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

June 25 Special Town Meeting agenda grows

(Editor’s note: this article was corrected and updated on May 25.)

The Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, June 25 will have up to five warrant articles — two each on the Farrington/Panetta proposal and on the community center, and one on an expected citizens’ petition.

The meeting will start at 6:30pm; barring something unforeseen, officials expect to get everything done that night. Everyone is hoping not to repeat the Special Town Meeting on Dec. 2, 2023 to vote on the Housing Choice Act measures, which stretched to 11:30pm and led to the creation of the Town Meeting Study Committee and purchase of voting clickers.

One of the warrant articles may be passed over, depending on the construction bids for the community center, which will be opened on May 29. If the low bid is higher than the $24 million budget, the town will have to find more money for the project to go ahead — either through a town fund transfer if the shortfall isn’t substantial, or a debt exclusion if more is needed. A debt exclusion measure would require a two-thirds majority at Town Meeting for approval as well as a simple majority at the ballot box at a special election the next day (Monday, June 26).

There will be a hybrid joint meeting of the Select Board, Finance Committee, and Community Center Building Committee on Monday, June 2 starting at 6:00pm to discuss funding strategy if the bids come in over budget. The agenda has not yet been posted but the Zoom link is here.

Farrington/Panetta

Two other warrant articles pertain to the Farrington/Panetta proposal. The first will ask for two separate zoning changes. One would allow a transfer of $950,000 already in the town’s Community Preservation Act fund to Farrington Memorial, which owns 75 acres. That sum is part of $3.1 million that will go to the organization from the CPA fund as well as the City of Cambridge, and private donations to the RLF. Farrington will retain ownership of the land and get a new access road from Page Road, but 65 of those 75 acres will have a permanent conservation restriction and trail easement held by the town.

In a separate deal, developer Civico will pay $3.1 million in a single transaction for three lots that currently have houses. Two parcels (2.8 acres and 3.2 acres) are now owned by the Frank J. Panetta Trust and a third 14.1-acre lot is owned by the Paul Panetta Trust. The second warrant article seeks a zoning change to allow construction of a cluster of 20 new starter homes and the other to allow Gerard’s farm stand and garden center to continue operating on the former Panetta land.

The company plans to build and sell the homes individually to future buyers individually. The town is not involved in the financial negotiations for this transaction, and no town money will be used for land acquisition or housing construction.

After the housing is built, no major changes or additions to the Civico land can be made without the agreement of all the homeowners as well as Town Meeting, because the town is approving this specific development under the North Lincoln Overlay District. See this RLF public outreach slide deck for more details as well as maps and drawings.

Other warrant articles

A fourth warrant article will seek approval to increase the town’s fiscal 2026 reserve fund “to address a couple of late-occurring budget challenges,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said at the May 19 Select Board meeting. Those preliminary additional costs include $270,000 for remediating contaminated soil at the former Strat’s Place playground, which will be repurposed for Magic Garden; $172,000 for snow and ice mitigation; and about $100,000 for veterans’ benefits 

“These amounts are preliminary and we will have a better view of the potential recommendation on June 10,” Finance Committee chair Paul Blanchfield said. Voters OK’d an increase to the fund balance for FY26 to $849,000 in March. The reserve fund is part of the general fund and is intended to cover “extraordinary and unforeseen” needs of the town and schools.

The final Town Meeting article(s) will be a vote on at least one citizen’s petition. One has already been submitted and it’s at least possible there will be more, as the deadline for getting a petition with the required 100 signatures to the Town Clerk’s office isn’t until Tuesday, May 27 at noon.

Legal notice: Zoning Board of Appeals hearing

The Zoning Board of the Appeals of the Town of Lincoln will hold a virtual online public hearing on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at 7:00 P.M to hear and to act on the following petitions under the Zoning Bylaws:

New:

Robert Shaw and Caroline Smart, 19 Juniper Ridge Rd., M/P 119-58-0 for a special permit to install a shed on a non-conforming lot.

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.

Legal notice: HDC public hearing (5 Hawk Hill)

The Historic District Commission will hold a virtual online public hearing at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, to consider the application of 5 Hawk Hill Rd. M/P 182-19-0 to determine the significance of the building. Anyone wishing to be heard on this matter should be present at the designated time and place.

