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

News acorns

“Tales of the Night” at Drumlin Farm

Tales of the Night, the annual family-friendly, nature-oriented spooktacular at Drumlin Farm, returns on Thursday and Friday, October 26 and 27 from 6:30–9 p.m. Activities range from “not so spooky” to “very spooky,” making Tales of the Night great for all ages. The wildlife sanctuary’s pathways will be candlelit to set the mood, so attendees will be able to spot the illuminated jack-o-lantern display. And don’t be surprised to wander into a story along the Nursery Rhyme Trail! Haunted Hayrides will explore Boyce Field. A variety of wildlife “ambassadors” will also be joining the party, including tarantulas and scorpions as special Halloween guests. Snacks will be available, as will secret “Witches Brew” for the (blood)thirsty. (This concoction may taste like apple cider to young attendees.) 

Proceeds from the event ($17 members/$20 nonmembers) provide critical support for Mass Audubon’s nature education and conservation programs. Admission is free for children 2 and younger — and coming dressed in costumes is encouraged! Register and learn more here, or visit massaudubon.org/tales.

Sinister Spectacular for kids at L-S

Come to the fourth annual Sinister Spectacular at Lincoln-Sudbury High School on Saturday, Oct. 28 from 1-3 p.m. Halloween-themed games and crafts will be hosted by our students (outside if weather permits; in the cafeteria if it doesn’t). This event is best for pre-school through elementary kids. Costumes not required but encouraged. $5 entry and refreshments for sale. Email danielle_weisse@lsrhs.net with any questions. 

Coming up at the library  

“I Remember Abuelito” — A Day of the Dead Story
Saturday, Nov. 4 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. (Tarbell Room)
Enjoy bilingual storytelling with this Day of the Dead story. This Mexican holiday is a celebration where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink, and celebration. After the story, we will reinforce Spanish vocabulary from the story as we sing, play, and do a craft. This program is for those who speak Spanish and those who want to learn. No registration or previous knowledge required. Recommended for children ages 5+.

Opera for Everyone with Erika Reitshamer: “Nabucco”|
Sunday, Nov. 5 from 2-3:30 p.m. (Tarbell Room
The story of Nabucco and captivity of the Israelites in Babylon transcends time and culture. It has grown into a powerful representation of oppression and people struggling for freedom throughout history. The Verdi  opera’s most famous number, the chorus of the Hebrew slaves “Va pensiero,” gave voice to a simmering Italian nationalism and eventually became the unofficial anthem of the Italian independence movement. Presenter Erika Reitshamer is returning to Lincoln Library with a three-week opera course.

Living with Wildlife in Massachusetts
Monday, Nov. 6 from 3-4 p.m. (Tarbell Room)
Learn about commonly encountered wildlife such as deer, coyote, and raccoons, and their intersection with wild and developed spaces. Find out best practices for maintaining bird feeders and attracting visitors and learn about amazing pollinators and problematic mosquitoes and ticks. Led by Tia Pinney, lead naturalist and educator at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary. 

Lincoln’s Lituri to be honored

Kathy Lituri

On Friday, Nov. 3 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place, ABCD will honor Lincoln resident Kathy Lituri at Boston’s most empowering event, the ABCD Community Heroes Celebration. Lituri is among 18 nominated from across the region by ABCD neighborhood centers and programs for their selfless contribution of time, energy, expertise and compassion. Boston native Lawrence O’Donnell, host of MSNBC’s The Last Word, and Tennessee State Rep. Justin J. Pearson of the “Tennessee Three” will engage in a keynote conversation during the gala.

Lituri, a dental hygienist and faculty member at the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine, directs the school’s dental outreach programs. Her work with ABCD revolves around oral health, ensuring that Head Start children have their required dental exams, coordinating parent and staff workshops, and helping Head Start sites establish and maintain tooth-brushing programs.

“Leave the Leaves”

The Lincoln Garden Club presents “Leave the Leaves, Save the Stems” with landscape designer, writer, and educator Kathy Connolly on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at Bemis Hall. Why are fallen leaves and dead stems important? What are the practical concerns? How can we keep properties attractive? Organized by the Lincoln Garden Club in collaboration with Lincoln Common Ground and the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust. Also available via Zoom; click here to register.

