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

Lincoln Dems weigh in on candidates at convention

The Lincoln delegates at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention. Top row left to right: Peggy Schmertzler, Lorraine Fiore, Barbara Slayter and Peter Pease. Second row: Al Schmertzler, Marcie Black, Mari Haas and John Santa.

The Lincoln delegates at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention. Top row left to right: Peggy Schmertzler, Lorraine Fiore, Barbara Slayter and Peter Pease. Second row: Al Schmertzler, Marcie Black, Mari Haas and John Santa.

Six Lincoln residents attended the State Democratic Convention on June 14, and four of them—Barbara Slayter, Lorraine Fiore, Al Schmertzler and Peggy Schmertzler—wrote this first-hand account with their impressions of the candidates.

[Read more…] about Lincoln Dems weigh in on candidates at convention

First Parish donates $25,000 to Waltham day shelter

Left to right: Dan Boynton and Susan Taylor, members of the First Parish Church Outreach Committee; Marilyn Lee-Tom, executive director of the Community Day Center; and Annie Preston Knowles, eldest daughter of Jean Wood Preston.

Left to right: Dan Boynton and Susan Taylor, members of the First Parish Church Outreach Committee; Marilyn Lee-Tom, executive director of the Community Day Center; and Annie Preston Knowles, eldest daughter of Jean Wood Preston.

The Outreach Committee of the First Parish Church recently presented a check for $25,000 to the Community Day Center in Waltham to build a kitchen at their new site on Felton Street. This donation was made possible by a charitable fund established by Jean Wood Preston, a former member of the First Parish.

The Community Day Center of Waltham is the only day shelter in the MetroWest region. This drop-in center supports the homeless and those in need with legal, health, housing and job search assistance through counseling and case management. It also provides its guests with food, shelter and access to phones, computers and a mailing address.

First Parish Outreach contributed a total of $53,961 from the congregation this year to a variety of local and international charitable organizations. This is the result of the church’s commitment to donate 15 percent of its annual revenue to organizations that work to honor each person’s dignity and to cherish the living Earth.

 

School Committee grants annual license to LEAP

leap imageBy Alice Waugh

In early May 2013, the Lincoln After-school Activities Program’s 33-year tenure in Lincoln suddenly seemed in jeopardy when another company outbid LEAP when its lease came up for renewal. But as of July 1, LEAP has an exclusive annual license with the School Committee to use Pod C.

LEAP’s five-year lease for use of Hartwell Pod C was due to expire on June 30, 2013, so as required by state law, the School Committee sought bids from LEAP and others who might be interested in leasing the space for an after-school program.

To the shock and dismay of many residents, the proposal from Springboard Education in America outscored LEAP’s on a number of criteria, and a three-member selection committee recommended that the School Committee award the contract to Springboard—a possibility that brought dozens of parents, current and former LEAP teachers, and a even a few children to an emotionally charged School Committee meeting last spring to plead LEAP’s case (see the Lincoln Squirrel, May 7, 2013).

Faced with this sentiment, the School Committee voted at that meeting to extend LEAP’s lease for a year based on a technicality, because its request for proposals did not state that the Lincoln Recreation Department would occupy Pod C during the summer to run the Lincoln Summer Day Camp.

LEAP has since made leadership changes, replacing longtime director Sue Callum with LEAP faculty members Kathryn Hawkins as program director and Chris Burns as operations director. The program also made several programmatic improvements and successfully renewed its state license with Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care.

Among the improvements that LEAP listed in its license application to the School Committee in February 2014: balancing its budget, installing 15 new computers, a new collaboration with Einstein’s Workshop, closer relationships with METCO and the nearby Magic Garden preschool, Spanish tutoring for kindergarteners and first-graders, and a revamped website. Enrollment in 2014-15 is up by 15 percent over the previous year, LEAP officials said.

