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

A bevy of birds (Lincoln through the Lens)

August 22, 2015

A suspicious-looking finch and female cardinal pair, a male cardinal (are they hiding from him)? and a great blue heron were photographed in recent weeks 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.

Letter to the editor: seniors urgently need affordable housing

August 22, 2015

To the editor:

I have really had my eyes opened lately. As a new member of the Lincoln Housing Commission, I have heard of and received phone calls from senior citizens in need of affordable housing. Several of these people live in Lincoln and some in the surrounding area but all of them are about to be displaced from their housing situation and are in dire need of a place to live. It is not so much that I was not aware of this problem—just, well, not in Lincoln.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), public housing preferences are prioritized in the following manner: persons who are homeless due to natural disasters persons who are homeless due to public action; and persons with emergency needs (such as domestic violence victims, persons with medical emergencies; or homeless persons facing an immediate threat to their health and safety).

The aforementioned do not quite fit any of these categories and are not able to obtain housing. I know of other people that do fit at least one of the above categories and they too are not able to obtain housing. We continue to brainstorm and, while we have some ideas, such as a group home and/or affordable accessory apartments, we are quite honestly struggling with how to find a solution to this growing problem. Anyone with either generous purses or creative ideas on how to provide assistance, is asked to contact Pam Mizrahi at the Council on Aging (781-259-8811) or email me at Sharon.antia@gmail.com.

While Lincoln has always met or exceeded the state requirement that 10 percent of housing stock is classified as affordable, because of our small size the number of affordable units is quite limited. Currently all our affordable units are occupied but if you or someone you know is in need of affordable housing, applications are available by calling Elaine Carroll at 781.259.2613 or visiting this Town of Lincoln web page.

Finally, this fall the Housing Commission will host a forum to discuss the needs of our community, the housing work done in Lincoln to date, and solicit input for the future. At the forum we will share our preliminary research into the possibility of creating an affordable accessory apartment program in Lincoln and look forward to receiving feedback from the community. The forum will be held Saturday, Sept. 26 from 1-3 p.m. in the Donaldson Room in town hall.

Sincerely,

Sharon Antia
165 South Great 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.

Library invites residents to brainstorming session

August 21, 2015

The Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room.

Do you want more fiction in the stacks? Do you wish the Reading Room were better lit? Do you want nonfiction out of the basement? Do you think the Young Adult section is too small? Are you tired of pink and green? Do you wish you could meet a friend for tea at the library café? Do you have to duck under the low ceiling in the basement? Do you need more Internet support or electrical outlets? Whether you rush in and out of Circulation or linger in the stacks, do you dream of improving your library in ways small or large?

Join the Lincoln Public Library Board of Library Trustees and designers on Tuesday, September 1 at 7 p.m. in the Tarbell Room to explore possible improvements and enhancements to our library. Your opinion matters and the trustees want and need to hear from Lincoln residents.

News acorns

August 21, 2015

Literary walk at deCordova

Inspired by Walking Sculpture, the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is offering a free ambulatory event in the Park on Wednesday, August 26 at 6:30 p.m. with poet Cole Swensen that includes readings by some of literature’s greatest walkers and responsive writings.

Lincoln Agricultural Day on Sept. 19

The second Annual Lincoln Agricultural Day sponsored by the Lincoln Agricultural Commission will be on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 alongside the farmer’s market at the front of the Lincoln Station mall. The event is hosted by the Lincoln Rural Land Foundation. If you’re interested in selling produce or other agricultural products or have an agriculture related activity or skill you’d like to share, please contact lynne@stonegategardens.com to secure your space and become part of the celebration. There are no fees for vendors or participants.

Codman Harvest Fair coming up; entries sought

If you have an amazing garden with vegetables and/or flowers, please consider entering the old-fashioned Harvest Fair competition at Codman Community Farm slated for Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 19-20. Categories include individual vegetables, grouped vegetables, flower arrangements, herbs, fruit plates, and canned and preserved goods. Children’s categories include animals made from veggies, ugliest vegetable, sewing, paintings and drawings, and flower arrangements. Click here for a complete listing of categories, rules and drop-off information.

Tickets for the fair’s feast, catered by Blue Ribbon BBQ, will go on sale soon. The fair can’t run without volunteers, and it’s fun—contact us at info@codmanfarm.org if you’re willing to help run games, sell food, help with the Rooster Run, or collect admissions and sell game tickets.

