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

Police log for December 8–15, 2024

December 8

Twin Pond Lane (7:23 a.m.) — Officers responded to a residence to investigate tire tracks left in the snow.

Lincoln Road (7:31 p.m.) — An officer noticed the railroad crossing gates appeared to be malfunctioning. The officer remained on scene for a cycle and the MBTA was notified.

December 9

Weston Road (6:47 p.m.) — A person reported being the possible victim of a fraud.

Harvest Circle (11:10 p.m.) — An officer helped a family member contact a relative in Lincoln.

December 10

Ent Road, Hanscom AFB (2:20 a.m.) — Officer assisted Hanscom Air Force Base Security Forces with a well-being check on a juvenile.

North Great Road (7:25 a.m.) — A two vehicle crash occurred at the intersection of Hanscom Drive when a vehicle traveling east lost control and struck an oncoming vehicle. One of the operators was transported to the hospital. The operator who lost control was cited for a marked lanes violation. Both vehicles were towed from the scene.

Lexington Road (11:54 a.m.) — A person reported a missing or stolen item from their entryway.

Lincoln Road 4:59 p.m.) — Officers responded to the intersection of Lincoln Road and Route 117 for a three-vehicle crash after one vehicle failed to yield at the intersection, ultimately striking two others. One of the drivers was transported to the hospital and two of the three vehicles were towed from the scene. The driver that caused the crash was cited for failure to yield.

North Great Road (6:21 p.m.) — A dead deer was reported in a travel lane. The Mass. Highway Department was alerted.

December 11

Lincoln Road (7:32 a.m.) — A motorist reported a possible malfunction with the railroad crossing gates. An officer responded and monitored the gates; there appeared to be no issue.

Tower Road (12:32 p.m.) — An officer spoke to a person regarding an ongoing situation.

Wells Road (7:56 p.m.) — The Fire Department responded for the odor of smoke in an office that turned out to be coming from a malfunctioning dryer.

December 12

Weston Road (8:31 a.m.) — An officer served court paperwork.

Windingwood Lane (12:53 p.m.) — An officer spoke to a person regarding possible threatening text messages.

Lincoln Road (3:57 p.m.) — A person turned in several items marked for destruction.

Old Winter Street (4:50 p.m.) — A caller reported a malfunctioning streetlight. The DPW was notified.

Page Road (6:10 p.m.) — An officer performed a wellness check on a person they encountered.

Bedford Road (6:49 p.m.) — Officers were called to a residence for a vehicle stopped in the driveway. They encountered the operator, identified as John O’Donovan, 68, from Brookfield, Conn., and arrested him for operating under the influence of alcohol. He was briefly transported to the hospital prior to being booked at the station and was later bailed and ordered to appear at Concord District Court the following day.

December 13

Autumn Lane (3:48 p.m.) — An officer helped a person retrieve some items from a residence.

Huckleberry Hill (5:24 p.m.) — An officer investigated a parking complaint on Huckleberry Hill. The vehicle in question was gone on arrival.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (6:19 p.m.) — An officer helped a motorist with a flat tire.

December 14

North Great Road (9:41 a.m.) — The Fire Department investigated a report about an odor of natural gas inside a structure. The area was metered with negative findings.

Wells Road (12:16 p.m.) — An officer assisted a motorist with an issue related to their vehicle.

Page Road (12:30 p.m.) — An officer assisted a person with an ongoing matter.

Tower Road (4:25 p.m.) — A person reported stolen packages.

Baker Bridge Road (4:55 p.m.) — A caller reported a suspicious object in the sky. An officer responded and confirmed the object was most likely a planet.

Old Sudbury Road (9:00 p.m.) — An officer made a notification at the request of an outside agency.

December 15

Ridge Road (2:24 p.m.) — A caller reported a missing cat. The Animal Control Officer was notified.

