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

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.

My Turn: Updates on the town’s two solar energy projects

By Jim Hutchinson, Select Board

A number of folks have expressed interest in the status of the solar projects in progress at the transfer station and Lincoln School, so I thought I’d post an update. I am the Select overseeing the transfer station project and I was also a member of the PPA [power purchase agreement] subcommittee that advised the School Committee on the Lincoln School solar project. For this update I also got input from Buck Creel, the Lincoln School staff member overseeing the Lincoln School solar project.

What solar project is Lincoln doing at the transfer station?

After years of effort, careful negotiations with the National Park Service, discussions with neighbors on Mill Street, and a successful competitive bidding process, Lincoln is now finalizing final details of a Power Purchase Agreement (“PPA”) with the New Jersey-based firm HESP to construct and operate a 1.4MW solar PV system for our benefit on top of the capped landfill next to the transfer station, which we expect to generate enough green electricity to cover the amount of municipal electricity that has historically been used by the town net of the Lincoln School. As an added benefit to the town, while we are doing this construction work, with the input of the Conservation Commission and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, we will also construct a bikeable and walkable path connecting Mill Street to the transfer station access road.

What is the expected schedule for the transfer station solar project?

We are currently working our way through the local, state, and utility permitting processes. We received Conservation Commission approval for the project in November 2023 and hope to get Planning Board approval this March. We hope to get approval from the MassDEP by June, and from Eversource by the end of the summer. HESP will then order the equipment and begin installation, hopefully in the Fall of 2024, or Spring of 2025 at the latest. Construction is expected to take four months, and equipment startup one additional month. We hope to be generating electricity by the Fall of 2025.

What is the solar project at Lincoln School?

The School Committee signed a PPA Agreement with TotalEnergies (previously SunPower) back in 2022 to install 1.2MW of rooftop and parking lot canopy solar PV as well as 562KW of battery storage. We expect this system to generate enough electricity to cover the expected usage at Lincoln School and thereby make the school “net zero” overall. In addition, the battery system should help us minimize the dreaded “demand charges” from Eversource that occur if our generation plus battery supply doesn’t meet our spot demand and we have to draw power from the grid at peak times. The technical approach taken in this project was somewhat novel for municipal projects in that it is “behind the meter,” meaning that a good chunk of the solar power generated by the panels is used directly by the School and is not shipped out to Eversource, and thus we do not have to pay distribution charges on that amount.

I see the solar panels have been installed at Lincoln School rooftops and carport canopies. Are they live?

No. TotalEnergies has encountered a number of setbacks that have delayed the completion of this project, including supply chain issues, issues with Eversource needing to adopt new policies and procedures for our novel “behind the meter” situation, and most recently, an equipment compatibility issue between the inverters and rapid shutdown safety devices used on the project, which is the current holdup on energizing the system. None of these delays have been the fault of the Town of Lincoln, although we have done what we can to help resolve the issues quickly while protecting Lincoln’s interests.

When do we currently expect Lincoln School solar to be live?

We are working with TotalEnergies now to finalize the plan for them to replace the incompatible equipment, which will be done solely at their expense. They need snow and ice-free conditions to do this work, so the schedule is weather dependent, but we currently expect the work to be completed and the system to go live in May, and possibly sooner. TotalEnergies does not collect any revenue from Lincoln for this project until they go live, so they are just as eager as we are to do so.

Aren’t we paying more for electricity from Eversource while we wait for the Lincoln School solar PV system to go live?

Yes, although note that the cost to Lincoln for delays is not the full ~$500,000 per year we spend on electricity when sourcing solely from Eversource; it is the roughly $60,000–$100,000 per year we hope to save when we replace much of the Eversource usage with PPA usage. The exact savings we might have enjoyed are not possible to calculate since we do not know exactly how much power the panels would have produced over the period.

Can we recover that extra cost due to delays from TotalEnergies?