LEAP now offering before-school care

Starting in September, the Lincoln Extended-day Activities Program (LEAP) is offering before-school care for Lincoln School students from 6:50-8 a.m. Rates below include breakfast. To sign up, call 781-259-0615 or email leap0615@gmail.com.

1 day a week	$43 per month
2 days a week	$85 per month
3 days a week	$119 per month
4 days a week	$152 per month
5 days a week	$183 per month

Fall wellness clinics for all ages

Lincoln residents of all ages are invited to meet with a nurse through a free town service. Come to get your blood pressure and/or Body Mass Index checked, ask questions, or learn about wellness resources. Clinics will be held at the Community Building at Lincoln Woods at 50 Wells Road from 10 a.m. to noon on four Fridays: September 18, October 2, November 13, and December 11. These clinics are funded by the Ogden Codman Trust and provided by Emerson Hospital Home Care. For more information, please call the Council on Aging at 781-259-8811.

Beating the heat with local ice cream

August 21, 2015

Editor note: This article was submitted by Josh Blumberg, who is entering seventh grade at the Lincoln School. He submitted it to the Lincoln Squirrel at the suggestion of his writing coach, teacher Scot Dexter.

By Josh Blumberg

July was a hot, humid month and August is turning out the same way. I felt like I was melting in that sweltering summer weather! How do you beat the heat? Ever try ice cream? Here in Lincoln we are lucky. There are several excellent options available for the sweet, frozen treat. Here are a few of my favorites.

Dairy Joy in Weston is a delightful location on Route 117. There are nine soft-serve ice cream flavors and three soft-serve sherbets, all of which can be dipped in a delicious chocolate coating. Coffee is my personal favorite. Dairy Joy is a drive-in style ice cream stand with no indoor seating, so you have to hit it when the weather is right. There are plenty of tables in the sun, and only a few in the shade, so you have to eat your ice cream quickly!

Bedford Farms in Concord has marvelous ice cream. There are thirty-six different flavors on the menu, plus nine yogurt flavors for you calorie counters. They also have a killer topping bar—M&Ms, peanut butter cups, sprinkles… you name it, they have it! The Thoreau Street location is fun to visit because it’s in a historic train station right beside the commuter rail. There are plenty of seats inside for rainy days, and a few choice spots outside for viewing passing trains. Here I recommend Cookie Dough in a cone. It’s spectacular!

Finally, there’s Orange Leaf in Wayland Center. Talk about soft-serve flavors! Is 80 enough to satisfy you? At any given time, you will find 20 flavors. These rotate frequently. Plus, there are sugar- and dairy-free options. The toppings bar here is crazier than any other! Be smart about your toppings because they weigh the food, then price it. There are around ten machines and each serve two that can be mixed into a third flavor. You get to serve yourself so the younger kids love it. Parents hate the idea because you can’t put it back!

Do yourself a favor and visit any of these three ice cream places before the end of the summer. They are fun, delicious and very different, making each a unique heat-beating experience. Happy summer!

Longtime Magic Garden teacher bids a fond farewell

August 11, 2015

Peggy McSweeney with one of her young students in class.

By Alice Waugh

When Peggy McSweeney started working as one of the teachers at the Lincoln’s Magic Garden Children’s Center when it opened more than three decades ago, she had no idea she would one day be teaching the children of one of her first students.

McSweeney, who retired from the preschool last month after 33 years, started her career as a third-grade teacher in Randolph. After taking time off to raise her own children, she worked with special-education preschoolers in Concord and then as a teacher assistant for older kids.

“That’s when I realized I really loved preschool children,” she said. “Then once we started [at Magic Garden], I just said, ‘This is where I’m staying’—not knowing it would be 33 years.”

Magic Garden started in a single classroom in the Smith building and later moved into one of the Hartwell pods, sharing space with LEAP (the Lincoln Extended-day Activities Program). In the early years, there was a loft and a huge cage filled with birds that belonged to the building’s maintenance man, McSweeney recalled. The preschool has occupied several rooms in the main Hartwell building for the last 15 years.

One of McSweeney’s students back in the day was four-year-old Bowen Holden, whose grandmother used to come in and read stories to the kids, McSweeney recalled. Holden grew up, started a family and returned to Lincoln—and her own two children passed through McSweeney’s care at Magic Garden not too long ago.