Residents hear about finances, zoning, Lincoln250, and more

Six organizations offered updates and a look ahead at the State of the Town meeting on December 7. There are links to each group’s presentation on the SOTT web page. Some highlights discussed on Saturday:

Finance Committee

“Lincoln’s financials remain incredibly strong,” said FinCom chair Paul Blanchfield. His presentation included a summary of revenue and expenses in the current fiscal year, a budget process timetable for fiscal 2026, tax comparisons to other area towns, and some possible future capital projects. The closest in expected timeframe is roadway improvements, which will be needed in the next 3–5 years for approximately $15 million, he said. 

Community center

The detailed design for the building is now being produced and the $24.02 million project is expected to break ground in July 2025, with completion by late fall 2026, said Community Center Building Committee co-chair Sarah Chester. The town has already made a $6.7 million “down payment” from free cash, the stabilization fund, and donations; the remaining $15.8 million will be bonded next fall. The borrowing amount may be slightly less than originally expected because “interest rates are moving in our favor — we’re in a much better position than we expected to be,” Blanchfield said.

Initial plans were based on a 4.5% projected interest rate, but the current rate is about 3.8%, so officials are now factoring a rate of 4.25% into the borrowing estimate. As a result, the FinCom hopes to offset the previously expected tax increase associated with the project for the next fiscal year. The town has $40 million of debt capacity and will have $23 million remaining after the bonding, Blanchfield said.

Ned Collier of ICON Architects showed the latest renderings of what the inside and outside of the building will look. 

Planning Board

In March 2025, residents will be asked to vote on two zoning updates, both of which are required in order to have the town bylaw reflect associated changes in state or federal law. One of those changes was an update to FEMA’s flood plain maps, which means Lincoln has to update wording in the flood plain overlay district section of the zoning bylaw in order to have residents qualify for flood insurance.

At the state level, the legislature recently made changes to its accessory dwelling unit rules. These changes apply to ADUs of up to 900 square feet, so for units up to that size, the town may not require more than one parking spot, may not require any parking if the unit is within half a mile of the train station, and ma not require owner occupancy of the overall structure.

Lincoln allows ADUs of up to 1,200 square feet with certain restrictions, but the state law applies only to ADUs of up to 900 square feet, so local rules for units of 900–1,200 square feet will not change, said Planning Board Chair Margaret Olson. Property owners also won’t require a special permit for ADUs that are part of an existing dwelling as opposed to a separate building (see page 4 of Olson’s presentation).

She also outlined the various updates to ADU rules in recent years and noted that since 2021, there have been an average of 2.75 ADUs built annually in town.

Dark Skies

A subcommittee of the Planning Board is working on updates to the rules around outdoor lighting. Currently, regulations are found only in the zoning bylaw, which applies only to new construction, so the group is planning to propose changes to the general bylaw as well, which would affect existing outdoor lighting. The goal is to have limits on the brightness, illumination direction and color temperature of outside lights to minimize disruption for animals and insects, and to encourage timers and motion activators on lights that stay on all night.

IDEA

The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Antiracism Committee has done an equity audit and a gap analysis of town policies as part of its mission to foster racial, age ethnic and economic diversity in Lincoln, said IDEA Committee Chair Rob Stringer. The resulting action plan calls for collaboration with boards and committees in applying DEI tools in recruiting, meeting management, and policy making.

Also on tap: A Newcomers/Get to Know Lincoln event on January 26, 2025 and more future occasions “to support our mission and to ensure residents see themselves in town events,” Stringer said.

Lincoln250

The 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord will be observed in an array of events in those towns as well as Lincoln and Arlington. Here in Lincoln, the kickoff starts on January 30 with a library-sponsored webinar on “Causes of the American Revolution.” February will see a dance party in the style of 1775 and a virtual talk by Lincoln historian Don Hafner on “Entangled Lives, Black and White, Enslaved and Free, in 18th-century Lincoln.”

