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

News acorns

Bedford Road to be closed during the day next week

Bedford Road will be closed Monday, July 28 through Friday Aug. 1 from 7:00am to 3:00pm to accommodate the water main project. Detours are as before:

  • Motorists traveling north on Lincoln Road towards the five-way intersection will be detoured onto Trapelo Road and Lexington Road if they aim to take Route 2 eastbound.
  • Those wishing to access North Lincoln or Route 2 westbound will be detoured onto Sandy Pond Road to Baker Bridge and Concord Road (Route 126) to Route 2.
  • Motorists who want to access Bedford Road south from Route 2 will be detoured Route 2 east onto Lexington Road and Trapelo Road to allow access through the five-way intersection.

Domestic violence services training coming up

The Domestic Violence Services Network, Inc. (DVSN) is offering a free volunteer advocate training program to help provide emotional support, risk assessment, and safety planning for victims of domestic violence in its 13 member communities. The 40-hour training is designed to familiarize volunteers with the many aspects of domestic violence and give them the skills necessary to provide confidential and appropriate services to DVSN’s clients. Once trained, DVSN’s volunteer advocates provide direct service over the phone, at the Concord District Court, and at Emerson Hospital to people affected by domestic violence.

The training will be held at the Lexington Police department from September 8–26 on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00–7:00pm and Fridays from 9:15am–3:30pm. For those who decide to activate as advocates, there is an additional 10 to 12 hours of supervised field training after completion of the classroom segment. For more information or to request an application, call 978-318-3421 or send an e-mail to training@dvsn.org. Applications are due no later than Friday, Aug. 29.

Group reading of Constitution on Sept. 17

The Lincoln Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Anti-Racism Committee (IDEA) is sponsoring a community read of the U.S. Constitution in celebration of National Constitution Day. All Lincoln and Hanscom residents, staff, and students in grades 5 and up may volunteer to read aloud a portion of the Constitution, including the amendments. The event takes place on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 7:00pm in the Lincoln School auditorium, followed by a dessert reception. If you would like to be a reader (even if it’s just a paragraph!), contact Rob Stringer at urbanvineyard@gmail.com or Jennifer Glass at jglassselect@lincolntown.org by Friday, Sept. 12 at 5:00pm.

News acorns

Bedford Road to be closed for two days

Bedford Road between the five-way intersection and Canaan Drive will be closed from Wednesday, July 23 through Friday, July 25 from 7:00am–3:00pm to allow water main installation. Motorists traveling north on Lincoln Road towards the five-way intersection will be detoured onto Trapelo Road and Lexington Road if they aim to take Route 2 east. Those wishing to access North Lincoln or Route 2 westbound will be detoured onto Sandy Pond Road to Baker Bridge and Concord Road (Route 126) to Route 2. Motorists who want to access Bedford Road south from Route 2 will be detoured Route 2 east onto Lexington Road and Trapelo Road to allow access through the five-way intersection.

Learn how to research your ancestors

Genealogy has become much more popular with the ease of finding information on the Internet, but far from everything for your family history is online. In “Start, Organize, Research, and Write Your Family History” at the Lincoln Public Library on Monday, July 28 from 6:00-7:30pm, participants will start with forms that are common in genealogical research and explore research techniques, census reports, researching at repositories, internet research, organizing and writing in order to help you create a lasting family heirloom. This class will have something for both the beginning and experienced family researcher. Register here.

Swap shed seeks volunteers

The swap shed is seeking volunteers to help continue its success in reducing waste, and promoting reuse and recycling. Volunteers are needed to help residents place their items in the appropriate area, make sure items are acceptable, and help keep the swap shed clean, organized, and safe for all to enjoy. Shifts are available Wednesdays and Saturdays between 7:30am and 3:00pm for two hours or more. Volunteers can commit to once a week, twice a week, once a month, or whatever works with their schedule. Interested or have questions? Call Susan Donaldson at the DPW Office to sign up at 781-259-8999.

ZBA seeks a new member

The Town of Lincoln Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) is seeking a new member for an open seat on the Board.  The ZBA acts on a case-by-case basis on requests for zoning variances, special permits, and findings and appeals of decisions by the building inspector. The board (which has five regular members and three associate members) generally meets one evening a month. For information or an application, email elderp@lincolntown.org or call the Select Board office at 781-259-2601.

Sign up for youth travel soccer

Lincoln Youth Soccer is calling kids in grades 3-8 (especially rising third-grade girls), both passionate players and those who are new to the sport, to join the travel team for 2025-26. The Lincoln Youth Soccer Travel program offers local practices once a week and Saturday games in surrounding towns. Register today at www.lincolnsoccer.com.

