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

Library work underway

Children's librarian xxx in the temporary home of the children's department in the somewhat crowded Farrar Room.

Children’s librarian Jane Flanders in the temporary home of the children’s department in the now somewhat crowded Farrar Room.

By Alice Waugh

Lincoln Public Library patrons are adjusting to some temporary changes resulting from work to install a sprinkler system in the library, which has relocated the children’s area and closed the reference department.

The children’s department has moved into its new “branch” in the Farrar Room on the main floor of the library. There are two computers in that area, but children get preference—if you’re an adult, please ask a children’s librarian if you can use one. There are also two public computers on the library’s lower level; each has a 30-minute time limit for users. For reference help, patrons can ask at the main circulation desk.

Some books have been moved onto temporary carts while others will remain covered in plastic,  library director Barbara Myles said. A container outside the building is holding things from the attic such as holiday decorations and older issues of periodicals so workers can spray insulation in the attic.

The work is scheduled for completion by the end of the summer, Myles said.

Musical news acorns

music-notesClassic Jazz now on Thursday at Bemis

Classic Jazz has changed days and location due to construction at the Lincoln Public Library. The final two regular programs, including tomorrow’s, will now be held on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall.

On Thursday, April 10, Nick Ribush presents”Australian Jazz: The Melbourne Sound Pt. II.” Vern Welch will present “Jazz Clips—Then and Now” on May 8. The annual live program takes place on May 28 with Dan Gabel’s High Society Orchestra.

“Live in Lincoln Center” on May 3

The next “Live in Lincoln Center” concert, “Viva Vivaldi,” will feature the First Parish Church choir with guest vocal soloists and instrumentalists from the Handel & Haydn Society on Saturday, May 3 at 7 p.m. Period instruments will be featured for this all-Vivaldi program. First Parish Music Director Ian Watson will conduct from the harpsichord, and returning guest artists include Susanna Ogata, violin, and Guy Fishman, cello. Also on hand will be Handel & Haydn vocal soloists Erika Vogel, soprano, and Emily Marvosh, alto.

Seating is open to all but is limited and is first-come, first-seated. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. A reception will follow the performance. The suggested donation is $20, but any amount is appreciated. Sponsored by First Parish in Lincoln.

News acorns

Codman Community Farms maple syrup

Codman Community Farms maple syrup

Maple syrup now on sale for Codman Community Farm members

This year’s CCF maple syrup should be called “liquid gold”—Farmer Eric says the taste is exceptional but supplies are very limited due to weather fluctuations and a couple of difficulties with the boiling operations. This “taste of Lincoln” is the result of some great work by the Lincoln Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, Troop 127. For community service, the boys collected sap throughout February and March and helped Codman clean and repair its boiler. It was a great community effort and a good learning experience for the boys (and their dads)!

An attractive 3.5-ounce bottle costs $5. For sale in the Codman farm office on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Not a CCF member? Click here to learn about joining.

Hazardous waste collection days announced
The following is a list of the 2014 collection dates for household hazardous waste at the Minuteman Hazardous Products Regional Facility at 60 Hartwell Ave. in Lexington. All dates are Saturdays except where noted, and the facility is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Click here for a list of  materials you may and may not bring to the facility, as well as other disposal tips.
  • April 19
  • May 17
  • June 21
  • July 19
  • August 16
  • September 14 (Sunday)
  • October 18
  • November 8

All Lincoln residents must pre-register by calling Elaine Carroll at 781-259-2614 or by visiting the Board of Health in the Town Office Building. Continuing the policy started in 2005, latex paint will not be accepted at this facility since it is not a hazardous product. Please contact the Board of Health office to learn how to properly dispose of latex paint.

Lincoln gardeners on a “mission of cheer”
Missionforcheer-adj

Linda MacNeil, Joyce DiToro and Norma Barmakian of the Lincoln Garden Club create spring flower arrangements at Bemis Hall for delivery to Lincoln seniors as part of their Mission for Cheer project, conducted in association with the Lincoln Council on Aging.

