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

Lincoln Police warn citizens of phone scams

police logoThe following is a notice from Lt. Sean Kennedy of the Lincoln Police Department.

We would like to notify the community that we have received numerous citizen complaints over the past few months of several different telephone scams. These citizen complaints are not unique to Lincoln, as neighboring communities are fielding similar complaints. Several of these scams are specifically targeting the elderly community. Some of the scams that we and neighboring police departments have learned about include:

  1. A person calls reporting that they’re calling from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and are demanding that money for back taxes be paid immediately by wire transferring money from their bank account. In some cases the scammers are telling citizens that they have warrants out for their arrest and the money needs to be paid or they’re going to be arrested. The scammers are using “spoofed” phone numbers which allows them to use a computer program in which they can select a specific phone number. The scammer usually chooses a local number which appears on the citizen’s caller ID. The citizen assumes it’s a local number and it’s a legitimate phone call. In one case the scam caller spoofed a local government phone number.
  1. A person calls reporting that they’re calling from out of the country and their grandchild has been arrested and is sitting in a foreign jail, or they’ve been involved in a motor vehicle crash. In order to get out of jail or out of the country, they need money wire transferred or cash needs to be sent immediately via overnight mail to a specific address.

It’s important to know that the IRS and other government entities will never call citizens directly demanding money. They will send their correspondence through the mail. The most important thing to remember is: DO NOT provide any personal information to anyone over the phone such as your Social Security number, bank account number, credit card number or date of birth.

If you’re offered a “deal” over the phone or through the mail that seems too good to be true, it is. All these deals require the citizen to provide personal information. If you have provided your personal information, immediately notify the bank or the credit card company. You also want to do a credit check of your personal information using one of the credit monitoring companies (Equifax, TransUnion or Experian). It’s also a good idea to put a fraud alert on your credit.

Please call the Lincoln Police Department and report any suspicious calls of this nature.

Studies on community center, school renovations are underway

blueprintsBy Alice Waugh

Two design firms are now working in parallel on potential town construction projects—a community center and Lincoln School renovations—and both will be discussed at the State of the Town meeting on November 15.

After interviewing four candidate firms earlier this month, the new School Building Advisory Committee (SBAC) selected Dore & Whittier Architects to develop repair and renovation options for the Lincoln School. The firm’s work will build on previous studies commissioned by the town, as well as the work of the first SBAC to identify individual repair and renovation projects and get updated specific cost estimates for each. Voters approved spending up to $250,000 for the study (see the Lincoln Squirrel, April 3, 2014).

Meanwhile, following the recommendation of the Community Center Study Committee (CCSC), the Board of Selectmen has hired Abacus Architects and Planners to do a detailed study of several possible sites for a community center and offer estimates on the scope and cost for each. After being appointed by the Board of Selectmen in June, the CCSC received proposals from seven architectural firms and interviewed five.

Abacus will look at several sites identified in the 2012 report of the Community Center Feasibility Committee as well as any others that may come up. That report was a first step in identifying alternative sites for the Council on Aging, which has outgrown Bemis Hall, and the Parks and Recreation Department. While Park and Rec is happy with its location in the Hartwell pods, those buildings are due for renovation or replacement.

On the radar of both consultants will the Hartwell area, which could be repurposed as a community center and also serve as swing space for the Lincoln School to use during major renovations. The two firms are working independently, but if the town chooses to go ahead with both a school building project and a community center, the Hartwell site will certainly come into play somehow, “and we want to have an answer to how that’s going to work,” Fredriksen said.

Both committees will schedule public discussions before the State of the Town meeting. After a comprehensive $49 million school project failed to win enough support at a special Town Meeting in 2012, some residents said it was because of insufficient communication and public input beforehand.

“The primary reasons for choosing Dore & Whittier Architects were their emphasis on listening to the community—their desire to conduct separate meetings with stakeholder groups as well as their overall understanding of the importance of developing choices and providing accurate cost estimates,” the SBAC said in a statement distributed by co-chair Becky McFall, superintendent of schools. “The SBAC is striving to focus their efforts on process and community engagement, as opposed to the specifics of a particular option. Community input to the consultants will be vital and community members will be encouraged to contribute at several key points along the way.”

The CCSC will hold a town-wide charette in the fall, and while dollar figures will not be discussed, “we want see what those [community center] scenarios would look like and see what direction residents are inclined to go in,” Fredriksen said. “We’re taking it one step at a time.”

