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

Letter to the editor: concern about church committee’s “adversarial approach”

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To the editor:

I fully understand and appreciate the First Parish may want to upgrade the Stearns Room to enhance after-service socializing and improve handicapped access. However, it is not clear why the Building Committee has adopted an adversarial approach to the process—one which antagonizes Lincoln neighbors near and far, divides the congregation, threatens lawsuit, disrespects certain town boards and alienates long-term benefactors.

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Letter to the editor: How big is too big for Stearns Room?

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(Editor’s note: This letter concerns the proposed expansion to the First Parish Church’s Stearns Room. The Planning Commission has continued a hearing on details of the plan, including the roofing material, until April 28. The church has already won zoning approval for the proposal.)

To the editor:

Are there no alternative treatments for expansion of this addition than the one proposed? A metal roof seems more appropriate on a contemporary structure than on the current historic church building even though it might have some energy-saving or environmental benefits. [Read more…] about Letter to the editor: How big is too big for Stearns Room?

Letter to the editor: church needs “welcoming” handicapped entrance

letterTo the editor:

The recent flurry of letters opposing the proposed new Stearns Room paints quite a picture—how dare those First Parish people desecrate our sacred space! The low-pitched sections of the roof will be metal, there’s a terrace, and glass windows without shutters! It will be bigger than it is now, and part of the roof will be higher!

Guess what? If we are to make the presently dysfunctional space work, it has to be bigger, and that has been the plan since 2002. We have done our best to design a complementary, respectful addition, revising the plans at least five times in the past six years. Our first visit to the Historic District Commission was in September 2009, with a modern, butterfly-roofed design. Much has changed since then, and architects give the plan high praise.

The letter writers ignore the fact that the new building must have a welcoming handicapped-accessible entrance co-equal to the entrance by Bedford Road. If it does not, the sanctuary itself would require substantial renovation, with a wide ramp to the front door, alterations to the pews, the narthex, the choir loft and more. No one wants that.

The new building will have handicapped-accessible bathrooms and allow wheelchair access to both sides of the sanctuary. It will allow more of us to talk together after the service and to see the field to the west behind us. The new building will be far more functional and attractive and allow us to better serve the community.

Sincerely,

Peter Pease
40 Huckleberry Hill Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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.

Letter to the editor: Minutemen a “toppingly transcendent tradition”

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Editor’s note: see a photo taken by Rob on Monday morning in Lincoln Through the Lens.

To the editor:

Lincoln is a town of many treasures. Sunday night and (early!) Monday morning, we were reminded the Lincoln Minute Men are well among them.

On Sunday evening, the Minute Men reenacted the Sounding of the Alarm that the British Regulars were on the march. In addition to rousing tunes, musket volley’s and pealing of the church bells, we were treated to a vivid description of the heroics of Revere, Dawes and Prescott when they were ambushed by a British patrol in North Lincoln.

Monday  morning, as the Minute Men mustered for their march to Concord, we were reminded not only of the Patriots of the American Revolution but all those who have followed in their footsteps since.

Thanks again to all the Lincoln Minute Men and their families and friends  for sharing such a toppingly  transcendent tradition with spirit and style.

Sincerely,

Rob Jevon
9 Trapelo Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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.

Entire library to become an art show

The Lincoln Public Library has long welcomed artists who exhibit their work in its first-floor gallery space designed by renowned architect and modern art collector Graham Gund. But this spring, for the first time, the entire library will be transformed into a fine art gallery as the Friends of the Lincoln Library host a show and gala: “Grown, Shown and Owned in Lincoln.”

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News acorns – 4/23/15

acornAfrican drum and dance at St. Anne’s on May 3

All are invited to African drum and dance classes at St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Church on Sunday, May 3 from 6:30-9 p.m. Come drum with Master Moussa Traore from Mali (6:30-7:30 p.m.) and dance with seasoned teacher Alice Heller (7:40-9 p.m.). Drum class will be multilevel; bring a drum (if you need a drum, contact Moussa at 617-970-5587). Dance class will include drummers and a full-body warmup, steps and fun choreography. The cost is $12 each for drum class and dance class, or $20 for both classes. Advance registration is required; register online here or make checks payable to St. Anne’s in-the-Fields.

Lisa Martin featured at next LOMA night

Lisa Martin is the featured performer at the next LOMA (Lincoln Open-Mic Acoustic) event on Monday, May 11 from 7-10 p.m. Perform or just come listen to acoustic music and spoken word in the historic Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell room. Admission is free and refreshments are provided.

Martin will perform a half-hour set starting around 8:30 p.m. Lisa fuses folk, rock, blues and country influences.  She’s a hard-driving guitarist and an emotionally charged singer/songwriter and has two CDs to her credit, Set me on Fire and Live. Her signature sound is evident on her YouTube video, Superwoman.