Legal notice: Conservation Commission (5 Hawk Hill Rd.)

The Lincoln Conservation Commission (LCC) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, July 30, 2025 at 7:30PM in accordance with the MA Wetlands Protection Act and the Town of Lincoln Wetlands Protection Bylaw. This is in response to the duly filed Notice of Intent by David Knoerr for house renovations, including a deck and patio, within the 100-ft Buffer Zone at 5 Hawk Hill Road (Parcel 182-19-0). Information on how to log onto the virtual public meeting will be included in the LCC Agenda posted on the town’s website at least 48 hours prior to the hearing. More information can be reviewed here.

Note that legal notices often must be posted twice by law. For previous legal notices and details on how to submit a legal notice to the Lincoln Squirrel, click here.

Police log for July 9–20 2025

July 9

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (7:41am) — The Fire Department assisted the Massachusetts State Police with a crash.

South Great Road (10:36am) — A motorist reported that the railroad gates were malfunctioning. Keolis was notified and reported that a train that stopped further down the line may be the reason for the malfunctions.

Lincoln Road (11:26am) — A second report of the previously mentioned issue with the railroad gates. Keolis was on scene addressing the situation.

Lincoln Road (11:59am) — Several loose rounds of ammunition were turned in and marked for destruction.

Food Project field, Concord Road (1:03pm) — A motorist reported a suspicious item near the railroad bridge. The item belonged to workers in the area.

Winter Street (1:04pm) — An officer served paperwork to a person.

July 10

North Commons (10:47pm) — An officer responded to an ongoing incident.

July 11

Farrar Road (6:29am) — An officer helped a person rejoin their family member who was out for a walk.

Fox Run Road (8:33am) — An officer checked on a suspicious vehicle. The vehicle’s owner was working for a nearby landscaper.

Forester Road (8:38pm) — An officer checked the area for a person who was soliciting without a permit but was unable to locate them.

Winter Street (9:54pm) — A caller reported seeing a suspicious motor vehicle. The vehicle belonged to an Amazon delivery driver.

July 12

Baker Bridge Road (8:55am) — An officer found a disabled motor vehicle on the side of the road. The officer was able to make contact with the operator and the vehicle was removed a short time later.

July 13

Twisted Tree Café (7:41pm) — An officer helped a persont with a disabled motor vehicle.

July 14

Acorn Lane (9:34am) — A caller spoke with an officer regarding a past incident.

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (10:25am) — An officer assisted a motorist that had pulled off the roadway with directions.

Birchwood Lane (4:48pm) — An officer checked on a vehicle with a shattered window. It appeared that nothing appeared to have been removed from the vehicle.

Horses Crossing (6:00pm) — An officer assisted a person with a civil matter.

Tower Road (11:22pm) — The Lincoln and Concord Fire Departments assisted a resident with a strange odor coming from inside the house.

July 15

Concord Road (1:02pm) — Police and fire personnel responded to a crash after a vehicle crossed the double yellow line and struck another vehicle. Both operators were transported to the hospital. The operator that crossed into the path of the other vehicle was cited for a marked lanes violation.

South Great Road (3:20pm) — An officer helped two motorists after a minor crash. There were no reported injuries and both vehicles were driven from the scene.

Silver Birch Lane (3:54pm) — An officer helped a person obtain a police report.

Sudbury Lane, Weston (6:54pm) — Weston police requested assistance with a motor vehicle crash.

The Commons of Lincoln (8:55pm) — A caller reported that their vehicle was apparently struck while they were inside the building. An officer took a report.

July 16

Beaver Pond Road (8:06am) — A caller spoke with an officer regarding an animal complaint.

Library Lane (1:33pm) — A large tree branch came down on two vehicles parked in front of the lot.

Bedford Road (4:22pm) — A vehicle failed to come to a complete stop at the Route 2A intersection. There were minor injuries reported. The operator that failed to stop was cited.

July 17

Bedford Road (8:24am) — A landscaper unearthed a suspicious item. The Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad was called to assist with a controlled detonation of the item.

Bypass Road (3:05pm) — An 18-wheeler struck a light pole, taking down the pole and wires. The area remained closed to traffic until the wires and pole could be removed.

Trout Brook Rd, Wayland (10:27pm) — Officers assisted Wayland police with a mutual aid request.