Possibly, for some amount related to the guaranteed production of the system, since we don’t have any actual production. We did negotiate for and got language in the PPA agreement that addresses costs associated with some delays in getting the system live. With town counsel’s help, we are reviewing the town’s rights, the expected dollar amount that might be recoverable, the likelihood such events will be judged to be force majeure and thus not be eligible for recovery, and the impact pursuing a recovery could have on what is the beginning of a 25-year relationship with this developer. Subsequently we will advise the School Committee, who will make the ultimate determination on whether the town pursues a recovery.

Once these two solar projects are live, will Lincoln be “net zero” regarding municipal electricity use?

Yes, these projects are expected to generate enough green electricity to cover our municipal electricity usage, although note that in the case of Lincoln School the sizing was done based on expected usage, and in the non-school case we are sizing while considering historical usage. Periodic reassessment of our “green coverage” will be needed. Also, new uses to the town, such as a possible community center or increased adoption of electric vehicles by the town, may require additional solar power in the future to keep the town “net zero.”

“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.

News acorns

Opening reception for library exhibit

“Radha-Krishna” by Prajakta Badri.

There will be an opening reception with Lincoln resident Prajakta Badri for the “Madhubani Art: A Glimpse Into an Indian Folk Art Form” exhibit at the Lincoln Public Library on Sunday, Feb. 11 from 2–4 p.m. Madhubani painting is a traditional art form that originated almost 2,500 years ago in the Mithila region of Bihar, India that typically tells stories with colorful images. The pieces by Badri (a clinical pharmacologist who works in drug development) depict traditional Indian mythological stories, Boston landmarks, and even Native American dance.

The exhibit will be up until February 24. Click here for information on exhibits.

Poll workers needed for Super Tuesday

The Town Clerk’s office is seeking volunteer poll workers for the presidential primary on Tuesday, March 5 (Super Tuesday). There will be poll worker training on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. at Town Hall. Please email foxv@lincolntown.org or call 781-259-2607 if you’re interested and can attend the training, which is useful for both new and experienced poll workers. Even if you can’t volunteer for Super Tuesday, please consider attending the training so you will be prepared to volunteer at a future date.

“A Few of our Favorite Things” concert

Diane Katzenberg Braun

Music Street, a group will give its 10th anniversary concert on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall. From Gershwin, Schubert and Chopin, to a string duo by Mexican composer José Elizondo, cowboy songs by American Libby Larsen and more, “A Few of our Favorite Things” will perform works from their past decade of performances. The ensembles features Lincoln resident Diane Katzenberg Braun (founder and artistic director of Music Street) plus violin, cello, clarinet, and soprano. Sponsored by the Lincoln Public Library and supported by the Lincoln Cultural Council.

Sign up to volunteer with hospice patients

Care Dimensions, the region’s largest provider of hospice care, will hold online training classes for those interested in becoming volunteers for the nonprofit organization. You can make a difference in a patient’s life by:

  • Engaging in a shared interest or hobby
  • Helping with letter-writing or life review
  • Visiting with your approved dog
  • Reading to the patient
  • Listening and by providing a supportive, comforting presence

Volunteers visit patients in their homes, in facilities, and at the hospice houses in Lincoln and Danvers. If patient visits aren’t the right fit for you, you can volunteer in other ways such as providing administrative office support or making check-in phone calls to current patients or bereaved family members.

Training will be held via Zoom on Mondays and Wednesdays, March 4–27 from 9–11 a.m. (register by February 24). For more information or to register, please go to www.CareDimensions.org/Volunteers or email VolunteerInfo@CareDimensions.org.

Concert by Melissa Ferrick at deCordova

The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum will host folk rock artist Melissa Ferrick on Thursday, March 7 at 7 p.m. Ferrick is a Professor of the Practice at Northeastern University’s College of Arts Media and Design. They teach courses on songwriting creative entrepreneurship, demo recording and production, live performance, the intersection of psychopathology and creativity, nonprofit arts management. Ferrick performs throughout North America, sharing the stage with Morrissey, Joan Armatrading, Weezer, Tegan and Sara, Bob Dylan, John Hiatt, Ani DiFranco, k.d. lang, Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, and more. Click here for tickets ($28 for Trustees members, $35 for nonmembers). Ticketholders will be able to place pre-orders from Twisted Tree Café at deCordova.

