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

Efforts underway to reduce community center borrowing by several million dollars

A group of residents has kicked off a fund-raising effort to help lessen the impact of community center construction on property tax bills and hopes to get several million dollars in pledges before the Town Meeting funding vote on March 23.

The Town Meeting motion, which hasn’t been drawn up yet, will include a request for a specific bonding amount that will be affected partly by what other sources can be tapped to pay for the building. Residents authorized design of a community center at 100% of the cost of an earlier estimate (about $24 million) at a Special Town Meeting in December 2023. 

The group is applying for grants from corporations and other organizations as well as donations from “Lincoln individuals and organizations that are well established,” Peter Von Mertens told the Select Board on January 8. An upcoming townwide mailing will offer naming rights for at least 16 parts of the building in return for donations at various levels.

Von Mertens is a member of the Council on Aging & Human Services (COA&HS). Its affiliated private nonprofit, the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging (FLCOA), has promised to match every community center donation dollar for dollar, he said, adding that the fundraising effort hopes to reduce the project cost “virtually down to [the 75% option]” by raising $2 million to $5 million.

The FLCOA’s latest tax statement shows it has $1.73 million in assets and no liabilities. Some of its funds have been restricted by donors to specific activities such as field trips or speakers, Von Mertens told the Lincoln Squirrel, “but we do have $1 million in the bank and hope to give it all to help support the community center.”

“This will help residents’ attitude toward the project [as] cost has been a big factor in people’s thinking,” said Jim Hutchinson of the Select Board, which endorsed the fundraising effort. Anyone interested in making a tax-deductible donation should contact Von Mertens (petervonmertens@gmail.com) or COA&HS Chair Dilla Tingley (dillatingley@gmail.com).

Also in the mix is the Ogden Codman Trust, which helped pay for the town pool several years ago and has distributed an average of about $200,000 in grants and loans annually in recent years for various projects and causes in Lincoln. In 2022, it provided grants ranging from $1,818 to $95,000 to the St. Vincent de Paul Society – St. Joseph Conference (which runs the town’s food pantry), the Parks and Recreation Department, Codman Community Farms, Mass Audubon, Farrington Nature Linc, Historic New England, and the Town of Lincoln.

Town officials have “opened conversations” with the Ogden Codman Trust and “they were very excited to get involved in the [community center] project — they loved the idea of participating,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said. Details such as the structure of a possible grant (a one-time amount or spread over several years) and specific dollar figures have not yet been discussed, he added. 

“The Trust has had a very preliminary discussion with the town regarding a potential grant to help fund the town’s proposed community center,” trustee Susan Monahan confirmed. “The Trust will not provide any further information regarding subsequent discussions, but rather will look to the Town to provide any such further information as appropriate.”

In the upcoming town budget, the Finance Committee may also recommend applying a certain amount of the town’s stabilization fund to help pay for the project. Voters approved adding $1.44 million to the fund a year ago.

Police log for January 2–9, 2024

January 2

Old County Road (3:08 p.m.) — A motorist reported that their vehicle was struck by another that fled the scene. Investigation ongoing.

Wells Road (3:56 p.m.) — A resident called to speak with an officer regarding a civil matter.

Concord Road (3:57 p.m.) — An individual reported a trail camera on conservation property.

Hanscom AFB Vandenberg Gate (5:08 p.m.) — Hanscom Security Forces called to report that David Sousa, 50, of Malden had an active arrest warrant from the state of New Hampshire. Lincoln officers arrived on scene and took Sousa into custody. After being booked, he was transported to the Billerica House of Correction.

January 3

Trapelo Road (7:21 a.m.) — A caller reported seeing a deceased coyote in the roadway. An officer and DPW staff searched the area but were unable to locate the animal.

Bypass Road (11:04 a.m.) — A caller asked to speak to an officer regarding a past issue.

Acorn Lane (12:54 p.m.) — A caller reported seeing an unknown male in their yard. Police responded and confirmed the male to be an employee of the Cambridge Water Department.

MBTA Station (1:00 p.m.) — A vehicle was cited for nonpayment at the commuter lot.

Silver Birch Lane (5:04 p.m.) — A caller reported their neighbor’s dogs were barking. An officer responded and detected no noise.

Giles Road (5:51 p.m.) — A caller reported a large pack of coyotes in their yard barking at their dog.

Minuteman Technical High School (8:45 p.m.) — A caller reported their child was overdue. While on the phone with an officer, the child returned home.

