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

Police log for August 21-27, 2023

August 21

Tower Road (12:37 a.m.) — A resident of Tower Road reported the railroad crossing gates were stuck in the “down” position for approximately 10 minutes without a train passing by. An officer was dispatched and discovered malfunctioning railroad gates at Route 117, Old Sudbury Road, and Tower Road. Keolis was requested to respond to the scene. At 1:25 a.m., Keolis arrived and advised that testing was being done to another section of the track, causing malfunctions to the Lincoln crossings. The gates returned to normal working order at 1:30 a.m.

South Great Road (2:31 p.m.) — A caller reported possible fraudulent activity in their Bank of America account.

August 22

Trapelo Road (12:09 p.m.) — A motorist observed an individual fishing at the Cambridge Reservoir. No one was fishing when police arrived on scene.

Oak Meadow Road (4:08 p.m.) — A caller reported a dog had become aggressive and bit their arm. The caller was transported to the hospital. The Animal Control Officer was notified.

South Great Road (4:14 p.m.) — Multiple callers reported a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Lincoln Road and South Great Road. An officer responded and determined that neither operator was in need of medical attention. Both vehicles were towed from the scene.

Old County Road (4:20 p.m.) — Multiple callers reported a two-vehicle crash on Trapelo Road at the intersection of Old County Road. Lincoln and Waltham police responded. One of the operators was transported to Lahey Hospital and both vehicles were towed from the scene.

Trapelo Road (5:12 p.m.) — A caller requested assistance with a toy that their child could not remove from their leg. The caller notified the police that they were able to free the child a short time later.

Longmeadow Road (9:25 p.m.) — An officer responded to a residence to confirm an accidental 911 call.

August 23

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (2:29 a.m.) — Lincoln police assisted Massachusetts State Police with a disabled motor vehicle on Route 2.

North Great Road (3:43 p.m.) — National Park rangers called for assistance with an individual. Ultimately, the rangers handled the incident.

Windingwood Lane (7:08 p.m.) — Lincoln Police assisted Wayland police in locating an individual who needed medical attention.

August 24

Todd Pond Road (2:28 a.m.) — An officer was called to confirm that an individual returning home was in fact\ a family member who had their flight cancelled.

Old Cambridge Turnpike (5:46 p.m.) — A resident had called the station regarding an issue with cats. They were given contact information for Animal Control.

August 25

Lincoln Road (11:20 a.m.) — An individual was served with court paperwork.

Lincoln Road (1:50 p.m.) — An individual spoke to an officer about a previous and ongoing incident.

Hillside Road (3:19 p.m.) — A caller asked to speak to an officer regarding a possible scam.

August 26

Lincoln School (12:09 a.m.) — An officer spoke to individuals parked at the school complex after hours. They were advised and sent on their way.

Old Sudbury Road (8:45 a.m.) — A motorist reported a dog, believed to be the Codman Community Farms poultry protector, walking along the roadside. The area was checked and it appears as though after a brief recess, the dog went back to work.

South Great Road (10:36 a.m.) — A caller requested assistance with a coyote they had observed frequently during the day. The coyote left prior to the officer’s arrival.

Old Sudbury Road (3:23 p.m.) — A caller reported seeing a malnourished dog on the conservation trails. The Animal Control Officer was notified.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (3:50 p.m.) — A disable motor vehicle was reported on Route 2 near Bedford Road. The motorist ran out of gas and a family member was en route.

Codman Community Farms (7:44 p.m.) — The Codman Farm dog was reportedly out for a nature walk. The farmer was notified.

Sandy Pond Road (9:08 p.m.) — A noise complaint was reported for the deCordova Museum, where a wedding was taking place and an outdoor band was performing. The caller was told that the band was allowed to continue for another 45 minutes.

August 27

Wells Road, Lincoln (3:46 a.m.) — A resident was on their way home and ran out of gas in Wayland. A Lincoln officer transported the party to their residence, where they coordinated refueling the vehicle and getting it home.

