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

Running and winning (Lincoln Through the Lens)

Runners from the Lincoln School won the Division 2 team title at the Massachusetts Middle School Cross Country Championships. The team, which was new this year to the Lincoln School, was coached by teachers David Trant and Karen Shepard and organized by Alex Appleby. Left to right: team members Olivia Pistorio, Tara O’Malley, Callie Breiter, Emily Appleby, Francesca Lui, and Laura Appleby.


 

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.

Arts events coming up

masksAn updated “Romeo and Juliet” next week

The Lincoln middle schoolers will perform “Romeo and Juliet—Together (and Alive!) at Last” on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 3 p.m., and Thursday and Friday, Nov. 19-20 at 7 p.m. in the Brooks auditorium. The play tells the story of eighth-graders Pete Saltz and Anabell Stackpoole—in love but too shy to even look at each other—and what happens when their friends concoct a scheme to perform “Romeo and Juliet” with Pete and Anabell in the title roles. What could possibly go wrong with the set, costumes, props, or actors? Find out during this bustling, high-energy comedy about friendship and first crushes, the magic of theater and Shakespeare’s great love story. Written by Sandra Fenichel Asher and based on the book by Avi, the play is appropriate for audiences of all ages but would be most easily understood by third-graders and above. Running time: 90 minutes plus one intermission. Tickets )$5 for students and $10 for adults) will be sold at the door.

Holiday craft workshop at First Parish

The First Parish Church will hold a children’s Advent workshop on Sunday, Nov. 29 at from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. at the Parish House (14 Bedford Road). Children will meet to make holiday ornaments and crafts. Adult volunteers are needed; contact Kathy Cronin at kathycronin@firstparishinlincoln.org if you would like to help.

Stanley Rowan photos on exhibit in December

Lincoln resident Stanley Rowin, who has photographed for magazines including Glamour and Scientific American, is having an exhibit of some of this work in the Lincoln Public Library during the month December, with an opening reception on Wednesday, Dec. 2 from 5:30-7 p.m. The show will include portraits of several Lincoln residents and scenes.

Tina Packer

Tina Packer

Legendary Shakespeare director to visit library

Tina Packer will be at the Lincoln Public Library on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. Packer is the founding artistic directory of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Mass. She has directed or starred in a variety of Shakespeare’s plays and has taught William Shakespeare at numerous universities including Harvard, MIT, NYU and Columbia. She’s appeared in various productions of the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as productions for the BBC. Her book Women of Will: Following the Feminine in Shakespeare’s Plays was published this year. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.

Letter to the editor: Be sure to attend State of the Town on Saturday

letter

To the editor:

We are about to engage in an important community conversation: The annual State of the Town meeting on Saturday Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Your participation is key to helping shape our future.

In an effort to expand opportunities for citizens to hear the current thinking of town boards and to provide feedback and guidance as elected and appointed officials shape ideas and budgets, the Lincoln Board of Selectmen introduced the State of the Town (SoTT) in 2002. The concept won state awards for innovation and has become a tradition for our town. The success of State of the Town is dependent on engaged citizens, such as you and our town officials.

The recent chatter on LincolnTalk about the proposed new building for Minuteman High School is evidence that there is a very engaged citizenry. The State of the Town will be a critical forum to have all of us in one room sharing ideas and concerns about size, location and budget of the Minuteman proposal.

Also on the agenda is a discussion of zoning bylaw revisions. It is important to have many voices in this forum. At last year’s Town Meeting, a lot of time was spent trying to shape a highly technical bylaw through the amendment process. This wasn’t the best venue for that conversation. By introducing potential zoning bylaw additions and revisions at SoTT, all will have an opportunity to comment and guide drafting before we get to Town Meeting.

Perhaps the most critical issue to discuss will be the concepts that will be presented by the Campus Master Planning Committee (CMPC). At last year’s State of the Town, a packed auditorium discussed the concept of a community center, making it clear that such a center was highly desirable and that it belonged on the Lincoln School campus. The center, along with the schools, will tie together all generations and will create “the heart of Lincoln.”

The CMPC was endorsed at last Town Meeting in order to create a holistic approach to campus planning and further the evolution of community campus. While it was a near-unanimous endorsement to locate a community center on the campus, the exact locations of the center and all buildings to serve schools have yet to be determined.

Of great interest will be how to best configure the buildings on the campus to meet the needs of our community while also respecting the campus itself, its history, and its environment. Much has been explored at the various public forums hosted by the CMPC during October, and the SoTT will provide a larger audience with an opportunity to hear and respond to exciting potential approaches to the layout of the Ballfield Road campus in the future.

And last but not least, State of the Town offers an opportunity for citizens to comment and/or ask questions about any town-related matter. This is “one-stop shopping” for citizens who cannot make multiple board meetings and hearings. All issues will be available for discussion under one roof and in one morning.

Do not miss this opportunity to engage with your friends and neighbors in a unique community conversation. Come to State of the Town on Saturday, Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Brooks auditorium on the Lincoln School campus.

Sincerely,

Sara Mattes
71 Conant 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 must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, 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.

Correction

correction-smIn the November 11, 2015 Lincoln Squirrel story about the possibility of putting a solar array at the landfill, Green Energy Technology Committee members John Snell and Paul O’Neil were not properly identified The story has been corrected to include their full names.

Solar array considered for landfill site

solarBy Alice Waugh

They say you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, but you might be able to make cheap electricity from garbage—or at least from land on top of garbage.

One of the discussion topics at Saturday’s State of the Town meeting is the idea of putting solar panels on the closed landfill next to the transfer station. If a proposal from Boston-based BlueWave Capital comes to fruition, a solar installation on the site could produce more than 50 percent of Lincoln’s municipal electricity use, according to members of Lincoln’s Green Energy Technology Committee (GETC), which has been studying the idea.

