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

Police log for January 10–16, 2024

January 10

South Great Road (1:40 a.m.) — Keolis was notified of multiple issues with the railroad crossing gates at Route 117, Old Sudbury Road, and Tower Road. Officers remained on scene for approximately 40 minutes until maintenance crews arrived.

Lincoln Road (6:59 a.m.) — A two-vehicle crash occurred at the intersection with Route 117. A vehicle was attempting to turn onto Lincoln Road when it was struck by a vehicle traveling west on Rt. 117. The operator of the vehicle turning was issued a citation for failing to yield.

Codman Community Farms (11:30 a.m.) — A caller reported a vehicle idling for an excessive period of time. An officer responded and spoke with the operator.

Lincoln Road (12:40 p.m.) — An individual reported a suspicious encounter with another person. An officer spoke to all parties.

Old Concord Road (3:38 p.m.) — A caller observed that a door to their residence was open. Officers responded, checked the residence, and determined the door might have been opened by the wind.

January 11

Lincoln School (3:31 p.m.) — An individual inquired about a pet tarantula that they could no longer care for. They were promptly provided with information for Animal Control.

Old Sudbury Road (4:31 p.m.) — An officer performed a courtesy check of a residence at the request of the homeowner.

January 12

Old Cambridge Turnpike (3:16 p.m.) — An officer spoke with a resident regarding an ongoing issue.

Weston Road (6:19 p.m.) — A portion of Weston Road was closed in Lincoln due to a motor vehicle crash in Weston.

North Great Road (11:49 p.m.) — An officer checked on a parked unoccupied vehicle in the Visitor Center parking lot.

January 13

North Great Road (2:14 a.m.) — An officer spoke with a motorist who had pulled into the Paul Revere parking lot to rest.

January 14

South Great Road (5:58 p.m.) — A motorist reported that they had struck a deer. There was minimal damage to the vehicle and the deer ran off into the woods.

Silver Hill Road (8:18 p.m.) — A single vehicle crash occurred when the operator lost control of the vehicle after it slid on some ice. The DPW was notified to treat the iced-over section of roadway.

January 15

Baker Bridge Road (9:20 a.m. — A caller reported a water main break in their driveway. The Water Department was notified.

South Commons (9:34 a.m.) — An officer performed a well-being check on a resident.

January 16

Acorn Lane (2:50 a.m.) — The DPW called to report a car parked on the side of the road hampering their plowing efforts. The owner was contacted and the vehicle was removed.

Old Sudbury Road (8:34 a.m.) — A caller reported seeing an injured raccoon on the railroad tracks by Old Sudbury Road. Animal Control was notified.

Farrar Road (2:35 p.m.) — A plow truck backed into a vehicle traveling directly behind the plow. There were no injuries reported.

Lincoln Road (2:46 p.m.) — Multiple callers reported that all railroad gates malfunctioning. Officers responded to all crossings (with the exception of Tower Road, where the gates were functioning properly). Officers remained on scene for approximately one hour until Keolis could address the issue.

South Great Road (4:08 p.m.) — A vehicle had slowed to enter the gas station when it was struck from behind by a vehicle that failed to slow/yield. There were no injuries.

My Turn: Glass is running for a third term on Select Board

Dear fellow Lincoln residents,

I write to announce my candidacy for re-election to the Select Board for a three-year term, and I respectfully ask for your support.

As a community, we often ask ourselves hard questions: Who are we? Who do we want to be? And what actions should we take to get there? During my time on the board, I have found it helpful to regularly challenge myself to think about these questions because they keep me focused on principles of holistic planning and collaborative decision-making. My interest in exploring those questions and dedication to upholding those principles guides my work with individuals, other committees, regional colleagues, and Lincoln’s professional team, and continues to motivate me as I seek the honor and privilege of serving the town for another term.  

Since I joined the board in 2017, we as a community have weathered a pandemic; completed the Lincoln School renovation project; drafted a climate action plan; continued work on exploring the town’s role in fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism; and chosen paths forward both for a community center building project and for rezoning that is compliant with the Housing Choice Act of 2021.

All of these topics are complex, nuanced, and require our willingness to share ideas, reshape our own perceptions, compromise, and trust that while we may have differences of opinion, we are all dedicated to building a strong, caring, and resilient community. 

Together, we have been able to move forward with this hard work because we have a skilled and knowledgeable professional team, dedicated volunteers on our town boards and committees, and engaged residents. And we have also been able to tackle these issues because of the capacity of Lincoln residents to consider each question on its merits, and to recognize and value the fact that as individuals we can disagree with our friends, neighbors, and colleagues on one topic and then work closely together and in complete alignment on another. That is an enormous strength of our community!