Letter to the editor: Thanks for election help

letter

To the editor:

We would like, as always, to thank the many folks who participated in last Monday’s annual Town Election, starting first with the 21 individuals who put themselves forward as candidates for public office and the 875 of their fellow citizens who showed up to vote.

We extend our appreciation also to the Department of Public Works, the police officers assigned to the polling place, the Smith School custodial staff, the volunteer inspectors and deputy wardens who worked the polls, and Richard Silver, our election chef.

Sincerely,

Susan Brooks, town clerk
138 Bedford 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. 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.

Council on Aging events in April

bemisFollowing are events scheduled by the Lincoln Council on Aging for the rest of April.

Gentle yoga
April 9, 16, 23, 30, May 7, 14 at 9 a.m.
Would you like to try yoga but are concerned it may be too rigorous for you? Try the COA’s new gentle yoga class with experienced instructor Jai Kaur Annamaria San Antonio. The class will be held on six Wednesday mornings at 9 a.m. beginning on April 9 at a cost of $30 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 free. 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

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Corrections

  • correction-smToday’s article on the continuation of the Jet Aviation hearing gave an incorrect date for the next session. It will be on April 9 at 7:45 p.m. in the Town Office Building’s Donaldson Room. The article has been updated to reflect this correction.
  • The April 3 article on the effort by a group of eighth-graders to win voter approval for the purchase of bike racks neglected to mention the key role of Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden, who worked with Town Clerk Susan Brooks with the students to get their citizens’ petition onto the Town Meeting warrant. “Sarah has been an essential and invaluable partner from start to finish,” Brooks said.

Jet Aviation hearing continued again

Jet_PlaneThe public hearing on Jet Aviation’s expansion proposal at Hanscom Field is still going on—the next session will be Wednesday, April 9 at 7:45 p.m. in the Lincoln Town Offices’ Donaldson Room.

The Conservation Commission has already held three sessions on the proposed plan to replace a hangar and build another, along with an access road and more parking. The plan requires a special permit from the ConsComm because it would impinge on a wetlands buffer zone.

Residents opposed to the expansion and Jet Aviation have both hired lawyers to bolster their arguments, “and that’s complicated the proceedings a little bit,” said Chris Reilly, Lincoln’s Director of Planning and Land Use. “The Conservation Commission is absorbing this information from various parties” and probably will not be ready to vote at this week’s hearing, he said.

If the commission gives its assent, Jet Aviation does not require any other permits from the town. The property is exempt from further local regulation because it is owned and operated by Massport, a state agency, and the expansion would not change the overall mission at the site.

First annual “Celebrate Asia!” at L-S this weekend

asia-food

The first annual “Celebrate Asia!” Festival on April 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. will celebrate the diverse cultures that enrich Lincoln-Sudbury school and town communities and will serve as a fundraiser for the L-S Memorial School, the high school’s sister school in Battambang, Cambodia.

Among the offerings at the festival: crafts activities for kids, cultural performances by diverse dance groups, martial arts exhibitions, henna tattoos, tai chi, yoga, Asian goods and gifts, and some of your favorite Asian foods.

The L-S Memorial School was the brainchild of Mira Vale, a 2009 Lincoln graduate of L-S,  who worked with former history teacher Bill Schechter and others to create the school as a way to help the L-S community heal after the in-school murder of 15-year-old James Alenson in 2007 (see article in the Sudbury Town Crier). Community members raised money in partnership with American Assistance for Cambodia to build the 300-student school, which opened in 2009 with five classrooms furnished with desks, benches, chalkboards, school supplies, and English-speaking teachers.

The school commemorates the L-S students and young alumni who have died during the school’s 50-year history. Names of about 300 deceased students and alumni are listed on the L-S Memorial School website, along with this video of how the  school became a reality.

Residents approve up to $250,000 for another school study

moneybagBy Alice Waugh

At Town Meeting on March 29, residents approved spending up to $250,000 to come up with options and cost estimates for school renovation projects, but not without considerable discussion and a number of dissenting votes—though not enough to derail the measure, which required a two-thirds majority vote.

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