 

The bulk of the action takes place in April; on Saturday, April 19, there could well be 150,000 people in Lexington, Lincoln and Concord, said Police Chief Sean Kennedy. As a result, Route 2A and Hanscom Drive will be closed to all vehicles that day (causing a feigned groan of dismay from the audience at the prospect of the planned transfer station closure) so Route 2A can be used as a transportation corridor for buses, event staff, and visiting dignitaries.

In addition, numerous other roads in the area of Minute Man National Historic Park will be closed to all but residents of those roads, who will be issued vehicle passes in advance — see the Lincoln250 presentation starting on page 6.

 

Most of the events within Lincoln will take place from April 12–27 but there will also be a townwide Lincoln250 Fair and Feast on June 14 in Pierce Park. For more information on the months-long observances see the Lincoln25 Planning Committee web page.

News acorns

Touch of Christmas Fair

The First Parish in Lincoln will host its annual Touch of Christmas Fair on Sunday, Dec. 8 from noon–3 p.m. in the stone church, with lunch at 11:30 a.m. The fair features homemade holiday crafts including sweater mittens, evergreen wreaths decorated with natural materials, handmade centerpieces from greens and berries, jewelry from every decade, antiques and collectibles, baked goods, a re-gifting table, and a children’s shopping room with gifts (wrapped on the spot) for the youngsters to purchase for their family members — and Santa will arrive at 1 p.m. Questions? Call Tucker Smith at 978-760-2321.

Coming up at the deCordova

  • The deCordova Performance Series continues with two events: Antje Duvekot and Goodnight Moonshine on Friday, Dec. 13from 7–8:30 p.m. $28 for Trustees members, $35 for nonmembers. Click here to register. On Saturday, Dec. 14 from 6:30–8 p.m., celebrate the holidays with the Conchords, a dynamic six-member a cappella group, for an evening of festive singing, delicious hot chocolate, and creative ornament making. Tickets are $10–$20; click here to register.
  • Watch the last rays of sunset disappear into the night sky as you explore the deCordova Sculpture Park and learn about the season’s celestial bodies with the Aldrich Astronomical Society on Saturday, Dec. 21and Sunday, Dec. 22 from 5–7 p.m. The deCordova Store and Twisted Tree Cafe will be open for holiday shopping, warm beverages and other treats. Tickets are $24–$30 per carload; click here to register.

Classical Indian dance performance

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School junior Vama Gandhi and her sister Achla (L-S ’21) will perform in a charity showcase featuring Indian classical dance and food on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 3:30pm in Bemis Hall. Proceeds will benefit Baylor Scott & White Dallas Foundation to benefit neuro-oncology research (50%), the Lincoln Council on Aging & Human Services (25%), and the nonprofit Triveni School of Dance in Brookline. The evening also includes an Indian dinner. Click here for tickets, which start at $25.00. 

Film: “The Girl with a Hatbox”

The Lincoln Library Film Society presents “The Girl with a Hatbox” (1927), a silent Soviet romantic comedy, on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. in the Tarbell Room. Click here to join the group’s mailing list.

Talk and gift card appeal for survivors of domestic violence

  • Join the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtablefor “Someone you Know: Supporting People Who Have a Controlling or Abusive Partner” on Monday, Dec. 16 from 7–8 p.m. on Zoom. We will discuss how the holiday season may be difficult for people who have a controlling or abusive partner, and strategies and frameworks for supporting our loved ones in this situation this season. Presenters will be Gabriella Wells, director of prevention, intervention, and education at The Second Step, and Sydney Carter, Roundtable program chair and staff member at Reach Beyond Domestic Violence. Click here to register. Questions? Email info@dvrt.org.
  • The Roundtable is hosting a holiday gift drive to support families served by one of our local programs. This year the drive will benefit REACH Beyond Domestic Violence. For more information, email Maria Duffy at mduffy@reachma.org. Mail gift cards to P.O. Box 543, Sudbury MA 01776 or donate onlineand gift cards will be purchased on your behalf. Please indicate that your donation is for holiday gift cards.