If you have not met me and want to learn more about my volunteer work in Lincoln, please visit my public Facebook group. And if you have questions or ideas, please reach out to me directly.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity you have given me to serve the Lincoln community and to the colleagues who guide me. With your support, I look forward to continuing to contribute to the work of the town. Again, I ask for your vote at the town election on Monday, March 25th.

Respectfully,

Jennifer Glass
11 Stonehedge Rd.
jglassselect@lincolntown.org (town email)
jlrglass@mac.com (personal email)

“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.

RLF shares ideas for future of mall

The Rural Land Foundation unveiled early concept sketches of what a redeveloped Lincoln Mall might look like with two floors of housing above a commercial ground floor.

At a January 18 Zoom forum, RLF Executive Director Geoff McGean recapped the RLF’s work since 2020, when they began looking at how to revitalize the mall while also adding housing. They first considered redeveloping all of the older easternmost building that includes Donelan’s. Analysis showed that the site could accommodate up to 100 units of housing while still including a “substantial but likely reduced amount of commercial space,” he said. However, this couldn’t happen unless Donelan’s was “removed or substantially altered,” and the RLF decided that was a no-go, even though including that amount of housing was thought to be the most financially viable option.

Instead, focusing instead on the rest of the older building, the RLF — aided by Union (designer of the Riverwalk housing in Concord) and a developer consultant — unveiled two visual concepts for 40 units of housing and 5,000–10,000 square feet of first floor and/or street-activating use space. Street-activating uses are those open to the public including  but not limited to shops, restaurants, lobbies, offices, and other service activities, according to a January 10, 2024 explanation posted on the Housing Choice Act Working Group web page. Such uses may also include “spaces accessory to residential uses in multi-family or mixed-use buildings such as fitness or community rooms.”

The two design directions — a traditional pitched-roof and a more modern flat-roofed look on the same footprint — would include one- and two-bedroom rental apartments of 600–800 square feet, but several residents said that’s too small for families. “This was a first attempt at maximizing the amount of units on that portion of the site,” McGean said.

Contrary to speculation by some, Donelan’s has “given no indication that they want to leave and is a critical tenant at the mall, he said. He declined to answer a resident question as to when their lease expires and whether a second phase of redevelopment would affect that space.

“Until they come to us saying they want to change the space, it’s important to keep it as is. If they wanted to downsize or add space, I think we would jump on that and work with them and try to create some housing along with that,” said McGean, who urged residents to shop there and at other mall businesses.

The Bank of America space will have to change, however. Even if they stay on after redevelopment, the drive-up teller window “would probably not be able to exist” since the car turnaround area occupies too much valuable space, he said. The bank also occupies a second floor, and McGean indicated that the RLF would welcome any desire by the bank to remain in the mall but downsize.

Earlier, the RLF had considered selling the entire four-acre property with conditions after the mall building was redeveloped but has since changed its thinking to maintain a ground lease. “We have to be comfortable as an organization and as stewards of property, leaving it so it can’t change in a way the town doesn’t want,” McGean said.

Although current plans call for retaining the mature trees along Lincoln Road, adjacent construction “will fatally damage their root systems,” and the canopies would have to be cut back as well, said resident Deb Howe, who is an arborist. “I would say those oak trees are probably toast.”

There are many hurdles to overcome if the redevelopment vision is to become reality, McGean said. Among the needs:

  • Honoring the current tenants’ leases and trying to accommodate them in the refurbished mall
  • Successfully negotiating with The Community Builders (owners of Linciln Woods and the wastewater treatment facility that serves both those homes and the mall) to upgrade that system to allow for expansion
  • Attracting a developer willing to invest in a project
  • Getting approval from the RLF’s mortgage lender to take down part of the property that’s acting as collateral for the loan
  • Getting town approvals, including March 2024 Town Meeting approval of the proposed Housing Choice Act rezoning, incorporating feedback from community forums and neighborhood meetings and, eventual site plan approval from the Planning Board, which would probably involve a traffic study

McGean also assured forum attendees that the RLF is not going bankrupt, but is “hoping to attract investment in the mall to ensure the long-term viability of a town asset,” and is not “in bed” with a developer. Civico, which developed Oriole Landing, has been a “helpful advisor” but the town has not made any legal agreements with them or any other developer, he said.