Dozens of Magic Garden parents and alumni threw a going-away party in the form of a hoedown with a live band and square dance caller in the Codman Barn at the end of May. The format was chosen because she has fond memories of community square dances during summers in Marshfield growing up.

“So many families came from years and years ago—it was a big reunion of Magic Garden folks,” McSweeney said. Fellow teachers offered up an affectionate spoof and sang “You Are My Sunshine” with McSweeney-specific lyrics.

“It was absolutely fantastic—I was blown away,” she said. “I was just so touched.”

Peggy McSweeney and fellow Magic Garden teacher xxx at "Peggy's Garden" named for the retiring teacher.

Peggy McSweeney and fellow teacher Michael Graves at a school-wide dedication picnic where staff and the children named the Magic Garden area in honor of the retiring teacher.

“Peggy has abundant warmth and energy, and an irrepressibly positive attitude that has made her beloved among Magic Garden families,” said Andrew Pang, a Magic Garden parent and president of the program’s board of directors. “When I’ve told longtime Lincolnites that my sons go to Magic Garden, almost invariably the first response is, ‘Does Peggy still teach there?’”

The preschool’s board has established the Peggy McSweeney Fund for Enrichment at Magic Garden to sustain and enhance programs in art, music, movement, languages, science and outdoor learning. “These special programs complement the curriculum and, like Peggy, are particularly memorable parts of a Magic Garden education,” Pang said.

Other changes are on the horizon for McSweeney as well. She and her husband Leo are planning to sell their house in Lexington and move into a condo in the same town. The couple recently celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary.

Once they get resettled, McSweeney hopes to do volunteer work in a school, hospital or library. She keeps active doing tai chi, swimming and walking her dogs, even though she won’t be running around after toddlers every day.

“It’s just been an amazing journey,” she said.

Route 2 landscaping still a sore point for some

August 4, 2015

Controversy began when trees were cut alongside Route 2, as seen above in this photo from spring 2013.

The town has received a guarantee of additional landscaping work on the Route 2 project, but some of it probably won’t be done until next spring.

The $65 million project to create a flyover ramp at Crosby’s Corner and add service roads along Route 2 in Lincoln was originally set to be completed by next summer, but that has slipped by three months into fall 2016 due to the unusually harsh weather last winter, said Town Administrator Tim Higgins. However, some landscaping work such as construction of stone walls will begin this fall, he added.

Many Lincoln residents who live in the Route 2 area have complained since work began more than two years ago when the contractor removed more trees than necessary. More recently, some are also unhappy with some of the planting that has already been done in the Brooks Road and Oak Knoll Road that has since gotten patchy or died because they were planted at the wrong time of year or not properly maintained.

Town officials have been meeting regularly with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) seeking remedies to address these issues. “We presented a parcel-by-parcel request with MassDOT has approved with very few changes,” Higgins said last week. “We’re pleased with how accommodating MassDOT has been.”

The negotiated landscaping work costing $600,000 will be funded by federal money that made its way to state coffers after some delays.

“We’re in the countdown phase to project completion, and we’ll be hiring our consulting landscape architect to come back and run alongside the process” to make sure all landscaping work is done according to the agreement with the town, Higgins said.

But several weeks earlier at the June 30 Board of Selectmen meeting, residents were far from pleased with the landscaping situation and what they saw as lack of communication from town officials. The complaints and sometimes heated responses from the board resulted in some fireworks several days before the Fourth of July, as selectmen expressed frustration at being caught between unhappy residents and an often slow state funding and approval process over which the town has no control.

Although the town’s consulting landscape architect said plantings needed to be completed by mid-October, work in the Oak Knoll Road area in both 2013 and 2014 was not completed until mid-November, “and the result was dead saplings and trees, grass failing to grow, and bare patches in vast areas with nothing but weeds,” said Oak Knoll Road resident Eoin Trevelyan. “We’re still waiting for an explanation.”

“I feel like you’re accusing this board of the transgressions of the DOT,” Selectman Noah Eckhouse said. “It’s outside of our jurisdiction. Help us understand what you would like this board to do.”

“My aim was to bring to your attention questions about the wisdom of relying on the notion that it we have a landscaping project] budget and a timeline, that it’s necessarily going to happen,” Trevelyan replied.

