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

Letter to the editor: Sander resigns from School Committee

letter

Dear Lincoln community,

I write reluctantly to announce that I am stepping down from the Lincoln School Committee. I have been asked to take a leadership position with the Cambridge Quaker Meeting in which I grew up and am still active, and I feel called to fully engage my responsibilities there. Were I to try to do both, I would probably risk being excommunicated by my family, who have always been extremely tolerant about the extensive time I’ve already been spending in community meetings.

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CDB? (Lincoln through the lens, 9/19/14)

Harold McAleer's caption for his photo is "Sedum bee? Right there!" which calls to mind the classic C D B! by William Steig, author of Shrek.

Harold McAleer’s caption for his photo is “Sedum bee? Right there!” which calls to mind the classic book C D B! by William Steig, author of Shrek.

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.

New tot pool is well loved

pool

It takes two to plug the fountain’s lower holes and force water out the top and onto a friend.

By Jonathan Dwyer
Chair, Parks and Recreation Committee

On Labor Day, Lincoln’s Codman Pool closed on a high note until next summer. The weather was warm and humid, and the pool was a popular place to be. Stacey Mulroy, Assistant Parks and Recreation Director and pool director, noted that the crowd enjoying a last dip in the pool was the biggest of the year, even bigger than the July 4-5 crowd. In recent years, the temperature was cooler and people came for a last dip and quickly left. This year, many stayed until the last tick of time.

“We’re trying to extend summer as long as we can!” said DeAnna Mori. Apparently so was her daughter, still playing with the fountain in the new wading pool with friends.

The original wading pool was replaced when it was discovered that the leaking underground pipes could not be replaced without removing the existing pool and decking, triggering an opportunity to replace the pool with one that complies with current safety and accessibility codes. [Editor’s note: see the Lincoln Squirrel, March 15, 2013]. Mulroy explained that the new pool has been very popular with two- to eight-year-olds and is designed for accessibility with a “zero-entry” section that slopes from deck level to water level and downward to its deepest point, allowing people to easily wade into the pool.

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News acorns – 9/18/14

acornOpen house features Lincoln Minute Men, refurbished historic home

At an open house on Saturday, Sept. 20, the Lincoln Minute Men will do musket-firing demonstrations at 10 a.m., noon and 1 p.m., as well as drills for children, fife and drum music, and demonstrations of sewing, spinning and colonial clothing throughout the day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will take place at the Captain William Smith House in the Minute Man National Historical Park on Route 2A near Bedford Road (park in the Hartwell Tavern lot).

Lincoln Minute Men (soldiers, musicians and townspeople) will greet the public in colonial attire and welcome them into the Smith House, which has been refurbished thanks to the concerted effort of the Lincoln Minute Men and the support of friends through donations. The Minute Men worked with the National Park to locate and donate items similar to those that might have been found on that day in the three ground floor rooms of a New England house: the formal parlor, the keeping room and the kitchen. Come and see the walking wheel for spinning wool, the infant’s cradle with reproduction tick and blanket, the kitchen cupboard stocked with redware and pewter, items for cooking on the hearth, a tilt-top table set for tea, a gate-leg table set for Catharine and William’s dinner, a desk where the Smiths could pay bills and write correspondence, and much more.

Also open to the public on September 20 are two other “witness houses” to the events of April 19, 1775: the Hartwell Tavern, where there will be demonstrations of historic crafts and trades, and the Col. James Barrett House in Concord, where His Majesty’s 63rd Regiment of Foot will be displaying British uniforms of the period.

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Joint meeting on hospice this Thursday

Colored Site Plan .pdf

A sketch of the latest site plan for the Care Dimensions hospice facility (click to enlarge).

Two Lincoln land-use groups will continue their review of a proposal for an 18-bed hospice facility on Winter Street at a joint meeting on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Office Building.

Care Dimensions of Danvers originally proposed a 42,400-square-foot facility straddling the Lincoln/Waltham town line but scaled it back last spring after residents and town officials said it was too big (see the Lincoln Squirrel, March 26, 2014). The nonprofit company later submitted a scaled-down 27,600-square-foot plan with 64 parking spots rather than the original 89. On Thursday, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board will hear the latest information, including a report from a peer review consultant who has been reviewing drainage plans and other engineering issues.

