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

My Turn: 100 seconds to a better planet

By Michael Moodie and Belinda Gingrich

(Editor’s note: The following is one in a series of “Climate Minutes” posted on the Lincoln Green Energy Committee website.)

The Lincoln Green Energy Choice (LGEC) program offers residents three options for electricity from renewable (primarily wind and solar) sources:

  • Basic — 26% renewable, 14.631 cents per kWh
  • Standard Green — 62% renewable, 16.093 cents per kWh
  • 100% Green — 100% renewable, 17.348 cents per kWh

When the program started three years ago, unless an enrolling household specifically selected Basic or 100% Green, it was placed in the Standard Green program by default. The great majority of those enrolled in the program ended up with Standard. With busy lives and automatic bill payments, probably few of us have given much thought to our electricity supplier since.

About 13% of Lincoln households have chosen the 100% option, while 80% have Standard and 7% Basic. The CFREE team hopes that more households would move to 100% if they knew how easy it is to do and how minimal the extra cost would be. The 100% option is just over a penny per kilowatt-hour more than Standard. For an average home that uses 10,000kWh per year, that’s about 35 cents a day. This is one of the simplest and lowest-cost steps we can take to get at least the electricity part of our fossil fuel use out of our lives.

We’ve timed it. If you can spare 100 seconds, you can do this! First, make sure you have your Eversource bill at hand. Then click here, fill out the form, and press “Submit.” Or call LGEC customer support at 844-651-8919 and tell them you want 100% Green. They will make the change for you. (It may take several billing cycles before the change takes effect.)

If you’re uncertain which option you’re in now, click here to see where the rate and supplier information is noted on your Eversource bill. Then find your February 2024 or a later bill to compare.

Tech support will be provided free of charge in the Tarbell Room of the Lincoln Public Library on Friday, March 1 from 1–2 p.m. Volunteers will have computers set up to help anyone who’d like to make the change to 100% (or any other change). Bring your Eversource bill. We’ll also do a Q&A and provide tech support to help users make changes on Thursday, March 21 from 2–3 p.m. at Bemis Hall.

Moodie and Gingrich are writing on behalf of CFREE (Carbon-Free Residential, Everything Electric), a working group of the Lincoln Green Energy Committee.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Service on Feb. 24 for Martha Pickett, 1947–2024

Martha O’Neill Pickett

Martha O’Neill Pickett, 77, of Lincoln passed away peacefully on Friday, February 16, 2024. She was the wife of the late Robert Clement Pickett, who died in 2012. She is survived by her sister, Olivia O’Neill of Jamaica Plain, and sister-in-law Heather O’Neill of Petaluma, Calif. Also survived by many loving cousins and friends. Martha was predeceased by her parents, John J. and Rosemary L. (Donovan) O’Neill, and brother, John J. O’Neill, Jr. 

Family and friends will gather to honor and remember Martha at her memorial service on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. in St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, 147 Concord Rd., Lincoln, MA. Donations in her memory may be made to St. Anne’s.

Arrangements are under the care of Concord Funeral Home, which provided this obituary. Click here to see Martha’s online guestbook.

My Turn: Postlethwait announces candidacy for Planning Board

By Sarah Postlethwait

I am announcing my candidacy for Planning Board, and hope that my focus on critical thinking, thoroughly researched planning and inclusive dialogue will bring value to Lincoln and win your vote.

I have a background in education, and I enjoy comprehensively analyzing information and breaking it down so it can be explained to a large audience. As the marketing director for the Boston and Canadian branches of a global company, I have practice in navigating a constantly shifting commerce terrain while working with a team to achieve our diverse business goals.

When I moved to Lincoln with my husband 14 years ago, I was attracted to the open space and farmland that reminded me of my childhood in Ohio. Since then, we have welcomed three children who enjoy all the benefits of growing up in this beautiful town surrounded by a community with similar values. We love walking to Drumlin and Codman farms, visiting the fantastic children’s department at the library, and we have thoroughly enjoyed participating in the wonderful offerings of LincFam and the Recreation Department.

Although I have been an active voice at Planning Board and other housing meetings for a decade, I am growing increasingly concerned about the town’s future. Current leadership is rushing towards a response to the new Housing Choice Act (HCA) that goes far beyond what is required for our small town. Instead of rezoning for the HCA requirement of 42 acres of land and 635 units, they are backing a plan that rezones 72 acres of land and allows for 801 housing units, all in one concentrated half-mile radius of the train station. It is a mistake to rush. The likelihood of unintended consequences is too great.

