surge in school-age children, Lincoln Public Schools Administrator for Business and Finance Buck Creel explained that changes in class size happen every year when kindergarteners enter school or new families move into town. “We’re used to this phenomenon, these bulges moving through the boa constrictor,” he said. The development will not have any units larger than two bedrooms.

Creel also disputed the notion that mixed-income housing would be more likely to attract families with special-needs children whose more expensive education the town must pay for. The proportion of children from Lincoln Woods who require special education is the same as that for the rest of the town, and none are on out-of-district special-ed placements, he said.

Neighbors unhappy

Nonetheless, the development would mean more noise, heavy equipment and loss of open space in a part of town that has already seen construction of The Commons and its recent extension, as well as the Route 2 project. “All of these projects have impacted us on a daily basis for past 10 years,” said Cathy O’Brien of 3 Mary’s Way. “How would you feel if another developer came to your neighborhood knocking on your door and saying ‘Here’s another two years’?”

O’Brien also questioned why the town was “trying to steamroll this” in a quick time frame. “The town must be trying to exploit some sort of a loophole… there’s some shenanigans or someone is in somebody’s pocketbook,” she said.

In addition, the development is far larger than what’s needed to meet the affordable housing minimum, and the narrow roads and lack of roadside paths are not conducive to more housing in that area, O’Brien said. However, she strongly argued against making Mary’s Way one-way or a cul de sac.

The recently completed Route 2 project “granted us a gift” that resulted in residents on the south side of Route 2 finally being able to turn right or left onto the Mary’s Way access road rather than directly onto the highway. “You’ve given us a neighborhood,” she said. “For you today to take that away is absolutely ludicrous and unfair.”

Orchard Lane resident noted that the area between Crosby’s Corner and Bedford Road is about to get more traffic when the Birches School opens. “It just feel like one section of town for the past 50-plus years has been burdened,” she said.

The Housing Options Working Group was formed a year ago to try to find new affordable housing opportunities in Lincoln, but “it seems the town stopped looking once they saw Civico,” said Commons resident David Levington. “If something seems too good to be true, it probably is… it seems to me we’re acting too quickly.”

But BJ Sheff, a Housing Commission trustee, disputed that notion. “We have looked at every single parcel as it has come up [for sale] in town. This is not new, not coming out of left field,” she said. When the Oriole Landing property came on the market, “instantly we had developers saying they could do a 40B and get 160 or 200 units on it. This was something we had to run with when we finally saw it.” The town had in fact tried to buy the property itself but “couldn’t get anywhere,” she added.

Resident Sara Mattes also warned that “the town needs to indemnify itself against these projections” with the developer if the number of school-age children moving is is significantly higher than expected. “We don’t want to go into Town Meeting with these things unanswered.”

In addition to the continued public hearing, Civico will host three more public forums on Thursday, March 15 from 6:30–8:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library; Friday, March 16 with the Council on Aging at 1 p.m. in Bemis Hall; and Thursday, March 22 from 4:30–8 p.m. in Bemis Hall.

Letter to the editor: former LSSC member supports Kasper

To the editor:

I am writing to strongly urge all of you to vote in the election on Monday, March 26. I am enthusiastically in support of Carole Kasper, whose extraordinary qualifications and competence to serve I will leave others to describe. The issue I would like to emphasize is the importance to Lincoln and to Lincoln-Sudbury of retaining two Lincoln seats on the Lincoln Sudbury school committee. With no major issues on the ballot, I worry that residents might be tempted to avoid coming to the polls. 

I served for seven years on the committee. During that time, Lincoln had two representatives. However, the year before I was appointed, Renel Fredriksen was the only Lincoln representative and if she were still a town resident, she would make clear how difficult that was. There is too much information and work involved in governance for one person to master and having only one member makes it very difficult to adequately debate important issues where the interests of the two towns may be in conflict. There are structural differences between the towns that make for complicated political and fiscal dynamics.

One such controversial issue is currently on the agenda. A number of Sudbury leaders have proposed that there be a combined superintendency for the Sudbury K-8 system and Lincoln-Sudbury. In my opinion, this is not a good idea. It would reduce the independence of the L-S School Committee and would dilute and diminish Lincoln’s influence in the governance of the school.

There are a group of Sudbury residents who have strong negative feelings about Lincoln. This group, of indeterminate size, has called for voters to not vote for Carole and to write in two Sudbury candidates on a listserve that is only available to Sudbury residents. A group of them shamelessly harassed Carole when she presented at a Sudbury forum.