January 4

Hanscom Law Enforcement, Robbins Road, Bedford (9:53 a.m.) — Hanscom Security Forces called to report that Daniel Chouinard, 42, of Beverly had an active arrest warrant out of Salem District Court. He was taken into custody, booked, and transported to Concord District Court.

Lincoln Road (1:38 p.m.) — A vehicle was cited for nonpayment at the commuter lot.

January 5

(Log temporarily unavailable)

January 6

Lincoln Road (9:39 a.m.) — A caller reported seeing a vehicle in the parking lot with the driver’s door open. An officer responded and secured the vehicle. It appeared the operator neglected to properly close the door.

Morningside Lane (4:28 p.m.) — A caller asked to speak to an officer regarding parking.

Wells Road (5:17 p.m.) — A resident spoke to an officer regarding a neighbor dispute.

January 7

There were reports of trees, branches or wires down starting at 7:07 a.m. on Blueberry Lane, Cedar Road, South Great Road, Beaver Pond Road, Tower Road, Bypass Road, Laurel Drive, Lexington Road, Old County Road, Lincoln Road, Conant Road, Boyce Farm Road, Silver Arc Lane, Mill Street, North Great Road, Sandy Pond Road, Huckleberry Hill, Sunnyside Lane, Baker Bridge Road, and Page Road.

North Great Road (11:37 p.m.) — A caller reported that a vehicle had crashed into a stone wall. There were no injuries.

Route 2 Gas (6:09 p.m.) — AAA called to report a possibly intoxicated motorist that crashed on Route 2. Massachusetts State Police were dispatched.

Bedford Road (10:39 p.m.) — A motorist drove into a fallen tree. There were no injuries. Eversource was notified due to downed wires.

January 8

There were reports of trees, branches or wires down starting at 8:16 a.m. on Trapelo Road, Page Road, Old Winter Street, Lincoln Cemetery, and Old Conant Road.

South Great Road (12:54 a.m.) — Eversource required Route 117 remain closed between Lincoln Road and Concord Road for emergency repairs to a utility pole. The road was reopened at approximately 5:30 a.m.

Lexington Road (8:07 a.m.) — A section of Lexington Road was plowed after the road had been closed due to downed trees and wires.

Fenway Lane, Hanscom AFB (12:24 p.m.) —Lincoln Police responded to Hanscom Air Force Base to assist Hanscom Security Forces and the Office of Special Investigations.

January 9

North Great Road (6:43 a.m.) — A crash occurred after a vehicle turning left from Hanscom Drive struck a vehicle turning left onto Hanscom Drive. There were no injuries reported.

Bypass Road (4:29 p.m.) — A crash occurred when a vehicle stopped with traffic and was struck from behind by another. There were no injuries reported. Both vehicles were towed from the scene.

Baker Bridge Road (4:56 p.m.) — A caller reported that there was no water service to a home. The Water Department was notified.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (5:06 p.m.) — A motorist reported a two-vehicle crash on Route 2. Massachusetts State Police were on scene and handled booking the crash.

Codman Road (5:35 p.m.) — A caller reported seeing a male wearing all black walking on the side of Codman Road. An officer located the individual and provided some assistance while they made their way to a residence.

Codman Road (6:23 p.m.) — A second call about the same individual was received. An officer assisted the individual to an awaiting ride.

Clickers could be used at future Town Meetings — but not this March

A vote-tallying clicker made by Meridia.

The town is moving toward buying electronic handheld “clickers” to record resident votes in real time and speed up the tallying process at Town Meetings — but they won’t be available for the Annual Town Meeting (ATM) in March.

The drive for clickers went into high gear after the December 2, 2023 Special Town Meeting, which featured two multiple-choice votes whose results required hours to tally. The slow process highlighted a problem with Town Meetings in general: they’re too long, and many residents aren’t able to sit through a meeting of several hours to vote on the one or two articles that interest them.

Citing state law that requires Town Meetings to be held in person (both discussion and voting), Town counsel has given its “unequivocal opinion” that any sort of direct remote participation is not allowed, Town Administrator Tim Higgins said at the January 8 Select Board meeting, noting that the requirement was not altered even at the height of the Covid pandemic. Meetings can be streamed, meaning people can follow the proceedings online, but they may not speak or vote unless they attend in person.