The CCSC meets every other week; its next meeting is Thursday, Aug. 7 at 8 a.m. in the Town Office Building. Agendas, minutes, documents and additional information are available on the CCSC’s web page. The SBAC will start its work with Dore and Whittier on Wednesday, Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Hartwell Multipurpose Room.

Weston Road trees have been taking hits

lightning tree montage3 copy

Lightning stripped the bark off an oak tree close to Weston Road (top photos and bottom right). Bottom left: Earlier this year, across the street from the oak, a pine tree crashed across a driveway, but an anonymous neighbor stepped in to cut it up (click to enlarge). Photos/Alice Waugh

By Alice Waugh

Several trees along a stretch of Weston Road having been taking their lumps.

Earlier this year, a huge pine tree snapped and fell across the driveway at 60 Weston Rd. Shortly afterwards, however, much to the pleasant surprise of homeowner Sarah Cannon Holden, an unidentified person cut up the tree to allow cars through. Holden later found out it was the son of a neighbor after she posted a red sign on the stump saying “Thank You! Who?” Then a poplar in the side yard of an adjoining property was hit by lightning and had to be cut down.

In a severe thunderstorm in early July, lightning hit an oak across the street from the same property (the owner asked that her name not be used), blasting two  long vertical strips of bark off opposite sides of the trunk.

“It’s weird—I don’t know if the lightning went up one side and down the other, or what,” said the resident, who heard the boom when poplar tree got hit but not the oak. “I don’t know what’s going on… we must be doing something,” she joked.

New boardwalk eases travel behind school

boardwalk montageA brand-new boardwalk through the wetlands behind Codman Pool is open for business—one of several bridge/boardwalk projects to come.

The boardwalk between Sandy Pond  Road and the Lincoln School campus—which opened in time for the Fourth (actually Fifth) of July fireworks—is the first to be funded by a state grant that Lincoln Land Manager Dave McKinnon applied for. It’s a year-round walkway that will accommodate walkers and families with strollers at all times of the year as well as a skiable trail in winter. Visitors can now park at the schools and walk to the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, or if they’re more ambitious, all the way around Flint’s Pond.

Conservation Commission staff, Lincoln Land Conservation Trust summer interns and volunteers pitched in to do the construction work.

The Rizzo family, which lives just to the east of the trail, has been generous in allowing their property to be used as an emergency evacuation route from the schools, but this has meant that casual walkers often use their private land, said Peter von Mertens, co-chair of the Conservation Commission. Town officials hope the new boardwalk will become the sole public access.

Photos courtesy Peter von Mertens

News acorns

 

acornSelf-defense class for teenage girls

A free self-defense class for teenage girls will be offered by the Lincoln Police Department on August 9 and 10 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This class is especially geared to high school seniors and college students. On the first day, participants will go over basic safety and then learn both verbal and physical basic self-defense tactics and moves such as strikes, punches, and kicks. On the second day, an officer in full pads simulates attacks, and participants “fight” with the ultimate goal of escaping. The class is modeled on a successful class for adults (see the Lincoln Squirrel, Jan. 13, 2014). For more information, or to sign up, please contact Jena Salon at  jenasalon@gmail.com or 215-514-5963.

Library children’s room reopens; programs this week

The Children’s Room of the Lincoln Public Library is open again after four months in a temporary space across the hall. The move was necessitated by a fire sprinkler installation project. The Children’s Room is all spruced up and we even have some new toys, courtesy of the Friends of the Lincoln Library.

On Tuesday, July 29, children ages 3-5 are invited to a Stories and Crafts workshop at 11 a.m. Michael LaFosse will lead an origami workshop on Wednesday, July 30 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. for grades K-2 and 4:30-5:30 p.m. for grade 3 and up. Sign up in advance for any of these events by calling 781-259-8465. Programs sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library, Inc.

deCordova offers Poetic Ceramics workshop

Munch on snacks and sip wine together at this workshop on Thursday, July 31 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. as you create your own clay garden sculpture.With exhibiting artist Bruce Barry as your guide and deCordova’s current exhibitions as your inspiration, do some creative writing, put that writing in clay, and add your ceramic tablet to a communal poetry garden of stepping stones in the Sculpture Park. No ceramic experience is necessary. Snacks and drinks provided. Cost is $40, or $30 for members. Click here to register.