I understand that the town must evolve. Expanding our housing stock will help address the housing needs of our state. At the same time, we need to protect the retail businesses that currently exist in Lincoln, and ideally find ways to attract more. We need to be smart and not race headlong into a plan that may endanger the town’s financial stability and the rural character that we love.

The goal of the HCA is to create housing for families; however, the bylaw we have created for the HCA district is unlikely to interest them. Most families don’t want to live in overpriced tiny apartments without any green space, surrounded by pavement. We need to consider ways to adjust our zoning to ensure that the kind of housing that appeals to families will actually be built. Furthermore, we need to maintain our attention on creating affordable housing units for all types of families. There is a desperate need for homes that are affordable for moderate and lower income individuals in the Boston area.

I am running for a seat on the Planning Board because I feel Lincoln can do better.  Lincoln has a long history of coming to consensus to build multifamily developments and to prioritize affordable housing. An enviable 40% of our current housing stock is multifamily. Nearly 13% of our housing is in the affordable housing inventory. We can continue on this admirable path by rezoning only for the HCA-required number of acres and units. Then, as a fully informed town, we (not the state, not developers) can plan for the reasoned and responsible fiscal, social, and environmental evolution of Lincoln.  

These same principles of thorough research and planning, measured implementation, inclusive dialogue, and collaborative problem-solving should apply to all of the key issues facing our town: the HCA, revitalization of the mall, the community center, and more.

This is a future of Lincoln that I would like to be part of, and if you agree, then I ask for your support at the March town election.

Questions or concerns? I listen and I respond. Please contact me at sarah@bayhas.com. 

Sincerely,

Sarah Postlethwait
Proud member of the Lincoln Residents for Housing Alternatives.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Service on March 26 for David Lattimore, 1931–2024

David Lattimore

David Lattimore, age 92, passed away on Thursday, February 15, 2024. David was a son, father, grandfather, husband, poet, translator, photographer, and professor. He was born on March 25, 1931, in Peking (Beijing), China, to travelers, authors, and scholars Owen and Eleanor (Holgate) Lattimore.

David circumnavigated the globe three times before the age of five. Evacuated from Perking in 1937 by the Japanese, the family eventually settled in Baltimore. David graduated from the Putney School ’48 and Harvard University ’52 and did graduate studies at Cornell and Yale Universities. A professor emeritus at Brown University for 35 year in Chinese studies, he prided himself on being a third-generation tenured professor without a Ph.D. (David Lattimore, Tianjin University and Dartmouth College, Owen Johns Hopkins, and Leeds University). An emeritus status was created for him at the Club of Odd Volumes.

David was a poet and spent many years translating the works of the eighth-century Chinese poet Du Fu. After studying at Yale, the family lived in Providence. After retiring from Brown, David lived with Gerry in Lincoln and Dingley Island, ME.

David is predeceased by his youngest daughter, Rosette, his second wife, Geraldine (Harrison), and his first wife, Emily (Sargent Lewis). He is survived by his children Michael, Maria Sheppard (Richard), Clare, Anne Price (Steven), and Evan (Jane); stepdaughters Karen Nazor and Leslie Riversmith (Clayton); foster children Margaret Lamar (David) and Michele Taylor (Steven); godson Sam Dennis; and grandchildren Marco, Duy Bao, John, Samuel, Eleanor, Dylan, David, Rhodec, Lenora, Frank, Jazz, and Rose.

Family and friends will gather to honor and remember David for a period of visitation on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, from 4–5:30 p.m. in the Concord Funeral Home (74 Belknap St., Concord, MA). His memorial service will follow at 5:30 p.m. Burial in Lincoln Cemetery will be private.

Arrangements under the care of Concord Funeral Home, which provided this obituary. Click here to see David’s online guestbook.

Correction

The February 6 article headlined “Ogden Codman trust pledges $500K for community center” incorrectly stated that the Lincoln Council on Aging (FLCOA) has promised to match donations for the community center dollar for dollar. In fact, the FLCOA has committed to match donations to the project up to a total of $1 million. The original article has been corrected.

My Turn: A new dog in town

The following was included by Codman Community Farms farmer Pete Lowy in the February 2, 2024 e-newsletter to CCF members and is reprinted here with permission.

By Pete Lowy

This week we welcome our newest livestock guardian dog puppy to the farm! Introducing… POPPY the pup!

Why do we have a new puppy? I’m sure the next question is can folks pet it (no), and where is it (it’s a secret). Aww, that’s mean. It’s not meant to be! Our dogs are not pets, but rather working animals, so we try and give them the respect (and space) the need and deserve. But we do like folks to know the latest happenings on the farm so…read on!

