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

Letter to the editor: Community Preservation Committee request

letterEditor’s note: The following letter from the Community Preservation Committee is addressed to the Lincoln community. It was updated on March 24 to reflect a correction to the street address given for CPC member Margaret Olson.

To the editor:

Massachusetts passed the Community Preservation Act (CPA) in 2000. Lincoln voted to join in 2003 with a 3 percent property tax surcharge. Since then the state has matched the town’s revenues anywhere from 100 percent to the low 30 percent level. This past year the state match was 66 percent due to a provision in the state budget which required the first $25 million of any surplus to be deposited into the CPA trust. Hopefully this requirement will be renewed in the ongoing state budget process, but it is not guaranteed.

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Letter to the editor: Glass on school funding

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Editor’s note: The author of this letter, Jennifer Glass, is chair of the School Committee. She is running unopposed for reelection on March 31.

To the editor:

At the March 29 Annual Town Meeting, one of the warrant articles citizens will be asked to consider is whether or not they will approve funds to study a range of Lincoln School renovation choices. Following is some information about the warrant article.

Article 11: The School Committee is requesting that up to $250,000 be withdrawn from the Stabilization Fund to be used for commissioning cost estimates for a range of potential Lincoln School renovation projects.  

Up to $200,000 would be used to contract design and cost-estimating services. $50,000 would be held in reserve in case unexpected study services are required. The funding for the warrant would come from money already put aside by the town, and would not increase property taxes.

Q:  Why is the School Committee asking for this money?

A:  The last major renovation of the school was in 1994. At that time, the library link and kindergarten classrooms were built, and some renovations were made to the Smith building. However, Brooks was not renovated, and the entire Lincoln School has reached a point where the basic infrastructure of the building needs renovation: 

  • The “Univent” heating system is inefficient, distracting, and difficult to regulate.
  • The Smith boiler room is below ground and prone to flooding; the four boilers are 20-40 years old.
  • The Brooks smoke stack is deteriorating and needs replacement.
  • The roof is at the end of its useful life. It has been patched and re-seamed, but will need replacement.
  • Windows/window walls: About half of the windows are still single-pane glass and/or in uninsulated wood framing.
  • Reed Gym exterior wall panels are porous and need replacement.
  • Plumbing/drinking water: Some plumbing fixtures require high water usage and some new piping is required to deliver potable water if drinking fountains are to be reinstalled (currently the school uses bottled water). When fixtures are replaced, walls must be opened as new fixtures require a different interface with piping.

There are additional renovations that would improve the educational environment:

  • Cafeteria/kitchen—Currently students use half of each gym for lunch, making them unavailable for physical education classes for about three hours a day. The size of the kitchen facilities makes it challenging to prepare fresh foods; all meals must be served using disposable dishes, utensils and trays.
  • Original Smith Building (1948) and second-grade classrooms (1955)—the second-grade classrooms are inadequately sized, and the 1948 building is not constructed in a way that is today considered adequate for a public building.
  • Special education and support spaces—spaces have been carved out of hallways or closets, are inadequately sized and sometimes not ventilated. Also, there are students who specifically require environments that are temperature controlled (for heat and cold) and have good acoustics and lighting. It would be helpful to have at least one classroom at each elementary grade level that meets all those requirements.
  • Spaces for differentiated learning—It is important to have smaller spaces where groups of students can work together while remaining under the supervision of teachers. Currently, unsupervised hallways are frequently used for this purpose. 

Q:  How will the money be spent?

A:  The money will be used to get cost estimates for a number of renovation concepts, ranging in scope from the most urgent repairs to a comprehensive renovation (including limited new construction) that would address both infrastructure and educational needs. All solutions will keep the building in its current, “L-shaped” configuration.

For each of the concepts, we must consider the following:

  • Swing space—where will students learn while work is being done? For how long and at what cost? Should we collaborate with the proposed Community Center Study to look at solutions that might serve both purposes?
  • Code compliance—concepts must address code issues such as fire suppression/safety, accessibility, snow load, and seismic stability.
  • What is the life span of the proposed work? What is the value for what we are spending?

Q:  What about state funding? Is the $21 million from the state still available?

A:  After the failed 2012 school project vote, the town forfeited the $21 million. Lincoln reapplied for state funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) in April 2013, but was not invited back into the funding pipeline.