“Food for Thought: Maternal Health Equity”

Come to a special community supper for all ages offering a chance to enjoy a simple meal together, and learn and talk with each other at “Food for Thought: Maternal Health Equity” on Wednesday, Nov. 8 hosted by Racial Justice Advocates at the First Parish in Lincoln. Supper prepared by FPL chefs at 5:30 p.m., discussion from 6:30–8 p.m. Speakers include Marianna McPherson from the Neighborhood Birth Center in Roxbury. Reservations appreciated for dinner and required for childcare; form will be posted soon here.

Talk on those who worked the land

Join us for “Recovering Lost Voices” on Sunday, Nov. 12 from 4–5 p.m. at the Codman Estate’s Carriage House with Jen Turner of the Robbins House as we explore an important and often overlooked part of our history here in Lincoln — the lives of people who worked this land, many of whom did so without choice. Click here to RSVP (appreciated but not required).

Thanksgiving pies from FELS

FELS, the Foundation for Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury, will offer its annual Thanksgiving Pie Sale again this year.  FELS is grateful to Tom Fosnot and Ruth-Anne Adams, LSRHS parents and owner/chefs of The Hyve, for offering their talents in crafting an array of wonderful Thanksgiving dessert choices. Pies can be ordered until Friday, Nov. 10 at www.FELSGrant.org. Pickup will be Tuesday, Nov. 21 (times and location information are on the pie-ordering website).

Pies can also be purchased as a gift for LSRHS faculty and staff and/or for donation to the Lincoln or Sudbury Fire and Police Departments and to the Sudbury Food Pantry at Ascension Parish/Our Lady of Fatima Church in Sudbury. A donor has notified the Lincoln Food Pantry that they will supply pies for all households who utilize the pantry, and thus further donations for them from FELS are not needed this year. All gifted and donated pies will be delivered by FELS to their respective recipients. Don’t need a pie this Thanksgiving? Consider a donation to FELS (the goal for their 2023 annual appeal is $15,000). Questions? Contact Nancy Marshall at admin@FELSGrant.org or 781-259-9471.

Wendy Sobel to perform at LOMA

Wendy Sobel

Wendy Sobel is the featured performer at the next LOMA (Lincoln Open Mic Night) on Tuesday, Nov. 14 from 7–10 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m. Perform or just come listen to acoustic music and spoken word in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room.Sobel has been the driving force in several notable bands including Girl’s Night Out and Daring Angels. Her guitar-playing appeal might well be compared with Bonnie Raitt’s. To see her in action, watch her video of “One Love,” an original performed live at the MA Country Music Association Awards

For a slot at this monthly event, performers should email Rich Eilbert at loma3re@gmail.com before noon of the open-mic day) or (space permitting) sign up at the event. Names of those who are signed up by 7 p.m. will be drawn at random. We have a sound system with mikes and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups playing acoustic-style.

Movie for kids: “Zootopia”

First Parish in Lincoln is hosting a movie night on Wednesday, Nov. 15 — get cozy and watch “Zootopia” with pizza at 5 p.m. and the movie starting at 5:30 p.m. with popcorn. Refreshments and cheese board for adults. We’ll have gluten-free options as well. We will also be collecting diapers for the Metro-Boston Diaper Drive — any and all unused diapers welcome, loose or in packages. Please RSVP so we have an accurate count for food (note: this is not a drop-off event). To make a suggested donation of $10/family to help cover food costs, click here, select Youth Programs and type “Movie Night 11/15” in the notes field.

Lincoln Arts (and Crafts) Show

Calling all artists, photographers, potters, jewelers, wood workers, and crafters of all materials — show and view at the 2023 Lincoln Arts (and Crafts) Show Friday to Sunday, Nov. 17–19 at the Pierce House. Meet the artists at the opening reception on Friday, Nov. 17 from 5–7 p.m.