One idea that was alluded to at the meeting but not discussed in detail was having people watch the meeting from home and then go to the school auditorium to vote when they saw that the item of interest was coming up shortly. Town Meetings now require voters to check in at the start of the meeting.

Another idea: splitting Town Meeting into two sessions, one for discussion of the issues and one solely for voting. But this would seem to clash with the requirement that questions and discussion be allowed on each motion once it’s on the floor. This would be a problem for voters who weren’t able to attend the first session. The town plans to seek a legal opinion about whether splitting up a Town Meeting in this way is allowed.

Same format but with clickers?

“I’m not going to pretend it went smoothly [in December] and we shouldn’t be moving toward clickers,” Select Board member Kim Bodnar said. The technology would save the time needed to count standing votes on issues where there isn’t a clear majority after the voice vote.

At the upcoming ATM, the Town Clerk’s office is requesting about $30,000 in the fiscal 2025 budget to buy clickers — though even if approved, those funds would not be available until July 2024.

Another hitch: any expenditure over $10,00 must be put out to bid, further constraining the timeline. “You can’t just go out and purchase them off the shelf,” Higgins said. Even if the money were raised privately, “you have to have confirmation that the funds are in hand before going out to bid… Under any circumstances, it would be rushed to have it for March, but we especially want to be careful” this spring, because of the crucial issues to be voted on: Housing Choice Act rezoning, and a community center.

However, Sara Mattes argued at the Select Board meeting that this was the very reason that clickers are needed in March, because quick and accurate voting results are vital when the issues are so important to the town’s future.

“It is not rocket science,” she said, noting that town officials have reports from other towns that have successfully implemented a clicker system. She also suggested gathering donations to rent clickers. “Let’s call it a pilot project that is privately funded for this upcoming Town Meeting… It would certainly go a long way toward restoring some faith in decision-making and [alleviate] the frustration we had at the last Town Meeting.”

The Selects were not receptive, however. For one thing, there’s a learning curve for employing clickers on the part of officials and residents at the meeting. Bodnar suggested trying them out at an unofficial State of the Town vote, or on an ATM warrant article that is less critical and controversial.

Another issue is the question of anonymity. When a clicker is given to a resident at a Town Meeting, “does it become public record what vote they cast? Those are the kind of things we have to carefully think through,” Higgins said.

Fortunately, there will not be any complicated multi-part votes in March. If a voice vote on a given issue is inconclusive, “there will be a standing vote, it will be secured, it will be formal. It’s an up or down vote,” he said.

“On a municipal scale, we’re moving at lightning speed with this one,” Select Board member Jim Hutchinson said.

But Mattes was not mollified. “You’re not going to have [clickers] in place for a generational vote. I find it, with all due respect, unconscionable,” she said.

News acorns

L-S Cabaret Concert on Thursday

Join us for a night of music in an intimate musical setting featuring a capella groups, vocal soloists, symphonic and concert jazz ensembles, and jazz combos at the annual L-S Cabaret Concert on Thursday, Jan. 11 from 7:30–9 p.m. in the high school cafeteria. Admission is $5. L-S Friends of Music will sell snacks and beverages.

File papers to run for town office

There are 13 seats in town government that will appear on the ballot at the town election on March 25, and nominating papers can be picked up at the Town Clerk Valerie Fox’s office until January 31. Papers must be returned by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 2. For more information, please contact Fox at foxv@lincolntown.org or 781-259-2607. The following offices will appear on the March ballot:

  • Board of Assessors — one seat for three years
  • Board of Health — one seat for three years
  • Cemetery Commission — one seat for three years
  • Commissioners of Trust Funds — one seat for three years
  • Housing Commission — one seat for three years
  • Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committee — two seats for three years each
  • Parks and Recreation Committee — one seat for three years
  • Planning Board — one seat for three years
  • K-8 School Committee — two seats for three years
  • Select Board — one seat for three years
  • Bemis Trustee — one seat for three years
  • Water Commissioner — one seat for three years

Deadline for Annual Town Meeting petitions is Jan. 22

This year’s deadline for submitting citizens’ petitions for the March 23 Annual Town Meeting is Monday, Jan. 22 at noon. Citizens considering sponsoring a Town Meeting petition are strongly urged to contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 781-259-2607 or foxv@lincolntown.org) for guidance about the process. The office will contact the people identified as lead petitioners to ensure coordination as we prepare for the discussions and presentations that will be occurring in advance of Town Meeting.

