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

Thursday event to recruit help for South Sudanese women

The Circle of Giving for South Sudanese Women includes (top row) Janet Ready, Cathy Rogers, Nancy Fleming, Ann Helmus and (bottom row) Ellen Matathia, Susan Winship, Anne Doyle and Bean Nardi. Photo courtesy Sandy Storer.

The Circle of Giving for South Sudanese Women includes (top row) Janet Ready, Cathy Rogers, Nancy Fleming, Ann Helmus and (bottom row) Ellen Matathia, Susan Winship, Anne Doyle and Bean Nardi. Photo courtesy Sandy Storer.

By Alice Waugh

Lincoln women are invited to an open house on Thursday hosted by the Circle of Giving for South Sudanese Women, a grassroots organization that grew out of efforts several years ago by Lincoln resident Susan Winship and others to help the “lost boys of Sudan.”

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New location for Jet Aviation hearing

runwayThe Lincoln Conservation Commission will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 8:15 p.m. in the Hartwell multipurpose room to hear comments on Jet Aviation’s proposal to expand into Lincoln wetlands buffer zones at Massport’s Hanscom Civil Airport. The meeting was originally slated to be held in the Town Office Building. The proposal was the subject of two recent letters to the editor in the Lincoln Squirrel.

Library closing early; cartoon workshop postponed

snowcloudBecause of the snow, the Lincoln Public Library will close at 2 p.m. today. The Kids Cartoon Workshop has been rescheduled for Thursday, February 20 at 2 p.m. Kids ages 7-12 can learn to create their own characters during this hands-on workshop with comic artists Andy and Veronica Fish. Spots are still available; call 781-259-8465 to register.

Letter to the editor: Hospice application to ZBA

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(Editor’s note: this letter concerns a proposal for a hospice on Winter Street—see the Lincoln Squirrel, Sept. 11, 2013).

To the Editor:

As you may be aware, in the summer of 2013 the Hospice of the North Shore and Greater Boston (now called Care Dimensions) purchased the property at 121-129 Winter St. This is the undeveloped property on the left as you first come into Lincoln on the one way road. They purchased about 11 acres in Lincoln and about four acres in Waltham, right below Bay Colony office park.

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Letter to the editor: Housing Commissioner sought for 3-year term

The Lincoln Housing Commission is at an important crossroad, and we are looking for someone to join our team and make a significant contribution to the future of affordable housing in Lincoln. Lincoln’s Affordable Housing Program is more that 40 years old, and we are now working on a housing plan for the next five years and beyond. Please call me at 781-259-0393 to learn more.

Sincerely,

Pam Gallup, Co-chairman
Lincoln Housing Commission

Letters to the editor must be signed and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic. They may be edited for length, grammar/punctuation, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor.

Letters to the editor: Hanscom jet plans

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Following are two letters to the editor from Lincoln residents Kati Winchell and Jim Hutchinson concerning a Conservation Commission hearing on a Hanscom Civil Airport application. Letters to the editor must be signed and must be about a Lincoln-specific topic. They may be edited for length, grammar/punctuation, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Send letters via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com.

To the Editor: 

A private luxury jet facility at Hanscom Civil Airport has filed plans with Lincoln Conservation Commission to expand into Lincoln wetlands buffer zones–and in the process expand the airport’s footprint. Lincoln residents should take heed of this latest move by Massport to grow Hanscom Airport.

Jet Aviation’s plans include a new hangar (40,000 square feet, twice the size of the one being replaced), new ramp space (2.1 acres), and a new landside access road. All these features would run within or through Lincoln wetland buffer zones. Jet Aviation maintains that this wetlands area is of “low quality” and can therefore be developed. The fundamental question is: Why should Lincoln set aside its wetlands protection standards to support a development that’s designed to attract and grow one of the single most destructive environmental polluters—private luxury jets?

The facility’s proposed changes are intended to attract and accommodate Gulfstream 650s, the largest private jets made for international travel. Gulfstream 650s are touted as being more fuel-efficient than their smaller cousins. The fact is, however, that a single round trip to China from Hanscom would consume enough fuel to power a Toyota Prius for approximately one million miles. It would generate approximately 400 tons of CO2 equivalent—which is equal to more emissions than a typical family in India generates in an entire lifetime. And that single round trip would carry a maximum of eight passengers.