As always, this open show is for all ages, all creative arts, and all abilities — and student entries are free. Due to high attendance, we will be opening up the second floor to additional displays. The deadline to register your work is Friday, Nov. 10. Details and registration at lincolnma.myrec.com.

Lincoln field finally gets its historically correct name

Betsy Dakin (left) and Erica Dakin Voolich of Somerville at the dedication of Dakin Field.

Betsy Dakin (left) and Erica Dakin Voolich of Somerville at the dedication of Dakin Field.

For years, Lincolites have known the field at the corner of Sandy Pond and Baker Bridge Roads as the Muster Field. But now, thanks to some historical correction, it’s been officially renamed Dakin Field.

Almost a dozen Dakins from all over gathered at the field on October 13 to witness the installation of a new sign above the wooden “Lincoln Conservation Land” sign. Lincoln’s Betsy Dakin and others in her clan wielded a power screwdriver to tighten the last couple of bolts.

The etched rock a few feet away says “Here men from the western part of town joined the Minute Men and militia marching from the town center” and quotes from an 1850 affidavit by Amos Baker, then a 94-year-old veteran of the Revolutionary War’s opening battle. So far, so good — Baker and several others — did indeed meet other Lincoln soldiers on that spot, according to local historian Rick Wiggin, a guest at the Dakin Field dedication and author of a 2021 Lincoln Squirrel article on this topic.

There were seven members of the Baker family who were in arms at Concord the morning of April 19, 1775: brothers Amos, Jacob, James, Nathaniel, and Samuel; their father, Jacob Sr.; and their brother-in-law, Daniel Hosmer. Jacob Sr. was probably there as a private citizen (probably too old to have been in the militia) to look out for the well-being of his sons and son-in-law. Three of their neighbors (Daniel, Nathan, and Timothy Billing) were also in arms at Concord as members of the Minute Man company, so it’s likely that they were with the Bakers as they rendezvoused with the two companies at Dakin’s Field. The Bakers and Billings all lived more or less along what is today Route 126 and Old Concord Road and Baker Bridge Road.

Representatives from several branches of the Dakin family gathered at the dedication of Dakin Field.

When the alarm rose, it wouldn’t have made sense for them to go to the Lincoln’s actual muster (gathering of troops) in the town center, where they drilled and where Bemis Hall now stands, and then pass to the field near their home again on the way to fight the British in Concord, Wiggin explained.

The field didn’t actually get its erroneous name until the early 1980s, when Sumner Smith was offering to sell several parcels of land to the town, Wiggin said. His ancestors had bought the land from the Dakins and some years earlier, had given another large parcel to the town for the schools (hence Smith School, the name of the southern end of the Lincoln School when it was treated as a separate middle school).

The town couldn’t afford all the land being offered in 1983; “they were about to let this field go for development,” Wiggin said, until the late Henry Rugo (a charter member of the modern Lincoln Minute Men) stood up at Town Meeting and protested, saying, “This is where the Lincoln Minute Men mustered!” or words to that effect. Given the parcel’s apparently valuable historical significance, the town went ahead and bought it.

The story became local lore and the boulder dedicating the “Muster Field” was dedicated on the 225th anniversary of the battle in 2000. (The erroneous history can also be found on page 151 of the A Guide to Conservation Land in Lincoln.) It was another example of a misstatement inadvertently becoming received knowledge, “but it saved the land, and that’s the important thing,” Dakin said.

The Dakin family has not been continuous in Lincoln since the Revolution. Betsy Dakin moved here to Ryan Estate from Plainville several years ago. She had an idea of the family’s earlier connection to Lincoln and she was curious to find the site of the old homestead, “so I did some detective work,” she said. “I was delighted that it was conservation land — I was afraid I’d have to knock on the door” of a newer house standing on the spot.The Dakin name lives on in the area — the LEAP School, a Sudbury preschool, moved into the former Dakin Homestead at 123 Dakin Road in 1998.

Police log for October 8–15, 2023

October 8

Old Cambridge Turnpike (5:25 p.m.) — Police were asked to stand by while a resident retrieved some belongings.