  • The School Committee decided not to reapply to the MSBA in 2014 in order to take time to determine if that is the direction the town wishes to go. Demonstrated town support is important to an application’s success.
  • In February, the School Committee, Finance Committee, Capital Planning Committee, and Board of Selectmen held a joint public meeting. The School Committee noted that only a renovation that addresses all of the infrastructure and educational needs would be eligible for MSBA funding. 
  • The boards received feedback from the community that it wanted to be given a range of renovation options before deciding whether or not to reapply to the MSBA.

Q:  What happens next?

A:  If the warrant article passes at Town Meeting, the Lincoln Public Schools will hire a firm capable of refining the five concepts and providing cost estimates. The School Committee is committed to community participation, and will seek public input throughout the process. When the study is complete, the committee will ask the town to vote on which concept it would like to develop into a renovation project, and, if relevant, whether or not the town would like to reapply for state funding.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Glass
11 Stonehedge

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.

“Just another week at L-S”

L-S logoBella Wong, the interim superintendent/principal at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, writes a column for the L-S website called Bella’s Corner. Recently she told readers about the wide variety of student goings-on during one week at the high school, including appearances at several regional competitions in areas including a capella singing, foreign languages, and ocean science quiz and Ocean Quiz Bowls, a flamenco and  Spanish classical guitar concert, and post-season boys’ and girls’ hockey, to name just a few:

I have just come away from listening to Christina Agapakis, LS ’02, address an auditorium full of our students on the dichotomy of art and science, synthetic and biology, from her perspective as a scientist working with bacteria. It was fascinating to say the least. At the MLK assembly on February 14 I heard Gerald McElroy, LS ’05, illustrate how a single person can make a difference as he described his work on behalf of migrants in the Dominican Republic now embodied in a non-profit organization Espaniola. Both alum speakers were truly inspirational and models of individuals who have pursued their passions across multiple modalities for a cohesive productive end while further forwarding notions of social responsibility. What great outcomes for these LS grads! How does that all happen?

…continue reading “Just another week in March”

Letter to the editor: Kudos to office-holders and volunteers

letterTo the editor:

I feel most of Lincoln tremendously admires our town volunteers and elected personnel. The time and effort they expend on our behalves is tremendous. Mr. Braun is certainly one we admire. While MassDOT has the only authority on the Route 2 project, town and citizens’ voices count in our democracy, or should. My admiration also extends to Mr. Cannistraro who has the fortitude to question. It is always good to have new blood in any situation, if democracy is to flourish. I do hope he will consider running for town office at a more auspicious time.

Sincerely,

Claire L. Mount
123 Tower Road

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.

Lincoln Gearticks earn top award at state competition

The Lincoln Gearticks earned the top award at the state championship at Bridgewater State University on March 8. Front row, left to right: Evan Glenn, Caleb Sander, Irene Terpstra, Calvin Terpstra, Dante Muzila, Claire Telfer and Catherine Appleby. Back row, left to right: Thom Quirk, Andrew Lee, Amelia Brown, Jack Hutchinson, Austin Brown, Logan Engstrom Abby Payne. Photo by Victor Terpstra

The Lincoln Gearticks earned the top award at the state championship at Bridgewater State University on March 8. Front row, left to right: Evan Glenn, Caleb Sander, Irene Terpstra, Calvin Terpstra, Dante Muzila, Claire Telfer and Catherine Appleby. Back row, left to right: Thom Quirk, Andrew Lee, Amelia Brown, Jack Hutchinson, Austin Brown, Logan Engstrom Abby Payne. Photo by Victor Terpstra

By Caleb Sander, Claire Telfer, Abby Payne and Irene Terpstra
Lincoln Gearticks team members

The Lincoln Gearticks robotics team of 14 middle and high school students from Lincoln and Westwood took the top award at the Massachusetts FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Robotics Championships on March 8 and will be heading to the Eastern Super-Regional in Pennsylvania next month along with five other teams from Massachusetts.

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News acorns

Henry David Thoreau (WIkimedia Commons photo)

Henry David Thoreau (Wikimedia Commons photo)

Hear Thoreau’s perspective on self and community

The Lincoln Public Library and Healthy Communities invite you to “Thoreau’s Perspective” on Sunday, March 23 at 2 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Jeff Cramer, curator of the Thoreau Institute, will offer Henry David Thoreau’s perspectives about self and community reliance and how they improve self and community resilience. He’ll also tell us what he thinks Thoreau would say today about improving our responses to human and natural disasters.