Roundtable partners The Second Step, Voices Against Violence, and Domestic Violence Services Network are also collecting holiday donations. Gift cards requested by The Second Step include Visa, Target, TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, gas cards or grocery cards. Email an electronic gift card to development@thesecondstep.org or mail a physical gift card to P.O. Box 600213, Newtonville MA 02460. The Domestic Violence Services Network also invites donations to its annual Angel of Hope drive. Visit DVSN.org/donate and choose “Angel of Hope” from the dropdown menu.

News acorns

There will be a funeral Mass on Thursday, Dec. 5 for John Fred Solman, who died on November 27 at age 80. (Note: the funeral home declined to pay the Lincoln Squirrel to run his full obituary and photo.)

Speakers to address the “Holy Land problem”

(Editor’s note: The flyer for this event has generated considerable controversy on LincolnTalk.)

The Lincoln-based GRALTA Foundation is hosting a pair of speakers to discuss “the Holy Land problem” on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. in Bemis Hall. The speakers are Palestinian scientist and author Mazin Qumsiyeh, founder of the Palestine Museum of Natural History and Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability as well as a professor at Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities; and Mark Braverman, a retired clinical psychologist and trauma consultant, Palestinian rights activist, and executive director of Kairos.

Dig into chili at Codman Community Farms

Come to Codman Community Farms on Sunday, Dec. 8 from 4:30–7 p.m. for homemade chili and freshly baked cornbread served straight from the Codman kitchen. Enjoy a satisfying dinner around the fire pits in our courtyard or take your dinner to go. There will be both beef chili made with Codman’s 100% grass-fed beef as well as vegan chili made with local sweet potatoes. Pre-order required; click here.

LLCT events coming up

  • The Lincoln Land Conservation will sponsor a family-friendly seed paper workshopon Monday, Dec. 9 from 4–5 p.m. at the Birches School. Free and open the public. best for grades K-4. 
  • On Thursday, Dec. 12from 7:30–8:30 p.m. on Zoom, Ron McAdow will share his slide presentation on Well Meadow, a pristine wetland near Fairhaven Bay on Lincoln’s western boundary. Click here to register and get the Zoom link.

Donate gift cards for needy seniors

Each year, the Council on Aging & Human Services visits needy seniors to spread some holiday cheer. This year we are collecting $10 gift cards to locations like Market Basket, Walgreen, and CVS. Stop by the “giving tree” in the Bemis Hall lobby to take a specific gift card request to fulfill, or bring in the grocery/pharmacy gift card of your choosing. Please return gift card donations by Friday, Dec. 9.

Boy Scouts are selling Christmas trees

Lincoln Boy Scout Troop 127 is holding their annual Christmas tree sale at the corner of Lincoln and Codman roads. This year’s batch of balsam firs come from northern Nova Scotia and range from three to ten feet tall. Scouts will be selling trees on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m.–6 p.m. and on Monday evenings beginning December 9 from 7–8 p.m. Cash only. 

Former Lincolnite Barbara Buchan passes away

Barbara Christina Buchan

Barbara Buchan died peacefully on November 10, 2024 in her 91st year.

Buchan — who was born in Cambridge England shortly after the forced emigration of her family from Germany prior to World War II due to their Jewish heritage — moved to the United States with her husband and young family of three in the mid-1960s, spending the first year in Concord and settling in Lincoln. In 2014, at age 80, she decided to swap out snow for sun and transition into The Terraces of Los Gatos community near her two California-based children and their families.

Barbara’s nature was to support causes that were meaningful to her and advocate for underserved communities, particularly children and families. To support this endeavor, she educated herself, earning a bachelor’s degree in medical/social work at the University of Edinburgh and a master’s and doctoral degree in early childhood education at Tufts University and Nova University, respectively.