October 9

South Great Road (11:55 a.m.) — A resident reported discovering a dog on the conservation trails with no owner in site. Animal Control was notified.

Stonehedge Road (8:36 p.m.) — A caller reported hearing what they thought were gunshots in the area. Police checked the area but were unable to locate the origin.

Tower Road (9:08 p.m.) — An officer discovered a small dog wandering Tower Road while investigating the previous call. The dog was reunited with its owner a short time later.

October 10

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (8:28 a.m.) — A two-vehicle crash with no injuries was reported. The Massachusetts State Police responded and booked the crash.

South Great Road (12:51 p.m. and 4:32 p.m.) — Court documents were served.

Wells Road (3:51 p.m.) — A resident called to report an item partially obstructing their fire control panel. The Fire Department was notified.

Russett Court (9:08 p.m.) — An employee reported that their vehicle had been struck and damaged in the parking lot. The vehicle had to be towed from the scene.

October 11

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (8:2 a.m.) — A motorist reported a disabled vehicle on Route 2 East. Police checked the area but were unable to locate the vehicle.

Russett Court (10:58 a.m.) — A caller reported being the victim of a possible internet fraud scheme.

Codman Road (1:10 p.m.) — A caller notified the police regarding a missing cell phone. The owner was notified.

Linway Road (3:06 p.m.) — A resident was having an issue with their water meter. The Lincoln Water Department was notified.

October 12

Warbler Springs Road (8:13 a.m.) — A resident called to report a suspicious vehicle idling. The operator of the vehicle was picking up their child.

Lincoln Road (8:58 a.m.) — Police responded to the Donelan’s parking lot for a minor motor vehicle crash and assisted the operators with exchanging information.

Airport Road (2:41 p.m.) — Police and fire personnel responded to the exit of Minuteman Tech for a two-vehicle crash when a vehicle had entered Route 2A and struck a vehicle. There were no injuries reported. Both vehicles were towed from the scene.

Laurel Drive (4:31 p.m.) — A resident called to report an individual vandalizing street signs. Police responded and identified the individual. An investigation is ongoing.

October 13

Page Farm Road (6:16 a.m.) — A suspicious vehicle was observed in the driveway of a residence. Police confirmed that the vehicle belonged to a cleaning service.

North Great Road (7:56 a.m.) — A one-vehicle crash occurred on Route 2A near Brooks Road when a vehicle struck a utility pole. The operator was uninjured. The vehicle was towed from the scene.

Lexington Road (5:11 p.m.) — A caller reported a two-vehicle crash on Route 2A, but the crash occurred in Concord. Concord Police were notified to handle.

October 14

Old County Road (5:31 p.m.) — Police received a call regarding an unoccupied vehicle parked on the side of the road. Operator was identified illegally fishing at the Cambridge Reservoir.

Old County Road (6:07 p.m.) — Police checked on a disabled vehicle. AAA removed the vehicle a short time later.

Trapelo Road (8:46 p.m.) — Police responded for a report of a one-vehicle crash and discovered that a vehicle had struck a tree. The operator of the vehicle, Michael DeSalvo, 30, of Quincy, was arrested for operating under the influence of liquor.

Concord Road (9:19 p.m.) — A resident called to complain about music reportedly coming from The Food Project. The caller was advised that the music was coming from the DeCordova Museum.

October 15

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (2:15 a.m.) — An officer stopped a vehicle that had failed to move over for another police vehicle in the breakdown lane that was conducting a motor vehicle stop. The operator, Yashira Blake, 31, of Fitchburg, was arrested for operating under the influence of liquor and cited for failing to move over for an emergency vehicle.

Lincoln Police Department (5:28 p.m.) — An Uber driver returned a wallet that was left in their vehicle by a Lincoln resident.

Corrections

The October 12 article headlined “CCBC drops one community center option and asks for another” mischaracterized the nature of one of the community center options as well as the December 2 Special Town Meeting vote. The third option now being formulated is not based on the 50% option but rather on the 75% one-story option which would be trimmed in size and cost. Also, a two-thirds majority is not required at the vote on a preferred option at the STM in December. However, that margin will be required to approve a funding request for the project in March 2024. The original article has been updated.