Letter to the editor: Support Berwick for governor

letter

To the editor:

Don Berwick, Democratic candidate for Massachusetts governor, sets bold goals:

  • Single-payer health care
  • An education system that gives every student the opportunity to succeed
  • Bold renewable energy and environmental standards
  • Jobs and an economy that gives everyone the chance to thrive
  • An end to child poverty and chronic homelessness
  • No casinos
  • Grassroots supportive progressive movement

But every politician says he/she will accomplish miracles if elected to office—why do I believe Don can do it? First, Berwick is committed to meeting his goals. He boasts that he can accomplish all of them in 10 years—all of them. Second, as a pediatrician, executive and leader, Don has mastered the skills to deliver what he promises:

  • MD from Harvard Medical School
  • Pediatrician, Boston’s Children’s Hospital and Harvard Community Health Plan
  • Founder, nonprofit Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), 1991:
    • IHI’s current annual budget is $40 million, staff of 150
    • IHI projects have saved hundreds of thousands of lives nationally and internationally
    • knighted by Queen Elizabeth for making British health care more efficient, 2005
  • Administrator of U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2010:
    • $800 billion budget, staff of over 5,500
    • implemented important provisions of Affordable Care Act
  • Only candidate for governor to state that he opposes casinos

Third, Don Berwick sees Massachusetts as a beacon to lead our nation to the progressive ideals of justice, equality and compassion. The Commonwealth is the first state that committed to health care as a human right, that said you can marry whom you love, that built an enviable energy system, and that now has the most sane gun laws in the country.

Grassroots supportive progressive movement: Don needs us. He is calling for a grassroots movement to spread out across our state to educate Massachusetts voters about Don Berwick and his progressive agenda. Help our Lincoln grassroots team hand-address, note and stamp preprinted postcards to voters identified by the Berwick campaign office. Please contact Peggy Schmertzler at alpegs@verizon.net or 781-259-0465.

Sincerely,

Peggy Schmertzler
142 Chestnut Circle

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.

Letter to the editor: Strat’s playground coming down

letter

(Editor’s note: for background, see the Lincoln Squirrel, June 18, 2014.)

To the editor:

After careful review and consideration, the Parks and Recreation Department is sad announce the permanent closure and removal of the Strat’s Playground on Ballfield Road.

In April 2014, the department authorized a safety inspection of the Playground. The resulting report cited a number of ADA violations and hazards ranging from minor infractions to major safety concerns that may result in death or permanent injury.

In addition to the hazards cited in the inspection, other deficiencies exist.  Most notably, the playground is constructed of pressure treated lumber, which contains a pesticide that requires the entire playground be sealed every few years at significant cost. Additionally, Strat’s design is suitable for children ages 5-12, but since it is adjacent to two preschools it sees limited use and is no longer a good fit for its location. And lastly, with the changing nature of safety codes and the limited lifespan of wood products, this playground has become prohibitively expensive to maintain. Taking this all into account, it became apparent that there would be no way to address these deficiencies in a way that is fiscally or programmatically responsible.

These deficiencies do not reflect a lack of quality in the playground, but rather the inevitable effect of time. Strat’s was a state-of-the-art facility when it was installed in 1989 and has served as a well-loved community centerpiece and memorial to the late Michael Stratton.

The playground will be removed in the next few weeks and the Parks and Recreation Committee now plans to spend some time considering alternative uses for the space. We invite interested parties to join the process by contacting our office at 781-259-0784. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Daniel Pereira
Parks and Recreation Director

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.

News acorns

schoolSBAC interviews design firms

The School Building Advisory Committee interviewed four design-firm candidates on July 14 and 15. The committee expects to select one of the firms later this month to define renovation solutions for the Lincoln School and prepare cost estimates for a range of possible projects (see the Lincoln Squirrel, June 19 2014).

The four firms interviewed by the SBAC are Schwartz/Silver Architects of Boston, HMFH Architects of Cambridge, Design Partnership of Cambridge, and Dore & Whittier Architects of Newburyport and South Burlington, Vt.

Traveling tidepool visits library on July 16

Do you know what a sea star eats or how snails move? Come explore and interact with local tidepool animals while learning basic biology and anatomy when the New England Aquarium’s Traveling Tidepool comes to the Lincoln Public Library on Wednesday, July 16. Advance signup at one of the times below is required; call 781-259-8465.

  • PreK to grade 1 — 9:30-10:15 a.m.
  • PreK to grade 1 — 10:30-11:15 a.m.
  •  Grade 2 and up — 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library, Inc.

Antique Auto Show is this Sunday

The annual auto show at the Codman Estate on Sunday, July 20 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. draws more than 200 classic and antique autos, trucks and motorcycles from all over New England and includes entertainment by the New Liberty Jazz Band, museum tours, a raffle, and food concessions. Rain or shine.