Donelan’s Supermarket (3:34 a.m.) — A caller was having difficulty with their ride-share application. The caller was transported to their residence.

Cambridge Turnpike (6:59 p.m.) — An officer checked on a possible disabled motor vehicle in the lot of Tracey’s Gas. The vehicle had stopped there briefly and was on their way a short time later.

August 28

Codman Road (7:03 a.m.) — A caller reported a deceased coyote near the sidewalk. The DPW was notified.

Virginia Road (4:17 p.m.) — A bicycle crash not involving a vehicle was reported on Virginia Road in Concord. The Concord Police and Fire Departments handled the incident.

Ent Road, Hanscom AFB (4:39 p.m.) — Court paperwork was served to an individual on Hanscom Air Force Base.

Old Cambridge Turnpike (8:26 p.m.) —A caller was given information for Animal Control.

My Turn: Shop at the Old Town Hall Exchange

Editor’s note: for more information, see “Old Town Hall Exchange is back in business” (Lincoln Squirrel, Feb. 21, 2023).

By Stacy Osur

Lincoln’s Old Town Hall Exchange will reopen this coming Wednesday after our annual summer break. Yes, our candy will be restocked and can’t wait to see our shortest customers back in the shop.

This Lincoln institution that was founded in 1963, supports both consignors and the lovely old building that it is housed in, Lincoln’s Old Town Hall. The building was rescued in 1962 from being taken away (yes, away!) by Henry Ford through a gallant group of neighbors that banded together and raised the funds to purchase the building and land from Sumner Smith (who had previously offered it to the town, but was rebuffed). The U.S. Post Office remains a tenant at will and we hope they remain as long as they wish.

Please volunteer with us, make a donation and visit soon! We’re open Tuesday through Friday from noon–4 p.m. through September (hours to be expanded later).

“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.

My Turn: Stop private jet expansion

By Kati Winchell

As the wettest summer in nearly a century draws to a close with two hurricanes spinning in the Atlantic, there is an increased sense of urgency to achieve the Commonwealth’s 2050 net zero goals of reducing emission from 70 to 14 million tons of CO2. Yet, in the midst of this climate emergency, Massport is proposing to triple the number of hangars at Hanscom Civil Air Terminal for the exclusive use of private luxury jets — the most carbon-intensive form of travel per passenger. Just to be clear, this is not about military flights or any activities at the Air Force base, but rather about building nearly half a million square feet more hangar space for private jets.

If the proposed expansion goes forward, emissions from private jets at Hanscom are projected to grow by millions of tons, jeopardizing the state’s ability to attain its 2050 emission goals. For this reason, 39 local and statewide organizations have joined forces to educate the public about the threat that Massport’s expansion plans present to reducing our carbon footprint and to support the difficult decisions the governor will have to make to ensure that we meet our 2050 goals.

Sign the petition urging the governor to stop this private luxury jet expansion that so clearly runs contrary to Mass Climate Goals.  For more information or to sign up for updates, see www.stopprivatejetexpansion.org.

Kati Winchell of Lincoln is projects director for Save Our Heritage. 

“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.

Person fatally struck by train in Lincoln

A person was struck and killed by an MBTA train in Lincoln on the night ​​of August 22 in an apparent suicide that resulted in major delays on the Fitchburg commuter rail line the following morning when the body was discovered.

Asked how it happened, Lincoln Police Chief Kevin Kennedy said that “the person decided — they went in front of the train.” He would not release the victim’s name, home town, or any other information.

Kennedy said the body was found around 5 a.m. on August 23 adjacent to the tracks between the Route 117 and Lincoln Road crossings, though it was later determined that the collision occurred at about 9 p.m. the night before. It was not immediately reported because the conductor “was not aware that the train had hit something,” Kennedy said. “In talking to the MBTA police, it’s not all that uncommon.”

