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

Two projects under way at Hanscom

Starting in August, residents who live near Hanscom Field may notice more noise than usual as air traffic is temporarily rerouted during two separate runway reconstruction projects. However, another unrelated project—construction of a new hangar for Boston MedFlight—will not result in any increase in noise or air traffic in the area

Logan Airport is now resurfacing its most heavily used runway, meaning it will be closed entirely until late June and open for arrivals only until about November 1. What this means for the Lincoln/Bedford area is that some smaller business-type flights will use Hanscom instead of Logan, according to Amber Goodspeed, MassPort’s manager for airport administration at Hanscom Field.

Beginning in August, one of Hanscom’s runways will also be resurfaced, Goodspeed added. As a result, some of Hanscom’s traffic will be rerouted so their flight paths go more over Bedford and Lincoln rather than Concord and Lexington, Goodspeed said.

Boston MedFlight project

Boston MedFlight is also moving its local base from Hanscom Air Force Base to Hanscom Field. The company is building a new hangar on the site of an older one that’s been demolished. This new facility will allow easier access for training, education, community outreach as well as helicopter maintenance, since visitors will no longer need to go through Air Force base security.

“Nothing is going to change as far as our operations go” in terms of the number of aircraft or staff on site, said Boston MedFlight General Manager of Aviation Rick Kenin.

Boston MedFlight’s fleet (click to enlarge).

Among those who will benefit from the easier access are Lincoln Fire Department paramedics, who get their first-responder training from Boston MedFlight. The company already hosts some visits from community members and groups such as Boy Scouts, “but we plan to greatly expand that once we’re on the civilian side” of the air field, Kenin said. “This will work out much better as far as community activity and outreach.”

The $17 million project is expected to be complete in about a year.

Boston MedFlight currently has two local offices, one on Hanscom Air Force Base and another in the nearby Lincoln North office building, as well as facilities in Plymouth and Lawrence. The nonprofit firm transports about 4,000 patients per year, about half of them via ground transportation and the rest by helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft, Kenin said. Most of the flights take critically ill or injured patients from community hospitals (including Emerson Hospital in Concord) to Massachusetts General Hospital and other advanced-care Boston hospitals, but the company also picks up some patients directly from accident scenes.

Boston MedFlight is not taxpayer-funded, relying instead on donations and insurance reimbursements, Kenin noted.

News acorns

Affordable housing forum

Come find out more about the town’s new Affordable Accessory Apartments Program in a forum especially for homeowners and tenants. On Wednesday, June 14 at 10 a.m. at Bemis Hall, members of the Housing Commission will give information and answer questions. What are the benefits for homeowners and tenants? How does the Housing Commission match up tenants with homeowners? What is the lottery? Why do I have to choose a tenant from your list? How long will I wait for an affordable apartment. Come join the Housing Commission and get answers.

Fatherhood Project event reminder

The Fatherhood Project presents “A Celebration of Fatherhood: Strengthening Family Connections” with guest speaker Andre Dubus III, author of Townie, The Garden of Last Days, and House of Sand and Fog on Friday, June 16 from 6:30–9 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Click here for more information.

Multi-town RiverFest this weekend

RiverFest, an annual celebration of the Sudbury, Assabet and Concord Rivers, takes places on Saturday and Sunday, June 17–18 with more than 40 events for all ages—free walks, talks, hikes, paddles, concerts, and art—in nine communities from Lowell to Framingham.

Among the events close to Lincoln: a guided walk at the Walden Woods conservation area with naturalist Peter Alden as he looks for plants and birds along Fairhaven Bay; in Sudbury where participants can join a Mass Audubon naturalist on a visit with native wildlife, birds and reptiles that live along riverbanks; and the closing solstice event at the Old Manse in Concord. For a full listing of events and maps, visit riverfest.sudbury-assabet-concord.org or call 978-223-5049 with questions.

Library hours for exam week and summer

Lincoln Public Library will be open late for Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School students studying for final exams on Thursday, June 15 and Monday, June 19 until 10 p.m. Snacks will be provided and staff will be on hand to monitor students to provide a safe place, though no library services will be provided.