Film on esteemed architect

Friends of Modern Architecture/Lincoln presents “Josep Lluis Sert: A Nomadic Dream” as part of the Lincoln Winter Carnival on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Library’s Tarbell Room. The 2015 documentary tells the story of Sert, a talented architect and city planner. who fled his home country during the Spanish Civil War and was later dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design from 1953 to 1969.

Two new police officers join the force

Town Clerk Valeria Fox recently swore in new Lincoln Police Department Officers Kelsey Francher (second from left) and Vincent Oliveri (far right). With them and Fox is Police Chief Sean Kennedy.

Donate items for those dealing with domestic violence

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable invites everyone to donate items and help assemble Valentine’s Day bags for families in shelter and transitional housing on Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. at the Sudbury First Parish Church (327 Concord Rd, Sudbury). Examples of needed items are gift cards for CVS, Target, Market Basket, and gas cards as well as full-size bath products, socks, cosmetics, nail polish, hair products, journals, gloves/mittens, boxed candy, wash cloths, underwear and scarves. Items for children could include playing cards, educational materials, small toys, small stuffed animals, underwear, socks, and candy. No books, crayons, pencils or markers please. Donations may be left in the collection basket provided at Sudbury Wine and Spirits in the Rugged Bear Plaza Road (410 Boston Post Rd., Sudbury) from January 19 to February 2. For more information, email info@dvrt.org.

Doo-Wop Singers fundraiser benefits food pantry

Food Pantry Coordinator Karen Boyce accepts the check from Doo Wop Singers Harold McAleer (left) and Peter Stewart.

In December, the Lincoln Council on Aging and Human Services’ Doo-Wop Singing Group held a concert at Bemis Hall that raised over $300 to benefit the Lincoln food pantry. “It’s just a start; more is yet to come!” said group leader Peter Stewart (the group is already planning a second benefit concert some time this spring).

Demand on the food pantry has steadily grown over the past decade (332 clients in December 2022, up from an average of 28 per month in 2012). To learn more about how to donate to the food pantry, click here. If you are a family in need of nutritional support, please contact the Lincoln Council on Aging & Human Services at 781-259-8811. The Doo Wop Singing Group welcomes new members and meets every Monday at 10:00 a.m. in Bemis Hall. 

The Old Town Hall celebrates its 175th birthday this year

The Old Town Hall has wandered quite a bit in its 175 years. It was built in 1848 at a time when Lincoln needed a new civic gathering place. Until then, the town had used the original meetinghouse built in 1746 where today’s stone church now stands. The new Town House was built opposite the meetinghouse across Bedford Road, with its classic Greek Revival colonnade facing south over the town common, toward the town well and where the Minute Men had mustered in 1775 (photo #1). There it stood for forty years, witness to the Transcendentalist and Abolitionist movements, the Civil War, industrialization, and the early gentrification of Lincoln. It was a witness as well when the old meetinghouse burned to the ground in 1859.

1. The future Old Town Hall in its original location.

In 1891, when George Bemis gave the town funds to build a new civic center, the Old Town Hall was put up for purchase. James L. Chapin (1824‑1902) bought the structure, moved it down the hill to a site just north of the today’s white church (photo #2), and put it to good use as a general store, post office and gathering place. Chapin’s son George continued the business until his death in 1918. The building was then purchased by Charles S. Smith. Again, the structure was jacked up and moved to its current site on Lincoln Road. Remarkably, as the building was moved down the hill in stages on rollers and props, the store and post office remained open, with planks set up for customer access during business hours (photo #3).

2. The Greek Revival building after it was moved closer to the white church in 1891.

The Old Town Hall continued as post office and general store for much of the twentieth century (photo #4), operated by Elmer A. and Charles L. Rollins and finally by Alfred M. Davis. In the 1950s there were two gas pumps out front, the post office and post boxes inside on the right, glass candy counter and racks of cigars and bagged snacks with canned goods and necessities on shelves on the left, and a walk-in refrigerated room and meat counter with a hamburger grinder plus an ice cream/popsicle freezer in the back of the building. The second floor was at various times occupied by law and real estate offices and a small publisher. A watering trough outside was a stopover for horses, at least one of which was known to eat popsicles, spitting out the sticks. Needless to say, kids on foot or bicycle found the store a perfect place to spend their weekly allowance.