BlueWave has been working with 17 area towns to identify potential sites for solar installations, and the best site they found in Lincoln is the landfill, GETC members explained at the October 19 Board of Selectmen meeting in preparation for the State of the Town. A solar array on the landfill site could generate anywhere from 650 kW to 980 kW, which today would amount to 56 percent of municipal electricity (i.e., power for public schools, town-owned buildings and streetlights).

The town would pay about 12.5 cents per kWh (kilowatt hour) for 20 years with no escalation, compared to the current price of 18-29 cents per kWh depending on the time of year.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity,” said GETC member Paul O’Neil.

A proposal for a 650 kW solar array on the town landfill.

A proposal for a 650 kW solar array on the town landfill.

But there are many regulatory and legal issues that would have to be resolved before any of this can happen. For example, when the landfill was closed in 1995, the state helped fund the closure in exchange for a promise by Lincoln to restrict future use of the land to open space and conservation, so the state legislature would have to approve an amendment to that restriction.

“Lincoln being who we are, we’ve tightened the screws as much as possible to make it challenging to shift anything,” said GETC member John Snell.

Other legal and policy issues include the lease agreement for the land, possible payment in lieu of taxes for use of the site, the opinions of abutters including the National Park Service, and a “complex web” of federal and state tax credits and deadlines, said Town Administrator Tim Higgins. Lincoln voters will be asked to vote on one or more warrant articles at Town Meeting in spring 2016.

Several other area towns including Acton, Concord, Maynard, Sudbury and Weston have already completed or signed contracts for solar development of town-owned land, GETC member Jennifer Morris said. Capacities range from 1.2 mW in Maynard to 2.25 mW in Weston.

By their very nature, solar arrays need sizable chunks of open space, which Lincoln has in abundance relative to its population, O’Neil noted. In Lincoln, there are about 1.6 acres of protected open space per household, compared to 0.7 acres in Weston, for example.

“That’s what makes us distinct, and we appreciate that and want to protect it,” O’Neil said.

But a solar array obviously also changes the nature of the land it sits on, potentially putting the desire for open space and the desire for renewable energy at odds with each other.

“It’s appropriate to put this in front of the town to ask, do you want renewable energy and should we use some of what we all share” to make it happen, O’Neil said.

News acorns

acornLincoln Cultural Council wants your input

The Lincoln Cultural Council is hoping to get your feedback. Please click on this link to take a short survey that will give us valuable information about our programming and what you’d like to see us support.

One-time produce pickup offered at Lindentree Farm

Lindentree Farm CSA (one of the Lincoln farmers’ market vegetable producers) invites residents to a one-time pickup on Saturday, Nov. 14 from 12:30-6 p.m. Each share priced at $55 to $60 will include squashes, onions, carrots, garlic, purple-top turnips or celeriac, kohlrabi or fennel, radish or radicchio, kale, a choice of greens choice, spinach and cilantro. Everything is certified organic and biologically supported. For more information and registration, email lindentreecsa@gmail.com or call 781-259-1259.

Night hike at Farrington on Nov. 25

Come on a Full Moon Night Hike at Farrington Nature Linc on Wednesday, Nov. 25 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Start your Thanksgiving celebrations with activities to improve your night vision and a moon-lit night hike. Start your Thanksgiving celebrations with activities to improve your night vision and a moonlit night hike. Bring a flashlight, or borrow one of theirs. Suggested donation of $5 per person. Registration is required; call or email Farrington Program Director Brianne at Brianne@NatureLinc.org or 978-764-9186.

Teacher savors “Most Valuable Educator” award from Red Sox

xxxxxx

Teacher Joe Colombo, Kyle Atwood (wearing red and white face paint) and Wally the Green Monster are on the big screen in center field before a game at Fenway Park in August.

By Alice Waugh

The Lincoln School’s Joe Colombo finds teaching pretty rewarding, but he never thought he’d get a Most Valuable Educator award from the Boston Red Sox.

[Read more…] about Teacher savors “Most Valuable Educator” award from Red Sox

News acorns

solman

Paul Solman

PBS’s Paul Solman speaks on Nov. 22

The Bemis Lecture Series presents a conversation with Paul Solman, PBS NewsHour business and economics correspondent and author of the “Making Sense: Your Money and Your Life” blog, on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 4 p.m. in Brooks Auditorium. Free admission. For more information, email bemislectures@gmail.com.

“Wonderful Town” musical at L-S

The LSB Players of present Wonderful Town on November 18-21 at 7:30 p.m. in Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School’s Kirschner Auditorium. Wonderful Town is a 1930s musical written by the powerhouse combination of Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story, On the Town, Candide) and Betty Comden and Adolph Green (On the Town, Singin’ in the Rain, Bells Are Ringing, Will Rogers Follies). This family-friendly musical centers around Ruth and Eileen Sherwood, two sisters who have traveled from their tiny hometown in Ohio to New York City to seek their fame and fortune. The show is directed by Carly Evans, music directed by Michael Bunting and conducted by Tom Grandprey. Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for senior citizens/students and may be reserved online.

Annual artists’ market at deCordova

“Northern Lights – Holiday Sights,” the 22nd annual Artists’ Market at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum Store, runs from November 14 to December 31 with extended evening shopping hours. The Artists’ Market nearly doubles the square footage of the store for the holiday season to offer gifts and artisan items including jewelry, scarves, ornaments, paper goods, housewares, and hand-blown glass crafted by artists from across the country. The sale kicks off with a holiday reception on Friday, Nov. 13 from 7-9 p.m. with drinks, hors d’oeuvres, holiday music, a wrapping table, and more. Members receive a 15 percent discount. The store offers expanded holiday shopping hours until 7:30 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays from December 7–23.