The library will be open on Saturdays this summer from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. on July 8, 15, 22 and 29.

St. Anne’s summer schedule

From Sunday, June 18 through early September, St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church will celebrate a single service of Holy Eucharist at 9 a.m.

Public hearings coming up

The Lincoln Planning Board will hold public hearings on applications for site plan reviews on the following dates:

  • Tuesday, June 13 at 7 p.m.— applicant John Crawford, 20 Old Concord Road, proposes to renovate and construct an addition to an existing home.
  • Tuesday, June 27 at 7 p.m. —  applicant Joseph Robbat, 151 Old Concord Road, proposes to renovate and construct an addition to an existing accessory structure.

The Board of Selectmen will conduct a public hearing on Monday, June 19 at 7:45 p.m. in response to an application for a curb cut at 19 Granville Road.

The Lincoln Conservation Commission will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 21 at 7:30 p.m. in accordance with the Mass. Wetlands Protection Act and the Town of Lincoln Wetlands Protection Bylaw. Applicants Andronica and Joseph Wheelock propose to construction a new home in the Outer Buffer Zone Resource Area at 6 Millstone Lane.

News acorns

School Building Committee workshop

The School Building Committee invites residents to a kickoff workshop on Wednesday, June 14 from 7:30-9 p.m. in the Brooks gym. Attendees will have the chance to met SBC members, learn about the next steps and the draft timeline, and help develop the town’s decision criteria for a school project.

Summer kick-off party for kids at library

Children of all ages are invited to the library on Thursday, June 15 from 3:30–5 p.m. for balloon sculpting, crafts, a raffle, make-your-own sundaes, and a magic show by Ed Popielarczyk at 4 p.m. Kids can pick up their reading Challenge forms. Sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.

Talk on identifying birds

Lincoln resident Gwyn Loud will give an informal talk on the basics of identifying birds and bird calls on Tuesday, June 20 from 9:30–10:30 a.m. at the Lincoln Public Library in the terrace off the first-floor link (rain date: Wednesday, June 21).

Summer Fest at deCordova

The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum will stage Park Fest on Saturday, June 24 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., as well as a 5K trail run starting at 9:30 a.m. (click here to register). Signature collaborative activities from deCordova’s Learning & Engagement Team will include:

  • A large-scale Play in the Park
  • Roaming performances by larger-than-life puppets Big Nazo
  • Guided tours of the spectacular 30-acre sculpture park in full bloom
  • Art sale with more than 30 local artists and artisans
  • Live music throughout the day including local alternative folk duo The Farewells and singer Jenny Riddle.
  • Curator-led spotlight art talks in the galleries
  • Ceramic Sculpture Studio demonstrations by resident artist Bruce Barry
  • Photo ops near Jim Dine’s Two Big Black Hearts sculpture
  • Food and ice cream trucks
Free for members; click here for tickets for nonmembers ($20 for adults 18-60, $15 for seniors, $10 for children ages 6-17, free for children 5 and under).

Kids’ “Splash, Mash Dash” triathlon coming up

The 14th annual “Splash, Mash and Dash” Lincoln Kids Triathlon—with three age-appropriate sets of distances to run, bike and swim—takes place on Saturday, June 17 starting at 8:30 a.m.

The swim segment ranges from a 25-meter swim for the youngest kids (age 5-6) up to a 150-meter swim six lengths of the Codman pool) for the oldest (ages 13-14); the bike ranges from 1–4 miles and the run leg is ¼ mile for the youngest and 1 mile for the oldest kids. Putting all three together into one race means that the time spent switching between events (known as transitions) also counts toward the overall time; running from the pool to the bike, putting on shoes, buckling the mandatory helmet, mounting the bike, and dismounting the bike are all skills that are important for a fast time and make for an entertaining, bustling transition area.

Children ages 5-14 are invited to participate; register in advance at the Lincoln Recreation Department website or in person at the Lincoln Recreation Department. All race distances and other event details are available at www.kidstri.net. Race packet pickup will be on Friday, June 16 at Hartwell from 12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and on Saturday June 17 from 7:15–8:15 a.m. There is race-day registration, but the entry fee increases from $30 to $40 on race day, so save money by registering before June 17.