On Wednesday, February 19 at 8:15 p.m. a public hearing on Jet Aviation’s proposal is being held by the Lincoln Conservation Commission at the Town Offices, Donaldson Room. Lincoln residents will be able to comment on whether the Con Com should approve or deny Jet Aviation’s plans to develop in Lincoln’s wetlands buffer zones. Please come and let your voices be heard.

Sincerely,

Kati Winchell
227 Concord Road

To the Editor:

Lincoln residents should be deeply disturbed by Massport’s latest plan to grow Hanscom Civil Airport, particularly as it comes on the heels of yet another development. Last year, the historic Hangar 24 was demolished and is currently being replaced by a huge 90,000 sq ft private luxury jet facility. This year, Jet Aviation (an existing private jet facility) has plans to grow that would involve incursions into Lincoln wetlands buffer zones.

Though the plans involve Lincoln wetlands, they have potential far-reaching impacts for all four Hanscom-area towns (Bedford, Concord, and Lexington, and Lincoln) because the Jet Aviation proposal would expand the Airport footprint – just as the Hangar 24 development has in Concord. As the Airport footprint expands, so do operation levels, and with them noise and air pollution. This incremental expansion of the Airport doesn’t end here; there are more plans in the wings.

Hanscom Civil Airport is located in the heart of one of America’s highest concentrations of historic and natural resources. It is the only airport in the nation that abuts both a national park (Minute Man Park) and a national wildlife refuge (Great Meadows). Growing the Airport in these unique and sensitive surroundings is inappropriate. Growing it into a Town’s wetlands buffer zone should be out of the question. It would be the height of irony were Lincoln’s wetlands protection standards set aside to facilitate the growth of private luxury jet use, one of the least environmentally-friendly activities In existence.

Next Wednesday, Feb. 19, there will be a hearing on Jet Aviation’s expansion plans at the Lincoln Town Offices at 8:15pm. All Lincoln and Hanscom-area residents are encouraged to attend and voice your concerns about trading protected wetlands buffer zones for private luxury jet use.

Sincerely,

Jim Hutchinson
Stonehedge Road

Summit meeting tomorrow on school

schoolMembers of the School Committee, Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, and  Capital Planning Committee will meet on Wednesday, Feb. 12 to discuss a timeline for planning a renovation project for the Lincoln School. The meeting will begin at 7:3o p.m. in the Smith gym. See the Lincoln Squirrel (Jan. 29, 2014) for details on discussion topics. The community is encouraged to attend.

In other school news, officials announced that a $31.6 million contract has been awarded for construction of a new middle school at Hanscom Air Force Base. The two-story, 81,000-square-foot building will replace a one-story building  that dates from the 1950s.

Letter to the editor: Flint responds to First Parish letter

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To the Editor:

In the spirit of friendly debate, I would like to respond to the letter to the editor from the First Parish Committee. There are some aspects of the new Stearns Room/Office design that are commendable, most notably its improved accessibility. Also, the cramped spaces so troublesome in the existing building have been eliminated. However, the Planning Board decision to grant a waiver from the by-law must be based on need, and I question the need for the office space shown on the latest plan.

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Financial help with winter fuel, other emergencies available

billsIf you need help paying your winter fuel bill, the Commonwealth’s Fuel Assistance Program may be able to help. The program provides a cash benefit (payable to an authorized fuel provider) for both home owners and renters whose incomes are eligible. How much you receive depends on your household income, how many people you have in your household, and your heating costs. Recipients may also be eligible for other benefits, such as weatherization services, heating system repairs, discount utility rates, and Citizens Energy heat assistance programs.

To apply for fuel assistance, residents of all ages should call Pam Alberts of the Lincoln Council on Aging at 781-259-8811 to set up an appointment. The Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) will review the application to determine whether you are eligible or not.

For Lincoln residents who have an unforeseen and extreme financial emergency that threatens their wellbeing, the Lincoln Emergency Assistance Fund (LEAF) and the Small Necessities Project may be able to help. LEAF provides assistance of up to $700 per year or $1,000 per lifetime in those situations where that amount will allow someone to stay in our community. LEAF is supported entirely by the Ogden Codman Trust, the First Parish Church, and donations.

The Small Necessities Project can provide immediate help if a resident has no food in the house, needs emergency medication, needs a night or two of lodging due to a fire or flood, or has a similar need. This project is funded by the Ogden Codman Trust and donations.

For more information or to ask for assistance, call Pam Alberts at the COA at 781-259-8811.