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 Mary F. Dardani  Gale Mayfield  Maryellen Mullen  Dorothy Bockoven |
News acorns
Food co-op info session on Thursday
There will be an Assabet Village Co-op Market information session on Thursday, Dec. 28 from 7–8:15 p.m. at the Lincoln Public Library. The organization is building a locally sourced, community owned grocery store in the Metro West area and needs 900 co-op members to open.
Activities for kids at library this week
The Lincoln Public Library is offering drop-in winter crafts for kids during vacation week. The crafts table is available whenever the library is open: Wednesday, Dec. 27 and Thursday, Dec. 28 from 9 a.m.–8:30 a.m., and Friday, Dec. 29 from 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
The library will also host winter-themed “Movies & Muffins” on Friday, Dec. 29 at 10:30 a.m.
Preschoolers are invited to join us for a screening of short films based on beloved children’s books. Recommended for ages 2 and up. No sign-up necessary.
Christmas tree removal offered
Lincoln-Sudbury students are offering a Christmas tree removal service for Lincoln and Sudbury residents on Saturday, Jan. 6 from 8 a.m.–1 p.m. to benefit the L-S Class of 2020 and the girls’ basketball team. The cost is $20 ($10 for senior citizens). Click here to sign up by Wednesday, Jan. 3. The service is being assisted by K.T. Fenton Masonry in Sudbury and Lynch Landscape and Tree Service in Wayland. Anyone with questions may contact Kathleen Thompson (Class of 2020 advisor and basketball coach) at kathleen_thompson@lsrhs.net.
Moberg to perform at next LOMA event
Kim Moberg is the featured performer at the next LOMA (Lincoln Open-Mike Acoustic) night on Monday, Jan. 8 in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room. The event runs from 7-10 p.m., and Moberg (with accompanist Kathleen Healy) will perform a half-hour set starting around 8:30. The Alaska native and self-taught finger-style guitarist has appeared at this year’s NERFA DJ showcase, the Cape Cod Playhouse, and the South Shore Music Club Earlier this year she released her extended EP Above Ground, featuring The Call.
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.
Choral concert, Cabaret Night to celebrate music at L-S
In light of potential budget cuts to the Lincoln-Sudbury Music Department that would reduce the number of music classes offered as well as reduce the position of choral instructor, vocal advisor, and music director Michael Bunting, L-S students and alumni will perform a choral concert on Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. in the Kirshner Auditorium. The students are requesting that audience members write a memory or a few sentences about what the L-S music department means to them before they leave the concert. Concessions will be available in the lobby. For more information, contact Ruby Carmel at ruby2000carmel@yahoo.com.
The Music Department will also present its annual Cabaret Night on Friday, Jan. 12 in the LSRHS Café at 7:30 p.m. The program will feature select instrumental and choral ensembles in addition to soloists performing jazz, Broadway, and pop selections. L-S Friends of Music will be selling refreshments. Tickets are $5 each at the door. For more information on supporting the Music Department, please visit www.lsfom.org.
METCO to host book discussions
Join the national conversation on race, culture and identity with two book discussions hosted by the METCO program at the Lincoln School. On Thursday, Jan. 11 at 6 p.m. the book to be discussed is The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. Participants will discuss The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri on March 15 at 6 p.m. Both discussions will take place in the Brooks gym and will include dinner and fellowship. Please sign up on the Lincoln School METCO website.
From the ground up (Lincoln Through the Lens)
Minuteman High School took delivery this week of its first truckload of structural steel for the new school building under construction. The photo shows the skeleton of an automotive classroom. (Photo by Ford Spalding)
Readers may submit photos for consideration for Lincoln Through the Lens by emailing them to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. If your photo is published, you’ll receive credit in the Squirrel. Photos must be taken in Lincoln and include the date, location, and names of any people who are identifiable in the photo. Previously published photos can be viewed on the Lincoln Through the Lens page of the Lincoln Squirrel.
Two Lincoln organizations receive grants
Two Lincoln nonprofits received grants totaling $11,000 from the Foundation for MetroWest, which doled out a total of $269,000 at a ceremony on December 11.
