Bunny Bonanza at Pierce House this SaturdayAll Lincoln School families are invited to hop on over to the Pierce House on Saturday, April 4 at 10 a.m. for the Lincoln Family Association‘s Bunny Bonanza. Welcome springtime with musicians, refreshments, and of course a massive egg hunt for all ages (please bring your own basket). Festivities begin promptly at 10 a.m. LFA members are free; non-members are $10 per child.
To the editor:
The Lincoln election results are in and, for the most part, they are unsurprising. So few are the town-government positions ever the object of a competitive election that the practice of voting in Lincoln tends to be nothing more than an exercise in social engagement with neighbors.
However, there was one rare exception in last week’s election: the Planning Board seat held (until recently) by Bob Domnitz. Domnitz was challenged by Gary Taylor, who narrowly won the election by 40 votes out of 944 cast (or 922, excluding blank votes).
This contest revealed a profound precinct split. Lincoln has two precincts—#1, which covers the southwestern part of town, and #2, which covers the northeast. The ]other] results show that for the elected posts, the winning candidate generally carried the same percentage of “yes” votes in each precinct—i.e., the Lincoln electorate was united behind the chosen candidate. But the Domnitz/Taylor contest represents a striking exception. Bob Domnitz swept Precinct 2 with almost 60 percent of the vote; Taylor drew only 136 of 348 votes cast in Precinct 2. Taylor won the election because he carried Precinct 1, where more votes were cast overall.
A profoundly fractured electorate is of course common in many places, though it’s worrisome though for a small town like ours. It reflects sharp divisions in the community and all of us need to try and understand its causes. I hope town leaders will work hard to avoid policies that exacerbate the split and instead seek common ground. Without this kind of leadership, it is hard to imagine a bright future for Lincoln.
Sincerely,
Keith N. Hylton
5 Oakdale Lane
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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 Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.
Conversation with inventor Jim Nicholson
April 3 at 10:30 a.m.
Have you ever spent time in a hospital bed and they put those big white stockings that inflated and deflated around your legs every so often? Well, come and hear your neighbor Jim Nicholson, an MIT graduate inventor and holder of over 50 international patents, tell his story of how he created this life saving system which has saved probably tens of thousands lives from a deadly blood clot on Friday, April 3 at 10:30 a.m. Jim will be interviewed and videoed taped by Harold McAleer and there will be time for discussion after he tells you his story.
Choosing the right home contractor
April 3 at 1 p.m.
Whether you need ice dam removal, a renovation, or something else, learn to choose and work with the right contractor when Dan Walsh, Lincoln’s Building Commissioner, comes to Bemis Hall on Friday, April 3 at 1 p.m. He’ll explain about the process for getting good estimates, determining a contractor’s credentials and insurance, criteria for choosing a contractor, legal requirements for contracts and permits, inspecting the work when completed, and what to do if you have a problem. [Read more…] about April activities offered by the Council on Aging
Holy Week activities at St. Joseph’s/St. Julia’sA recent listing of Holy Week activities at Lincoln churches inadvertently omitted St. Joseph’s Church services, which are as follows:
Lincoln resident Therese Quirk, a volunteer with the House Rabbit Network, urges residents to choose chocolate rabbits rather than real ones as Easter gifts. Most of the rabbits in shelters are dumped a few months after Easter when owners realize the amount of work in caring for the animals, which can live 10 years. Anyone who is serious about adopting a pet rabbit can get more information on the House Rabbit Network adoption page (the HRN is not a shelter but rather a network of foster homes in eastern Massachusetts).
The Trustees of the Lincoln Public Library have announced that trustee Al Kraft is resigning because he is moving out of Lincoln, and they encourage interested residents to consider applying for the trustee vacancy. Kraft was one of three self-perpetuating trustees of the six-member board trustees. Those members are not elected or appointed and serve an open-ended term, but are asked to serve at least six years. Under guidelines adopted for the appointment of self-perpetuating trustees, preference will be given to new candidates who are expected and willing to serve for six years.
A summary of the trustee responsibilities is available at the library circulation desk. Candidates interested in putting themselves up for consideration are asked to apply in writing to Peter Sugar, c/o Lincoln Public Library, Bedford Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 before Wednesday, April 15. For further information, interested candidates may call library director Barbara Myles at 781-259-8465.
David Fanning, creator of the acclaimed PBS series Frontline, will speak in Brooks Auditorium on Sunday, April 19 at 4 p.m. The event was rescheduled from the original February 8 date due to snow.