Click on images below for larger versions with captions:

mall1-aerial
mall2-aerial
mall1-front
mall2-front
mall1-church
mall2-church

Architects show floor plan, exterior alternatives for community center

Architects on January 17 revealed the latest floor plan as well as images of two possible design directions for the community center (both for the same price) — one with a flat roof and one with sloped rooflines (see pictures below).

The Community Center Building Committee was split on which direction they prefer, so they’ll probably choose one when they meet next week. ICON Architects needs clear direction soon because their cost estimator has a January 30 deadline for getting the latest information. 

The sloped-roof concept with clerestory windows echoes the “New England saltbox” look of the renovated school across campus, while an architecturally simpler flat roof would have room for more solar panels (17,200 square feet vs. 11,000 square feet).

CCBC members were generally enthusiastic about the latest plans, though some were concerned about the reduction in size of the LEAP play area. The Magic Garden play area on the north side of the site will also be removed, but the CCBC plans to build a new playground on the former Strat’s Place site between Hartwell and Lincoln Road. Although it’s not in the community center budget, “we are working out funding for that” and will work with Magic Garden to coordinate the timing, CCNC chair Sarah Chester said.

There were also reservations about the appearance of the south-facing “light chimneys” in the sloped-roof scheme that would provide indirect natural light to the interior. Ned Collier of ICON said he would show alternative looks at a future meeting.

The CCBC will hold meetings and forums on the following dates (all are in hybrid format and start at 7 p.m.  in the Town Hall’s Donaldson Room):

  • January 24 — CCBC meeting
  • February 7 — CCBC meeting
  • February 15 — Forum on cost estimates
  • February 28 — CCBC meeting
  • March 13 — Forum for FINAL conceptual design
  • March 20 — CCBC meeting
  • March 23 — Annual Town Meeting
CC-2pods
CC-six
CC-1floor
CC-entrances
CC-3pathplay
CC-slopeback
CC-flat-outdoorspace

Clarification and correction

  • In the January 16, 2024 story headlined “Initial ideas for mall redevelopment to be presented Thursday,” the sentence stating that “the Planning Board is also considering a new ‘building footprint + parking’ parameter that limits the footprint and parking to no more than 50% of the lot” implied that this idea applied to the Village Center 3A subdistrict that includes the mall. That parameter in fact does not apply to that district, but only to the other three in South Lincoln (Lincoln Woods, Lincoln Road and Codman Road).
  • In the January 14 edition of “News acorns,” author Katherine Hall Page’s first name was mistakenly given as Kathleen.

Both original posts have been modified.

 

Initial ideas for mall redevelopment to be presented Thursday

A conceptual drawing of the front of the mall (Donelan’s is at left rear) shared by the RLF last June. 

The Rural Land Foundation will hold a public forum on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. via Zoom to present preliminary conceptual plans for redevelopment of a portion of the mall at Lincoln Station. There will be a brief presentation followed by time for questions and feedback. Click here for the Zoom link (passcode: 466177).

The mall building closer to Lincoln Woods (excluding the Tack Room, Post Office, etc.) is under discussion along with other areas in South Lincoln for rezoning to comply with the Housing Choice Act. The RLF, which owns the mall, has been in discussions for some time with Civico about ideas whereby Civico would redevelop the mall while adding a second and third floor for multifamily housing as stipulated in the HCA.

Whatever is eventually proposed will have to conform to the revised zoning bylaw now being drafted by the Planning Board in preparation for a vote at the March 23 Annual Town Meeting. The board at one point was considering whether to allow a building height of 48’ and a fourth story by special permit (up from the current limits of 36 feet for residential buildings and 42 feet for mixed-used buildings) but decided on January 9 to remove that proposal from the zoning bylaw, according to the Jan. 10 update posted on the Housing Choice Act Working Group web page.

The draft bylaw currently requires that 33% of the total square footage of all buildings on a parcel be for commercial use. In addition, 80% of a building’s frontage along Lincoln Road or along a private right of way (e.g. the driveway into Donelan’s) must be dedicated to commercial use, the update notes. For the other three subdistricts (Lincoln Woods, Lincoln Road and Codman Road but not the Village Center subdistrict that includes the mall), the Planning Board is also considering a new “building footprint + parking” parameter that limits the footprint and parking to no more than 50% of the lot. 

The number of potential housing units on the site will depend on numerous site constraints (including parking, circulation, access) and the overall economics of any proposed redevelopment project, RLF board chair Michelle Barnes said in a December 20 email to the Lincoln Squirrel.