3. The building remained open while it was moved for the second time in about 1919.

As the Davis era came to an end, the building was acquired in 1962 by the nonprofit Old Town Hall Corporation. Residents still come by daily to pick up their mail, just as they did in the Chapin era. The Old Town Hall Exchange offers an eclectic collection of interesting items for sale, many on consignment, as well as antiques displayed in the basement.

4. The Old Town Hall in the 1960s, complete with gas pumps.

Around 1990, the original glass display cases so memorably used for candy and cigars in the Chapin/Davis era were moved to the library for use. A decade later, they were judged unsafe for the library and were on the verge of being thrown into a dumpster when they were rescued and moved back to the Old Town Hall, where they’re being reutilized by the Exchange in their old location.

“Lincoln’s History” is an occasional column by members of the Lincoln Historical Society.

Service on Jan. 20 for Jane Bartter, 1921–2023

Jane L. Bartter

Jane Lillard Bartter died peacefully on December 15, 2023, at the age of 102.

Jane was born on July 10, 1921, in Marion, the daughter of Walter Huston and Ethel Hazen Lillard. Because her father was headmaster of Tabor Academy, she was one of only four girls to attend the all-boys school at the time, graduating in 1937. Jane did a postgraduate year at the Knox School before attending Smith College, where she majored in early education and child development.

Jane’s career as an educator was put on hold. World War II broke out as she graduated and was drafted by Naval Intelligence to serve in the war effort. She served in Washington, D.C., for the next two years as one of a group of young women now referred to as the “Code Girls.” The Code Girls worked to decipher coded Japanese transport messages, helping the Navy to identify and destroy war supply ships.

During this time, she met her future husband, Frederic C. Bartter, a Harvard-trained doctor. The two were married in 1946 and spent the first year in Guatemala, where Fred was posted by the Public Health Service to research a tropical eye disease affecting U.S. troops. They moved to New York the following year, where Jane was hired as director of recreational therapy at Presbyterian Hospital. When Fred was appointed an intern at Mass General Hospital in 1948, the couple moved to Boston. Jane was assistant director of the Simmons College Nursery School for a year and then director of the Laboratory School at Children’s Hospital.

In 1951, Fred was appointed chief of the Endocrine-Hypertension Branch at the National Institutes of Health, and the couple moved yet again, this time to Washington, D.C., where they would raise their three children, Frederic Jr., Thaddeus, and Pamela.

Jane joined the staff of the Norwood School in Bethesda, Md., in 1959, where she spent the next 18 years teaching kindergarten and eventually taking on administrative roles, including assistant to the director and a stint as acting director. Upon her retirement, she was hailed as “dedicated and devoted, concerned and perceptive — always giving more of herself physically and of her talents and time than was ever expected.”

When Fred retired from the Public Health Service in 1978, he took a position at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. The couple loved the Spanish influence and heritage of the city. Jane retired from teaching and started a new venture importing clothing and folk art from Central and South America, drawing on her time in Guatemala as a newlywed.

Jane remained in Texas after Fred’s sudden death in 1983 but eventually moved to Lincoln in 2010 to be close to her daughter and grandchildren. Always wanting to be useful, she immediately volunteered at Codman Community Farms, answering the phone and doing accounting. Incredibly, at 93, she volunteered two mornings per week at the Lincoln Schools, tutoring first graders in reading. She also joined the Church Service League at St. Anne’s-in-the-Fields.

Jane was a devoted wife and mother. She was also passionate about dogs, animal rights, feeding the hungry, and effecting political change.

Jane’s son Frederic Jr. died in 2008. She is survived by her daughter Pamela Bartter, her son Thaddeus Bartter, four grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

Family and friends will gather to honor and remember Jane for her memorial service on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 11 a.m. in St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church (147 Concord Rd., Lincoln).

Arrangements under the care of Concord Funeral Home, which provided this obituary. To visit Jane’s online guestbook, click here.

Service on Jan. 20 for Don Bienfang, 84

Dr. Don Bienfang

There will be a service in Lincoln on January 20 for Dr. Don Bienfang, M.D., Chief of Neuro-Ophthalmology at Brigham and Woman’s Hospital and Associate Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, who died on December 9, 2023 at age 84 after a brief illness.

