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

Modified school proposal discussed at charette

February 6, 2013

The L-shaped proposal discussed at the charettes.

The L-shaped proposal discussed at the charrettes (click to enlarge).

At the second of two charrettes to discuss design alternatives for the school building project, residents considered the pros and cons of a modified proposal dubbed the “L-Shaped Plan” that would maintain the current footprint while demolishing and rebuilding the older portion of the Smith building.UpThe proposal retains the existing layouts for roadways, parking, and parent and bus drop-off locations, but it features a new cafeteria that would link the Brooks building to the Reed gym. It also includes a block of four new classrooms sited about where the southern half of the paved Brooks circle is now.

What the new proposal does not require is demolishing of the entire Smith building and building a new wing of 22 classrooms just south of the current Brooks entrance. Instead, it calls for keeping the southern half of the Smith wing, including the gym, while tearing down the older section and replacing it with new connecting space that would be slightly wider than the current structure.

Lincoln’s groundhog in today’s Boston Globe!

January 31, 2013

Boston Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham seems to be on the Ms. G bandwagon in the drive to have Drumlin Farm’s resident groundhog named as the official groundhog for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. You can read her column here (which we will note appeared after two stories in The Lincoln Squirrel here and here).

Monthly open-mic event spotlights musical pros and amateurs

January 31, 2013

By Brett Wittenberg

In Spanish, “loma” means rising ground in the midst of a plain. In Lincoln, LOMA means Lincoln Open Mic Acoustic, and once a month at the Lincoln Public Library, a small hill of musical talent rises.

LOMA has its origins in the annual Lincoln Winter Carnival, where residents have been demonstrating their acoustic musical skills for years. This coffeehouse-type performance has been a Lincoln favorite for the better part of a decade.

Over the years, more musicians performed and larger audiences listened, and three years ago, LOMA outgrew Winter Carnival. “It was hard to find space for all the people who actually wanted to attend—we were getting over 200 people,” said current LOMA organizer Rich Eilbert. It was clear that to continue, LOMA was going to need a bigger space and some dedicated management. Help came in the form of Rich Eilbert, a Lincoln resident for nearly 25 years and seasoned open mic’er as both an audience member and performer. Eilbert (who has a PhD in physics and has worked on designing X-ray equipment for airport security) offered to organize the events moving forward, and the Lincoln Public Library was settled on as the new venue.

Under Eilbert’s management, LOMA has continued to expand, even bringing in some professional acts to generate more buzz, including internationally known folk musician Geoff Bartley.

“We were really glad to get Geoff Bartley. We had a big crowd for him—maybe the biggest crowd ever. He’s a very fine musician,” said Eilbert.

Of the musician’s newest CD, folk legend Tom Paxton wrote, “Geoff Bartley has hit another one out of the park.”

Whether it’s an internationally known musician or your neighbor’s kid, what makes open-mic performances like LOMA special is audience involvement. LOMA is a community-sponsored event, and it’s the community that keeps it going. No promises can be made for the quality of the music, but the performers and the audience are guaranteed to have fun.

“There are a lot of talented people in this town,” Eilbert said, and some of them can be found at the library on the second Monday of each month. The next Lincoln Open Mic Acoustic night will be February 11 and will feature Nancy Beaudette. Other performers and spectators are welcome, and free refreshments will be served.

Brett Wittenberg is a resident of Lexington, Mass.

Lincoln groundhog basks in media attention, hopes for future stardom

January 30, 2013

Drumlin Farm’s resident groundhog, Ms. G.

By Alice Waugh

Will there be six more weeks of winter? Only the shadow knows—Ms. G’s shadow, that is. Come to Drumlin Farm on Saturday, Feb. 2 to see Drumlin’s resident groundhog — the potential future Groundhog of the Commonwealth.

The festivities kick off at 10:00 sharp at Drumlin’s main entrance, where WBZ-TV meteorologist Joe Joyce will be broadcasting the weather report live starting at 7 a.m. After everyone gets the long-term forecast from Ms. G and learns a bit about woodchuck behavior, there will be coffee, crafts and treats provided by Whole Foods Market of Wayland and Wellesley.

Groundhog Day at Drumlin actually features several TV weather experts. From 10:30 a.m.to noon, Mish Michaels, Joe Jones of WBZ-TV, Terry Eliasen (executive weather producer at WBZ), and Cindy Fitzgibbon (a former Fox-25 meteorologist) will be on hand to answer weather-related questions—and Ms. G will also be available for photos form her adoring public (see below for a full rundown of the day’s activities). Learn more about Ms. G and other groundhogs as well as the origins of Groundhog Day here.

Thursday is the last chance for resident input on school building proposal

January 30, 2013

(Below is an unedited version of an email sent out to Lincoln School parents by the Lincoln PTO.)

Been hearing bits and pieces of what’s happening with a potential Lincoln School building project since the November 3rd Town Meeting, but haven’t been following very closely since the big meeting? Parents were noticeably absent at the first of two charettes to give the Lincoln School Committee guidance about a future school building project for our town. Please plan to participate in the final input session on Thursday, January 31 from 7-10 p.m. in the Brooks gym, and spread the word to fellow parents so they know the importance of parental voices in the process.