New Housing Choice Act options to be presented on Oct. 24

Town officials will review two new Housing Choice Act rezoning options at a Planning Board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 24.

The town has already forwarded Option C — which clusters all the rezoned subdistricts in South Lincoln — to the state for a pre-adoption compliance check. But at a well-attended multiboard meeting on October 10, residents expressed a desire to see new options that would allow less multifamily housing in South Lincoln while also allowing some in the areas of Battle Road Farm and/or the Lincoln North office building.

Two earlier options (A and B) included those North Lincoln areas, but they were drawn up before the state changed its guidelines to allow towns to “count” multifamily housing permitted in areas with some commercial use as well, such as the mall property.

On November 13, another three-board meeting will select one of the two new options created by consultant Utile (D1 and D2) to continue exploring. Before that, there will be two public forums on November 8: one in person at Town Hall from 8–10 a.m. and one on Zoom from 7–9 p.m. At those forums, officials will review option C as well as D1 and D2, take questions and ask for feedback on which of the new options people prefer.

Two final options — Option C plus either option D1 or D2 — will go before residents at the Special Town Meeting on December 2 for an informal “sense of the town” vote by paper ballot. On December 4, another multiboard meeting will confirm one final option to put before voters at the Annual Town Meeting in March. 

Several attendees at an October 16 meeting of the Select Board, Planning Board, and Housing Choice Act Working Group were worried about excessive development in South Lincoln resulting in a village center resembling the reconfigured mixed-use Wayland Center, which “most of us consider to be ill-conceived and not very attractive,” Select Board member Jennifer Glass said. She assured everyone that the town is not thinking of expanding business use in the mall but “just supporting the bit of commercial that we have.” 

Part of what will make the mall more financially sustainable is having the “cross-subsidy” from housing on the same parcel, in effect “de-risking the property” for a developer, said Michelle Barnes, chair of the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust/RLF Board of Trustees, which owns the mall.

Additionally, any development proposed for either of the two commuter parking lots adjacent to the railroad tracks would have to go before Town Meeting because they are owned by the town, not the RLF, Town Administrator Tim Higgins noted.

If people want to offer opinions and feedback on Options D1 and D2 between the October 24 presentation and the November 8 public forums, they can email Glass at jlrglass@mac.com or, if the comment is specific to the mall, to Barnes at la_vise@yahoo.com. A number of comments and questions on the HCA have been posted by residents to LincolnTalk, but Glass warned that “we can’t engage in dialogue on LincolnTalk without running afoul of the Open Meeting Law.”

The December 2 Special Town Meeting will feature official votes on a preferred community center option, and on whether to amend the overlay district zoning at The Commons in Lincoln to pave the way for a proposal to add 28 independent living units.

Celebration of life for Roger Bergen on Oct. 22

Roger Bergen

Lincoln native Roger Van Dyke Bergen, 78, of Stonington, Maine, passed away on September 19th, 2023 after a battle with advanced lung disease.  

He was born on July 6, 1945 to Kenneth and Emily Bergen in Cambridge and grew up with his two sisters and a brother in “fertile valley” Lincoln. After graduating from Boston University in 1967 with a B.A. in philosophy, he went on to earn his master’s degree in 1970 in fine woodworking, studying under the Danish designer Tage Frid at the Rhode Island School of Design, and fine woodworking remained his lifelong passion.

From 1974-1977 Roger taught woodworking at Sandwich High School on Cape Cod, later claiming that it was, bar none, the most rewarding job of his career. It was at this time that he met Susan, whom he married; they had two children, Cortney and Andrew. In 1977 he opened a wood gallery, the Eastham Woodery, featuring fine woodworkers throughout the country. In 1981 he was discovered by CML, which recruited him to take over Mason and Sullivan Clock Co. before heading up two nationally renowned organizations: The Nature Company/Smith & Hawken (CEO) for 15 years and then moving back to Lincoln to run Earthwatch (CEO & president) for 10 years. Back in Lincoln he connected to land conservation with The Rural Land Foundation. This was his springboard to preserving areas from overdevelopment.      

