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

Letter to the editor: Braun won’t run again

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To the editor:

It’s been my privilege to serve two terms as Selectmen and give back to the community where I’ve lived for nearly six decades. However, I believe it is time to step aside in favor of the next generation of town leadership. Therefore, I will not run for re-election in March 2017.

I’ve been honored to help carry out the Board of Selectmen’s assigned responsibilities, as well as to facilitate the dedicated efforts of numerous other committees and volunteers. Although the Selectmen function as a team, each of us focuses his or her skills and energy on particular projects. I’m pleased to have played a primary role in the following matters that enhanced the Town’s internal and external resources or resolved major challenges:

  • Developing and implementing the Selectmen’s Newsletter, which shines new public light on Selectmen concerns and activities.
  • Expanding the mission and at-large composition of the Capital Planning Committee, which enabled enhanced citizen review of capital projects and provides a new “niche” opportunity for volunteers.
  • Revitalizing the Town’s relationship with Hanscom Air Force Base (HAFB) and our multi-town alliance known as Hanscom Area Towns Committee (HATS), including developing HATS’ web site and HATS’ strong relationship with HAFB leadership and the state’s Military Assets Task Force.
  • Developing productive relationships with State Representative Tom Stanley and U.S. Representative Katherine Clark, which have paid off tangibly in our communications with the State, the Base, and the Federal Government.
  • Working with MassDOT on the construction phase of the Rt. 2 project (including successfully negotiating for over $600,000 of landscape fencing and planted enhancements), thus guiding us through the final realization of this major safety improvement and the culmination of 20 years of design and advocacy by prior town leaders.
  • Finding a suitable resolution of the governance and financial dilemmas presented by Minuteman High School and its building proposal.

A major pleasure for me as a Selectmen has been the opportunity to work closely with Town Administrator Tim Higgins. Lincoln has been blessed with Tim’s dedication and skill for 22 years, and hopefully that will continue for the remainder of his career. He is a master at the technical requirements of his profession, and he fully understands our values and culture. Tim is always a steadying force of calm and forward-thinking practicality on every issue. Equally important, Tim deeply values collegiality, communication, and compassion, which are reflected in the culture of all staff and committees he supervises or oversees.

I’ve been enlightened and energized by the many residents and staff with whom I have worked on the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, Capital Planning Committee, and Community Preservation Committee, as well as by my frequent collaborations with the Schools’ leadership, and I look forward to continuing the numerous new relationships I have gained.

Last, but not least, I’m grateful for the feedback I’ve received from my fellow residents, especially those who have simply said “thank-you” for serving. I hope all residents will continue to support the volunteer culture on which we so heavily rely by reaching out in a positive way to all those who serve.

Sincerely,

Peter Braun
16 Trapelo 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.

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Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren in A Special Day.

Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren in A Special Day.

Screening of  ‘A Special Day’

The Lincoln Library Film Society will screen A Special Day starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni (1977, in Italian with English subtitles) on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 6:30 p.m. On the day of a huge rally celebrating Hitler’s visit to Rome, which underscored the infamous alliance between the Nazis and Mussolini’s fascist regime, a brief encounter between a weary housewife and a radio announcer unfolds into an intimate drama. Refreshments will be served.

Flower Yoga for Kids

Tara Rachel Jones will lead Flower Yoga for Kids on three Fridays (December 2, 9 and 16) from 10:30-11 a.m. at the Lincoln Public Library. For children ages 2.5-5 years old with an accompanying adult. Register for one, two or all three classes by calling 781-259-8465 ext. 4 or emailing jflanders@minlib.net.

Choral concert tells the story of Mary

Come hear “The Story of Mary: A Choral Concert by Vox Lucens” on Saturday, Dec. 3 from 7:30-9 p.m. at St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church. The Vox Lucens Renaissance Choir performs a cappella music that tells Mary’s story, including double choir works by Palestrina and Gabrieli, Victoria’s luminous Gabriel Archangelus and Lassus’ heart-rending Stabat Mater. Suggested donation: $20.