We have a new pup, because our dearest, sweetest, most beautiful Sophie will soon be moving to South Carolina with Alyssa, our farm store manager. Yes, Alyssa will soon be leaving us too (her official goodbye letter will be coming soon), and yes she is adopting Sophie, much to her (and our) delight. They are best buds and while we are so happy for both of them — we are also simultaneously deeply saddened in our heart of hearts to see them leave us.

Poppy the puppy and Pete Lowy’s son Abe.

The short backstory on why we are saying goodbye to Sophie is that last year she developed a naughty habit. While always a great, and very sweet (if not a bit jumpy) livestock guardian dog, Sophie developed a habit of sneaking under the chicken fences and sometimes chasing down innocent dog walkers as they passed by the chickens on Codman South Field. This scared the bejesus out of many folks who were not expecting Sophie to dash through (or under) the fence line at full stride, while also barking like a raving lunatic at them. Now, Sophie is a sweetie and she never ever was aggressive in the biting sort of way and I’m sure she just felt she was doing her job – but these momentary outbursts of energy weren’t that fun for anyone to experience. We tried again and again to tighten up the fences and to train her to stop the antics but we were ultimately unsuccessful. The only way we found to keep her contained was by adding a single strand of very electrified fencing at the inside base of the fences. This works most of the time, but it’s much too time-consuming for us to manage daily and was only a stop-gap solution. In the end, we decided replacing Sophie was the best solution.

At the same time Sophie was displaying this maddening behavior, Alyssa also was starting to bond with her. Alyssa is an animal lover through and through and would often visit Sophie in the field — and they developed a strong love for one another. Alyssa was there for Sophie when she needed a little extra TLC for the occasional bug bite or other minor ailments from living outdoors, and Sophie learned to trust Alyssa deeply during these visits.

So, in the end, this is as good a resolution as one can find in this kind of circumstance. Livestock Co-Managers Aimee and Abby get to train a new livestock guardian dog – and Alyssa gets a new best friend to keep her company as she settles into her new farming life in South Carolina. And we couldn’t be happier that Sophie and Alyssa will have each other during their transition and that we also get to spread a little bit of our best peeps from Codman Farm down south. We will miss them so much!

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Police log for January 27 – February 5, 2023

January 27

Mall parking lot (1:36 a.m.) — An officer located an occupied vehicle parked at the mall. The occupant was a worker for Donelan’s.

Farrar Road (4:01 p.m.) — A caller reported a dog barking.

January 28

Baker Bridge Road (1:49 p.m.) — The Lincoln Fire Department assisted Emerson Hospital Advanced Life Support at a residence.

Wells Road (8:48 p.m.) — An officer helped a resident contact an outside agency regarding a well-being check.

January 29

North Great Road (9:35 a.m.) — A three-vehicle crash occurred on Route 2A by the Hartwell Tavern lot when a vehicle veered into opposing traffic and struck two other vehicles. The operator of one of the vehicles was transported to Emerson Hospital with minor injuries. The operator of the vehicle responsible for the crash was cited for a marked lanes violation.

Ridge Road (3:37 p.m.) — A resident called and spoke to an officer regarding an on-going incident.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound just past Bedford Road (5:15 p.m.) — Massachusetts State Police booked a crash on Route 2 westbound.

Silver Birch Lane (5:40 p.m.) — An officer responded to monitor the noise related to a barking dog complaint.

January 30

Wells Road (8:30 a.m.) — An officer served court paperwork to a resident.

Lincoln Road (1:06 p.m.) — An officer issued a parking ticket to an illegally parked motor vehicle in the commuter lot.

Old Winter Street (3:29 p.m.) — An officer assisted a resident with turning in discarded items.

Lincoln Road (6:41 p.m.) — Officers checked a property with an unsecured door. It appeared as though the door had been blown open by the wind.

January 31

Concord Turnpike (6:50 a.m.) — Report of a deceased animal on Route 2 in Concord. The call was forwarded to the Concord Police Department.

Todd Pond Road (2:12 p.m.) — A resident came to the police station to speak with an officer regarding a possible scam.

Codman Road (2:11 p.m.) — A caller reported an encounter with an unleashed dog on Codman Road. Animal Control was notified.

Lincoln Road — 2:26 p.m.) — An officer assisted an individual from the train depot to the Twisted Tree Café.

Tower Road (3:40 p.m.) — A resident reported possibly being the victim of identity fraud.

Concord Road (8:56 a.m.) — A caller reported an issue with a horse. Police were advised in the event the animal fled from the stable.