The race begins at 8:30 a.m. on June 17 and no cars will be allowed to leave the Lincoln School complex until the bike portion of the race has finished. Residents should also note that the section of Lincoln Road from Ballfield Road to the intersection with Trapelo Road will be closed from 8:30 a.m. until about 10 a.m. for the race.

The event couldn’t take place without support from all aspects of the Lincoln community: the Lincoln Recreation Department, which helps organize the event; the Codman Pool lifeguards, who keep all the swimmers safe, Lincoln Police, who close the road to keep the cyclists safe; and the many course volunteers from the community who help keep the kids on course and hydrated.

In addition, many local businesses sponsor the event. Emerson Hospital, Team Psycho (a local triathlon club), CGI, Allen Sports and Barrett Sotheby International Realty have given key financial support that helps pay for the elaborate timing system, finishers’ medals, T-shirts, and goody bag giveaways. Prizes for the top three in each age group, raffle items and post-race food are donated by local businesses Donelan’s, Something Special, Saucony, Marathon Sports, and Ashworth Awards as well as national companies like TYR and Clif Bar.

Anyone interested in volunteering at this event may email Ginger Reiner at ginger.reiner@gmail.com. (Click here for a story about the 2012 event.)

Service on Friday for Laura Dewey

Laura Dewey

There will be a service on Friday, June 9 at 11 a.m. at the First Parish Church for Laura Dewey, who died on May 19 at the age of 90. She was active with the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum board, the Lincoln Town Democratic Committee, and the choir of the First Parish Church. Click here to read her obituary.

News acorns

Waxwings win tree photo contest

“Waxwings on Cedar Tree” by Barbara Peskin (click to enlarge).

Lincoln resident Barbara Peskin’s photo titled Waxwings on Cedar Tree won the Lincoln Garden Club’s recent Tree Photo Contest. She received a certificate, ribbon an $50 gift card from Stonegate Gardens during the Tree Tour Photo Exhibit at Pierce House on June 4. Her entry was chosen by the people who attended the Tree Tour in a display in the Pierce House of 72 photos taken by 23 contestants. Tree tour participants were guided by the Garden Club’s new 40-page color booklet to 16 trees of interest in Pierce Park, and at the Lincoln Public Library, Old Town Hall, Station Park and Lindentree Farm. Copies of the booklet will soon be available at the library.

Bike group surveys residents on safer biking to school

The Cycling Safety Advisory Committee invites residents to complete this online survey as it collects feedback on ways to make biking to school easier for families. On Friday, June 9, Lincoln students are invited to bike to school—grab your helmet and bike and wave to the adults helping out at a few intersections in town.

Lincoln Literary Society to meet

The Lincoln Literary Society will meet on Friday, June 9 from 10 a.m. to noon. in the Lincoln Public Library’s couch area outside the Tarbell Room. Organizer Daniela Caride will provide tea and cookies as well as free books from the Swap House. The group meets on the second Friday or every month to talk about books they’ve read (recently or not), recite poems, read a passage, or anything that can start a conversation. The structure is very informal and there are no assigned books.

Farmer’s Market opens in new location

Opening Day for the Lincoln Farmers Market is Saturday, June 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market is now located at Codman Farm where it first began, and it will take place every Saturday at the same time until October.

Letter to the editor: Lincolnites fired up at Dem convention

letter

To the editor:

On Saturday, June 3, more than 3,000 Democratic Party delegates gathered at the DCU Convention Center in Worcester for the Massachusetts Democratic Party 2017 Platform Convention. Representing Lincoln were Sharon Antia, Graham Atkin, Gary Davis, Andrew Glass, Jennifer Glass, Sarah Cannon Holden, John MacLachlan, Peter Pease and me (Barbara Slayter). Andrew, Jennifer and John were newcomers to the process—motivated, as we all are, by the need to “move forward and fight back” in the context of an alarming array of harmful policies and disturbing decisions on the part of the Trump administration.