The MBTA commuter rail’s Twitter feed that morning contained several posts alerting commuters to the delay. The first in the series noted that the 402 inbound service (5:25 a.m. from Wachusett) “remains stopped after Lincoln and is approximately two hours late due to police activity on the right of way.” At 7:55 a.m., they tweeted that service was suspended between Waltham and Wachusett and “trains in the area are holding.” One track was eventually reopened and normal service resumed around 10 a.m.

MBTA police referred questions to the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office.

“As this death is not considered suspicious, our office cannot release any additional information regarding this incident,” a spokesperson from the DA’s office said on August 30.

Property sales in July 2023

15 Oak Meadow Rd. — Sean Crovetti to Taylor Ortiz and Veronica Lei for $1,407,500 (July 31)

5 Red Maple Lane — John P. Neri Trust to Xida Sun and Yuan Zhao for $895,000 (July 26)

11 Sunnyside Lane — Chung Yao Chao to Brett Cramp and Maria Obolensky for $961,000 (July 25)

154 Chestnut Circle — Christine McElvenny to Jonathan Wolfson for $810,000 (July 25)

4 Farrar Rd. — Mary Steedly to Thomas Martin and Martha Davis for $1,200,000 (July 17)

93 Tower Rd. — Seppo Rinne to Charles Libby and Lindsay Lawrence for $1,370,000 (July 14)

140 Lincoln Rd. — Esther Kalisky Trust to Jeffrey Exelrod and Sharon Milinsky for $540,800 (July 7)

News acorns

Garden Club social for prospective members

The Lincoln Garden Club invites anyone interested in joining the club to come to a wine and cheese party on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 4 p.m. to meet members and socialize. Committee chairs will be there to answer questions about what the club does. Please email belinda.gingrich@gmail.com to RSVP and get the location. To learn more about the club’s activities, visit www.lincolngardenclub.org.

Celebration of the life of Homer Eckhardt

Homer Eckhardt

The family of Homer Eckhardt (1924-2023) invites community members to join family, friends, and neighbors to help celebrate his life on Sunday, Sept. 17 from 2–4 p.m. in Bemis Hall. A founding member of the historic Brown’s Woods neighborhood, Homer continued to be an active participant in the Lincoln community during the 67 years he lived in town, through activities as varied as helping to found the Codman Community Farms, volunteering in science classes in the Lincoln Public Schools, and enjoying fellowship at the Men’s Coffee Group.

Show about Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Join us for a show performed by Sheryl Faye that brings American justice icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg to life on Friday, Sept. 29 at 12:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall. The show is the inspiring story of how RBG changed her life — and ours. Sponsored by Friends of Lincoln COA & Friends of the Lincoln Library.

Tour and presentation about Lincoln Woods

In connection with the town’s discussion of multi-family housing at the September 30 State of the Town meeting, Friends of Modern Architecture/Lincoln invites residents on a tour of Lincoln Woods on Sunday, Oct. 1 from 3–6 p.m. “Celebrating Lincoln Woods: Our History of Building Community” presents the design elements in architecture, landscape architecture, and town planning that have made Lincoln Woods an accessible, inclusive community, providing housing for a diverse range of ages and needs for 50 years. 

The event begins at 3 p.m. with Lincoln architect Woodie Arthur speaking about the architecture and history of the community. A tour of the property and three dwellings will follow the presentation. The event is free to all. Share refreshments and community in our reception tent after the tour. Please visit the FoMA web page at www.fomalincoln.org/outreach to reserve your place.

My Turn: “adaptive reuse” is a good starting point for community center

By Lynne Smith

At the August 16 Community Center Building Committee meeting, ICON Architecture presented options for the proposed community center. These options will be sent to an estimator for refined costs. In this article, I will focus on Option 3, Adaptive Reuse, estimated to cost up to $12.5 million.

As Lincoln has found in the Town Offices building and in parts of the new Lincoln school, “adaptive reuse” can be beautiful and functional as well as sustainable. The problem with the proposed plan is that ICON has tried to turn three separate buildings into one, responding to the committee’s focus on a single new building. But to accommodate the various stakeholders — COA&HS, PRD, LEAP, and school maintenance — in this low-cost option, adaptive reuse of the separate existing pods makes more sense.