Born in Elmhurst, Ill., the son of Esther (Kuhlow) and Mark Bienfang, Don was a graduate of York High School’s class of 1956 and went on to complete an undergraduate degree in Mathematics at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana in 1960, and then to Harvard Medical School in 1960. As a medical student, Don worked at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, becoming its first respiratory therapist in 1961, and held a research position in Naples, Italy. Graduating from Harvard Medical School in 1965 and following his internship, fellowship, and residencies that took him to the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Md., and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Don returned to the Brigham in 1972 and, with his partner Leo T. Chylack Jr., founded the Ophthalmology group, beginning a nearly five-decade-long career at the Brigham.

As a distinguished surgeon and clinician, Don was known for his expertise and depth of knowledge, his warmth, and his wonderfully dry and intellectual sense of humor. Don was a true believer in listening and talking to his patients, often in their native language, to allow the patient to guide the diagnosis. Don felt honored to learn from icons in the field and, in turn, he served the Boston and international communities as a surgeon and teacher of neuro-ophthalmology with dedication and love. Along with the multitude of patients for whom he cared over five decades, Don’s professional legacy lives on in the doctors he mentored, and what is now known as Bienfang’s test for myasthenia gravis, a simple noninvasive test for an autoimmune disease that is difficult to diagnose.

Don met Denise, his wife of 60 years, in 1961, and they were married in 1964, He leaves behind two sons, Matthew Bienfang (Elizabeth) of Hingham and Joshua Bienfang of Bethesda, Md. Don was a devoted husband and a loving father, and he enjoyed and cultivated the ability to send Denise into helpless peals of laughter with his unexpected humor; one of her fondest memories is listening from the bottom of the stairs at their young son’s bedtime while Don gave their stuffed animals personalities and made them talk.

Don and Denise shared an independent-minded approach to life, and in 1974 they moved to Lincoln to embrace the back-to-the-land ethos of the time. In Lincoln, Don built a blacksmith forge, used wood-burning stoves for heat, raised chickens (and a few mean geese), and tended a large garden. Don’s chickens and their homegrown eggs became a feature of the family and community, and tending them served as a meditative evening pastime for him.

Don was not a slave to convention and he enjoyed being that way. In 1985 he slapped on a “Honk if You’re Horny” bumper sticker on his car just to see (until his family made him take it off)… he collected exotic breeds of chickens and unique power tools for his farmstead… he put offbeat cartoons on the insides of the kitchen cabinets for Denise to find… he preferred nonlethal pest control so he built a tunnel to protect the chickens and he kept deer out of his garden with his own scent… he felt a deep love for each of the dogs and at least one of his family’s cats.

He had a wonderful enthusiasm for trying new things, including baking bread, making root beer, motorcycling, playing mandolin, and painting. In the early 1960s in Naples, he developed a taste for espresso, and his sons fondly remember Saturday trips into Boston to watch back-to-back kung fu movies in Chinatown and then to the North End to get a cannoli and an espresso or two.

Don took up running in the late 1970s, and he ran the Boston and New York Marathons multiple times. He was a member of the Harvard Club and the Longfellow Tennis Club, and he enjoyed playing squash and tennis with his friends. He had an unreturnable chip shot that he deployed whenever his children or grandchildren made the mistake of trying to go easy on the old man.

Don and Denise traveled widely together, and later they turned a house on Cape Cod into a gathering point for their family and their large community of friends. Don loved being “Grandpa-Fang” to his grandchildren Micah, Britt, Abby, Caroline, Lily, and Sam. He loved to take them up to the chickens to hunt for eggs or to ride the tractor with him as he mowed the fields in Lincoln.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the memorial service at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, at the First Parish Church (4 Bedford Road in Lincoln).

Town reminds residents of leafblower regulations

In response to a resident complaint, Building Commissioner and Zoning Enforcement Officer Mark Robidoux recently issued a letter reminding Lincolnites of the town’s 2019 leaf blower bylaw:

  • Electric and battery-powered leaf blowers may be used all year, subject to time-of-day limitations: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 am.–5 p.m. for all users (residents and contractors), plus Sundays and holidays from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. for residents only.
  • Gas-powered leaf blowers may be used only from October 1 to December 20 and from March 20 to May 31, subject to the same time-of-day restrictions.

The bylaw allows exceptions for public safety and emergency situations, and the building inspector has some limited discretion to grant one-day exemptions based on written applications.

“In terms of enforcement, I am hopeful that by making our landscape professionals (a letter was sent out to all major local landscape companies) and residents aware of this bylaw that the need for enforcement will be limited,” Robidoux wrote. “Complaints will be investigated in a timely manner; please contact the building commissioner during normal business hours and the police during non-business hours. When enforcement is required, warnings will be issued for a first violation, with a fine of $100 for each subsequent violation.”