Civico, which developed and later sold the Oriole Landing project, has been in talks with the RLF to design a mutually acceptable mall project, with the possibility of Civico eventually buying or leasing the property from the RLF. Any future sale would include deed restrictions that would mandate a certain proportion of commercial use in perpetuity, Barnes has said. RLF has no legal agreements with Civico or any other developer at this point in the process, Barnes said in December.

A redevelopment project would also require additional septic capacity. The mall uses the same wastewater facility as Lincoln Woods, which is owner by TCB (The Community Builders). Barnes said last month that the RLF has had “very preliminary discussions” with TCB about the possibility of a redevelopment project and that a design study is underway.

The schedule of Planning Board meetings, public hearings and community forums on the HCA can be found here.

Jan. 20 service in Mattapoisett for Rayna Kaplan, 83

Rayna Kaplan

Rayna Lee Caplan, 83, of Mattapoisett and Lincoln died peacefully on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. Rayna was born in Malden, Massachusetts but grew up in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, the daughter of the late Joseph and Rhoda (Klasky) Caplan. She graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy and Lasell College. 

Rayna raised her family in Lexington and also lived in Lincoln and in her beloved cottage in Mattapoisett for her adult life. The cottage was her home away from home, where she spent weekends and summers before finally moving down permanently. She warmly welcomed countless friends and family to her cottage so they could enjoy a place she found so special.

Rayna was a voracious reader, an extensive world traveler, skilled trifle maker, expert antiquer, and lover of theater and film. A cultured, inquisitive, adventurous woman who was full of immense joy, Rayna loved others and was at her happiest when connecting with friends, family and acquaintances. 

Rayna was always committed to social justice. During the 1970s, she protested for better housing in Boston and later in life was elected onto committees for Lincoln town planning and housing issues. She marched in Washington in support of gay rights and she was a lifelong advocate for women’s rights. 

Rayna worked in corporate travel for many years, a profession she loved and one that offered her the opportunity to visit numerous countries. Multiple times per year for many years, Rayna would fly off to faraway lands with the zeal and fearlessness of someone many years her junior. 

Rayna was an incredibly warm and generous soul who, throughout her life, gave back to her communities and took immense pleasure in doing so. Whether volunteering at the Lincoln Public Library, the Mattapoisett Free Public Library, or the community centers in both towns, or caring for the elderly or for children in her spare time, Rayna had a huge heart, which is epitomized in the vast number of deep and lasting friendships she forged along the way. 

She is survived by her sister, Gloria Caplan; her stepchildren, Timothy Norster and Louise Norster Arthur; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She is predeceased by her brother, Harvey Caplan.

There will be a brief memorial service outside at Ned’s Point Lighthouse at 50 Ned’s Point Road in Mattapoisett on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. Immediately following the service, friends and family will gather at Bocca Restaurant at 100 Alden Road in Fairhaven. 

Acorns for Jan. 16, 2024

Editor’s note: We’ve changed the name of this recurring feature from “News Acorns” to “Acorns” to see if that solves the problem some readers have had in accessing the last two editions of this type. Please email lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com if you have any trouble with this one! 

“Loss of Adult Child” grief support group starts Jan. 25

Care Dimensions is offering a grief support group for Massachusetts parents who have lost an adult child on Thursdays, Jan. 25 to March 14 from 10:30 a.m.–noon at the Care Dimensions Hospice House (125 Winter St. in Lincoln). To register or ask questions, call 855-774-5100 or email Grief@CareDimensions.org. Although there is no charge for this support group, donations are appreciated.

Session on reducing influence of money in elections

Julie Brogan and Susan Ryan of American Promise will explain the proposed For Our Freedom amendment to the U.S. Constitution that aims to reduce the influence of money in American politics and elections on Sunday, Jan. 28 at 3 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library to learn about the For Our Freedom amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Brogan, a Lincoln resident, is Senior Legal Fellow with the nonpartisan democracy reform group.

Lincoln Land Conservation Trust events

LLCT January Fireside Chat: “Bats 101 with Chris Richardson”
Thursday, Jan. 25 from 7–8 p.m. on Zoom
After giving the audience the quick 411 on bats, Chris Richardson will share highlights from his research into bat metabolism, thermoregulation, and immune function. Since 2012, much of his research has focused on white-nose syndrome in bats. Click here to register.