Fanning’s talk, entitled “The Making of Frontline,” will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the series—how it came to be, battles fought, controversies stirred, high points and low, and prospects for the future in a rapidly changing media landscape. Fanning launched the program at host station WGBH in 1983 and has been its executive producer and guiding hand ever since. Under his care, Frontline has become the most enduring and honored investigative documentary series on American television. At last count, its trophy case includes 65 national Emmys, 16 Peabodys, 25 duPont-Columbia Awards, and even a Pulitzer, and Fanning was himself recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
For questions, please email bemislectures@gmail.com.
The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable invites area residents to its third annual Libations and Donations event on Friday, April 24 at 7 p.m. at Sudbury Wine and Liquors (located in the Rugged Bear Plaza on Route 20 in Sudbury). Come and enjoy a free wine-tasting and bring a donation to the Roundtable’s annual Shower for Shelters, which runs from April 25 to May 11. Donations of new unwrapped gifts may be dropped off at Goodnow Library in Sudbury, the Wayland Public Library and the Lincoln Public Library.
Families transitioning from domestic violence shelters to new homes appreciate your gift of new household items to help them establish their new homes. Donations will help the residents of the Shelters and Transitional Housing Programs of REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, The Second Step and Voices Against Violence. Please bring your new unwrapped house-warming gifts to the April 24 wine tasting and enjoy an evening of good wine and congenial company. Items needed by the families include: twin sheets, twin comforters, twin blankets, towels, dishes, glassware, flatware, pots and pans, kitchen utensils, etc. A complete wish list can be found on the Roundtable’s website.
After months of hearings and public debate about whether to restrict the use of leaf-blowers in Lincoln, a motion to approve new regulations was passed over at Town Meeting at the request of the Leaf Blower Study Committee, which decided in light of feedback that “this was not the time to propose regulations,” LBSC chair Jamie Banks told the audience.
[Read more…] about Leaf blower regulations tabled at Town Meeting
In yesterday’s Lincoln Squirrel article about the results of the Planning Board race, the results for Lincoln’s two voting precincts were incorrect, though the final tally (481 votes for Taylor and 441 votes for Domnitz) was accurate. The original story has been corrected. The correct results are below.
| Precinct 1 | Precinct 2 | Total | |
| Domnitz | 240 | 201 | 441 |
| Taylor | 345 | 136 | 481 |
(Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect a correction on April 1.)
Challenger Gary Taylor took over the Planning Board seat occupied by incumbent Robert Domnitz by a vote of 481-441 in Monday’s town election, according to unofficial results.
Lincoln’s voting precincts (click to enlarge)
In Precinct 1 in the southwestern section of town, Taylor won by a margin of 345-240. In Precinct 2, Domnitz won by a vote of 201-136—not enough to overcome the deficit in Precinct 1 and resulting in 40-vote margin overall for Taylor.
Write-in votes are still being counted for the election, but there were no write-ins for the Planning Board race.
In the race for Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee, incumbents Nancy Marshall of Lincoln and Gerald Quirk of Sudbury retained their seats by comfortable margins. Even among Sudbury voters, Marshall beat Quirk by nine votes:
| Lincoln | Sudbury | Total | |
| Marshall | 856 | 2,130 | 2,986 |
| Quirk | 502 | 2,121 | 2,623 |
| Stein | 78 | 795 | 873 |
By Alice Waugh
Two of the three warrant articles that sought changes to zoning regulations passed easily at Town Meeting, but the third—which would have imposed limits on residential outdoor lighting—went down to defeat in what proved to be the most contentious issue at the March 28 gathering.
Voters unanimously approved Article 37, a proposal to expand the list of the types of businesses permitted in the Lewis Street commercial district. Retails stores, banks, and rail or bus stations or terminals are now permitted uses in that zone. Article 38, an accompanying measure to relax the required amount of parking for businesses in that district was also easily approved.
Both changes are intended to attract a wider range of businesses to the area. Applicants still must apply for a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
“It’s not just wishful thinking on our part—we’ve received a number of inquiries” from potential applicants, said Planning Board vice chair Robert Domnitz.
Among them is Richard Card, who hopes to open Blazes, a combination bookstore, coffee shop and cocktail bar. Before Saturday’s action, a retail establishment such as this would not have been allowed in the Lewis Street district.
Card, who is negotiating with The Food Project to use part of their property at 10 Lewis St., hopes to open for business (minus cocktails) in December 2015. In a separate Town Meeting action, residents gave permission for him and the town to seek a liquor license from the state. If the legislature grants the license, it comes back to the Board of Selectmen for final approval next year.