Gift Local Holiday Market this weekend

The Old Town Hall Exchange’s sixth annual Gift Local Holiday Market will take place on Saturday, Dec. 3 from 5-9 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 4 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m in Bemis Hall. This event will host a variety of talented local artists including jewelers, painters, knitters, photographers and more. Stop by and get some of your holiday shopping out of the way while supporting local businesses and craftspeople.

Tea party for charity

There will be a “Dolly and Me” tea party for charity on Sunday, Dec. 4 from 1-4 p.m. at the Pierce House, sponsored by Barrett Sotheby’s International Realty with all proceeds to benefit Horizons for Homeless Children. There will be a doll promenade, tea and hot cocoa, sandwiches and cookies, craft projects, and a raffle and door prizes including a grand prize, the 2017 Doll of the Year from American Girl. Tickets are $50 for one child accompanied by an adult and $25 for each additional child. RSVP to Terese Surette or Anna Travias at dollyandme@barrettsir.com.

McLean Hospital sues Lincoln over Bypass Road decision

mcleanMcLean Hospital has filed suit against the town asking the court to find that its proposed residential facility on Bypass Road constitutes an allowable educational use according to state law and Lincoln’s zoning bylaw.

Building Inspector Daniel Walsh initially decided that providing dialectical behavior therapy to adolescent boys and young men with borderline personality disorder was allowed by the Dover amendment, a state law that permits zoning exceptions for educational and religious uses of a property. After a group of residents hired an attorney and appealed to the Zoning Board of Appeals, the ZBA overturned that decision in a 4-1 vote earlier this month.

The lawsuit notes that although the ZBA voted on November 3, its decision will not be signed until December 8. The suit was filed on November 15.

“In the meantime, the delay in openings its program has severely prejudiced McLean, both in terms of its financial investment in the program and also given the needs of the prospective residents whose admission is now delayed,” the suit says. A program director and several other senior staff for the facility have already been hired and have relocated from out of state, it says.

McLean applied for a building permit on October 12 to begin interior renovations on the Bypass Road property, but Building Inspector Daniel Walsh (who is also named as a defendant) refused to accept the application or issue a permit, pending the ZBA’s decision, according to the suit. “Although McLean understands that such renovations are undertaken at its risk, McLean, like any property owner, is entitled to make interior changes to a residential property assuming those changes meet the requirements of state and local building codes,” the suit says.

At the ZBA’s recommendation, the Board of Selectmen voted at its November 2 meeting to retain attorney Jason (Jay) Talerman of Blatman, Bobrowski, Mead & Talerman to represent the town and the ZBA. Talerman has appeared before the ZBA several times, “and the ZBA has been impressed with him and thinks he would be a great fit for the town and the ZBA in these matters,” the selectmen said in a statement.

Prior to joining his current firm, Talerman (who is also the town moderator in Norfolk) was a partner at Kopelman & Paige, where he provided town counsel services to nearly a third of Massachusetts cities and towns, according to his firm’s bio page.

“The Board of Selectmen has every confidence that Town Counsel [Joel Bard] could have effectively represented the town and the ZBA in these matters, but agrees with the ZBA that it would be best under the circumstances to retain outside counsel going forward,” selectmen said. In a May 2 email to town officials, Bard said that in his opinion, McLean’s proposed use qualified as an education use under the Dover Amendment.

Generally speaking for lawsuits of this type, the court will schedule a case management conference in about four to six weeks, after which a trial before a judge or a summary judgement hearing may be scheduled, said Diane Tillotson, McLean’s attorney.