July 18

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (12:47am) — An officer assisted Massachusetts State Police with a motor vehicle crash involving a deer.

Joyce Rd, Wayland (10:13pm) — Officers assisted the Wayland Police with a mutual aid request.

July 19

Farrar Road (3:02am) — Officers located a vehicle’s car alarm sounding by the Wayland town line.

South Great Road (7:13am) — An officer responded for a one-car crash. The operator was subsequently located and cited for leaving the scene of a crash.

Twin Pond Lane (1:16pm) — A caller reported a suspicious vehicle in the area. The occupants were visiting a neighbor.

Old Bedford Road (2:22pm) — A caller reported seeing someone walking on Old Bedford Road by Virginia Road. The individual was then observed getting onto a bus.

Weston Road (4:09pm) — A caller reported a large turtle in the roadway. An officer responded but was unable to locate the turtle.

Lincoln Road (7:56pm) — An officer performed a well-being check on a person walking by Drumlin Farm.

Lincoln Road (8:04pm) — An officer helped a resident check inside their residence.

July 20

Birchwood Lane (6:19pm) — The Fire Department responded to a residence to check on a small oven fire that had previously been extinguished.

Community center work starts this week

Aerial renderings of the community center. See a slide show of interior images here.

After years of studying, planning, discussion, and Town Meeting votes, the community center project expects to break ground on Friday, July 18.

The final hurdle for getting the project underway was when voters in June approved using $2.33 million from the town’s stabilization fund to cover a budget shortfall that became apparent when all the construction bids were over budget. Voters OK’d a $24.02 million budget for the project at the March 2024 Annual Town Meeting (see all Lincoln Squirrel community center stories here.)

According to statement released on July 17 by Community Center Building Committee (CCBC), the first phase of construction will last through the summer and will include installation of erosion controls and fencing to ensure environmental protection and site safety, and abatement and demolition of the existing Hartwell pods.
 
All asbestos abatement work is being performed by a licensed asbestos contractor in full accordance with EPA Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, MassDEP, and Department of Labor Standards asbestos regulations, the CCBC said. A detailed letter from the contractor outlines their specific procedures and safety protocols. The town is also developing a construction mitigation plan with our contractor that includes dust control protocols throughout the entire project.

Vehicular traffic patterns on campus will remain largely unchanged throughout this phase, with the exception of a modification to the entrance and exit of the Hartwell parking lot. These maps show vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle access to the area:

  • Ballfield Road access map — provides a broad view of the entire campus and general access routes
  • Hartwell Building access map — offers specific information about access to the Hartwell main building, which houses:
    • Lincoln Public Schools administrative offices
    • Magic Garden Preschool
    • Parks and Recreation Offices
    • LEAP administrative offices (program spaces are housed in the Lincoln School for the coming school year.)

The CCBC will share regular updates on construction progress, upcoming milestones, and any changes that may affect community access or activities. Join their email list and learn more at lincolncommunitycenter.com. Anyone with questions or concerns about the project, is encouraged to reach out to the committee at CCBCCommunicationsCommittee@gmail.com.

Service on Saturday for Mary Spindler, 1939–2025

Mary Spindler

A celebration of her life will be held at St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Lincoln on Saturday, July 19 at 2:30pm for Mary Allen Griffing Spindler, who died on July 11 with her two children, David and Henry, by her side.

Mary was a thoroughly invested resident of Lincoln starting in 1968. In 1986, she was part of the successful effort to revert what was then called Sandy Pond, where Thoreau first had a cabin, to its earlier name of Flints Pond. She was a member of the Lincoln Historic District Commission and was active in the Lincoln Historical Society, serving as its president for a time. Instead of “historic” or “historical,” in conversation with family or close friends she insisted on using “hysteric” or “hysterical.” As a member of the commission, she was sometimes in the minority, writing dissenting opinions on the side of preservation.

Mary never stopped learning. When her son Henry was majoring in chemistry in college, she pulled out her own college chemistry textbooks and tried to get up to speed. Books, NPR, magazines, and newspapers were her source materials, the latter two of which she would clip to create voluminous piles (known in the family as “rubble stacks”) for the further edification of her sons.

When her sons were young, she built for them from scratch a full-sized carpentry workbench and a child-sized faux sink and stove kitchenette. She kept the kitchenette for her grandchildren to use, along with a comprehensive collection of artifacts from her own past and those of her family members.