Carole is working in cooperation with Ellen Joachim from Sudbury and suggests that if you are motivated to write in a candidate, you should write in her name. Doing this will insure a more student centric governance structure and continued dialogue with and inclusion of Lincoln.

But the most important message is get yourself to the polls on Monday, March 26 and support our representation at our high school.

Sincerely,

Eric Harris
138 Bedford Rd., 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.

News acorns

School/community workshops, Planning Board meeting postponed

Due to the impending snowstorm, the School Building Committee (SBC) and the Community Center Committee (CCPPDC) joint workshops scheduled for 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13 are cancelled and will be rescheduled. The continuation of the Planning Board’s Oriole Landing public hearing  has also been rescheduled from March 13 to Tuesday, March 20 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.

The School Building Committee scheduled for Monday, March 12 at 7 p.m. in the Hartwell multi-purpose room is still on. Bill Maclay, founder of Maclay architects, will present his sustainability analysis on the school building concepts. The meeting is open to the public and public attendance is strongly encouraged.

“Shrek The Musical Jr.” this week at Lincoln School

The Lincoln School’s middle school students present “Shrek The Musical Jr.” based on the Oscar-winning movie and the hit Broadway musical in three shows this week. The comic story follows the green ogre Shrek and his loyal companion Donkey as they set off to rescue the Princess Fiona from a fire-breathing lovesick dragon in an adventure that’s all about embracing the differences in others and being proud to be your true self.

Performances are Wednesday, March 14 at 3 p.m., and Thursday and Friday, March 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. in the Donaldson Auditorium. Tickets will be available at the door ($10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors). The cast and crew of 85 students is led by drama teacher Kristin Hall (director and producer), music teacher Blake Siskavich (musical director), and fifth-grade teacher Maurisa Davis (dance director). Another 50 parents, faculty and staff have worked behind the scenes to create the elaborate sets, props and costumes that make up “Shrek the Musical Jr.’s” fairy tale world.

Wi-Fi will be available at Town Meeting

At this year’s Annual Town Meeting on March 24, there will be public guest Wi-Fi for the first time. This is being offered on a best-effort basis. Due to the large number of anticipated users, bandwidth will be limited and will not be suitable for activities such as video streaming or large file downloads. Technical support for connecting to or using the guest Wi-Fi during the meeting will not be available.

The Lincoln Public Schools and the town of Lincoln are not responsible for the security of any information communicated through the Town Meeting guest Wi-Fi network, or the content accessed through this public guest Wi-Fi network. All users of the Town Meeting guest Wi-Fi network agree to refrain from any use that is illegal or in violation of Lincoln Public Schools policies, including but not limited to any communications that are harassing, bullying, discriminatory or threatening; violations of copyright laws; any use involving materials that are obscene, pornographic, sexually explicit or sexually suggestive; any use for disseminating or propagating malicious software; sending mass-marketing or spam messages; any malicious use, damage or disruption of the district’s network and technology resources; misuse of computer passwords or accounts; or any attempt to access content blocked by the district’s content filter.

Letter to the editor: endorsement for Hullinger for LSSC

To the editor:

I confidently endorse Siobhan Hullinger as the write-in candidate opening for the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee in the upcoming election on Monday, March 26.

Ms. Hullinger is a long-time Sudbury resident who is well respected in the community. I have most admired Mrs. Hullinger’s selfless volunteer work having served alongside her as a board member on the Lincoln-Sudbury Scholarship Fund, Inc. Dollars for Scholars (LSSF).

Through my involvement with LSSF and having built a strong working relationship with Ms. Hullinger over the years, I have gained tremendous respect and admiration for her strong work ethic, resourcefulness, and dedication to supporting L-S students in their pursuit of academic excellence, through the LSSF encouraging students’ future success as they moved on to college, and promoting the L-S core values of “fostering caring and cooperating relationships, respecting human differences, pursuing academic excellence and cultivating community.”

As an L-S School Committee member, Ms. Hullinger will put many hours into:

    • Advocating for the interests of the community
    • Promoting a working relationship that is honest and transparent
    • Ensuring an optimistic future for taxpayers, families, students, faculty, staff and school administration.

With proud enthusiasm, I support Siobhan Hullinger as the write-in candidate opening for the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee.

Sincerely,

Andrew Nyemekye
731 Concord St., Framingham

(Editor’s note: Nyemekye was the METCO specialist at L-S from 2010-16 and is an LSSF Dollars for Scholars committee member.)

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.

Students plan school walkouts to protest gun violence

On Wednesday, March 14, students at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School and at Brooks Middle School plan to join in the national school walkout to protest school gun violence. They will leave school for 17 minutes—one minute for every life lost in the recent Florida school shooting.