February 1

Old Winter Street (9:25 a.m.) — A caller requested assistance with a discarded item.

Kelly Lane, Hanscom AFB (10:28 a.m.) — An officer spoke to a resident regarding a dog incident.

Old Cambridge Turnpike (11:22 a.m.) — A resident spoke to an officer regarding possibly missing items.

Lincoln Road (11:40 a.m.) — A parking ticket was issued to an illegally parked motor vehicle in the commuter lot.

Lincoln MBTA Station (3:11 p.m.) — A caller reported seeing a female near the railroad tracks acting erratically. The female was then seen being picked up by another individual and clearing from the area. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate the female or related vehicle.

Ridge Road (4:36 p.m.) — A resident spoke with an officer regarding a past incident.

Lincoln Police Department (6:04 p.m.) — An officer spoke to a motorist who had their permitted family member practice driving in the police parking lot.

Stratford Way (6:39 p.m.) — A resident observed a vehicle and footprints in close proximity to their home. An officer responded and made contact with the vehicle’s operator.

February 2

Hillside Road (9:20 a.m.) — A resident called to report being the victim of possible identity fraud.

Lincoln Road (1:26 p.m.) — An officer responded to a residence and spoke to a party who might have been missing some items.

Virginia Road (2:47 p.m.) — An officer spoke to a resident regarding a possible scam.

February 3

Lincoln Road (11:24 a.m.) — A two-vehicle crash occurred when a vehicle failed to stop at the stop sign at Codman Road and struck another vehicle traveling on Lincoln Road. There were no reported injuries. The operator of the first vehicle was issued a citation.

South Great Road (4:35 p.m.) — A caller reported striking a deer. There was no damage to the vehicle and the deer ran off into the woods.

Winter Street (4:39 p.m.) — The Waltham Fire Department responded to Winter Street for a reported brush fire. The resulting fire was a controlled and permitted burn by a resident.

Silver Birch Lane (7:03 p.m.) — A resident reported a dog had been barking for an extended period of time. An officer responded to the area and did not hear the dog barking.

Silver Birch Lane (7:36 p.m.) — An office responded for a second time and discovered a dog barking at a residence. The homeowner was contacted and advised.

February 4

Goose Pond Road (2:01 p.m.) — An officer spoke to a resident regarding unsolicited text messages.

Kelly Lane, Hanscom AFB (2:36 p.m.) — An officer conducted an investigation regarding an ongoing incident.

February 5

Lincoln Road (1:19 p.m.) — An officer spoke to a resident regarding a civil matter.

My Turn: Support for a professional 3D representation of Lincoln’s future possibilities

By Barbara Peskin

I attended the Select Board meeting on Monday, Feb. 5 when a request for a massing study of Option C was discussed. Typically, a massing study is done for a proposed new building or project. In this case, because rezoning 70 acres and 38 properties under HCA has no specific project on the table, a massing study would have to be done for an imagined scenario of buildings and housing on all the different properties. The boards would decide on a scenario or range of scenarios for different building types and parcel groupings.

In my opinion, and the reason I signed and supported the request along with 110 others is that any 3D visualization of possible development makes me a more knowledgeable voter on March 23. I am open to voting yes or no on March 23 because I know we have until December 2024 to file our HCA compliance plan with the state.

At the Monday meeting, the Select Board chair said that the discussion was preliminary. He asked the Planning Board chair in attendance how a massing study could be used. In response, the Planning Board chair stated that whatever might happen with Option C is “wild speculation” and for that reason a massing study would not have meaning.

While I appreciate that a Planning and Select Board might have to live with “wild speculation” on five acres or five properties, it is difficult for me to understand why choosing a route of “wild speculation” on 70 acres and 38 properties in the Lincoln Station area is proper planning for a town, the people, the land, or wildlife. The town could choose less “wild” choices to comply with HCA and then plan for sustainable increased housing outside of HCA.

My ask of the Select Board now is that they have a broad discussion about this concept of “wild speculation” on 38 properties and what they think of that in terms of Lincoln’s future. As town leaders, could Planning Board and Select Board members tell us which 10 properties they think would be best/prime for development? What is their vision?

Should the Select Board move forward with a professional massing study, I hope they consider suggestions that came up at the Monday meeting. They could ask to see examples of a variety of buildings throughout the 38 properties. We could see different 3-story buildings with 10 units, 11 units and 25 units, representing the different sub-district densities. We could also see an example of some grouped properties and full buildout on those. For example, could we see what a 77 unit development on 7 acres might look like if the block at Codman Corner, Lincoln Road, and Lewis Street becomes grouped. We could see what a building on two acres with 22 units looks like. With 38 properties, we should be able to include a wide range of examples.