“I feel this phase is very accusatory,” Eckhouse said. “If we get super-aggressive about this one point right now, we could put this whole change order—which, let’s remind ourselves, was outside the scope of the entire project—we could put that at risk. Half of it’s been approved and none of it’s been implemented or scheduled… We’re trying to carefully balance the big picture. If we get too aggressive, we could lost their goodwill.”

Trevelyan responded that better communication between affected residents and town officials “would be a big help,” adding that the Route 2 Oversight Committee had not formally met since April 2014 and that the annual report issued in March said “there had been no communication in the previous 12 months.”

Eckhouse and Selectman Peter Bran bristled at the implication that the town had not been forthcoming with residents about the project, saying that there had been plenty of communication via email, phone and on site. “Did you send Tim an email and did he respond? Did Tim respond? It’s a really simple question,” Eckhouse said to Trevelyan. “You can’t even answer a question. You’re coming in here and you’re accusing town staff and volunteers of behavior we haven’t conducted. This is out of line here.”

“We were being misleading in our annual report? You’ve got to be kidding me!” Braun exclaimed. “Do you expect us to treat you with respect? There’s been a lot of communication.”

“I don’t think a week goes by that I’m not in communication with a resident and not two weeks go by that I’m not out in the field at someone’s property trying to resolve an issue,” Higgins said. “The reason why the committee hasn’t convened a formal meeting in over a year was because the watermark period was getting approval of the plan and getting everyone on the same page… It doesn’t mean in between meetings there’s radio silence.”

“You told us we were being misleading in our annual report. I think that’s repulsive,” Braun said. “It has no factual basis. This is just completely inappropriate. This has always been a delicate balance. We started from nowhere with exactly no leverage and we have created it. We have won on this, OK?

“We’re absolutely on it, they know we’re watching — as soon as we have information, we will provide it,” Braun added. “Your interests and the town’s interests have always been front and center every single step of the way.”

“The notion that there’s blind trust of the DOT couldn’t be further from the truth,” Higgins added.

The selectmen offered to schedule a meeting with residents as soon as there was something new to report from MassDOT.

Letter to the editor: kudos to Sen. Barrett

August 3, 2015

To the editor:

Thanks to the leadership of Lincoln’s State Sen. Mike Barrett (D-Lexington), the new state budget now provides funds to test the water quality of the Assabet, Sudbury and Concord Rivers. Sen. Barrett’s $25,000 amendment, approved as part of the fiscal 2016 Senate budget, debate, paved the way. Although vetoed by the governor, the House and Senate voted to override the veto on Thursday, July 30. The money will be used to support water quality monitoring to measure progress in complying with state water quality standards.

The amendment, co-sponsored by Sen. Jamie Eldridge and supported by Senator Richard Ross (representing Wayland and Natick), will ensure that the quality-controlled data will be available to municipal, state and federal decision-makers so that decisions can be based soundly on science. Monitoring has shown that for a key pollutant, phosphorus, the substantial municipal investments in wastewater treatment have been paying off. In recent years, the three rivers have become significant recreational and wildlife resources. The Assabet River, once referred to as the “cesspool of Massachusetts,” is now an asset to the towns it flows through.

There is much work ahead to ensure that the rivers meet the goal of being “fishable and swimmable” and remain healthy in the face of climate change and stormwater pollution. This work should be based on scientific information. The determined commitment Sen. Barrett has shown to our environment by securing these funds is very much appreciated.

Laura E. Rome, President
Alison Field-Juma, Executive Director
OARS for the Assabet, Sudbury and Concord Rivers
Concord, MA

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.

News acorns

August 3, 2015

Cirque de Cordova this Saturday, mushroom foraging on Sunday

Inspired by the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum’s Walking Sculpture exhibition, try out these playful walking strategies with trained Simply Circus instructors on Saturday, August 8. No experience necessary. For ages 8 and up.

Stilt-walking lesson and tour — 11 a.m. Experience the Sculpture Park from new heights! Lesson is followed by a guided stilt tour of the Sculpture Park. $12 for members, $20 for nonmembers. Register online by August 5.
Tightrope walking lesson — 2 p.m. Test your physical and mental balance! Lesson includes walking tightropes at varied heights in the Sculpture Park. $12 for members, $20 for nonmembers. Register online by August 5.