The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum ($5,000) and the Massachusetts Audubon Society ($6,000) were among the 40 nonprofits in33 cities and towns to receive funding, bringing the foundation’s total 2017 grant distribution to $1.5 million. The funds distributed through the Regional Competitive Grant Program focus on family support, arts and culture initiatives, and the environment. More than 95 grant applications were considered.
Grants to organizations in towns bordering Lincoln included $5,000 to 51 Walden, Inc., and $6,000 to OARS (both in Concord), $5,000 to Hope and Comfort and $6,000 to the Charles River Watershed Association (both in Weston), and $9,000 to Minuteman Senior Services in Bedford.
Nonprofit recipients will use the funding to strengthen local communities by supporting a wide range of programs and projects, including immigrant services, historic preservation projects, mental health counseling, workforce development, resources for the elderly and victims of domestic abuse, language and literacy programs, visual and performing arts, and clean waterway initiatives.
Earlier this year, Lincoln School students involved in the foundation’s Youth in Philanthropy program studied charitable organizations and chose two (Save a Dog and Lucy’s Love Bus) to receive grants from the Lincoln’s Ogden Codman Trust, which funded a three-year program for students who live and/or learn in Lincoln.
“Our grant-making is a significant source of funding for the MetroWest community, thanks to the generosity of our donors,” said Judith G. Salerno, the foundation’s executive director. “This year, we are honored to support a range of programs from immigrant services to music performances. As your community foundation, we continually strive to make the biggest impact as possible here at home.”
Established in 1995, the Foundation for MetroWest promotes philanthropy in the region, helps donors maximize the impact of their local giving, and serves as a resource for local nonprofits. Since inception, the foundation has granted more than $14 million to charitable organizations and currently stewards more than $18 million in charitable assets for current needs and future impact.
Lincoln hospice house to feature art from deCordova
Left to right: deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum Executive Director John Ravenal, Care Dimensions President Patricia Ahern, Care Dimensions board member Ellen Smith, and deCordova Director of Corporate Relations and Art Loan Program Sharon Glennon.
The Care Dimensions inpatient hospice house slated to open in Lincoln in February will feature artworks on loan from the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum.
“In choosing design elements for the interior of the new house, we saw a need to enlist help when it came to selecting just the right artwork for our gathering spaces,” said Mary Simboski, vice president of philanthropy at Care Dimensions. “We immediately thought of the deCordova. They have an incredible reputation of inspiring and enriching their visitors, and we are thrilled to partner with them through their Art Loan program.”
Unique to deCordova, the Art Loan Program is a membership benefit that provides area businesses and organizations the opportunity to exhibit artwork of both established and emerging contemporary New England artists in their spaces. Staff from the deCordova will work closely with Care Dimensions to assess artwork needs, determine appropriate exhibition locations, and make curatorial recommendations for exhibition content. The original artworks available for loan are from deCordova’s extensive permanent collection and are augmented by the artwork of lending artists.
“We’re grateful to the talented deCordova staff for providing pieces that blend in with the feel and surroundings of the facility, all the while accomplishing the goal of giving our patients and their loved ones visual arts that are soothing, contemplative and inspiring,” said Care Dimensions board member Ellen Smith.
Letter to the editor: Pierce House gala needs your help
Dear Lincolnites,
We heard you—and we want to thank you for all your offers of help. The Lincoln New Year’s Day Open House at Pierce House is back on! With the generous support from the Celebrations Committee, the Rural Land Foundation, the Police & Fire Association, the Lincoln Family Association, private residents and town officials, we are able to support a scaled-back version of the event on January 1, 2018 from 1–5 p.m.
But we do need your help! In order to make this a wonderful event for all, volunteer staffing is needed for setup, serving, and cleanup. We can’t do it without you! If you could donate an hour or two of your time, we would greatly appreciate it. While food will be covered, we need volunteers:
- 10 a.m.–1 p.m.: Set up tables, chairs, tablecloths, food, etc.