Some residents at Town Meeting worried that allowing retail businesses in the Lewis Street district could open the door to franchises such as Dunkin Donuts. There is currently nothing in Lincoln’s zoning by-law that prohibits franchises. If one were to apply, “It’s left to the discretion of the ZBA,” said Joel Freedman, chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals chair. “You have to judge what’s in front of you.”
Resident Kati Winchell noted that some area towns have enacted “formula business bylaws” and suggested the Planning Board consider presenting something similar for vote at a future Town Meeting.
By far the most contentious zoning issue was a measure to place controls on any newly installed outdoor lighting. Article 39 would have required permanent outdoor lighting fixtures to be shielded so as not to direct light above the horizontal, and would have required new lights to have a color temperature of no more than 3,000 Kelvin and brightness limit of 900 lumens.
Temporary lights such as Christmas decorations would be exempt, as would be all existing light fixtures. New installations for which the property owner’s had gotten a town permit would be inspected, but “there’s no one driving around to check” on lighting that was installed without a permit, said Planning Board member Margaret Olson.
Resident Michael Coppock spoke against the measure, saying that 900 lumens (roughly equivalent to a 60-watt bulb) is inadequate for security lighting and that the rules may interfere with residents who wish to have lights shining upwards to illuminate the American flag on their property.
The new restrictions will not reduce the light pollution from nearby cities and highways, and it will take decades for it to produce a noticeable effect, Coppock added.
“This is yet another effort to insert government into personal decisions,” he said, “As government power expands, personal liberty contracts.”
Olson responded that those with flagpoles could follow the Girl Scouts’ example and simply lower their flags at dusk. “Philosophically, we all need to do what we can do to make the world a better place,” she added.
Resident Vincent Cannistraro agreed with Coppock, saying that “60 watts is not enough to do it in most cases” and that officials should not hinder a resident’s ability “to express patriotic loyalty and affection” by illuminating a flag at night.
Resident Adam Greenberg proposed that the meeting table the motion because it “has too many holes in it.” Another resident agreed, saying the specifics of the proposal were “arbitrary and ill-conceived.” In response, resident Sara Mattes urged passage of the rules. “Here is an opportunity to move forward with something that’s common sense. If it creates a problem, we can go back and tweak it later,” she said.
Town moderator Sarah Cannon Holden called for a voice vote on a motion to pass over the article, but the result was inconclusive. A standing vote was 137-130 in favor of voting on the article as written.
Before the final vote was taken, Conservation Commission member Richard Selden argued in favor of the new rules on the grounds that excessively bright outdoor lighting is harmful to wildlife. Certain types of outdoor lighting can interfere with migratory bird behavior and fertility, as well as the behavior of nocturnal predators and their prey.
To be approved, the article to amend the lighting regulations required a two-thirds majority, and a voice vote was again inconclusive. A second standing vote resulted in 161 votes in favor and 133 against, so the measure did not pass.
(Editor’s note: The salutation in this letter originally read “Dear Lincoln.”)
To the editor:
At Saturday’s Town Meeting, the citizens of Lincoln voted overwhelmingly to support both a school renovation project and the School Committee and Board of Selectmen’s joint submission of a Statement of Interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). The success of these votes is due to the many, many hours of hard work and tireless public outreach by the members of the School Building Advisory Committee (SBAC).
Led by Doug Adams and Superintendent Becky McFall, and comprised of a diverse group of volunteers, the SBAC was so effective in its work because of the transparent process it fostered. The outreach, capably led by our consultants from Dore & Whittier, involved a wide spectrum of citizens. No matter their views of the project as presented in 2012, citizens believed that we as a town must come together to move forward and find a solution to the facility needs of the Lincoln School.
I would like to make special note of the leadership of Dr. McFall, who, as part of the SBAC’s outreach, articulated an educational vision that drew a clear connection between educational theory and the physical environment of the school.
Finally, Saturday’s outcome would not have happened without the input and support that the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, and Capital Planning Committee offered the School Committee.
On behalf of the School Committee, I want to express our deep gratitude. The votes on Saturday were a victory for volunteerism, good process, and thoughtful collaboration.
There is much work left to do, and there are many decisions yet to be made. We look forward to your continued engagement as we embark on the next phase of the journey.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Glass
Chair, Lincoln School Committee
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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.
In a March 27 Lincoln Squirrel article headlined “Town boards come together on revised school warrant article,” Eric Harris was misidentified. he is a member of the Finance Committee, not the School Committee.