On Sunday, August 9 at 10:30 a.m., join Walking Sculpture artist Wendy Jacob and the Boston Mycological Club, the oldest mycological club in North America, for a mushroom hunt in the Sculpture Park. Search the grounds for mushrooms and other fungi at 10:30 a.m.; reconvene at noon to identify findings. Bring a basket and a brown bag lunch. Free program for all ages.

Films of Marguerite Duras

August begins a new Lincoln Library Film Society series called “Authors on Screen” with a program of films written, adapted from, and even directed by the French writer Marguerite Duras (1914-1996), an accomplished French playwright, film director and screenwriter. Screenings are at the Lincoln Public Library on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. For more information, email lincolnlibraryfilmsociety@gmail.com

Tuesday, August 4 — Hiroshima, Mon Amour. France and Japan, 1959. In French, Japanese and English with English subtitles (90 minutes).
Tuesday, August 11 — The Sea Wall (Un Barrage Contre le Pacifique). France and Cambodia, 2008. In French with English subtitles (111 minutes)
Tuesday, August 18 — The Truck (Le Camion). France, 1977. In French with English subtitles (75 minutes), preceded by Black Night, Calcutta (Nuit Noire, Calcutta). France, 1964. In French with English subtitles (24 minutes)
Tuesday, August 25 — Mademoiselle. France, 1966. In French and Italian with English subtitles (103 minutes).

Campus master plan design consultant approved

August 2, 2015

The Community Center Study Committee's "preferred option." Click on the image for more options and interior design ideas.

The Community Center Study Committee’s “preferred option” for the site of a new community center on the east side of the Lincoln School campus (see the Lincoln Squirrel, March 26, 2015).

The Campus Master Planning Committee (CMPC) has selected LLB Architects of Pawtucket, R.I. as the design consultant for the Ballfield Road campus, where the town hopes to build a new community center and renovate the Lincoln School.

The School Committee and the Board of Selectmen, which jointly appointed the CMPC, approved the hiring in mid-July.

“LLB brings a wealth of experience and a talented team of experts to the campus master planning project,” said Town Administrator Tim Higgins. “This is one of the most important projects facing Lincoln right now. We recognize that the plan will need to accommodate both the current and future education and recreational needs of our town’s resident population. I’m confident that LLB will be able to successfully assist the Campus Master Planning Committee in their charge to study the basic infrastructure and physical layout of the Ballfield Road campus and inform the planning for the contemplated school building and community center projects.”

“LLB’s technical experience, team-based approach, community focus and ability to see the ‘big picture’ make them a solid choice,” said School Committee Chair Jennifer Glass. “The project team, led by Project Executive Greg Smolley, has completed more than three dozen publicly bid projects in the Commonwealth in the last five years.”

LLB Architects, formerly Lerner Ladds Bartels, was founded in 1936. Their portfolio features design work on the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles and several projects at Brown University and the University of Rhode Island. In Massachusetts, the firm has done design work on public libraries in Bolton, Maynard, Scituate, Walpole and Watertown as well as the town halls in Acton and Harvard.

A report by Abacus Architects and Planners last March estimated that a community center just east of the Parks and Recreation pod on the Hartwell side of the campus would cost about $13 million, including a new access road, parking lot and repairs to the pods. The new building would be home to the Parks and Rec and the Council on Aging as well as various community groups.

For the rest of the summer, the consultants will review data on the campus’s physical and geographical conditions (roads and parking, wetlands, septic systems, major trees, etc.) and establish the short and long-term programmatic needs of all potential stakeholder groups. They will present their initial findings at a public workshop in October, where they will also gather public input and “identify conceptual options and present positive and negative aspects of each,” according to the firm’s preliminary project approach and timeline.

LLB will also make a presentation and gather input at the State of the Town Meeting on November 14 and at another public workshop in December before submitting their final report before the end of the calendar year.

“Lincoln is a community that values its historical buildings and spaces and engaging the public in setting direction for the future,” said LLB Project Executive Greg Smolley. “All of us at LLB Architects treasure the history of New England and have built the firm on a wide range of civic and public projects. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to work with everyone in Lincoln and are looking forward to getting started.”

For more information, residents are encouraged to attend any of the committee meetings, which are posted on the CMPC web page.