- 1–5 p.m.: Prep food to go out from the kitchen, refill trays, empty trash, watch over children’s area
- 5–6 p.m.: Clean up after the event.
If you’re willing to volunteer an hour or two of your time, please fill out this short online form by Friday, Dec. 23. We will reach out individually to those who have volunteered by December 27 to confirm volunteers.
Thank you again for such a strong show of community support—this could not happen without all of you!
Sincerely,
The Pierce House Committee (Terry Green, chair)
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.
SBC hears preliminary school cost estimates
The “B” series of concepts that call for mostly new construction at the Lincoln School (click to enlarge).
Officials now have some rough cost estimates in hand for different approaches to a Lincoln School project, and they urge residents to attend a community workshop on Tuesday, Jan. 23 to offer feedback on the various options that architects have presented to the School Building Committee.
The identical January 23 workshops will be held from 8–10 a.m. and 7–9 p.m. in the Reed Gym. They are a critical point of community engagement and guidance and will play an important role in shaping what residents will see at a special Town Meeting on June 9 when they vote to select a preliminary design.
There will also be a multi-board meeting of the SBC, Board of Selectmen, School Committee, Finance Committee, Capital Planning Committee, School Building Committee, and Community Center Planning & Preliminary Design Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. in the Town Office Building.
To cap off the month, preliminary designs for a community center on the Hartwell campus will be presented at public forums on Tuesday, Jan. 30 from 8–10 a.m. and 7–9 p.m. in the Hartwell B pod.
The SBC learned in mid-November that a basic project to make repairs and bring the school building up to code would cost about $46 million. A significant portion of this cost would be eaten up by no- instructional space because of required code compliance upgrades. For example, outside entrances now require an airlock, and converted closet spaces could no longer be used for teaching, Selectman and SBC member Jennifer Glass noted at a selectmen’s meeting on November 27.
The “A” series of school options would involve more renovation than new construction (click to enlarge).
At the SBC’s November 29 meeting, members looked at possibilities for “the other bookend,” as Glass put it—a comprehensive project with almost all new construction (though retaining the Reed Gym and Donaldson Auditorium in every case) that would achieve all of the school’s educational and sustainability goals.
Those plans aimed for the greatest possible efficiency in terms of devoting square footage to educational space compared to the elongated current building, which has 50,000 square feet of circulation space (primarily hallways and lobbies). This criterion also maximizes the building’s energy efficiency. At construction costs of $600 per square foot, each of the November 29 proposals would cost at least $90 million.
These four “B” concepts concentrate the school on the north side of the Ballfield Road campus. They are summarized in the SBC’s meeting minutes.
On December 13, the SBC saw four new “A” proposals that call for a greater proportion of renovation vs. demolition and new construction. In each case, the current 139,000-square-foot building would be transformed into a building of 150,000–156,000 square feet. All four call for demolishing the old Smith building and replacing it with a larger piece there. Options A2–A4 call for additions elsewhere in the school as well.
Option A1 (which does not include the “hubs” for grades 3–8 found in the other three alternatives) would cost about $73 million, while the other three are about $82–84 million.
News acorns
“Snowman Mailbox” built by Team Webber (11 Minebrook Rd.) in February 2015.
Snow sculpture contest now underway
Given the vagaries of New England weather, the Parks and recreation Department has decided this year to widen the time window for the annual Lincoln Winter Festival snow sculpture contest. Resients can build a snow sculpture any time between now and late January. Once it’s finished, take a photo with a time/date stamp and email it to smulroy@lincnet.org. Email submissions will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27. Parks and Rec will then post everything online for the community to vote on. Winners will be chosen on Friday, Feb. 2. Click here to see photos of the 2015 entries and the winners.
Personnel Board has an opening
The town’s Personnel Board is seeking a volunteer to fill a vacancy. Subject matter expertise isn’t necessary. Anyone who is interested in this position—or any other opportunity to serve on a town board of commission—should fill out and submit this volunteer form.