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.

Legal notice: Planning Board public hearing (Farrington/Panetta)

TOWN OF LINCOLN PLANNING BOARD

Notice of Public Hearing for Review of a Preliminary Development and Use Plan and Changes to the Zoning Map Pursuant to Section 12.5 of the Zoning Bylaw

Hybrid meeting pursuant to Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2025 which extends through June 30, 2027, the ability of public bodies to meet in a fully remote or hybrid manner. This meeting of the Planning Board will be conducted in hybrid format.

In accordance with the provisions of MGL, Chapter 40A, Section 5, the Lincoln Planning Board will hold a public hearing on Tuesday June 10, 2025, at 7:01 PM, to review a Preliminary Development and Use Plan prepared by Civico Development for the designation of Planned Development District number 7 within the North Lincoln Overlay District under Section 12.5 of the Zoning Bylaw. The plan proposes 20 detached family homes sharing common land and infrastructure, a farmstand/garden center, and an area subject to a Conservation Restriction.Designation of a Planned Development District requires a Town Meeting vote which will take place on June 25, 2025, to see if the Town will vote to approve:

  • A Preliminary Development and Use Plan which will include a 20-unit housing development with three affordable units on approximately 6.13 acres, a farmstand/garden center located at 281 Cambridge Turnpike on approximately .77 acres and an area subject to a Conservation Restriction on approximately 4.34 acres; and
  • An amendment to the Zoning Map to include the Planned Development District number #7.

Details of the proposed changes are available in the Planning Department, Town Offices, 16 Lincoln Road, Lincoln, Massachusetts, between 9:00am and 4:00pm, Monday through Friday. Emailed copies will be provided upon request. The agenda with the Zoom information will be posted to the Town website at lincolntown.org/calendar two days prior to the hearing date.

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.

Car break-ins reported in south Lincoln

Several vehicles in south Lincoln were broken into last weekend, police reported.

Police got reports of larcenies from motor vehicles on Todd Pond Road and South Great Road near the Weston town line, as well as a stolen car on Trapelo Road, all in the early morning hours of Saturday, May 17. The stolen car, which had the keys inside, was later recovered in Waltham.

“As of now, it appears all of the vehicles were either in driveways or parked in designated parking spots,” said Lincoln Police Sgt. Ian Spencer. “The incident is still under investigation in coordination with state and neighboring agencies.”

Police asked residents to be vigilant in locking vehicles and not leaving valuables or keys inside. Anyone whose security cameras might have captured suspicious activity are asked to contact police.

Old County Road

Old County Road will be closed from May 28 through June 10 for routine inspection and maintenance of an underground pipeline. The work will run Mondays through Saturdays from 7:00am–5:00pm. Police officers will be assigned to the area to assist with detours and residential access. 

Great Create adds color to school

Students in grades K-5 look for their contributions in the panels in art installation displayed in the main hallway across from the library in the Smith building. The annual Great Create resulted in this vibrant mixed-media sculpture evoking the colors of the rainbow on which students collaborated to decorate, design, and color small objects and attach them with fabric, string and wire. Event organizer Lincoln School Foundation collaborated with Lincoln’s Beehive ART and were supported by the Ogden Codman Trust, The Commons in Lincoln, Corey Flint Photography, The Little General, Debra’s Natural Gourmet, the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust/Rural Land Foundation, and Kirkland & Shaw.

Legal notice: Conservation Commission public hearing (18 Todd Pond)

The Lincoln Conservation Commission (LCC) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 7:30pm in accordance with the Mass. Wetlands Protection Act and the Town of Lincoln Wetlands Protection Bylaw. This is in response to the duly filed Notice of Intent by Caroline Marotta and Kimberly Mooney for construction of house additions and decks within the 100-ft Buffer Zone at 18 Todd Pond Road (Parcel 162-15-0). 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.