She began her career as an almoner in London in the early 1960s (watch “Call the Midwife” for an idea of her work). She continued to support children and families throughout her career. In each community in which she lived, she was driven to originate educational and care resources. In Woodford, England, she started a cooperative nursery school with her good friend Dorothy Runnicles. Upon transitioning to Lincoln, she collaborated with Sally Mlavsky and other community parents to repurpose an old barn on Winter Street and establish the Barn Cooperative Nursery School (since moved to Concord).

Barbara continued to develop educational resources and curricula for elementary schools through the Educational Development Center. She then served as director of the Elm Park Early Education Center, located in Worcester, where amongst her many innovative accomplishments was the creation of a rooftop playground. She closed her career by supporting mothers recovering from addiction at The Institute for Health Recovery. While there she introduced an economical heating pad solution “Warm Socks” to ease the aches and pains of program participants. They were an imme

Barbara embraced many of the things that Lincoln and its environment offered — hosting horses, chickens, ducks, rabbits, and cats on her property, selling arts and crafts at the Old Town Hall Exchange, buying equipment at ski and skate sales, attending lectures at Bemis Hall and school productions at the Brooks School auditorium, ice skating by moonlight on Macone’s Pond and Pierce Pond, square dancing in the Smith School gym and Codman barn, swimming at the Codman pool and across Walden Pond into her 70s, and snowshoeing and tracking animals in the local woods.

Upon retirement in 2000, Barbara immersed herself in supporting environmental causes in Lincoln, including the Green Committee’s mission to lower energy consumption in homes and town, and the Lincoln Tick Task Force (read more here). She continued to support communities in need, including the Arghand Trust, for which she served as a board member supporting their founder Sarah Chayes. She also found immense satisfaction and joy participating in memoir-writing groups, first joining one in Lincoln and then, finding none in her new California community, starting one.

Barbara died peacefully on November 10, 2024 with a warm sock in her hand (see the description from one of her memoirs below). She is survived by her children Nick, Lindy and Lucy; their spouses Paola, Bob, and Steve; and five grandchildren (Cailin, Finian, Jason, Nicole and Isabella). Barbara was much loved by many, and will be greatly missed.

Using odd socks as covers for heating pads

By Barbara Buchan

The back story: Years ago, I worked with women in recovery from substance abuse who had lots of aches and pains but little money. It occurred to me that we needed to offer an alternative to the use of Motrin or other medications prescribed by their doctors. The women in our group happened to mention that there were lots of odd socks lying around at the laundromat where they washed their clothes.

Somewhere else, I had read about making warming pads using seeds as a filler. So how about filling odd socks (must contain at least 80% cotton) with flaxseed, knotting the tops, and then putting them in the microwave for 1–2 minutes before applying them to sore spots? As an alternative to using the microwave in class, I brought in a Crock-Pot along with a sack of flaxseed and a scoop, and the residents brought in assorted cotton socks. They were a big hit with the residents at work. From that day on, the Crock-Pot filled with sock pads was available at every meeting. Subsequently, flaxseed pads have become a household necessity in my family.

Recipe

Socks: Must be at least 80% cotton (to ensure fibers don’t melt in the microwave or burn).

Flaxseed or grains of rice: Quantity needed will vary with the size/number of socks to fill. Do not overfill to avoid bulkiness and/or uneven heat. You may wish to experiment. (Supposedly, the oil in flaxseed retains heat longer than non-oily grains. However, rice grains seem to work very well.)

Directions:

  1. (optional) Tie-dye socks.
  2. Fill the sock with flaxseed or rice.
  3. Tie a knot or stitch to close the end of the grain-filled sock.
  4. Microwave for 1–2 minutes.

My Turn: Many thanks from the SVdP food pantry

By Ursula Nowak

Happy Thanksgiving from St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston! We wish to send a big thank- you to all who helped make last week so special at the food pantry. We are grateful to those of you who bought gift cards at Donelan’s or donated towards this year’s Thanksgiving drive. Your thoughtful generosity means that your neighbors in need will be able to purchase food for a special holiday meal.