Badminton class has openings

The evening badminton class at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School still has space available for adults of all ages and skill levels. Come find out why badminton is the most popular racquet sport in the world.  The class meets Wednesday nights from 7-9 p.m. in L-S Gym 1. Bring your racket; birdies are provided. The class started on March 5 and runs for 10 weeks. The full fee was $120 but will be prorated for those who join now.

Town meeting notice

The Town of Lincoln Annual Town Meeting will take place Saturday, March 29 beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the Brooks School auditorium on Ballfield Road in Lincoln, Mass. As an open town meeting, all Lincoln citizens are encouraged to attend and participate. Lincoln residents should receive their Town Meeting packets, including the Town Report and the Financial Section and Warrant, on or about March 19. Lunch will be available for $10. For more information, visit the Town Meeting website.

Scholarships available for Lincoln high school seniors

The Lincoln Scholarship Committee is accepting applications for the Sumner Smith Community Service Award, Fannie Campbell Academic Award, need-based scholarships, the Ogden Codman Scholarship (four years) and the Codman Opportunity Scholarship (four years). The Committee is also accepting nominations for the Rosemary Fichera Kennedy Nadolski Award. High school seniors who are Lincoln residents are eligible to apply or to be nominated. Peers, teachers, neighbors and employers are all welcome to nominate students for the Nadolski Award. The Scholarship Committee is able to fund these awards thanks to the generosity of the residents of Lincoln and the Ogden Codman Trust.

Application information and instructions can be found on this page of the Town of Lincoln website. The deadline for applications is Thursday, April 17 at 3 p.m., either by mail to the address listed on the application forms or hand-delivered to the office of the Superintendent Principal at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. For more information, please contact Nancy Marshall at 781-259-9471 or nfmarshall23@gmail.com.

Spring 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 three Fridays: April 11, May 2, and June 13. These clinics are funded by the Ogden Codman Trust and provided by Emerson Hospital Home Care. For more information, call the Lincoln Council on Aging at 781-259-8811.

Letter to the editor: Henry Francis on “irresponsible” Jet Aviation plan

letterTo the editor:

I attended the February 19 and March 12 public hearings on Jet Aviation’s proposal to expand its Hanscom hanger facilities, which were sponsored by the Lincoln Conservation Commission. These were working business meetings of the commission to which the public were invited.

The commission is concerned with the issue of proposed Jet Aviation construction encroaching on a few acres of Lincoln wetlands. It appears that Jet Aviation will successfully conform to the commission’s requirements, and will therefore be permitted to proceed with their project. However, this is not the issue of importance to most citizens. We the people feel strongly that increasing Hanscom’s total hangar area, in order to house and service more of the dirtiest type of aircraft (as measured by amount of fuel burned and carbon emitted per passenger-mile), is totally irresponsible by any conceivable standard.

There is a striking dichotomy here between the will of the people and the presumed approval of this project, and I am deeply disappointed that the commission  members all were excessively deferential and accommodating to the Jet Aviation representatives and their proposal, in spite of the totally obvious fact that the many citizens in attendance unanimously and angrily oppose the project—there was not one comment from the invited public in support of Jet Aviation.

At what level of environmental pollution (both chemical and acoustic) do we draw the line? The line should be drawn right now—Jet Aviation should not be permitted to expand their Hanscom facilities to accommodate more jets, and we, the people, expect the (our?) Lincoln Conservation Commission to recognize and support this position. This project, and indeed the entire Hanscom expansion juggernaut, should be axed as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Henry Francis
Sunnyside Lane

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.

Letter to the editor: Cannistraro emphasizes construction experience

letterTo the editor:

Please know that I, and many others in town, completely admire (or we should!) the hard work that ALL of the town volunteers do day in and day out, and year after year. I do understand though, that these dedicated people can often feel underappreciated and not supported, and this is a very unfortunate thing. Also, I understand that experience is certainly valuable—especially when needed most. Towards this end, here’s one thing that I respectfully ask people to reflect upon:

It appears as if many of the biggest concerns of the town (Route 2, Council on Aging, schools, community center) in the near to mid-future are directly construction-related. Perhaps the town could benefit from an experienced hand and a capable leader in this area to help guide a collaborative, thoughtful process.

I may have mentioned that I have over 25 years in extremely complex construction projects, often working directly with the highest levels within countless state, public, and private entities and corporations. I have extensive knowledge and leadership experience in all phases of the construction process including contract review and negotiation, budgeting and cost control, design and scheduling, quality control and contract conflict resolution. My past projects include work in virtually every academic institution in the Boston area, numerous public school projects, community and student centers, mixed use, and affordable housing. But of all the projects that I’ve been involved with over my career, my favorite remains the Boston Convention Center, because not only was it a high-profile, challenging project, but to me, it also continues to symbolize bringing people together to share different perspectives.