First, a bit of catching up and contexting since November…

Financial help is available for fuel bills and more

January 25, 2013

Do you need help paying your winter fuel bill? Call the Lincoln Council on Aging, which can help you apply for funds from the Massachusetts Fuel Assistance Program.

The program provides a cash benefit, payable to an authorized fuel provider, for both home owners and renters with eligible incomes. How much you receive depends on your household income, how many people you have in your household, and your heating costs.

Regardless of age, residents must apply for Fuel Assistance Program aid through the Council on Aging (COA), whose staff will help with filling out forms. To apply, call Pam Alberts at 781-259-8811 to set up an appointment. The Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council will review the application to determine whether you are eligible.

Even if you’re not sure whether you qualify for the Fuel Assistance Program, “give us a call anyway, because even if you’re not eligible, there are other programs that we may be able to hook you up with,” said Carolyn Bottum, director of the COA. These other state programs offer heating system repairs, discount utility rates, and Citizens Energy heat assistance, and weatherization services.

Lincoln assistance also available

For other types of unforeseen financial emergencies, the Lincoln Emergency Assistance Fund and the Small Necessities Project can help. The Lincoln Emergency Assistance Fund, which is funded entirely by donations, provides assistance of up to $500 per lifetime for Lincoln residents in situations when that amount will allow someone to stay in our community.

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 problem. This Project is funded by the Ogden Codman Trust and donations.

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

Lincoln Winter Carnival schedule is here!

January 23, 2013

The 2013 Lincoln Winter Carnival kicks off Friday, February 1 with community bingo and a concert by the U.S. Air Force band of LIberty Jazz Ensemble. Other events that weekend include:

Girl Scout breakfast
Groundhog Day at Drumlin Farm
Snowshoe tours at deCordova
Vermont PuppeTree performs “Caps for Sale”
Community skating
Lincoln Family Association Energy Blaster
Acoustic coffee house
Loveland Special Needs Horseback Riding Program open house
Concert by the Boston Classical Trio

Click here for the full schedule.

Help guide the future of housing in Lincoln

January 23, 2013

The Lincoln Housing Commission invites residents to participate in a survey about the town’s new five-year Housing Plan—and it’s also looking for new commission member.

The Housing Commission wants to understand what residents think Lincoln’s housing priorities should be and what kinds of housing needs should be addressed in the new plan. Results from this survey will help make the plan appropriate for Lincoln and realistic for implementation over the next five years.

For purposes of the survey, “affordable housing” means a home that moderate-income people can own or rent at a monthly housing cost that’s approximately 30 percent of their gross monthly income. In Lincoln’s area, a family of four with an annual income of $65,000 per year qualifies as moderate income.

The housing survey is now available online and in hard copy at the Council on Aging, the Lincoln Public Library, and other locations around town. The online survey is also linked to the Town of Lincoln home page.

The commission is seeking a new member for a three-year term to help make a significant contribution to the future of affordable housing in Lincoln. The group meets twice a month on the first and third Fridays at 8 a.m. Please call Pamela Gallup at 781-259-0393 to learn more.

Want to coach kids for the Science Share?

January 21, 2013

Would you like to help kids learn about science? The Lincoln School is looking for adult volunteer mentors to coach teams of students for the seventh annual Science Share on April 8, 2013.

What is a Science Share? It’s an opportunity for students to explore a topic in the science and technology field outside their classroom instruction and publicly share the knowledge gained in the form of an exhibit or demonstration.

Mentors who have a keen interest in science (not necessarily a science background) choose a topic they’d like to coach students in. You’ll lead a small team of 3-5 students and organize meeting after school, evenings and/or weekends in a location of your choice to help them investigate their topic and create an exhibit for the Science Share on April 8. We need as many mentors as possible to allow all interested children an opportunity to participate.

For more information, download the Science Share coach form, or email Lincoln K-4 Principal Steve McKenna at smckenna@lincnet.org or Judy Pistorio at judy.pistorio@verizon.net.

Groundhog Day festivities with Ms. G, Mish Michaels

January 20, 2013

Drumlin Farm’s resident groundhog, Ms. G.

Will we have six more weeks of winter or an early spring? Join us as Ms. G, Drumlin Farm’s resident groundhog, gives her forecast for the rest of the winter at Drumlin Farm’s Groundhog Day celebration on Saturday, February 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Activities include:

Get the up-to-the-minute woodchuck weather forecast from Ms. G at 10:00 as we kick off our celebration.
Warm up with a story and snacks by the fire. Make some winter crafts to take home.
Meet some more of our resident wildlife and learn about what’s going on in the nature of Massachusetts through the winter months.

In addition to all the fun, come meet one of New England’s favorite meteorologists, Mish Michaels, from 10:00 a.m. to noon, along with several area weather forecasters who will be on site to ring in the day.

Mish and students from Wellesley will soon be submitting a bill to the Massachusetts State Legislature to make Ms. G the official “Groundhog of the Commonwealth.” To encourage these students as they prepare to speak at a public hearing in support of this bill, sign the Ms. G petition and come join us to celebrate all things groundhog on February 2!