LLCT Fireside Chat: “Spotted Turtles with Liz Olson”
Tuesday, Feb. 6 from 7–8 p.m. on Zoom
Liz Olson, a wildlife biologist and Assistant Director of BiodiversityWorks on Martha’s Vineyard, will share stories from the field. Since 2020 her team has been tracking and tagging spotted turtles on the Vineyard. Click here to register.

Winter Fairyland
Saturday, Feb. 3 from 1–3 p.m. at Lincoln Station (145 Lincoln Rd.)
Step into Fairyland in your fairy finery! For one day only, a dazzling enchanted forest will appear at Lincoln Station, complete with fairy houses, ice sculptures, tasty treats, twinkling lights, and fun nature-oriented activities for all ages. Hosted by Farrington Nature Linc, LLCT, and RLF.

Farrington Nature Linc is hosting a complementary activity on Saturday, Jan. 27 from 1–3 p.m. where families can sign up for an afternoon of fairy house building. Let your imagination run wild as you create enchanting homes for our tiny friends!. Completed fairy houses will be displayed at the February 3 event at Lincoln Station. Suggested donation of $15 per house. Click here to sign up.

North River Music to play at deCordova

North River Music has an Americana sound, playing covers of rock, bluegrass, and country songs from the Eagles and Bob Dylan to the Indigo Girls and Grateful Dead. They’ll play at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. (doors at 6:30). Click here to buy tickets.

Curator talk on “Huff and a Puff”

“Huff and a Puff” by Hugh Hayden

The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum will host “’Huff and a Puff’: Thoreau’s Legacy with Jeffrey S. Cramer and Sarah Montross” on Thursday, March 14 from 6–7:30 p.m. to celebrate the recent installation of Hugh Hayden’s Huff and a Puff on the museum’s front lawn. The piece is a slanted replica of the one-room home where Henry David Thoreau lived in relative isolation at nearby Walden Pond and wrote Walden. The individually cut shingles of the cabin are of cedar, which Thoreau used for his original cabin, and the slanted bricks were custom created using locally sourced clay. The windows are mirrored so visitors can see themselves as well as the ground and sky, further altering the perception of this small house and emphasizing the viewer as part of the work. 

Huff and a Puff was commissioned by Art & the Landscape, an initiative of The Trustees of Reservations. Click here for tickets.

News acorns

Elizabeth Graver

Lincoln authors and athletes recognized

Two Lincoln authors, Elizabeth Graver and Katherine Hall Page, recently won honor for their work. Graver’s Kantika was named one of the 10 best historical fiction books of 2023 by the New York Times. (See also this Q&A with the Lincoln Squirrel from May 2023.) Page, author of several mysteries, was one of two 2024 Grand Masters special award winners announced by the Mystery Writers of America.

L-S graduate Alexandria Taylor of Lincoln will represent the United States at the 2024 Youth Winter Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea starting on January 19. She is also one of 10 athletes named to the Junior IBU Cup and Junior Open European Championships Roster and will also compete in the 2024 Youth/Junior World Championships in Estonia. Meanwhile, Lincolnite hockey player Collin Graf was featured in the Boston Globe. He decided to forgo turning pro this year and returned a junior at Quinnipiac College.

Learn about incentives for green purchases

Are you planning to reduce your home energy costs or buy an electric car this year? Larry Chretien, Director of the Green Energy Consumers Alliance, will review 2024 state and federal incentives offered through the Inflation Reduction Act in a Zoom talk on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. Presented by Lincoln CFREE, a working group of the Lincoln Green Energy Committee. Click here to register.

Celtic fiddling at deCordova

Jenna Moynihan, Assistant Professor in the Strings Department at Berklee College of Music, will give a Celtic fiddle concert at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum on Friday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30). Her fiddling style draws strongly from the Scottish tradition, but is also influenced by American, Irish, and Scandinavian styles.  Click here to buy tickets.  

Former Capitol police officer to discuss insurrection

Former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Winston Pingeon will give a talk titled “Three Years Later: A Reflection on the January 6th Insurrection” on Friday, Jan. 19 at 12:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Winston grew up in Lincoln and moved to Washington, D.C. in 2012 to study at American University. Upon graduation. he joined the U.S. Capitol Police and was an officer from 2016–2021. Join us to learn what life was like as an officer and what it was like to be an officer on January 6, 2021 and the days following.

Dance party by Insight

Insight Seminars is sponsoring a dance party for adults and older teens on Saturday, Jan. 20 from 6–10 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Insight is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the wellness and life satisfaction of all people through the processes of learning, uplift, and growth that sponsors seminars in Boston and other locations. Please bring a snack-type finger food (no dishes or silverware needed) or beverage to share if you like (no alcohol please). Questions? Contact Stephanie Kramp at 978-460-4891 or stephkramp@yahoo.com.