We departed from Lincoln at 7 a.m. to be in time for the pre-plenary breakfasts and an opportunity to hear key speakers, but the long breakfast lines and logistics were daunting. Instead, we roamed the corridors; chatted with the supporters of various candidates and causes; acquired signs, bumper stickers, and pins from our favorites; and encountered old friends some long-time political participants and others engaging with the process for the first time.

Lincolnites at the Democratic platform convention were (front row, left to right): Graham Atkin, Barbara Slayter, Peter Pease, and John MacLachlan, and (back row, left to right) Andrew Glass, Jennifer Glass, Sarah Cannon Holden and Sharon Antia. Not pictured in Gary Davis, who took the photo.

It turns out that this was the largest state Democratic convention ever. No surprise here, given grassroots activism among Democrats that has emerged since the 2016 election. Of the participants, approximately 1,500 were first-time delegates. Prominent among them were the 700 members (many of them Millennials) of “Our Revolution Massachusetts,” an organization that has its origins in the pro-Sanders movement. This group has been intent on pushing the platform into a more progressive stance. Indeed, the platform is one of the most progressive ever with planks that includes, among other things, free public higher education, sanctuary, an end to for-profit prisons, climate justice, student loan debt forgiveness, establishment of independent commissions to fix gerrymandering, and even an Election Day holiday.

Lincoln delegates were glad to have an opportunity to hear from the three still relatively unknown Democratic contenders for governor in 2018: Setti Warren, mayor of Newton; Jay Gonzales, former budget chief under Duval Patrick; and Robert Massie, entrepreneur and environmentalist. We agreed that they would have a tough road competing against Charlie Baker, a popular governor, but they did force us to think about a key question: “What kind of commonwealth do we want to be and how do we get there?”

Barbara Slayter and Gary Davis in front of the Third Middlesex sign at the convention.

All of us responded enthusiastically to the trio of keynote speakers: Moira Healey, Ed Markey, and Elizabeth Warren. Their stirring exhortations were part of the “firing up” process. And indeed it worked! Healey: “We don’t give in to bullies.” Markey: “We don’t back down in this fight against the Trump administration. He is creating a divided country 140 characters at a time, heading the nation into an epic battle, and sliding toward a constitutional crisis.” Warren: “Trump may be dividing the country but he is uniting the Democratic Party as never before.”

From Stan Rosenberg, President of the Massachusetts State Senate, came the stirring challenge: “You are the revolution, you are the change. We need change and we need it now.” No doubt most delegates left the DCU ready to enter a “resistance summer” and to resist, organize and mobilize. If somewhat weary after five hours of speeches (and a sixth dealing with amendments), Lincoln’s delegates were among them. In fact, you may soon see Elizabeth Warren’s “Nevertheless, She Persisted” bumper stickers around town. They were acquired by some members of the Lincoln delegation and will be a visible reminder of the tenacity needed for addressing the challenges ahead.

Sincerely,

Barbara Slayter
7 Trapelo 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.

Letter to the editor: beef with Bank of America

letter

To the editor:

I found out today that Bank of America in Lincoln charges $8 for someone to cash a check drawn on a business account there if the person cashing the check does not also have an account at Bank of America. $8 is a hefty fee if someone, for example, did an odd job and received a check for $30. If a worker comes once a week and makes $30 weekly, they are really only making $22.

A while back, I moved my account to Cambridge Trust in Lincoln because it is a local Massachusetts bank. Cambridge Trust no longer has a branch in Lincoln, so I go to the branch in Weston, but I am willing to do that because Cambridge Trust cares about service and listens to its customers. I also don’t use Bank of America because it funds the Dakota Access Pipeline. I’ve added this $8 fee to my list of reasons for not using Bank of America.

I humbly urge people who bank at Bank of America to pay cash, or use a personal check, to anyone who provides services if that worker does not have an account at Bank of America.

Sincerely,

Jean Palmer
247 Tower 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.

Gardening quartet (Lincoln Through the Lens)

Four women took a short break from restoring the Codman Farm flower garden to allow Ken Hurd to capture the moment on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Left to right: Heidi Nichols, Robin Wilkerson, Hilary Walker, and Nancy Fleming. “Let me assure you, Rosie the Riveter’s got nothing on them!” Hurd says. (Click to enlarge)

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.