The Planning Board will continue its public hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 23 to review lighting and landscaping and “clean up any other site details,” said Director of Planning and Land Use Chris Reilly. The ZBA will probably close its hearing on October 2 and may vote on the proposal that night.

Just plain nuts (Lincoln through the lens, 9/16/14)

Alice Waugh, editor of the Lincoln Squirrel, gets ready to spread the word at the September 10 PTO picnic about how the Squirrel keeps residents abreast of Lincoln news. (9/13/14)

Alice Waugh, editor of the Lincoln Squirrel, gets ready to spread the word at the September 10 PTO picnic about how the Squirrel keeps residents abreast of Lincoln news. (9/13/14)

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.

Conservation events scheduled

LLCTThe Lincoln Land Conservation Trust has scheduled the following events in September and October.

Fall Plant Walk
Thursday, September 18 at 10 a.m.
As a follow-up to her spring plant walk, local botany enthusiast Ellen Meadors will lead a walk to observe and talk about the wonderful native flowers that bloom as fall approaches. Dress for the weather. Please park and meet at the horse riding ring off of Weston Road near the intersection of Silver Hill Road and Weston Road. This is a free program.

Early Fall Foliage Ramble: Stonehedge Road to Weston Town Forest
Saturday, October 4 from 10 a.m. to noon (meet near the mailbox at 49 Stonehedge Road)
Join Michele Grzenda, local naturalist and Weston’s Conservation Agent, on an early fall foliage walk through Lincoln and Weston conservation land. Participants should be prepared to walk approximately 3 miles over uneven terrain and dress for the weather. Due to limited parking, group size is limited to 20. RSVP required; please click here to sign up or visit lincolnconservation.org.

Living with Black Bears
Monday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m., Bemis Hall
Presenter: Laura (Hajduk) Conlee, Black Bear Project Leader, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
Spend an evening with MassWildife expert Laura Conlee to learn about black bears. Find out where bears are common, get advice on the best actions to take when you see a bear, and take away some valuable tips on how to be a good neigh-bear!

Scarecrow Classic 5K Walk/Run
Sunday, Oct. 19 at 9:30 a.m.
Run, walk or volunteer at the second annual Scarecrow Classic 5K road and trail race starting at the Mall at Lincoln Station. All proceeds go to support the work of the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust. Register at www.scarecrowclassic5k.com or call the LLCT at 781-259-9251 for more information.

Letter to the editor: Exploring the need for a community center in Lincoln

letter

Editor’s note: for background information about the community center, see the Lincoln Squirrel, July 31, 2014.

To the editor:

In May, the Board of Selectmen appointed the Community Center Study Committee (CCSC) to evaluate the concept of a new community center for Lincoln. Their charge requires that we evaluate options for the long and short-term facilities needs of the Parks & Recreation Department and Council on Aging. That evaluation will include what succeeds and what fails with respect to their current locations. Many towns recognize the value of a facility serving both populations and as a central gathering place for all residents. Our goal is to make this evaluative process comprehensive, open and transparent.

On Wednesday, October 8 from 6-9 p.m., we will hold a town-wide planning charrette at Hartwell School Pod B. Everyone is encouraged to attend and participate. Refreshments will be served. You can attend for the entire evening or come and go as you please. We are seeking residents’ views on what form a community center might take in Lincoln and where it should be located.

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“Lincoln Through the Lens” debuts

Today the Lincoln Squirrel is pleased to introduce a new feature called “Lincoln Through the Lens.” Readers may submit photos for consideration; if your photo is published, you’ll receive credit. Photos must be taken in Lincoln and include the date, location, and any names of people who are identifiable in the photo. Previously published photos can be viewed on the Lincoln through the Lens page of the Lincoln Squirrel.

Take THAT!
Sally Kindleberger pummels a well-upholstered Lincoln Police Officer Ian Spencer during a workshop on self-defense given by the police at the Council on Aging in late August. The popular classes have been offered periodically since late last year (see The Lincoln Squirrel, Jan. 13, 2014). —Photos by Harold McAleer

Sally Kindleberger pummels a well-upholstered Lincoln Police Officer Ian Spencer during a workshop on self-defense given by the police at the Council on Aging in late August. The popular classes have been offered periodically since late last year (see the Lincoln Squirrel, Jan. 13, 2014), and new classes will begin on October 28.  —Photos by Harold McAleer