Church sessions

First Parish in Lincoln’s Youth Programs Committee (YPC) is providing a placde for students to discuss their action and think about next steps. Lincoln adults will be on hand for guidance and support. There are two events planned for March 14, both in the auditorium at the Parish House (14 Bedford Rd.) The YPC will proviode pizza and salad.

  • Middle school students will meet after school at 12:45 p.m. To register, click here.
  • High school students: will meet in the evening at 6:45 p.m. To register, click here.

For more information, contact the director of religious education at First Parish in Lincoln at 781-259-8118 ext. 112 or Margit@FPLincoln.org.

Bell-ringing

Both the First Parish and St. Anne’s-in-the-Field Episcopal Church will ring their church bells 17 times on March 14 at 10 a.m.

High school restrictions

Lincoln and Sudbury police will be on the L-S campus for the high school walkout, but only students escorted by staff and police will be present. No one will be allowed to enter or leave the campus during the walkout except in an emergency.

News acorns

School Building Committee meeting rescheduled for March 12

Last week’s School Building Committee meeting that was cancelled due to weather has been rescheduled for Monday, March 12 at 7 p.m. in the Hartwell multipurpose room. The main focus of the meeting is to learn about the sustainability analysis performed by Bill Maclay Architects. Maclay will be on hand to talk about how “green” each of the project concepts is, and what it would take to make the Lincoln School a “net zero” building. If you can’t make it Monday, the meeting will be recorded and available on the web. Also, the same information will be presented at the community workshops sponsored by the School Building Committee and the Community Center Committee on Tuesday, March 13 at 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. in the Brooks gym (weather permitting).

Talk on Jerusalem and U.S. embassy

Lincoln resident Steve Low will speak on “Jerusalem, the Embassy, and the Future” at the Council on Aging on Monday, March 12 at 12:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall. In his talk, he will discuss why Trump’s American embassy announcement was so controversial and what it might this mean for a two-state solution. A Q&A will follow.

Test-drive an electric car

Electric vehicles will be available for test driving on Wednesday, March 14 from 6:30–7:30 p.m. at Hartwell School lot. There will be a Nissan Leaf and a Chevy Bolt or Volt. Visitors may also sit in a Tesla S and a Prius Prime and speak with the owners. 

Poll worker training offered

The Town Clerk’s office will be offering a poll worker training on Friday, March 16 at 10:30 a.m. and on Monday, March 19 at 7p.m. If you are interested in becoming trained as a poll worker, please RSVP to brookss@lincolntown.org.

Two more L-S School Committee candidate sessions

L-S School Committee candidates Carole Kasper of Lincoln and Ellen Joachim of Sudbury (a write-in candidate), will make an additional appearance to meet Lincoln voters on Tuesday, March 20 from 7–8:30 p.m. in the Hartwell multipurpose room. The candidates had previously announced meet-and-greet appearances on March 9 and 14.

Woolapalooza coming to Drumlin Farm

Celebrate the coming of spring at Drumlin Farm annual Woolapalooza festival featuring fiber, food, and fun! On Saturday, March 24 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m., visitors will have the opportunity to meet new baby animals, shop local artisans, explore the sanctuary, and learn the history of wool and sheep. Festival highlights include:

  • Sheep-shearing demonstrations
  • Sheep herding with border collies
  • Sheep-to-Sweater Interpretive Trail: Learn how wool becomes yarn and make a craft to take home.
  • A hearty lunch made from Drumlin Farm’s own meat and potatoes for additional purchase.
  • Local artisans demonstrating and selling handmade products.

Tickets are $15 for Mass Audubon members and $17 for nonmembers (free for children under 2). No advance ticket purchase; walk-ins only. Parking is limited so allow extra time.

Storm Quinn: photos by Lincolnites

The storm wasn’t particularly remarkable for the number of inches of snow, but that snow was very heavy and wet—and plentiful enough to cause major damage in Lincoln and other towns by bringing down many trees and heavy limbs onto power lines and homes. Much of the snow has since dripped off the trees and many of the closed roads have reopened, but 27 percent of Eversource customers in Lincoln were without power as of 10 p.m. on Thursday—down from a 62 percent earlier in the day. The buzz of chainsaws gave way to the steady dull roar of generators as the evening closed in. Here are photos submitted by Lincoln residents on the morning of March 8, 2018. 

snow-ballfield
snow-conduit
snow-oldwinter
snow-page1
snow-page2
snow-stopsign
snow-60weston
snow-brookshills
snow-dogs
storm-hillside
snow-6goosepond
snow-6goosepond2

[Show as slideshow]

Letter to the editor: LSSC’s Mostue supports Kasper

To the editor:

I write in support of Carole Kasper, candidate for the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee. Her background and skills reflect those characteristics of a good committee member: the conviction that public education is important, commitment to public involvement, decisiveness, belief in the democratic process, willingness to devote time and energy, acceptance of the will of the majority, courage to stand up for convictions, respect for district faculty and staff, and communication skills.