She was quick to express gratitude in speech and writing. Most of the postage stamps that she used were for thank-you notes, birthday wishes, and anniversary commemorations. She was modest to the point of not mentioning her accomplishments, making this obituary difficult to write with the accuracy that she would demand, even for her sons. Her husband had to tell her sons about her efforts to rename Sandy Pond, because she did not mention this episode to them. She liked to joke with her husband that plaques and monuments had been erected to commemorate places that he had visited, even as a child.

Mary Allen Griffing was born on July 24, 1939, in Harrisonburg, Va., to M. Scudder Griffing, originally of Shelter Island, N.Y., and A. Mildred (Allen) Griffing, originally of Somerset, Ky. At the time, her family was living in Luray, Va.; soon after, the family moved to Richmond.

While the family lived in Virginia, her father was employed by the National Park Service. In the mid-1950s, the family moved to Shelter Island, where nearly all of her father’s siblings lived. There she started high school before attending Friends Academy in Locust Valley, N.Y., with tuition assistance from a family friend. She majored in American Studies at Stanford University (a “junior university,” as she sometimes called it). She felt fortunate to benefit from classes with the novelist Wallace Stegner, and other professors whose names and classes she long remembered. She played on the women’s basketball team, which was not recognized as a legitimate varsity team until many years later, when she was honored with a varsity letter.  Alongside her coursework, she held a job as a tour guide and pulled out bits of her spiel when the family visited the campus decades later. She graduated in 1961. The following year, she graduated with a master’s degree in education from Harvard.

Mary met James W. Spindler of Middletown, Ohio in 1957, and they were married in Shelter Island in 1964. He died in 2019 after living for many years with Parkinson’s disease, and she was an extraordinarily diligent and indefatigable caregiver for him in his later years. She is also predeceased by her sister, Barbara Wagner, who lived much of her adult life in Darien, Conn. In addition to her two sons, she leaves behind five grandchildren.

She worked as an elementary school teacher at Hanscom Air Force Base before getting married, and tutored reading at the Carroll School in Lincoln for much of the 1990s and the early 2000s. As an elementary school teacher, one of her favorite classroom teaching techniques was to have her students listen to music and draw what came to mind. She worked at the Lincoln Library in the latter part of the 1980s and the early 1990s.

Mary loved music. She was active in the St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church choir for decades, serving for a time on its committee to hire an organist. She played the piano avidly. She organized activities for her children and others, including a concert band conducted by Ken Keyes and a soccer team coached by John Walker. To the delight of her sons, she did all that was humanly possible to have her family’s cocker spaniel, Kabuki, give birth to three litters of AKC-approved puppies, one of which grew up to be Jacqueline du Pré.

In her young adulthood, she had always wanted to live in an old house. She realized this ambition in 1974, when she and her family moved into a house built at various times during the nineteenth century. She derived joy from researching its history from oral and written sources and in working in the gardens, fields, and woods around it. Her father had studied landscape architecture in college; from him she learned a vast set of plants names and the sense for which trees to cut down. She actively participated in the clearing of field-encroaching trees and bushes through her late 60s, and hauled firewood for her wood stove into her 80s. She moved to Carleton-Willard Village in Bedford in 2023.

A celebration of her life will be held at St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Lincoln on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 2:30pm. A reception will follow.

Donations in her memory may be made to St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church’s Music Fund or P.O. Box 6, Lincoln MA 01773; or the Lincoln Historical Society, P.O. Box 6084, Lincoln, MA 01773.

Bedford Road nighttime closures rescheduled for July 20 and 21

Due to evolving water main replacement construction conditions, the nighttime road closures and detours from the five-way intersection to Canaan Drive originally scheduled for the nights of July 16 and 17 have been postponed to Sunday and Monday, July 20 and 21 from 9:00pm to 5:00am. Detour directions remain the same:

  • Motorists traveling north on Lincoln Road towards the five-way intersection intending to get on Route 2 eastbound will be detoured onto Trapelo Road and Lexington Road.
  • Motorists wishing to access North Lincoln or Route 2 westbound will be detoured onto Sandy Pond Road to Baker Bridge and Concord Road (Route 126) to Route 2.
  • Motorists who wish to exit Route 2 onto Bedford Road heading south will be detoured onto Lexington Road and Trapelo Road to allow access through the five-way intersection.

Police detail officers and detour signs will be in place to assist motorists. 

News acorns

Film: “Across the River and Into the Trees”

“Across the River and Into the Trees” will be shown in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room on Thursday, July 17 at 6:00pm. View trailer here.