Legal notice: Conservation Commission public hearing (51 Sandy Pond)

The Lincoln Conservation Commission (LCC) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 7:05PM in accordance with the MA Wetlands Protection Act and the Town of Lincoln Wetlands Protection Bylaw. This is in response to the duly filed Request for Determination of Applicability by Nancy Fincke for landscape improvements at the Lincoln Nursery School within the 100-ft Buffer Zone at 51 Sandy Pond Road (Parcels 135-2-0 and 135-3-0). 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.

News acorns

Order senior prom flowers from FELS

Support the Foundation for Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury by purchasing senior prom flowers. Pre-order White, pink, or red rose boutonnières for $20; white, pink, or red corsages for $45; or a combo pack (one of each) for $60. Pick up on Thursday, May 29 from 10:30-noon outside the Lincoln-Sudbury main office. Questions? Email FELSQuestions@gmail.com.

Deadline for Town Meeting citizens’ petitions

The deadline for submitting citizens’ petitions for the Special Town Meeting on June 25 is Tuesday, May 27 at noon. Citizens considering sponsoring a Town Meeting petition are strongly urged to contact the Town Clerk’s Office (781-259-2607 or foxv@lincolntown.org) for guidance about the process. The office will contact the people identified as lead petitioners to ensure coordination as we prepare for the discussions and presentations that will be occurring in advance of Town Meeting.

Benefit concert for Society of St. Vincent de Paul

For the fourth year in a row, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston (SVdP) is putting on an outdoor concert to celebrate the start of summer and to thank all their volunteers and supporters. The concert will be on Tuesday, May 27 from 5:30-8:00pm on the Weston town green. Our performers are Lincoln’s own Doo Wop Team; Adrian Sicam and his Berklee All-Stars, and Twice-a-Day-Ray, a group of medical professionals by day and raging rockers by night. Bring a picnic, take a chance on winning some gift cards from local businesses, and visit Frosty’s Ice Cream Truck. The suggested donation is $25 a person. In the event of rain, the event will be in the St. Julia’s Parish Hall across the street.

SVdP runs a food pantry in Lincoln, gives financial assistance to those who live, work, or go to school in Lincoln and Weston, and provides scholarships to adults who want to upgrade their skills in the workforce. Last fiscal year they served more than 400 community members and provided more than $180,000 in services.

Talk on “Resolute Revolutionaries”

Dana Robbat, author of the upcoming book Lincoln Modern: Plain Living, High Thinking, will give a talk on ” Resolute Revolutionaries: Walter Gropius and Quincy Adams: Modernism in Lincoln, Massachusetts” on Wednesday, May 28 from 6:45-8:00pm in the Tarbell Room at the Lincoln Public Library. Hosted by FoMA/Lincoln and supported by the Freedoms Way Foundation. Learn how Gropius, creator of the world-renowned Bauhaus that changed the world of design, settled in the small New England farming community and influenced the young architect Quincy Adams, a descendent of two U.S. presidents.

Nolli is acting Water Dept. superintendent

Rick Nolli, formerly the water distribution foreman and senior person in the Water Department, is the new acting superintendent. He succeeds Darin LaFalam, who was offered a job with the Concord Water Department. The Lincoln department promoted two employees and will hire a new lower-level person, said commission member Steve Gladstone. LaFalam was hired in 2021 and was named state director of the New England Water Works Association later that year. “He made the water commissioners’ jobs very easy,” Gladstone said.

Tack Room to get expanded outdoor patio

A sketch of the expanded Tack Room patio and doorways.

The Planning Board gave a thumbs-up this week to a plan to increase the size of the dining patio at the Tack Room restaurant and a more convenient access door.

The Rural Land Foundation (which owns the property) and the owner of the Tack Room, Mike Culpo, found that they needed to replace the 10-year-old seasonal awning over the patio. As part of the improvement, they will increase the patio size from 810 square feet to about 1,060 square feet, or about four feet wider along the Lincoln Road side and five feet wider along the post office side.

The enclosure will have an exit to the green space along Lincoln Road and a new clear, accordion-style doorway from the restaurant interior to make it easier for customers and servers to access the patio.

“It will still be a seasonal patio, but will be much more spacious with roughly 20 tables. Four of those tables will be high-top tables located near a few outdoor TVs we will install,” Culpo told the Lincoln Squirrel, adding that he hopes to have the work complete by late summer.