In its application, LEAP also included a letter from middle school principal Sharon Hobbs. “In the past year, the board and staff of LEAP have worked together to tighten up programs and procedures that needed attention and to implement interesting new programs,” she wrote. “As LEAP has adjusted to a new organizational structure, the level of program has also been changing. The staff is experimenting in good ways with finding ideal configurations for students to work and play.”

Under terms of the license, LEAP will pay the school district an annual fee of $28,800 (slightly more than the $28,000 it offered last year but less than the $31,000 a year offered by Springboard) for a license that will run from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015. The license confers non-exclusive use of Pod C and may be extended or revoked at any time by the district.

For the school, the change to granting an annual license rather than a multiyear lease for LEAP means “maintaining our ability to use our facilities and knowing we have a shared facility in the summer,” Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall. The previous arrangement with LEAP was atypical for a lease arrangement, which generally confers exclusive use of the property for the lessee during the term of the lease, even though Pod C was also used by the Recreation Department for summer camp.

Also, the change was made “with a little bit of an eye toward a school building project and the need to use the pods for swing space [during construction] and having a little more flexibility in terms of our needs,” McFall said. The School Building Advisory Committee is in the process of obtaining cost estimates for various school construction/renovation options (see the Lincoln Squirrel, June 19, 2014).

“The licensing agreement with the Lincoln Public Schools is a net positive for LEAP because it provides a new level of stability and predictability for the town’s after-school program,” said LEAP board member Laura Kempke. “In essence, if LEAP continues to uphold the quality standards set by the School Committee, then we no longer need to periodically engage in a fairly resource-intensive review process. This is a win for LEAP staff and families because our full attention is on continuing to improve the program, not on filling out paperwork.”

Full disclosure: Alice Waugh, editor of the Lincoln Squirrel, had children in LEAP until earlier this year and was compensated by LEAP for rebuilding its website.

News acorns

acornDrive-in movie on Wednesday

The Lincoln School eighth-grade parents and students invite Lincoln families to celebrate the end of the school year with a drive in screening of “The Little Rascals” on Wednesday, June 25 at the Codman Pool parking lot. The movie will be projected on the wall of the Brooks Gym.  The screening will start at 8:30 p.m.; space is limited, so come early to secure a spot (and get some popcorn). Suggested donation: $10 per car. All proceeds to support the Legacy Fund of the Lincoln Schools.

Kids’ summer kick-off party at library
Children of all ages are invited to the Lincoln Public Library on Thursday, June 26 from 3:30-5 p.m. for face painting, crafts, a raffle, make-your-own sundaes and a magic show with Ed Popielarczyk at 4 p.m. Kids cal also pick up their summer reading challenge forms. In the event of rain, this event will be held at Bemis Hall. Sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library. Click here to see other summer programs for kids at the library.

July/August activities offered by Council on Aging

bemisHere are the Lincoln Council on Aging activities for July and August.

Easy yoga
Wednesdays beginning July 2 at 9 a.m.
Would you like to try yoga but are worried it may be too rigorous for you? Try the Council on Aging’s new Easy Yoga class with experienced instructor Jai Kaur Annamaria San Antonio! The class will be held on nine Wednesday mornings at 9 a.m. beginning on July 2 at a cost of $45 for the course. You may do the class on the floor or in a chair and the instructor will help you adapt the poses to your special needs. You may try one class for free! You may also sign up for the fall classes which will begin on Wednesday, September 24 at 9 a.m. and run for eight weeks at a cost of $40. Please sign up in advance by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. This class is subsidized by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

Make earrings or a pendant
July 2 at 1 p.m.
Join Hilary Taylor of Merlin’s Silver Star Studio on Wednesday, July 2 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. to make a pendant or pair of earrings using clay embedded with fine silver. After firing, the clay burns off, leaving your piece in silver. Bring items with texture (bits of nature, lace fabric, a piece of metal with a texture) to use in your piece. No experience is needed and you will surely enjoy your finished piece! You’ll receive your piece 10 days later. The workshop is part of a series of crafts workshops offered by the Old Town Hall Exchange and the Council on Aging at Bemis Hall featuring artists associated with the Exchange! The workshop is intergenerational, so bring along grandchildren or other friends or relatives middle school age or older. The workshop costs $15 per person. Sign up is required. Please sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811. This workshop is supported in part by a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. [Read more…] about July/August activities offered by Council on Aging

SBAC working on hiring a design consultant

schoolA subgroup of the reconstituted School Building Advisory Committee (SBAC) is in the process of selecting a school design consultant, and the School Committee is tentatively scheduled to award a contract on July 23.