Free to Historic New England members and children under 12, $5 for nonmembers, $10 registration fee for vehicles (passengers are free). Please call 617-994-5900, ext. 5514 for more information. Purchase tickets at www.historicnewengland.org

Bemis Hall to unveil improvements at grand opening

Everyone is invited to a grand opening of the front entrance, parking lot and crosswalk of Bemis Hall on Thursday, July 24 at 11:45 a.m. Recently, the front entrance has been improved to make it both more attractive and convenient, the parking lot has been reconstructed, and a new crosswalk with flashing pedestrian lights on Bedford Road has been installed for safety. Many town departments and committees, local organizations, and residents have worked together to implement these projects. A brief ribbon-cutting ceremony will be followed by refreshments inside Bemis Hall.

Second date for Concord River cruise added

What better way to spend a relaxing summer afternoon than winding down the Concord River on a luncheon cruise? The Council on Aging is hosting a cruise on Monday, August 18 in addition to the previously announced date of Monday, August 11.

The cruise lasts an hour and 15 minute and includes lunch, sunshine, and glorious memories. You’ll leave the Lincoln Mall at 10:30 a.m. and venture by Doherty’s bus to the South Bridge boathouse, where you’ll board a boat and begin your cruise. You will enjoy a lunch of chicken salad, tuna salad, sliced turkey, ham and cheese, or vegetarian salad sandwich,  fruit, dessert, and lemonade or iced tea while you cruise. The bus will arrive back at the Lincoln Mall at about 1 p.m.

The cost is $28 per person, payable by a check made out to FLCOA/Trips and sent to Donna Rizzo, 22 Blackburnian Road, Lincoln MA 01773. Please enclose your phone number and email address and indicate your choice of sandwich when you send your check. Sign up now, as there is a limit of 20. Reservations must be made by August 4 and are non-refundable. Questions? Call Donna at 781-257-5050.

Letter to the editor: Great 5th of July!

letter

To the editor:

Even though there could not be 4th of July road race or parade in Lincoln this year, the Celebrations crew, public safety, Parks & Recreation and DPW were all ready to go. The 5th of July band and fireworks were terrific as usual, and I wanted to acknowledge the effort that town staff and volunteers invested in making it safe and successful.

Thank you to our police and fire department personnel, DPW employees, Dan Pereira and the rest of the Parks & Rec staff, and Hanscom’s police for being creative, proactive and doing it right.

Thanks to volunteers Aaron “Smiles” Beck, Brent “Señor Sound” Clark, Maggie “Peggy Peg Peg” Dwyer, Michela “Call Me Maybe” Eckhouse (left out of phone tree), Jen “Next Year” Flanagan, “Shoutin’ Sam” Kupperstein, Riley “Tank Top” McCabe, Eileen “The Cape Flier” McCrory, Eve “CUL8R” Montie, Paul “Rooster Booster” Montie, Lyn “Staples” Spaeth (“yeah, I’ve got that”), and Nick Verkler (a.k.a. Nerk Vickler). We had fun. We got it done. It was a great day.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Dwyer
14 Beaver Pond Rd.
Lincoln Parks & Recreation Committee + Celebrations Subcommittee

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.

Rain doesn’t dampen enthusiasm for informal July 4 events

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Carol Lovell, Eliza Jevon, William Jevon and Megan Stride informally ran the July 4 Lincoln road race. Photo by Rob Jevon

Undaunted by the cancellation of most of the town’s July 4 events, some residents are staging their own celebrations in observance of Independence Day.

Among those who decided to complete the road race loop on their own this morning were Carol Lovell, Eliza Jevon and William Jevon, and Megan Stride. “There were just some spontaneous folks that decided to run the course,” said Rob Jevon, Eliza and William’s father.

Another group of parents with young children decided to do a children’s bike parade tomorrow morning (July 5) at 10:00 a.m. around the ballfield on the Lincoln School campus. “Bring your decorated bikes, scooters, strollers, etc. and spread the word,” Lincoln resident DJ Mitchell said in a note sent to the LincolnTalk email list.

The concert, barbecue and fireworks display scheduled for July 4 will take place on July 5. Food from the Firebox in Bedford will be served starting at 7 p.m. and music by Grove Syndicate will begin at 7:30. The pool will be open from 12:30-7 p.m.). Parking in available for $20 per car.

Although the parade was not rescheduled, anyone who created a float and would like to have it photographed for posterity may email Pam Gallup at pamgallup@aol.com.