Roger retired in 2000 and moved with Susan to Maine. He and his family had grown up spending summers on Isle Au Haut, a small island off the coast of Stonington, and always had fond memories of the coastal town. He was determined to stay busy and contribute to the community so he joined the town planning board and became chairman of the Board of Trustees for Island Heritage Trust, a Conservation Land Trust for Deer Isle and the surrounding islands. It was from his time running The Nature Company and Earthwatch that he developed a passion for the preservation of unspoiled land.  In his downtime he enjoyed the casual round of golf, island-hopping with his family, and lobster dinners.

Roger thoroughly embraced life, remaining inquisitive and connected to the very end. He was “so grateful for the life that he lived with his family, friends and organizations” (saying this as he passed away). Roger was predeceased by Kenneth Bergen (father), Emily Bergen (mother) and Cabby Bergen (sister). He is survived by Susan Bergen (wife), Andrew Bergen (son), Cortney Murray (daughter), Nancy Bergen of Lincoln (sister), and Bruce Bergen (brother).

A Celebration of Life ceremony will be held on Sunday, Oct. 22 from noon-2 p.m. at Roger’s son’s house at 1 Sayles Rd., Hingham, MA 02043. Donations in his name can be made to Island Heritage Trust, P.O. Box 42, 420 Sunset Rd., Deer Isle, Maine  04627 (207-348-2455).

News acorns

“Stove Wars: Gas vs. Induction Cooking”

Induction stoves, long popular in Europe and Asia, are more efficient than gas or standard electric stoves. Some chefs and home cooks are making the transition to induction cooking, whether motivated by a desire for cleaner air or a lower carbon footprint. Join MetroWest Climate Solutions (of which the First Parish in Lincoln is a part) for a webinar on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. to learn more. Speakers are Jonathan I. Levy, chair of the Department of Environmental Health at Boston University, and Steve Sheinkopf, CEO of Yale Appliance. To register, visit metrowestclimatesolutions.org.

Coming up at the library

Haunted Experiences
Sunday, Oct. 29 from noon–1 p.m. (online)
Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group produces haunted attractions all over the U.S., including the Old Joliet Haunted Prison in Chicago. Join CEO Chris Stafford and Jeff DePaoli, host of “That Halloween Podcast,” on Zoom as they talk all about the history and creation of this mega-haunt. Click here to register.

Halloween Dance Party
Tuesday, Oct. 31 from 11 a.m.–noon (Tarbell Room)
Come in costume and groove to children’s songs, oldies, and Halloween favorites. For children ages 5 and under. No registration required.

Diwali Celebration
Thursday, Nov. 2 from 6-8 p.m. (Tarbell Room)
Celebrate the festival of lights and learn henna body art with Manisha Trivedi. This fun, informal class is open to people of all artistic abilities (best for ages 12+). Thanks to the Friends of the Lincoln Library for their generous funding of this event. Space is limited; email sfeather@minlib.net to register.

Pop-Up Art Class: Watercolor Leaves
Friday, Nov. 3 from 3-4 p.m. (Tarbell Room)
Learn the basics of watercolor painting in this autumn-inspired program, drawing our own leaves or using traceable templates. We will watch the colors mingle and blend together using a wet on wet watercolor technique. Registration is limited to 15 adults (age 18+) for this class; click here to register.

Donate to diaper drive

The annual Metro-Boston Diaper Drive co-coordinated by Lincoln’s Kim Jalet runs through October 28. If you’re able, please donate via our Amazon or Target registries, or visit www.mbdiapers.org to help the one in three Massachusetts families struggling to afford enough diapers for their children. SNAP and WIC benefits do not cover diapers leaving many families to make difficult decisions between food, diapers, and other needs. Do you have opened packages of diapers? Contact Kim at jaletkl@gmail.com to learn where you can drop them. All diapers go directly to the Somerville WIC office, which serves Lincoln, Somerville, Cambridge, Arlington, Watertown, Belmont, Lexington, and Bedford.

