Come join a group effort to pull the invasive plants garlic mustard and wall lettuce on the deCordova Sculpture Park grounds and adjacent conservation land on Saturday, May 17 from 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at the far end of the DeCordova parking lot. This is a cooperative effort of the Conservation Department, the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, and the deCordova Sculpture Park.
First Parish Church goes before ZBA tonight
By Alice Waugh
The First Parish Church tonight will resume its attempt to win approval for expanding the Stearns Room when it goes before the Zoning Board of Appeals at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Office Building’s Donaldson Room.
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News of gatherings in Lincoln
LEAP a capella night postponed
Due to low ticket sales, the Lincoln After-school Activities Program a capella night scheduled for Friday, May 16 in Bemis Hall has been postponed.
Jazz concert evokes the Roaring ’20s
Join us for a wonderful evening of live jazz music on Wednesday, May 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Listen to the bygone sounds of the Jazz Age when Dan Gabel’s High Society, a 10-piece ensemble, performs well-known and rare tunes. Free and open to the public.
Retirement celebration for Chief Mooney
The Lincoln Police Department invites you to attend a retirement reception in honor of Chief Kevin A. Mooney to celebrate his 36 years of dedicated service to the town on Friday, June 27 from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Pierce House. Buffet dinner; business casual attire.
Tickets are $50. Please reserve no later than June 12 by contacting Catherine Dubeshter at cdubeshter@lincolntown.org or 781-259-8113. Make checks payable to Friends of Kevin Mooney, P.O. Box 342, Lincoln MA 01773.
Isbell gets special award from COA
Isbell’s award.
Susan Isbell (right) receives her “Woman of the Year” award from the Council on Aging.
Susan Isbell of Virginia Road received a special award at the recent Lincoln Council on Aging volunteer luncheon, was proclaimed “Woman of the Year” for her extensive work helping at Bemis Hall during the medical leave of COA assistant director Pam Alberts. Sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging and hosted by St. Anne’s church, the luncheon was enjoyed by over 100 COA volunteers at a buffet catered by Richard Silver of the Pierce House.
Letter to the editor: Thanks for L-S funding
To the editor:
The Lincoln Sudbury School Committee and administration thank the citizens of Lincoln and Sudbury for approving the capital requests, for this year’s technology infrastructure improvements at the high school, at the respective town meetings. We also thank officials from both towns for providing feedback and encouragement through the capital request.
The high school is preparing for the installation of an improved network backbone and the upgrading of some critical servers by the time the school reopens this fall. In future years, we want to address educational technology in the classroom, continue to upgrade critical servers, and return to funding annual scheduled upgrades of the educational technology infrastructure.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Radha Gargeya, Sudbury (chair), on behalf of the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee
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. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published. Letters may be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor.
New School Building Advisory Committee convenes tonight
The new School Building Advisory Committee (SBAC) will hold its first meeting tonight at 7 p.m. in the Hartwell multipurpose room, when they will begin preparations for hiring a consultant, choose a co-chair and confirm the schedule for upcoming meetings.
The roster for the new SBAC is almost identical to the first version of the committee, which was dissolved after presenting its report to the School Committee in November 2013. Members are Doug Adams, Ken Bassett, Owen Beenhouwer, Vincent Cannistraro, Tim Christenfeld, Steven Perlmutter, Maggy Pietropaolo, Hathaway Russell, Peter Sugar, Gary Taylor, Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall, and Buck Creel, administrator for business and finance for the Lincoln school district.
As per the School Committee’s charge, McFall will be one of two co-chairs; the other will be elected tonight in a vote by all members except McFall and Creel.
Drumlin Farm presents “Wild About Wildlife” day
Get an up-close look into the life of New England’s native wild animals at the Wild About Wildlife festival on Sunday, May 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary.
Look a raptor in the eye, learn how we enrich the lives of our captive animal ambassadors, and go on a hunt for animals tracks of all kinds. Kids and parents of all ages will enjoy an up-close look at some of our favorite native New England animals, along with family-friendly stories and crafts. For this festival day only, we will also be offering special behind-the-scenes tours of our wildlife care facility normally closed to the public.