L-S Adult Ed offers bridge, yoga, tai chi, SAT prep
Lincoln-Sudbury Adult Education is offering a special six-week program in January and February to play and practice bridge with a teacher’s guidance. Bridge players of all abilities are welcome. Muggsie Rocco, a successful tournament player and bridge teacher, will give a brief mini-lesson or “bridge tip” each week, then stay while you play to answer questions as you go. Scoring will be Chicago style and all tables will play the same pre-arranged but randomly dealt hands. This is a great opportunity for newer players to gain some valuable practice under the guidance of a seasoned player/teacher. More experienced players are also invited to play in a friendly, no-pressure setting with new friends and old, ask questions, and gain knowledge of modern bridge techniques. To enroll, you should already know the fundamentals of bridge, as you will launch right into playing in week #1. Bring a partner if you have one; singles are welcome and will be paired up in class. Sessions take place in the L-S library from 7–9 p.m. on Thursday, January 11, 18, and 25 and February 1, 8, and 15. March 1 will be a snow make-up date if necessary. The cost is $70.
L-S Adult Ed is also offering special winter classes in yoga, tai chi and SAT preparation. Register online for any of these classes or mail a check payable to “L-S Adult Ed” to LS Adult Ed, 390 Lincoln Rd., Sudbury, MA 01776.
Town offers well-being calls
The Council on Aging and the Public Safety Department offer “well-being” telephone calls to residents of all ages during storms and other emergencies. They will call you when storms cause extensive power outages and during extended spells of extreme cold and other similar situations. If they can’t reach you by phone, Public Safety will visit your home for a well-being check to make sure you’re all right. You may also specify when you would like to be called.
To sign up for this service, please call the COA at 781-259-8811 and give your name, address, and any phone numbers you would like them to call (a cell phone or family member, for example), as well as any other pertinent information you would like to share with them, such as special medical needs. You may ask to be taken off the list at any time.
Property sales in November
6 Smith Hill — Xiaowen Chan to Kai Wang for $1,070,000 (November 15)
5 Birchwood Lane — Deborah Robbins, trustee to Phyllis Green for $554,000 (November 14)
17 Story Dr. — David Hwang to Lee O’Brien and Jeffrey Sutherland for $1,380,000 (November 9)
27 Conant Rd. — John Klobuchar, trustee to Russell Kondaveti and Keerthi Bala for $864,000 (November 9)
226 Rower Rd. — William Sporrong to Elizabeth and Robert Luczak for $1,590,000 (November 6)
76 Trapelo Rd. — John Robinson to Neil H. Aronson, trustee for $1,230,000 (November 3)
Letter to the editor: Lincoln Dems sponsor 2018 kickoff rally
To the editor:
The Lincoln Democratic Town Committee is sponsoring a Campaign 2018 Red-to-Blue Kick Off Rally on Sunday, Jan. 14. A reception will be held from 12:30–1 p.m. and the program will follow from 1–3 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Massachusetts Reps. Katherine Clark and Seth Moulton have been invited to review new congressional candidate endorsements for contested and open seats across the nation, and to illustrate how attendees can learn how to support them.
For those who were fearful and critical of the election of Donald Trump as president, have your fears and criticisms been confirmed? For those who voted for Donald Trump, do you feel betrayed and embarrassed? Red to Blue Democratic Campaign 2018 brings a rising wave in record numbers of fresh young and intelligent talent—but electing them will only happen with serious grassroots support.
Our own Rep. Clark is now vice chair in charge of recruiting for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) to identify, train, and encourage Democratic candidates in Congressional races from Maine to California. Rep. Moulton is endorsing several highly qualified candidates with military experience across the nation as well. Emily’s List is endorsing women for a full range of electoral seats for state and local offices, as well as for Congress, the Senate and state Governors.
The DCCC is encouraged by the elections in Virginia and New Jersey. They believe we can flip the House and turn red states blue. As of September 30, 391 Democratic challengers have filed with the Federal Election Commission—up from 209 in June. These new candidates are known and respected in their home districts for their devotion to their community values, honest dedicated government, and truthful democracy. They come from every walk of life to seek positive change and make a constructive contribution.
Gary Davis and Barbara Slayter
Co-Chairs, Lincoln Democratic Town Committee