Carole’s professional experience has focused on organizational performance of public and private-sector workplace communities, with particular work in multiculturalism. Furthermore, as  the chair of the Lincoln Campus Master Planning Committee and the president of the Lincoln Parent Teacher Association, she has made clear her interest in the work of the committee through her attendance at most of the meetings in the past few months. 

The committee’s current priorities include continued support of rigorous college preparatory courses; responsible management of the school budget; ongoing support of excellent faculty; and collaboration among the Lincoln, Sudbury, and Boston communities. Her concern for those issues will serve to make her transition to the committee seamless.   

It would be a pleasure to have Carole on the L-S School Committee. I hope you will support her with your vote on Election Day: Monday March 26.

Sincerely,

Patricia Mostue, Ph.D. (L-S School Committee member)
3 Lexington Rd., 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.

Letter to the editor: Hogue running for Parks & Rec

(Editor’s note: Hogue is one of three candidates running for the open seat on the Parks and Recreation Committee. The others are Rey Romero and Sarah Chester.)

To the editor:

My name is Adam Hogue and I am writing to announce my candidacy for Lincoln Parks and Recreation (Parks & Rec) Committee. I look forward to earning your vote on Election Day on Monday, March 26.

As a member of Parks & Rec, I will prioritize programs that bring our community together and increase summer and after-school programs for our town’s kids so that they have a safe place to interact with each other and learn more about themselves. I also want to promote our veterans’ events in our community because of our proud history of service and proximity to Hanscom Air Force Base.

I have been an active volunteer in our community since moving here in 2013. I am the president of the Lincoln Veterans Association and have helped plan the annual Memorial Day celebration as well as the 15th anniversary of September 11th remembrance ceremony. I have also spoken to our kids in the Lincoln schools about my military service and experiences overseas. I want to continue to serve this community as a member of this great committee.

I started my professional career as an officer in the U.S. Army Airborne, serving one combat tour in Afghanistan, and I am currently a major in the Massachusetts Army National Guard serving out of Hanscom. I also own my own financial services company, Ulen & Hogue Financial, offering individual and small business insurance and investment solutions. 

My education background includes a BA in history from UMass-Lowell, a MA in education from the University of Nebraska, and an MBA in management from Fitchburg State University, as well as a graduate certificate in financial planning from Boston University. I live on Todd Pond Road with my wife Katy (Green) Hogue, who is a lifelong Lincoln resident, our dog Woodstock, and our soon-to-be-born daughter. 

It would be my honor to serve each and every one of you on the Parks & Rec Committee and I would appreciate your vote. Thank you in advance for your consideration on Election Day!

Sincerely,

Adam M. Hogue
36 Todd Pond Rd.
Adam.m.hogue@gmail.com
978-828-6184

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: Glass runs for reelection to BOS

To the editor,

I write to declare my candidacy for the 3-year term on the Board of Selectmen, and I ask for your support at the town election on Monday, March 26.

Last year when I sought to fill the final year of Renel Fredriksen’s term, I knew that serving as a member of the BOS would be interesting and challenging. It is both, and I would also add the adjectives “energizing” and “humbling.” Energizing because grappling with issues such as housing, the School and Community Center projects, the town budget, solar panels, traffic, and zoning policy is an intellectually engaging, nuanced process that brings me in contact with a wide variety of community members. Humbling because the range of expertise and knowledge among our professional staff and residents is truly amazing. I am fortunate to be part of a collaborative board and of a community that strives to draw on its members’ vast talents for the betterment of our town.

During the last 12 months, our board has focused on reaching out to residents through meetings, individual conversations, a series of listening sessions, and our BOS newsletter. Our goal is to be transparent about the business of the town and to foster communication among boards and with the community. As residents of Lincoln, we have many (and sometimes conflicting) issues we are all trying to balance. I believe our goal is to keep our eye on how specific projects and policies can serve our town’s broader vision and mission while we pay careful attention to the details. I look forward to staying engaged with you, to being challenged by your questions, and to being inspired by your ideas.

Please put both the March 24 Annual Town Meeting and the March 26 town election on your calendars!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Glass
11 Stonehedge Road

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.