Ogden Codman Trust pledges $500K for community center

The Ogden Codman Trust has pledged $500,000 to help defray the cost of the community center, which is estimated at $24 million.

The trust, which began making grants for Lincoln facilities and projects in 1972, helped pay for the town pool years ago. It has distributed an average of about $200,000 in grants and loans annually in recent years. The largest single grant in the past three years was $95,000 to historic New England for repairs at the Codman Estate in 2021, and most grants are in the range of $10,000 to $25,000, so this is by far the largest grant that the trust has made in some time.

“We are deeply appreciative of your generosity, and the timing of your gift couldn’t be better,” said Community Center Building Committee Chair Sarah Chester said at the February 5 Select Board meeting when the gift was announced.

The grant will be paid in five installments starting with $350,000 in the first year and the subsequent installments over the following three-year period, Town Administrator Tim Higgins said. “Hopefully this will help power the fundraising effort that’s going on and leverage some additional generosity,” he said.

“We’re grateful to have the opportunity to participate in this really exciting project,” Ogden Codman trustee Susan Monahan said. She praised “the work that’s gone into documenting and making the [planning] accessible and transparent… we wish you the best in pulling in some additional funds in support of that.”

A group of residents has launched a fundraising effort targeting individuals, corporations and other organizations. Together with funds from the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging (FLCOA), which has promised to match every donation dollar for dollar up to $1 million, the group hopes to raise several million dollars. 

Most of the project will be paid for through bonding, but the segment of the building for LEAP (a private entity) can’t be paid for through tax-advantaged municipal bonds, so other sources of funding will be needed. Residents will vote on a bonding amount at Town Meeting next month.

“We hope the March votes goes the right way, though you’ve given us every reason to be optimistic,” Monahan said.

Correction

The February 5, 2024 article headlined “Town election challengers on ballot for Select Board, Planning Board” incorrectly stated that Jennifer Glass was appointed to fill Selectman Renel Fredriksen’s unexpired term. In fact, she was defeated Allen Vander Meulen for that post in 2017 and was reelected to full terms in 2018 and 2021. The article (which has now been updated) also failed to include a link to her “My Turn” piece announcing her candidacy.

Alan Dobrow passes away at age 94

Dr. Alan Dobrow

Dr. Alan Dobrow passed away at age 94 on January 30, 2024. Alan and his wife, Vicki, moved to Lincoln in 2001 after they’d both retired (Alan from his psychiatry practice, and Vicki from teaching in the Great Neck, N.Y. public schools). Their move enabled them to live near their daughter, Julie Dobrow, her husband, Larry Vale, and their four children — Mira, Aaron, Jeremy, and Jonathan — as well closer to their son, Marty, his wife, Missy-Marie Montgomery, and their children — Sarah Dobrow, Joshua Dobrow, and Jeremiah Montgomery-Thompson. Alan and Vicki’s third child, Joe Dobrow, lives with his partner, Julie Zagars, in Fountain Hills, Ariz.

Alan and Vicki first lived at Farrar Pond Village, and then at The Commons. Both were active in reading groups at the Lincoln library. Vicki volunteered in the Lincoln School until her health declined, and Alan was a long-time member of the Boston Authors Club. Vicki died in 2021, but Alan continued to be a vibrant participant in the lives of his children and grandchildren until his last days.

Those who knew Alan will forever remember his scholarly and somewhat reticent demeanor that belied his keen wit and deeply sentimental and loving soul. Alan’s reverence for books, history, the American West, and photography, and his propensity for rooting for underdog sports franchises, were all gifts passed along to his children and grandchildren. The deep investment he and Vicki made in their family will continue to pay many dividends going forward.

(Obituary submitted by Alan’s daughter, Julie Dobrow.)

News acorns

Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day is Wednesday

Wednesday, Feb. 7 is the second Walk, Bike, Roll to School Day of the school year. For children who take the bus to school, each bus will circle the regular drop-off loop and then stop at the end of Ballfield Road so students can walk the last quarter-mile, supported by volunteers and staff. For those who normally are driven to school, consider leaving the car at home and walking or biking to school. The event is sponsored by the Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee in partnership with the Massachusetts Safe Routes to School program.