Letter to the editor: thanks for election help from Town Clerk

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To the editor:

I think it’s fair to say that this election was a truly epic undertaking—16 days from start to finish, 4,000 total votes cast (roughly half during the 100 hours of early voting). And we’d like to thank every one of you who helped to pull it off:

  • from the volunteer poll workers who helped staff early voting as well as the polls;
  • to our election chef, who kept us happily fed;
  • to the DPW crew, who constructed some and installed all of our signage, not to mention setup and breakdown of the polling place;
  • to the coordinated police presence at the polls, in the parking lot, and on escort duty;
  • to the hospitality of Smith School staff;
  • to the great coverage of the Lincoln Journal, the Lincoln Squirrel and local cable;
  • to the volunteer support staff who helped us carry the load at the office;
  • to the four high school students who took the initiative to sign up, train and serve as part of the closing team;
  • to the Smith School teachers who made a visit to an operating polling place part of their curriculum that day;
  • and, of course, to the indefatigable and indefatigably good-natured assistant and deputy town clerks and their likewise generous and patient families.

Well done! And thank you!

Sincerely,

Susan Brooks, Town Clerk

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.

More Lincoln dam work? (Lincoln Through the Lens)

Beavers take many trees along the pond trail near Pincushion Island - for food and construction of a new lodge...

Beavers have been busy harvesting trees for food and lodging (inset) in the trees along the pond trail near Farrar Pond’s Pincushion Island.They do not, however, appear to be working on a dam, as Lincoln will soon be doing at Flint’s Pond. Photo by Harold McAleer

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.

Flint’s Pond dam to get upgrade

damPerhaps ironically in this year of drought, the Flint’s Pond dam will be getting some rehab work this winter to make sure it can withstand a 50-year flood.

A hydraulic evaluation  required by the Office of Dam Safety indicated that the dam would overtop during a 50-year flood because the current spillway is undersized, said Water Department Superintendent Greg Woods. When water overflows a dam beyond its spillway capacity, it erodes soil and other material whose weight holds the dam in place, putting it in danger of failure.

Construction signs on Sandy Pond Road and Baker Bridge Road will alert motorists to the fact that trucks and equipment will be entering and exiting via a temporary easement being constructed at 67 Sandy Pond Road to access the dam site, which is at the southeast corner of Flint’s Pond. Work could begin as soon as December, and while the contract calls for the work to be completed in 75 days, the contractor will probably have to return in the spring to finish work on the ground cover, Woods said.

The town’s water supply and water quality will not be affected by the work, mainly because the water level is so low, although engineering plans were developed under the assumption that Flint’s Pond was at normal capacity. The cost to the town will be $125,000.

Letter to the editor: Happy Thanksgiving from Rep. Stanley

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To the editor:

During this time of Thanksgiving, I wish to thank the good people of the 9th Middlesex District for placing their faith and trust in me. Serving Lincoln and Waltham in the Massachusetts General Court is an honor and responsibility I take seriously. Thank you to my family and friends. Together, we have put an enormous amount of time and effort into running for office and serving our community. I am grateful for your friendship and continued support.

I hope everyone takes a moment over the next several days to be thankful for their friends and family.  It is a great honor and privilege to serve you as your state representative, and I look forward to continuing to fight for our community’s interests up on Beacon Hill for the next two years. Here’s wishing the residents of the 9th Middlesex District a happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday!

Sincerely,

Tom Stanley (D–9th Middlesex District)
19 Neighbors Lane, Waltham

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.

Sale closes on Wang property; town will be asked for $850,000+

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The Wang property is outlined in blue. The lot on which the house sits is in yellow. Click image to enlarge.

The sale of the 16-acre Bedford Road property owned by the late An and Lorraine Wang was completed on November 17 for $2.375 million, and residents will be asked at Town Meeting to approve the purchase of 12 of those acres for use as conservation land and a new town athletic field.

The Rural Land Foundation (RLF) bought the property together with the Birches School, which plans to relocate to the remaining four acres, including the Wangs’ 12,000-square-foot house at 100 Bedford Rd.

The 16 acres of land comprise seven parcels along Bedford Road and Oak Knoll Road with a total assessed value of $2.3 million and a full development value of $3 million to $4 million, RLF Executive Director Geoff McGean said in October when the planned deal was announced.