We are grateful to Donelan’s for the many ways they continue to support us, and to Donelan’s shoppers who purchased Best Yet bags filled with stuffing, canned vegetables, canned fruit and cereal for the food pantry. Thank you also to Drumlin Farm and Joanne Dolan of Gold Bell Wholesale for a huge load of vegetable, to FELS and the Goddard School for beautiful pies, to Tost for sparking white tea, to the Weston United Methodist Church for a timely food drive, to Peter Stewart and the Doo-Wop Singers for another fundraising concert — and to our many volunteers for their time and great efforts! We are all neighbors helping neighbors and we are thankful for your support!

Nowak is secretary of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Lincoln and Weston.

“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.

State of the Town to offer updates and two discussions

Lincoln’s annual State of the Town Meeting has some new features this year: a community breakfast, a town organizations fair, and an open forum.

The breakfast and fair begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7 in the Lincoln School’s Dining Commons. From 9:30–11 a.m., there will be an overview of town finances and updates on the community center, Lincoln250, and Dark Skies, followed by the community forum.

Then there will be two repeating breakout sessions at 11 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. so residents can attend both if they wish: one on the Town Meeting Study Committee and the other on “Making the Switch Away from Fossil Fuels” with the Lincoln Green Energy Committee.

Background reading:

Community center
Lincoln250
Dark Skies
Town Meeting Study Committee
Green Energy Committee

Updates to outdoor lighting rules mulled

Examples of permitted and unacceptable outdoor lighting from 2015. The yellow dots indicates the position of the lightbulb.

At the December 7 State of the Town meeting, the Dark Skies Committee will give an update on its work to update rules on outdoor lighting to reflect changes in technology since they were last amended in 2016.

Artificial light at night keeps away wildlife (thus reducing their habitat), kills insects, and interferes with nocturnal breeding cycles and bird migration, said Louise Bergeron, head of the Planning Board subcommittee, in a presentation at the November 18 Select Board meeting.

Current zoning rules require permanent lighting to be installed or shielded to “prevent direct light or glare from the light source from interfering with the vision of motorists or pedestrians” or illuminating neighboring properties, and exterior lamps to have a color temperature of 3,000K or below. Lights must also be no more than 900 lumens (a measure of brightness). Color temperature refers to the color of the light — the lower the temperature, the more orange it appears, whereas higher-temperature numbers indicate bluer light.

Outdoor lighting was the topic of heated debate at Town Meeting in 2015, when voters rejected some rule changes.

In recent years, LED lights — which tend to have a cooler color temperature than incandescent lights — have become commonplace, and people are often tempted to buy the brightest outdoor lights they can, Bergeron said. Her group is also studying ideas such as allowing only activated lights in certain circumstances, and asking or requiring owners of larger buildings to turn off outdoor lights that currently shine all night, such as those in parking lots, schools, churches, and the Water Department.

Town officials can grant exceptions if warranted, and the public safety will continue to be exempt.

“This is a lot about education,” Select Board member Jennifer Glass said. “You’re going to get the best result when you educate people, because we don’t have the capacity to go around policing everyone.”

Construction at The Commons to begin in early 2025

An illustration showing proposed new construction in yellow and new walking paths are shown in bright green. Click image to enlarge.

The owners of The Commons in Lincoln won approval for their planned expansion earlier this month, though the exact construction schedule is still unclear.

The Planning Board gave its thumbs-up on November 12 after the close of public hearings, concluding a process that began in February 2023. Residents of the senior living community objected to the original plan for 47 new independent living units, so The Commons returned with scaled-down plan for 23 units, and voters approved a zoning amendment to allows the project in December 2023. More recently, owners updated the plans for landscaping and the location of new parking spaces.

At the hearing in September, representatives for The Commons said that construction would begin with the additions to the main building. Cottages will be on their own timeframe and isolated with fencing as separate construction sites. sites

“We are excited to get started in Q1 of 2025 and will be happy to share more phasing details after our financing on the project has closed,” Rey LeBlanc, executive director of The Commons, told the Squirrel last week.