The results of the massing study could be provided to all residents through the town website. I hope the Select Board will continue the discussion and that a massing study or similar professional 3D representation will be made available to us ahead of the design guidelines forum on February 27.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Residents ask for massing study showing what the mall might look like

Uncertainty and trepidation about future changes in the look of South Lincoln have been driving much of the discussion around the Housing Choice Act rezoning, particularly with regard to the mall. That concern arose again at the February 5 Select Board meeting when residents submitted a letter asking for a massing study to get a better idea of what the redeveloped mall might look like.

“There’s a fear that this thing could be massive,” resident Lynne Smith said. “There’s a desire to have some that goes a step beyond illustrations.” But Planning Board Chair Margaret Olson said that such a study would be “wildly speculative” in the absence of a concrete proposal from a developer.

A massing study is a three-dimensional representation of a proposed building’s shape and size in addition to its footprint, elevations (side views) and floor plans. “Such studies are done when there is a plan, but there is no plan,” Olson said at a Select Board meeting discussion on February 5. “Zoning sets out rules, and within those rules, there are a nearly infinite number of things you can do” in varying degrees of attractiveness and likelihood. For example, under current zoning, the owner of a conforming two-acre lot could theoretically build a 20,000-square-foot house by right. And the Planning Board still has to approve each project after a site plan review, she noted. 

Without first doing an analysis of the septic and wetlands characteristics of a given property, and knowing exactly what the property owner hopes to do, a massing study “would be completely meaningless,” Olson said.

“One hundred and ten people don’t think it’s meaningless,” responded resident Barbara Peskin, referring to the number of signatories to the letter (see her “My Turn” piece on the issue).

The Rural Land Foundation, which owns the mall, has shared conceptual drawings of what a three-story building with housing on the top two floors and commercial on the ground floor might look like, but neither the RLF nor a developer has submitted a specific proposal. 

The RLF unveiled one possibility to comply with the HCA at a January 18 public forum. Upcoming meetings and forums:

  • Tuesdays, Feb. 13 and March 5 — Planning Board meetings on proposed design guidelines for the HCA district. Residents may use this form to comment on the draft. 
  • Tuesday, Feb. 20 — Planning Board public hearing on the amended zoning bylaw, 7–8:30 p.m., Town Hall and on Zoom.
  • Tuesday, Feb. 27 — In-person public forum on design guidelines hosted by the Planning Board and Housing Choice Act Working Group, 7–8:30 p.m., Lincoln School.
  • Thursday, Feb. 29 — RLF public forum on the mall, 7 p.m., Zoom (passcode: 940342)

My Turn: Telling the climate story through poetry

By Michael Moodie

The Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) report released in November is the U.S. government’s preeminent report on climate change impacts, risks, and responses released in November. For the first time, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy  included the arts in the process to encourage wider participation in the National Climate Assessment and help us visualize the impacts of climate change. Consequently, a book called Dear Human at the Edge of Time: Poems on Climate Change in the United States was created as a sort of companion to NCA5. 
 
When I heard about this involvement of the arts in NCA5, I wondered how that came about. Are they so frightened of what’s coming that they’ll try anything? Or are they digging deep and trying to tap into energies much older and deeper than science? Who knows? But I wanted to honor their action. I feared that the book might be exceedingly grim, and grimness there is, but when I came across this poem (and there are others like it in the book), I just had to share it. 

When we tell the story

Of how we survived the great collapse
it won’t be only kindness
or sacrifice or banning single-use plastics.

It will be imagination.
It will be flock and lift,
pull each other
up from what’s broken.

Systems in collapse
don’t stop collapsing.

No one can stomach the loss
of what must be lost
and so we hasten collapse
clinging to systems too heavy to hold.

We wrestle with Capital’s tooth and claw,
our own creation turned against us,
all the while anchored to ground
soaked in blood.

Consider the gulls
who soar on vast wings,
dipping down to feed
taking only what they need.

Birds adapt over time
to what is real.
We are now the ostrich,
knees bent backward, running

Always earth-bound.
Afraid,
we bury our head.
But all creatures can evolve.

This is our invitation.
When we tell the story
of how we survived the collapse,
we might say:

like birds, we learned
to move as one.
We grew lighter
And lengthened our wings.

— Anna Sims Bartel, from Dear Human at the Edge of Time: Poems on Climate Change in the United States

Moodie write on behalf of CFREE (Carbon-Free Residential, Everything Electric), a working group of the Lincoln Green Energy Committee.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.