Submit words for the library’s time capsule

The Lincoln Public Library’s Lincoln250 time capsule is accepting submissions through Thursday, July 31. Stop by the library for a form or use this online form to explain why the library important to you/your family, how you think it will change by 2050, and what you’d like to say to someone using the library 25 years from now.

Enter photos for nature calendar

Each year, the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust/Rural Land Foundation produces the Open Spaces of Lincoln Calendar and Nature Note Cards, which are a stunning showcase of Lincoln’s rural landscapes, abundant wildlife, and recreational activities. The deadline to submit photos to be considered for inclusion is Monday, Aug. 15. There is no limit to the number of photos each person can submit. Photographers of all ages and levels are welcome to participate. Click here for rules and submission instructions.

Girls’ soccer clinic

The L-S Warriors girls’ soccer clinic will be run by returning members of the varsity girls’ soccer team at Lincoln-Sudbury High School (and supervised by multiple program coaches) from Tuesday to Thursday, Aug. 12-14 from 9:00am–noon on the high school turf field. All girls entering grades 2-8 are welcome. Cost is $150 per player. Register here. Questions? Email matthew_wentworth@lsrhs.net.

Nighttime Bedford Road closures this week

Due to the water main replacement project, Bedford Road will be closed from the five-way intersection up to Canaan Drive on Wednesday and Thursday nights, July 16 and 17, from 9:00pm – 5:00am. 

Detour directions:
  • Motorists traveling north on Lincoln Road towards the five-way intersection intending to get on Route 2 eastbound will be detoured onto Trapelo Road and Lexington Road.
  • Motorists wishing to access North Lincoln or Route 2 westbound will be detoured onto Sandy Pond Road to Baker Bridge and Concord Road (Route 126) to Route 2.
  • Motorists who wish to exit Route 2 onto Bedford Road heading south will be detoured onto Lexington Road and Trapelo Road to allow access through the five-way intersection.

Police detail officers and detour signs will be in place to assist motorists. 

My Turn: A three-time climate refugee weans off fossil fuels

By Anne Sobol

Last week, Net Zero installed my new heat pump water heater, the next to last step in my getting off natural gas (clothes dryer remains). A crew of young men cycled in and out of my house most of the day. In the middle of the afternoon, my doorbell rang and three men from National Grid stood outside my front door. They said they had heard from the crew replacing the gas main on Beaver Pond Road that I did not want to have the line from the main to my house replaced. I said yes, I did not. They began arguing with me and telling me that would cut me off from gas. The young men from Net Zero moved back and forth from the house to their trucks either getting tools they needed or wanting to hear what was going on.

The National Grid guys explained that if I did not have the line to my house replaced now and later wanted gas, I would have to pay for extending the line, whereas now it would be without charge. I explained that I understand all NG payers are paying in their monthly bills for National Grid’s repair work whether or not the repairs are occurring in their neighborhoods, and that in any case why would I want to change my mind? They said it’s expensive to pay for electricity. I said yes, but I’ve invested in solar panels and a battery — expensive upfront money but now my electric bills are way down.

They said, “What if you want to sell your house and potential buyers want natural gas? They’ll have to pay to have the line from the street changed and this fact will reduce what you can sell your house for.” I asked, “Why would they want natural gas?” They hemmed and hawed and finally one of them said they might want to put in a swimming pool and have a heater. I said I believe fossil fuels are driving climate change and what kind of earth do they want to leave their children and grandchildren? I thanked them for coming by and they left.

I grew up in Lincoln in the fifties (LPS 1-8). For many years, my husband and I lived on a bayou across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans until we were driven into the city by repeated storms and floods. Our house on the bayou wasn’t protected by levees. Later, our raised house in New Orleans was only damaged some in Hurricane Katrina, but the city suffered terribly. After Katrina there were repeated storms, power outages, and loss of water. My husband’s health declined and we moved to Sonoma County, California to be close to his daughter. People said, “What about the earthquakes?” but no one mentioned the fires. In California, we lived near areas that were burned to the ground and we were mandatorily evacuated one time. When my husband died, I tired of getting ready to evacuate and got the idea I’d move back to Lincoln. Climate refugee three times — from the bayou, from New Orleans, and from California. I feel I must do everything I can to reduce my contribution to climate change.

In my work to get my home off fossil fuels, I’ve gotten good advice from CFREE, a subcommittee of the town’s Green Energy Committee. CFREE provides coaching to Lincoln residents who want to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. To see if CFREE can help you, contact lincolngreencoach@gmail.com.

Anne Sobol lives on Beaver Pond Road.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.