LOMA is a monthly event. Performers can sign up at the event or email Rich Eilbert at loma3re@gmail.com before noon of the open-mike day for a slot. Names of those who are signed up by 7:15 will be drawn at random. We have a sound system with mikes and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups playing acoustic-style.

Volunteers needed for town government committees

The town of Lincoln depends on its citizen volunteers to work together on town-wide issues and to help shape community character. Each year in April and May, the Board of Selectmen reviews and makes appointments to its various committees. The board is always looking for interested volunteers for the following Selectmen-appointed committees: Affordable Housing, Agriculture Commission, Capital Planning Committee, Community Preservation Committee, Conservation Commission, Council on Aging, Commission on Disabilities, Emergency Assistance Committee, Green Energy Technology Committee, Historical Commission, Historic District Commission, Lincoln Cultural Commission, Pierce Property Committee, Recreation Commission, Roadside and Traffic Committee, and the Zoning Board of Appeals. For information or an application, please visit this Town of Lincoln website or call the Selectmen’s Office at 781-259-2601.

Garden Club hosts nature photography contest

The Lincoln Garden Club has launched a photo contest that promises to catch the eye of nature lovers and engage photography enthusiasts. Participants must live in Lincoln and may submit up to three pictures taken anywhere in the world by May 26. Entrants are expected to submit pictures in print (8” x 10”) and digital format. The pictures will be displayed at Pierce House on June 7 during the Lincoln Garden Club Champagne Reception from 5-7 p.m. During the reception, attendees will vote for their favorite pictures and elect one winner for each of the three categories: landscape, fauna and flora. Each winner will receive a $50 gift card and basket from Stonegate Gardens as well as an award certificate and ribbon.

“Our goal is to celebrate our love of Lincoln and nature,” says Daniela Caride, the Lincoln Garden Club member who came up with the idea. “We hope everyone will venture outside and take as many pictures as possible of flowers, forests, birds and farms and have fun seeing them while supporting a good cause.” The event will help the club finance a horticultural intern at the New England Wildflower Society who will design and install a native plant garden at Lincoln’s Station Park. Contest rules and entry forms are available on the Lincoln Garden Club website.

The British are coming! (Lincoln Through the Lens)

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The Lincoln Minute Men march past the First Parish Church on their way to Concord early on Patriots Day morning. Photo by Rob Jevon

Readers may submit photos for consideration for Lincoln Through the Lens by emailing them to news@lincolnsquirrrel.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.

Letter to the editor: “blatant disrespect” from church building committee

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To the editor:

We have watched Margaret and Warren Flint Sr. and other Lincoln citizens work hard to preserve the unique character of the town of Lincoln. As participants of the Flint Realty Trust, we gave land to the church for a small addition to the Stearns Room and an uncovered terrace. The scope of this proposed reconstruction has extended far beyond the original intent that accompanied the request for land from the trust.

The resolution of the Stearns Room renovation will be precedent-setting for the future of the town of Lincoln. For generations, the town’s character is what has attracted new residents and kept generations of families, including ours, living in Lincoln. New residents should come and enjoy Lincoln’s unique beauty—one that sets it apart from surrounding towns. Being “true to the values of Lincoln,” as stated by the First Parish Building Committee, has not been the aesthetic put forward by the building committee and architects.

We are most disturbed by the blatant disrespect the building committee has shown towards this aesthetic, given the building’s prominent position in the heart of Lincoln’s Historic District. The new Stearns Room is to have many large unshuttered glass windows, unlike its restored neighbors, and no longer echoes the design of the sanctuary as the present Stearns Room does.

The building committee has designed the new Stearns Room to have a glossy metal roof that does not reflect the New England historic look. The original church roof would have been wooden shakes and is now tastefully modernized to dark, conservative shingles. As part of the historic district viewshed, we cannot see this proposed metal roof as appropriate.

The Planning Board has not yet voted on the metal roof but has approved other features of the plan. The Planning Board is scheduled to vote on the metal roof on Tuesday, April 28. As citizens of Lincoln, please let the Planning Board know your views. Please tell them that metal roofs do not belong in the Historic District. We do not want the aesthetic integrity of the classic Greek Revival white church or the Historic District to be compromised. Please ask the Planning Board to require the new Stearns Room to have a shingled roof matching that of the sanctuary.

Our family always looks forward to coming home to Lincoln and our farm. We have loved showing new Flint descendants where our family has lived and worked for 12 generations. We hope that through town residents, the Historic Commission and the Planning Board, Lincoln will continue to be guided forward while being good stewards of our past.

Sincerely,

Margaret Flint Weir
A trustee of the Flint Realty Trust and eldest child of Margaret and Warren Flint Sr.
Lexington Park, MD

David L. Weir
Formerly of the Historic Preservation Team at George Washington’s Mount Vernon and grandson of Margaret and Warren Flint Sr.
Annapolis, MD

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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.