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

Town offices to close for move; dedication Saturday

The Lincoln Town Office Building

The Lincoln Town Office Building

The renovated Town Office Building will be dedicated in a ceremony on Saturday, June 22 at 11 a.m., and officials are asking residents to carpool, bike or walk to this much-anticipated event, as parking is limited.

Town offices will be closed to the public from Friday, June 21 through Wednesday, June 26 to accommodate the move from the Hartwell pods back to the renovated Town Office Building at 16 Lincoln Road. Offices will reopen to the public at that location on Thursday, June 27 The Town Clerk’s office will remain open to the public at the Ballfield Road location through the end of June.

Junior Hikers walk on Sunday

hiking-smFamilies are invited to join the Lincoln Junior Hikers this Sunday, June 16 at 2 p.m. for a walk to Pigeon Hill, starting from the horse riding enclosure on Weston Road. Babbling brooks, shady trails, and an abandoned stone cabin make this a popular trail to explore.

To get to the trail head, go to the intersection of Weston Road and Silver Hill Road. The horse ring is about 100 yards south of the intersection on Weston Road, adjoining Browning Fields.

We will hike about 1.5 miles round trip with breaks along the way. The walk will probably take about an hour and a half, but families can go at their own pace. Parents are responsible for supervising their children.

Local businesses aid PTO’s education efforts

PTO-logo-big-4cThe Lincoln PTO enriches children’s education through visits by storytellers and poets, historical reenactments, Museum of Science workshops and more—and it does so with the support of hundreds of people and organizations including the PTO Community Partners, who each donated at least $1,000 apiece in 2012-13 as part of their commitment to the parents, students and the rest of the Lincoln community. Top contributors this year included Lincoln businesses Barrett and Co., Doherty’s Garage, Donelan’s Supermarket and Fitness Together, as well as AKA Bistro, Cambridge Trust Co., Premier Cleaners and Tailors, and Lexington orthodontist Yuci Ma.

Click on an image below for larger version and caption:

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Also donating to the PTO in 2012-13 were Affinity Builders, Budget Printing of Concord, Country Pizza, Something Special, Stonegate Gardens and the Whistlestop Cafe.

Donelan’s has been in Lincoln since 1976, when Joe Donelan and his brother started working there when the store opened. (The six-store chain was started by their parents in 1948.) They’ve supported the PTO for years, and they were pleased and grateful for the support they got in return from residents, who flocked to the store in drives after it reopened in in May 2012 following 15 months of reconstruction work following a snow-related roof collapse.

“When the chips are down, people band together,” said Joe Donelan, corporate vice president of Donelan’s Supermarkets. “Everyone has been fantastic.” Donelan showed the same kind of loyalty to his Lincoln employees, none of whom were laid off following the collapse (they all worked at one of the other five Donelan’s stores until Lincoln reopened).

Donelan’s also participates in a program whereby the PTO collects register receipts saved by parents and gives them to the school to redeem for educational supplies via the Register Tapes for Education program (see related story).

“A strong community starts with a strong school system, and the quality of the school system goes hand in hand with the quality of the real estate,” said Laurie Cadigan, owner of Barrett and Co. “We’re very happy to be in this community and we’re all about giving back.”

Doherty’s Garage has been operating in Lincoln since 1905, “and our primary focus has always been on supporting the community,” said Cindy Doherty Murphy, granddaughter of the funding Doherty’s who now runs the business with her husband Dennis Murphy. “When the town requires something, we’re happy to give back.”

“At the end of the day, we just want to help and get involved in the community,” said Brian Lowe, owner since 2009 of the town’s Fitness Together franchise. “It’s a way for me to give back while I develop my business.”

July 4 fireworks volunteers needed

fireworks-smThe July 4th fireworks organizers need help from 4-11 p.m. We need able-bodied students (the older the better) and adults to help with:

  • Event setup (setting up tables, tents, trash barrels, fencing, PA systems, etc.)
  • Money collection (with Lincoln police)
  • Parking assistance (with Lincoln police)
  • Trash removal
  • Event cleanup (packing up tables, tents, trash barrels, fencing, PA systems, etc.)