Talk on building rituals for kids

Clinical psychologist and parent coach Dr. Rachel Kramer will speak on “Building Routines and Rituals to Support Independence” on Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. in the Dewey Gallery at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. She will give a presentation followed by a Q&A session.

Donate items to help Boston homeless

A group of Lincoln teens are collecting clothes and necessities to deliver to the homeless in Boston through the CityReach program. Needed items include: 

  • new white socks/underwear/bras for men and women
  • new or used coats, hats, gloves, scarves
  • sweatshirts and sweaters
  • t-shirts/long-sleeve shirts
  • pants/belts
  • boots/shoes/sneakers
  • blankets/sleeping bags
  • backpacks/tote bags/fanny packs/suitcases with wheels
  • travel-size toiletries
  • toothbrushes, disposable razors, tampons

Drop off donations in the Religious Education office at the stone church. Teens are also invited to volunteer on January 26-27 visiting homeless sites in downtown Boston and distributing goods and food to the unhoused. Cost is $70. Contact Lora Venesy (lora@fplincoln.org) or Jason McLure (jmclure@yahoo.com).

Virginia Rundell passes away; Pierce House gathering on Jan. 21

Virginia Rundell

With deep sadness, the family of Virginia Quinn Rundell announces her passing on Wednesday, January 10 of complications from cancer.

The arc of Virginia’s life and career was filled with renewal and re-invention centered around her love of the English language, clarity, precision and grace in written communication, and her commitment to collegiality and consideration of the people around her.

A 1973 graduate of Peabody Veterans Memorial High School, Virginia received her Bachelor of Arts in English, magna cum laude, from Salem State University in 1977, followed by her Master of Arts in English Literature from Tufts University in 1981. Following early work in development and recruiting with the New England Board of Higher Education and Tufts University, Virginia began a career pivot to architecture with studies at the Boston Architectural College. Melding that interest with her background in communications, she launched a career in professional services marketing, starting with several Boston-area architecture and engineering firms, where she met her future architect-husband, Rick Rundell.

This was followed by the start of her own business, advising design firms on the designer-selection processes for state agencies, and culminated with five years as Marketing Director for Goody Clancy, a prominent Boston-area architecture firm. During this time she was also an energetically contributing member of the Boston Chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services, including service on the board. Virginia continued marketing and editorial consulting as she and Rick entered their child-rearing years, including over a decade as Associate Editor for ArchitectureBoston magazine, and doing myriad editorial projects for design-related organizations including Historic New England and the Urban Land Institute.

In 2012 Virginia moved with her family to Lincoln, Mass., and rapidly took on volunteer roles supporting the community, chairing the Pierce House Property Committee and serving on the Advisory Board for Friends of Modern Architecture/Lincoln. She also returned at this time to a lifelong dream of becoming a librarian. While working at the Watertown Free Public Library then the Boston Athenæum, Virginia pursued graduate studies, including internships with the historical collections at Mount Auburn Cemetery and the Gottlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University. She received her Master of Library and Information Science from Kent State University in 2018. In 2021 she combined her passion for civic engagement with her passion for libraries and archives in a new role as the Town Archivist for Lincoln, where she continued to work actively at both Town Hall and Lincoln Library sites until just a few short months before her passing.

Virginia’s love of the written word was matched only by her love of singing. She was delighted with the launch of Revels Singers in 2012 and sang and volunteered with them for many years. She also sang with the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus over the last few years and joined two seasons of the Oxford Churchmusic summer choral experience.

A devoted wife, loving mother, wise counselor, and tactful diplomat, Virginia leaves her loving husband, Richard (“Rick”) Rundell, daughter Elisabeth (“Ellie”) Rundell of Somerville, son Ford Rundell and his wife, Katie (Cook) Rundell of Lovell, Wyoming; sister Anne Quinn of Peabody, brother Michael Quinn of Dublin, Ohio, and beloved aunt Irene Zielski of Peabody. Virginia was predeceased by her parents, Michael R. and Helen V. (Zielski) Quinn of Peabody, Massachusetts.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Virginia’s name to The Friends of the Lincoln Library, 3 Bedford Rd., Lincoln, MA 01773 (www.lincolnpl.org).

Arrangements are under the care of Concord Funeral Home (75 Belknap St., Concord MA, 978-369-3388), which provided this obituary. Click here to visit Virginia’s online guest book.