Anyone with questions may contact Robidoux at 781-259-2613 or robidouxm@lincolntown.org.

Police log — and two retirements — for Dec. 23, 2023 to Jan. 1, 2024

Sgt. Paul Westlund in his patrol car on his last day.

The end of 2023 saw two retirements from the Lincoln Police Department: Chief Kevin Kennedy and Sgt. Paul Westlund, who was officially signed out by Kennedy via radio for his final shift on December 27 after 23 years of service (see the video on both Facebook or Instagram).

Kennedy himself got the same recognition when he went off duty for the last time on December 15 — see a video on Facebook, and a photo and a note from him on Instagram. Kennedy served the Lincoln Police Department for 31 years and was named chief in 2014.

Retiring Police Chief Kevin Kennedy.

December 23

Minebrook Road (11:30 a.m.) — A caller reported that their dog was attacked by another while walking trails close to their residence. An officer responded and was able to identify all parties involved. The Animal Control Officer was notified.

Indian Camp Lane (2:36 p.m.) — A caller reported a family member had been missing for approximately 30 minutes. Police and fire resources responded to the scene. The missing individual was safely located a short time later.

Bedford Road (11:15 p.m.) — A caller requested an officer respond to their residence for an ongoing matter.

December 24

Lincoln Road (6:06 p.m.) — An individual called to speak with an officer regarding a previous incident.

Spruce Hill Road, Weston (7:33 p.m.) — Weston police called for mutual aid assistance for a check on a suspicious motor vehicle parked in their town. A Lincoln officer responded.

December 25

Tower Road (4:50 p.m.) — A caller requested a response to their residence. An officer responded and checked the property.

Giles Road (8:14 p.m.) — An officer responded to a residence to assist the homeowner.

December 26

The Commons of Lincoln (4:49 p.m.) — A caller requested to speak with an officer regarding a possible fraud.

Lexington Road (2:45 p.m.) — An officer followed up on a past altercation at the Lexington Road Cemetery.

December 27

Longmeadow Road (2:48 p.m.) — A caller reported their vehicle was struck while parked at the mall but they didn’t notice the damage until they returned home. An officer responded and took a report.

December 28

Moccasin Hill (1:13 p.m.) — Parties requested an officer’s presence for the signing of documents.

Meadowdam Road (4:33 p.m.) — A caller asked to speak with an officer about being the victim of a possible scam.

Concord Road (4:49 p.m.) — A two-vehicle crash occurred when a vehicle attempting to turn left onto Route 117 was struck from behind by a vehicle attempting to travel straight on Route 126. There were no reported injuries and both vehicles were able to be driven from the scene.

December 29

Bypass Road (1:30 a.m.) — An officer spoke to several individuals regarding a landlord/tenant dispute.

Virginia Road (11:27 a.m.) — The Council on Aging and Human Services requested a well-being check on a resident. Officers checked the residence but the person no longer resides at the provided address.

Trapelo Road (2:28 p.m.) — A caller reported seeing a dog run into the roadway then run back into a yard on Trapelo Road. The caller was advised that there is no leash law but took note should a dog be reported missing.

South Great Road (7:12 p.m.) — A caller reported that the railroad gates were stuck down at the Route 117 crossing. An officer responded and observed that the gates appeared to be working without issue. The MBTA and Keolis were notified of the apparent malfunction.

Wells Road (8:14 p.m.) — The Fire Department responded for an odor of natural gas coming from the roadway. The Fire Department metered the area and detected normal readings. National Grid was notified.

December 30

Nothing of note.

December 31

First responders helped an injured hiker on Mt. Misery. (Photo courtesy Lincoln Fire Department Instagram page)

Fire Department personnel rescued a hiker on Mt Misery who had injured their leg. They were removed from the woods using their specialized ATV rescue setup. The patient was then transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

(Editor’s note: for reasons of patient privacy, the Lincoln Squirrel normally does not report on medical-related calls logged by the Police and Fire Departments, but this incident was reported by the Fire Department on their Instagram page.)

January 1

Lincoln Road (6:11 p.m.) — A walk-in at the police station reported the railroad gates at Lincoln Road were repeatedly going up and down without a train passing through. An officer responded to monitor. Keolis was notified.