Contact Dan Pereira at the Parks and Recreation Department at dpereira@lincnet.org if you’re able to help out. We have a lot of fun, and many hands make light work!

Strawberry Day rescheduled for June 22

strawberry-smCelebrate the strawberry harvest by heading out to Drumlin Farm on June 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for Strawberry Day (originally scheduled for June 15). Dig in the dirt with our farm staff, meet some berry-loving animals, and pick your own strawberries to take home. Drumlin’s strawberries, like all of its produce, are grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.

All activities except strawberry picking are free with admission ($7 for adults, $5 for seniors and children 2-12, free for Mass Audubon members). Pick-your-own strawberries will be available for purchase from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., while supplies last. Special programs throughout the day:

10 a.m. – A Taste of Drumlin: Sample the first fruits (and veggies!) of the season.

10:30 a.m. – Woodchuck Wonders: Wonder who may be nibbling in your garden? Meet one of our groundhogs and find out!

11:30 a.m. – Seeing Seeds: Explore the magic of how a seed turns into a new plant.

12:30 p.m. – Wild Wetlands: Get an up-close look at what’s going on in our local ponds.

2 p.m. – A Taste of Drumlin: Sample the first fruits (and veggies!) of the season.

2:30 p.m. – Fields for Food: Visit with some of the wild birds and mammals that make fields their habitat.

3:30 p.m. – Turtles Love Strawberries: Meet some of our resident reptiles and watch them enjoy a favorite springtime treat.

3:45 p.m. – Foxes Love Strawberries, Too: Learn more about our fascinating foxes, who love strawberries as much as we do.

Meeting for current and would-be solar homeowners

greeningLincoln’s Green Energy Technology Committee is hosting a meeting for solar homeowners, and those who are considering solar, at the Hartwell multipurpose room this Thursday, June 13 at 7 p.m. Participants in the SolarizeMass program will be on hand discuss their experiences with the various phases of the process, from assessment to design, contracting and installation, along with solar coach Jennie Morris. Lincoln residents have worked with a variety of different solar installers, and all who have “gone solar” are encouraged to attend.

Town office building to have June 22 ribbon-cutting

The Lincoln Town Office Building

The Lincoln Town Office Building

The renovated Town Office Building will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house on Saturday, June 22 at 11 a.m.

Over the past 17 months, the historical 16,000-square-foot building at 16 Lincoln Road has been gutted down to the framing (see the Lincoln Squirrel, December 6, 2012) while town staff have operated out of the Hartwell pods. The renovated building will feature two new stairwells and an elevator as well as energy-efficient wiring, heating and cooling, and lighting design to meet LEED silver certification. The basement level has been designed as office space so there will be three full floors of office and meeting space for staff and residents.

Design work was done by Donham & Sweeney Architects and the builder is Colantonio Construction.

New phone directories sent out by Friends of the Lincoln Library

Julie Brogan, Ray Shepard, Kate Dahmen and Bryn Gingrich of the Friends of the Lincoln Library stuff phone directories in envelopes for mailing.

Julie Brogan, Ray Shepard, Kate Dahmen and Bryn Gingrich of the Friends of the Lincoln Library stuff phone directories in envelopes for mailing.

Every household in Lincoln will soon receive a free copy of the 2013 edition of the spiral-bound town telephone directory, courtesy of the Friends of the Lincoln Library.

Advertisers listed in the directory’s yellow pages are generally local and known around town. The FOLL are grateful to the businesses in the directory and encourage residents to support them.

A new feature of the 2011 edition is the “pink pages” section that lists organizations and resources that enhance the health and well-being of the Lincoln community. This has been continued in the 2013 edition. The pink pages are sponsored by the town’s Healthy Communities Assessment and Planning Project (download report here) under a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

The Friends of the Lincoln Library raises money through telephone directory ads, monthly book sales, dues and other means to support the Lincoln Public Library’s adult and children’s programs, museum passes, and library furnishings and equipment.

Additional copies of the directory may be purchased at the library or the Old Town Hall Exchange.