All activities are free with paid admission. Admission is free for Mass Audubon members and Lincoln residents. Event takes place rain or shine. Most programs last 45 minutes. For more information, visit this Drumlin Farm web page.
Spotting Spot – 10 a.m.
Take a peek through our high-powered spotting scope at what’s flying by.
Wildlife Care Tours – 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, or 2:30 pm (additional $5 fee applies)
Join our staff for a special behind-the-scenes tour of our wildlife care facility, usually closed to visitors, and see the animals we use for educational programs (potentially including snakes, turtles, owls, hawks, opossum, rabbits, skunk, and woodchucks)
Animals and Their Keepers: Deer – 11 a.m.
Get an up-close look at the care and feeding of our white-tailed deer from our wildlife care staff.
Big Birds – 11:30 a.m.
Meet the top of the food chain with some of New England’s largest owls and hawks.
Wetland Wildlife – noon
Learn about the unique habitat of our vernal pool and see which critters make it their home.
Crafts and Story Corner – 1-4 p.m.
Need a quieter spot for a quick break? Drop by for a story or two and make a small animal friend to take home with you.
Animals and Their Keepers: Fox – 2 p.m.
Get an up-close look at the care and feeding of our fox from our wildlife care staff.
Making Tracks – 2:30 p.m.
Interpret the prints and signs animals leave behind and make a few of your own.
Meet the Moms – 3 p.m.
Meet some of our favorite mammal moms and learn how they care for their babies.
Animals and Their Keepers: Fisher – 3:30 p.m.
Get an up close look at our fisher and experiment with making an enrichment item for her to explore.
Click here for more information on Drumlin Farm programs.
Kennedy eyed as next Lincoln police chief
Lt. Kevin Kennedy, a longtime member of the Lincoln Police Department, is in line to become the town’s next chief of police and will be formally interviewed by the Board of Selectmen at its May 12 meeting.
Kennedy, who has been with the Lincoln police for 22 years, would succeed retiring Chief of Police Kevin Mooney if the board votes to hire him. There are no other candidates being considered, according to Town Administrator Tim Higgins.
“The board and I feel he’s uniquely qualified for the position,” Higgins said of Kennedy. “He’s committed himself to Lincoln for his entire career, and the police chief has done a fantastic job of cultivating him [for the chief’s role] over the years.”
The selectmen have received letters in support of Kennedy’s candidacy from many organizations in town, including the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Council on Aging and the schools, according to Higgins. “He’s very well known and well regarded for his work in Lincoln,” he said.
Kennedy has served in several roles in Lincoln including that of juvenile officer. He has also completed leadership training with the FBI and the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, Higgins said.
Yet more things to learn and do in Lincoln
Attorney general candidate forum
Meet Attorney General candidates Maura Healey and Warren Tolman will appear at a forum on Saturday, May 10 in Bemis Hall sponsored by the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee and the 3rd Middlesex Area Democrats. Note: The portion of the original forum featuring candidates for state treasurer has been rescheduled for June 7). More info…
Plant sale and free gardening workshops
The Food Project hosts its second annual plant sale and free gardening workshops on Mother’s Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, May 10 and 11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Lincoln farm at the intersection of Concord Road and Baker Bridge Road. In addition to selling dozens of varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers grown using high-quality organic potting soil at the plant sale, assistant grower Allison Houghton will teach free 30-minute workshops twice each day at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on “Five Tips for Home Gardening Success.” Topics will include maximizing your yield in a small space, pruning tomatoes, growing herbs and other useful tips to make your garden a success. More info…
In conjunction with the plant sale, the Lincoln Garden Club will also host its biennial Perennial Plant Sale on Saturday, May 10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Codman barn. There will be a children’s project just in time for Mother’s Day, container gardens and a wide assortment of perennials from club members’ gardens.
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Strat’s playground closed for safety violations
Strat’s playground has been closed indefinitely.
By Alice Waugh
The popular Strat’s playground behind the Hartwell school building has been closed for safety violations and will probably need to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch.
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