An evening of classical piano

A unique fall concert featuring classical pieces performed by pianist Sebastian Castillo to support Lincoln-Sudbury Friends of Music will take place on Friday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. in the high school’s Kirschner Auditorium. Tickets will be sold at the door ($5 for students, $10 for adults). LSFoM provides funding to supplement the music department budget and offering programs and opportunities to complement and extend the music curriculum.

“A Night on Broadway” in Lincoln

The First Parish in Lincoln’s next Live in Lincoln Center concert, “A Night on Broadway,” on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the parish hall (14 Bedford Rd.) features emcee David Eliot, three singers, and pianist Timothy Steele performing favorite songs from musicals from 1940 to the present. Tickets are $30 and available in advance (recommended) or at the door, with refreshments and mingling at the intermission. Click here to purchase.

Looks for animal signs at FNL

Go into the woods with Farrington Nature Linc Educator and Program Manager Meg Ito to look for “Signs of Animals” on Saturday, Nov. 11 from 2–3:30 p.m. Expect to see some real animal bones, skins, and other signs as part of this workshop (including an introduction to local wildlife and a 45-minute walk around the site) featuring animal track cards and a small piece of snake skin home. Click here to purchase tickets ($25–$45).

Teng joins Care Dimensions

Dr. Alexander Teng

Dr. Alexander Teng of Boston, formerly of Lexington, recently joined Care Dimensions as a full-time hospice and palliative care physician managing the care of hospice patients at home in greater Boston and at the Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln. He completed a hospice and palliative medicine fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and was a hospitalist at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington for five years. He also holds an MBA from the Heller School of Public Policy and Management at Brandeis University in Waltham.

CCBC drops one community center option and asks for another

Editor’s note: this article was updated on October 17 to correct erroneous statements about the third option now being developed, and about the approval margin required for selection of a preferred option at the December 2 Special Town Meeting.

Based on resident feedback, architects will put aside the two-story 75% community center option and substitute another option in the 50%-to-75% price range ($12.5 million to $18.75 million). 

Residents saw presentations of four options at the State of the Town meeting on September 30 and ranked them in order of preference in person via a total of 524 paper and online survey responses. (Note: the drawings at the bottom of the September 28 article headlined “Community center options readied for SOTT” have been updated to show the labels that were inadvertently omitted earlier.)

Results of the SOTT and online surveys collected by the CCBC (click to enlarge).

The 100% option got the highest number of first-choice votes but also the highest number of “I would not vote for this option” entries, with the two cohorts almost canceling each other out. The two-story 75% option got the fewest first-place votes. None of the four in the poll reached the 67% that will be required for eventual funding approval in March; a vote on the preferred option at the Special Town Meeting on December 2  requires only a simple majority. The CBCC analysis, along with replies as to why the respondents voted the way they did, can be found here.

The Community Center Building Committee delved further into the data on October 1 as they tried to discern what sort of proposal could get over the finish line. If the two-story 75% option were taken off the table and the SOTT survey were reranked and recounted, the one-story 75% option would get 65.8%. The data also showed that this option might get a 73% “yes” share if the 100% option were also theoretically removed from consideration. 

The current plan is to present four options to residents on December 2:

  • The current 100% option, “tightened up” to trim some cost and reduce the size of the large community gathering space
  • The current 75% one-story option
  • A third option comprising a slimmed-down version of the 75% one-story option that would be smaller and less expensive but also includes renovation of the LEAP pod
  • The current 50% with some “modest adjustments”

The CCBC also considered discarding the 100% option but decided against it. “You’re doing the town a disservice if you don’t continue the work” to refine that option along with the others, committee member Rob Stringer said. “I think we deserve to have a look at the 100%… A lot of people said they would vote for it.”

Given that there will be at least three options to choose from, the CCBC discussed structuring the December 2 voting procedure similar to that used in June 2018 when residents selected the preferred option for the school project. At that Town Meeting, officials used voting machines to narrow five options down to three. A second vote then resulted in the winning option gaining 74% of the vote, comfortably over the required 67% supermajority.