Lincoln residents, I appreciate your consideration in this upcoming election. I believe my vast experience in this area can help Lincoln bring a new perspective to its town leadership, and help successfully navigate these challenges.

Sincerely,

Vin Cannistraro
15 Deer Run Road

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.

Letter to the editor from Gay Anderson

letter

To the editor:

I am writing in support of the re-election of Peter Braun for Selectman. When choosing a town officer, politically based relationships and bonds of friendship are certainly the starting point from which a voter determines which candidate to support. These are followed by knowledge of a candidate’s character, experience and accomplishments, along with his ability to work effectively with others.

The tree cutting issue associated with the Route 2 project is being misconstrued in this election in an attempt to diminish the importance of the letters of support which Selectman Braun has received from friends, neighbors and committee members who endorse his re-election.

An accurate account of the Route 2 project has been clearly presented by Dan Boynton in his letter of support for Peter. This project has spanned many decades, providing excellent opportunities for abutters to present their concerns to the town and to be heard. Peter Braun and Town Administrator Tim Higgins continue to work together with the abutters and the MassDOT, ensuring the best possible outcome for residents and commuters alike.

There are reasons why Peter Braun’s friends and committee members applaud his work and support his re-election. His dedication, attention to detail and capable leadership have been proven effective on the Route 2 project, as well as many other complex issues.

Peter Braun is a vital member of our team of town volunteers. He works diligently to provide us with the best representation possible while maintaining a steady, calm demeanor and ready wit. Please join me in supporting his re-election on March 31.

Sincerely,

Gay Anderson
42 Todd Pond 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.

Letter to the editor from Dan Boynton

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To the editor:

It seems that local oversight of the Route 2 safety upgrade has become a key issue in this year’s election campaign for a selectman. Accusations are being made that “hundreds (or was it thousands)” of trees were needlessly cut down while Lincoln’s selectmen looked the other way. This is an absurd claim.

My driveway exits onto Route 2 and many of the trees that came down were screening my view of the highway, so I have been personally affected by the tree cutting. I could identify at least a dozen large trees in front of my house that could have been saved. My wife and I are very unhappy about this. Other residents living along Route 2 could probably identify a few favorite trees that could have been saved as well. However, while the unnecessary removal of a small number of trees that could have been saved is highly regrettable, we need to acknowledge that the majority of the trees that came down had to go.

There were many valid reasons why such tree removal was necessary. Breakdown lanes and service roads will be constructed on both sides of the highway, requiring the clearing of long strips of land. In addition, the state was granted five-year “construction easements” which have substantially greater dimensions than the actual roadways. The contractor had the legal right to clear the land up to the limits of these easements if this area was needed to accommodate their machinery.

The backhoes they use are huge and they need to have a cleared area where they can turn.  There also has to be open land where the excavated soil and rocks can be piled up.  A lot of the trees needed to be removed in order to accommodate these practical needs.

However, every tree was removed in all areas up to the boundaries of the easements despite contract documents specifying the process of determining which trees should be saved. The universal tree clearing also included wetland replication areas where it was mandatory for trees over 10 inches in diameter to be examined by an arborist and kept if possible. It is obvious that this process wasn’t followed, because not a single tree was saved. This has been the only apparent violation of the contract terms.

It has been suggested that the Lincoln Selectmen could have prevented the wholesale tree removal from happening, but the Selectmen did not have any legal authority over the tree-cutting issue. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is solely responsible for providing the monitoring and oversight of all construction activity. Town officials can only make recommendations and must depend upon the good will of MassDOT in responding to their proposals.

Fortunately, MassDOT has been quite cooperative in considering remediation proposals. A plan which adds 176 new trees to the landscape design will likely be approved and a request for stockade fences in key areas is currently being reviewed as well. A requested change in the grading of the Brooks Road intersection is underway and the originally specified retaining wall adjacent to The Commons will probably be eliminated. So, as a result of intensive advocacy by abutters, the town’s landscape consultant, the town’s Oversight Committee, and most especially by Peter Braun and [town administrator] Tim Higgins, steps are being taken to restore the landscape to its former forested appearance.

Sincerely,

Dan Boynton
34 Cambridge Turnpike

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.