At Town Meeting in March, Lincoln voters approved spending up to $250,000 to hire a consultant who would define renovation solutions for the Lincoln School and prepare cost estimates for a range of possible projects. Residents asked to see these estimates for “Lincoln only” repair and renovation options before deciding whether to reapply to the state for partial funding for a comprehensive school project (see the Lincoln Squirrel, April 3, 2014).

The SBAC meets every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Hartwell Multipurpose Room. All meetings are open to the public. Community attendance is especially encouraged at the following upcoming meetings:

  • June 23 — Designer selection committee will select designer finalists
  • June 25 — Designer selection committee recommends designer finalists to the SBAC for approval
  • July 14-16 — Designer finalist interviews
  • July 23 — School Committee meeting to award contract (date and time of this meeting to be confirmed)

Groups appeal Jet Aviation decision

Jet_PlaneTwo nonprofit preservation groups have filed an appeal with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in an attempt to block construction of a new hangar and parking.at Hanscom Field.

Jet Aviation, a commercial firm that leases land at Hanscom owned by Massport, applied to the Lincoln Conservation Commission under the state Wetlands Protection Act for permission to encroach on a wetlands buffer zone for its project. The company  declined to apply under the local Lincoln wetlands bylaw, saying that Massport as a state agency is exempt from non-zoning local regulations and that this exemption extends to anyone who leases land from Massport. After five public hearings, the commission approved Jet Aviation’s application with conditions under the state provisions by a 5-2 vote, noting that the proposed work is in fact subject to review under the town of Lincoln’s Wetlands Protection By-law.

Save Our Heritage and ShhAir (Safeguarding the Historic Hanscom Area’s Irreplaceable Resources) filed an appeal with the DEP on May 27, arguing that Massport and its tenant, Jet Aviation, should be required to adhere to local wetlands regulations. Lincoln resident Kati Winchell of Save Our Heritage noted that while the groups want to protect wetlands and forestall increases in traffic, jet noise and air pollution that could accompany Hanscom’s growth, they’re also worried that the case could have much wider ramifications.

“This is a precedent-setting case extending beyond wetlands issues,” the groups said in a press release. In challenging Massport’s claims to exemption from local regulations, a successful appeal “may open new doors for Hanscom-area town boards who until now have worked under the long-held assumption that their hands were tied in matters concerning Hanscom Field development.” This assumption that local boards have no jurisdiction over Hanscom other than zoning has left Massport “free from meaningful local control and [provided] businesses who lease land from Massport with special privileges and immunities not available to other area businesses that play by local rules. Now, for the first time in decades, this may change with regard to non-zoning matters, pending the outcome of this case.”

“This case is lifting the curtain on Massport’s presumed freedoms and local boards’ presumed limitations,” Winchell said on Tuesday.

“This appeal… challenges Jet Aviation’s casual invocation of a claimed Massport exemption without factual demonstration, recent legal authority, or Massport even being an applicant here,” said Greg McGregor, an attorney with the firm hired by Save Our Heritage and ShhAir.

The appeal asks the DEP to either send the application the project back to the Lincoln Conservation Commission with directions that Jet Aviation is required to file under the local bylaw (under which the ConCom could theoretically insist that no part of the project be built on the wetlands buffer zones in question), or to overturn the approval because it allegedly did not, in fact, conform with state wetlands regulations.

The DEP has scheduled a site visit for June 24 as part of the appeal process.