Architects will present the next set of options on November 1 to the CCBC, which has another public forum scheduled for November 14.

Correction

The October 11 article that was originally headlined “Town moves forward with affordable housing zoning option, but another may be coming” had a misleading headline. It has been corrected to read: “Town moves forward with Housing Choice zoning option, but another may be coming.” Other corrections were made to clarify the characterization of the proposed Village Center subdistrict, and to state that the idea of a December 2 nonbinding “sense of the town” vote on the options  was suggested but not confirmed.

Town moves forward with Housing Choice zoning option, but another may be coming

The four subdistricts that together comprise Option C for complying with the Housing Choice Act (Section 3A).

(Editor’s note: this article was updated on October 12 to revise the headline [replacing the incorrect phrase “affordable housing”] and to say that the possibility of presenting options to residents for a nonbinding “sense of the town” vote on December 2 is being considered but is not definite.)

Officials at an October 10 three-board meeting unanimously voted to send Housing Choice Act zoning option C to the state for compliance approval, though they left the door open for considering a new option as well.

Of the 229 residents who responded to surveys handed out at the State of the Town meeting or online, more than 76% said they preferred latecomer Option C, which was devised in September. That option takes advantage of an August change in state guidelines that will allow Lincoln to ““take credit” for zoning that allows up to 125 residential units in the South Lincoln commercial area. Option C concentrates all the multifamily subdistricts in South Lincoln, with none in the Lincoln North or Battle Road Farm area as in the previously discussed Options A and B. 

The proposed Village Center subdistrict is one of four included in all of the options and comprises the mall and restaurant/post office building, the two commuter parking lots, and the Doherty’s property. Once the rezoning is in place (regardless of which option is chosen), the Rural Land Foundation will be allowed to upgrade the mall’s commercial spaces while adding multifamily housing on one or two floors above the shops.

Some officials were concerned about the possibility of having only one option offered for an up-or-down vote by residents at the Annual Town Meeting in March 2024. Select Board member Jim Hutchinson suggested creating an Option D that would minimize the number of units and acres that would be allowed in South Lincoln and revisit the idea of putting some of those units in North Lincoln. “I’m not sure options A and B are ready for prime time” as feasible alternatives to option C, he said.

Officials agreed to ask consultant Utile to create an Option D, though some were reluctant. They noted that the complicated HCA rules and formulas indicate that moving some of the units out of South Lincoln will necessitate increasing the total that Lincoln will have to allow.

“There’s not a whole lot of wiggle room there,” said Utile’s Zoë Mueller. “I wouldn’t hold your breath because it’s a pretty slim margin you’re playing with.”

In fact, at two public forums earlier in the process, residents asked the Housing Choice Act Working Group to put more of the housing units in South Lincoln and fewer in North Lincoln, Select Board member Jennifer Glass said.

“I think we should look, but I’m concerned we’re not going to be able to actually meet the spirit of the requirement and what we’re going to do if that’s the case,” Planning Board Chair Margaret Olsen said. “To me it’s very clear that Option C is the best option. We don’t know that there really is another good option.”

The state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities can take up to 90 days to review plans for compliance review, meaning there may not be enough time to review two different plans before Town Meeting in March. In any case, officials at the meeting agreed that the March vote will offer only a single option. “The idea of bringing two maps to the public in March I think is a disaster,” said John MacLachlan, adding that doing so could split the vote and fail to yield a majority.

If Lincoln voters approve of the rezoning in March, it goes back to the EOHLC and the attorney general for final review. Cities and towns with MBTA stops including Lincoln have until December 2024 to have final rezoning in place.

“If we end up with more units by reducing a few in the center, it doesn’t make any sense,” resident Vicky Diaduk said. “How would a sense of the town in December be any more valid? The SOTT is as clear on this as any issue I’ve seen in town.”

The three boards (Planning, Selects, and HCAWG) and will meet together again on November 13. Option D may be presented to residents along with option C for a nonbinding “sense of the town” vote at the Special Town Meeting on December 2.