Pop-up Arts and Farmers Market

There will be a Lincoln Arts and Farmers Market Valentine’s Day pop-up market on Saturday, Feb. 10 from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. at the Pierce House. Join the community of vendors and patrons to catch up on the winter happenings around town, buy flowers, find unique handmade gifts and cars for friends and family. Vendors will be:

  • Spencer Borden, wooden bowls
  • Liz Brown — elixirs, tonics and teas
  • Phoebe Clarkson — origami earrings
  • Mary Drouin — crochet gifts
  • Jocelyn Finlay — photography (Finlay is taking pre-orders for high school senior portraits, corporate headshots, passport photos, fand family photos at the event. Click here to pre-book a 30-minute photo session time).
  • Annie Gauger — hats
  • Hazen Hill Flowers — tulips, winter flowers, and vases
  • Lisa Himelman — jewelry
  • Bill Huss — alpaca yarn
  • Charlotte Kirsch — gift cards
  • John Rizzo — fine art photo prints and cards
  • Carolyn Ryan — printed textiles
  • William Stason — pottery
  • Tracey Terrell — hand-crafted jewelry

Chat with L-S superintendent/principal

The LSPO invited the L-S high school community to a “coffee chat” with Superintendent/Principal Andrew Stephens on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 8:30 a.m. in Conference Room A. If you would like to submit questions for the superintendent before the meeting or if you aren’t sure you can attend the chat, please use this form and submit as many questions as you’d like.

Seniors invited to apply for scholarships

Applications are now being accepted for the Lincoln Scholarship for high school seniors. Both merit-based and need-based scholarships and awards are available. For descriptions of the scholarships and awards offered and applications, see the Lincoln Scholarship Committee website. The application and instructions can be found at this link on the left hand side of the webpage or at the bottom of the page on a mobile device. The application deadline is March 31, 2024. 

Coming up at the Lincoln Public Library

Robothink! Stem Robotics Workshop: Two Wheel Race Car
Wednesday, Feb. 21, 4-5:30 p.m., Tarbell Room
Students will get an opportunity to see what the world of STEM and robotics is all about as they build their own simple machines, then use gears, motors, axles, and batteries to bring their creations to life! No experience necessary, just prepare for some real fun! Registration required! Intended for ages 7+. Registration required; click here.

Yo-Yos, Music & Dance Show
Thursday, Feb. 22, 11 a.m.–noon, Tarbell Room
This high-energy show is a family experience full of laughter, music and yo-yos! Join Ooch as he shares his favorite yo-yo tricks and dance moves in a fun and energetic presentation that all ages will enjoy. No registration necessary.

Town election challengers on ballot for Select Board, Planning Board

Two long-time town officials who are running for reelection on March 25 will face challengers.

Jennifer Glass is seeking a third full term on the Select Board. She defeated Allen Vander Meulen in 2017 to fill the unexpired term of Renel Fredriksen and was reelected unopposed in 2018 and 2021, but this year she is facing two opponents: Frank Clark and Aidan Rogers. On the Planning Board slate, Lincoln Residents for Housing Alternatives member Sarah Postlethwait is running against Gary Taylor, who is seeking a fourth term. Meanwhile, newcomer Yonca Heyse is running uncontested for the School Committee seat of  retiring member John MacLachlan.

Candidate “My Turn” pieces in the Lincoln Squirrel thus far:

Board/Committee# of seats Candidates
Board of Assessors1Edward Morgan*
Board of Health1Patricia Miller*
Cemetery Commission1Douglas Harding*
Housing Commission1Terry S. Perlmutter
LSRHS School Committee2Cathie Bitter*
Maura Carty*
Parks and Recreation Committee1Brianna Doo*
Planning Board1Gerald Taylor*
Sarah Postlethwait
School Committee2Susan H. Taylor*
Yonca Heyse
Select Board1Jennifer Glass*
Frank Clark
Aidan Rogers
Trustees of Bemis Fund1Miriam Borden*
Water Commission1Patrick J. Lawler*