The RLF and Birches have agreed to carry the cost of the property until the 2017 Town Meeting, when voters will be asked to pay the two organizations $850,000 and to allocate an additional as-yet-unspecified amount to build the athletic field. If residents reject the proposal, the RLF and Birches will seek to develop the property, which has three potentially buildable lots, to recoup their investment.

Officials hope to have the $850,000+ appropriated from funds collected through the Community Preservation Act. Those funds derive from a 3 percent surcharge on property tax bills, supplemented by money from the state, and can be spent on open space, preservation of historic structures, provision of low and moderate income housing, and recreation.

“The decision to pursue this opportunity was done in concert with two partners: Birches School and Parks & Recreation,” McGean said. “We had three different organizations, each with its own unique needs, and the Wang property provided a potential path forward for all of us. We are grateful to the Wang family, which made this transaction an affordable possibility.”

“We’ve been searching for land for more than 15 years and we recognize that when an opportunity like this comes along, we need to seize it,” said Parks & Rec Director Dan Pereira. “The town doesn’t have the ability to act on short notice, so we’re fortunate to be able to partner with the RLF and Birches School to make this an option for the town. Lincoln is also able to take advantage of significant cost savings, since Birches School will be building and maintaining the parking lot for the potential field.”

“This is an exciting opportunity to balance these different community needs while also connecting an important property to adjacent land already in conservation,” said Lincoln Conservation Director Thomas Gumbart.

The Birches School, which currently has 45 students in rented space in the First Parish Stone Church, has already begun to renovate the home, working with Lincoln architects Woodie and Loretta Arthur of D.W. Arthur Associates Architects. The school hopes to move into their new facility by Fall 2017.

Officials will schedule future public meetings to discuss site plans and project funding.

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‘Nutcracker” reading and dancing

The Lincoln Public Library will host a reading of The Nutcracker with dancers from the Commonwealth Ballet Company on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. During the event, which is geared toward young children, dancers will act out some of the parts in rich and colorful costumes.

Give nature-based holiday thanks at Drumlin Farm

On the day after Thanksgiving, join Massachusetts-area artists at Drumlin Farm for the annual “Giving Thanks for Nature and Our Senses,” a family outdoor art experience. Welcome back your senses on a nature walk with interactive artist demonstrations, enjoy art installations throughout the farmyard, and make your own nature-inspired crafts on Friday, Nov. 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Highlights include:

  • 4-H Club Food Drive: Bring non-perishable goods and our 4-H club will donate all items to Open Table in Concord.
  • The Grey Whisker Pickers
  • Wildlife sketching
  • Natural sculpture by William Turville
  • Nature crafts workshop with Musketaquid artists
  • Installations and gallery artwork by local sculptors, painters, and photographers
  • Storytelling with Ron McAdow

Admission: $9 for adults, $6 for seniors and children. Free for Mass Audubon members and Lincoln residents. Cohosted by Mass Audubon and Musketaquid Arts & Environment.

mangotreeSupport families in shelter from domestic violence this holiday season

On Sunday, Dec. 4 from 1-5 p.m., Mango Tree Artisans at 410 Boston Post Road in Sudbury will host a special shopping event to benefit the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable. Enjoy light refreshments while you shop, and mention the Roundtable to have a portion of your purchase donated to the organization.

Each year, the Roundtable sponsors a family from one of three local agencies for the holidays. Those agencies need help to provide happy holidays for families in shelter and to meet the ongoing needs of additional families who have been victims of domestic violence. Sponsored families are anonymous, though the agency will share the number of family members and their ages. Match yourself with a smaller family to sponsor, or invite relatives, friends, and colleagues to join you in sponsoring a larger family. For those who can’t sponsor a family, gift cards for food, clothing and other necessities to stores such as Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, CVS, Target, and Stop & Shop are welcome. Wrapping paper, ribbon and tape are also needed. To learn more about how you can help, contact:

Ornament workshop at deCordova

Create an ornament of your own design at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum’s ceramic ornament workshop on Saturday, Dec. 10 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For adults and children 10+ accompanied by an adult. The cost is $25–$45; click here to register.