The ICON proposal calls for 6,185 square feet of new construction, including a large lobby and about 4,645 square feet of corridors connecting all three buildings. The lobby, labeled Lincoln Community Room, seems to substitute for a requested activity room. In fact, it appears to be a high-ceilinged architectural statement, similar to the commons room at the new school: beautiful but less functional than simpler activity rooms. The connecting corridors are lower cost than the lobby area per square foot but are still a significant expense. This is a creative architectural effort to turn three buildings into a semblance of one.

I think Option 3, the one that many would vote for, needs more work by ICON and the committee. The committee could allow ICON to develop good adaptive reuse designs for each of the separate buildings (the pods) while committee members further investigate the use of existing spaces in the Lincoln School, the Hartwell building, the First Parish’s stone church, Bemis Hall, and the Pierce House.

To free up about 1,500 square feet in the existing buildings and reduce cost, the school maintenance workshop (shown in Pod A) and the kitchen (shown in Pod B) could be housed separately. Maintenance could be placed in the Hartwell Building (an alternative in all design options). The COA could continue to use the kitchen and dining area of stone church for the Friday senior lunches and for preparation of Meals on Wheels.*

Reducing the proposed building size at the Hartwell campus and focusing on adaptive reuse rather than new construction might actually bring the cost below $12.5 million, allowing funds to be delegated for needed work at Bemis Hall (HVAC) and Pierce House (accessible bathroom).

I urge everyone to find a quiet hour to review the design options, especially Option 3, Adaptive Reuse. I hope there will be improvements to this option prior to the State of the Town meeting on September 30.

*Meals on Wheels is a Minuteman Services function requiring a Minuteman employee to chill, heat, and plate 30-50 meals per day for home delivery. The preparation can easily remain in the stone church kitchen, though a new refrigerator is required there. As for the congregant senior Friday lunches, there are rarely more than 30 people seated in the great hall, which can host many more for special functions. I have attended many of these lunches and enjoyed the beauty of this spacious room.

“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.

Police log for August 13–20, 2023

August 13

Gerard’s Farm Stand, Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (1:46 a.m.) — Officers checked on an occupied vehicle parked after hours. The operator was advised the business was closed and they could not remain parked.

Old Sudbury Road (8:30 a.m.) — A caller reported seeing a bat in their tree. They were advised to contact Animal Control.

Lincoln School (9:48 a.m.) — A caller reported a vehicle that had been idling at the school for an extended period of time. An officer checked on the vehicle, which belonged to an employee of the school.

Bedford Road (1:12 p.m._ — A resident received a call from an individual posing as a Verizon representative. An attempt to gain access to financial information was avoided.

Wells Road (11:53 p.m.) — A caller reported an individual acting suspiciously next to a dumpster. Police checked the area but were unable to locate anyone.

August 14

Old Concord Road (4:22 p.m.) — A resident spoke to an officer regarding possible identity theft.

Sandy Pond Road (4:34 p.m.) — A caller asked to speak to an officer regarding possible harassment.

August 15

Scott Circle, Hanscom AFB (11:33 a.m.) — An officer responded to assist a resident with a civil matter.

August 16

Nothing of note.

August 17

Lincoln Road (11:10 a.m.) — Multiple 911 calls were received reporting a motor vehicle crash involving a car and a motorcycle. Fire and police units were dispatched to the scene. The operator of the motorcycle was transported to Lahey Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The crash is under investigation.

Lexington Road (12:29 p.m.) — A resident reported someone had left an object hanging from their mailbox.

North Great Road (12:57 p.m.) — State police reported a two-vehicle crash with unknown injuries. They subsequently advised there were no injuries, cancelling a Lincoln police and fire response.

Harvest Circle (1:52 p.m.) — A caller reported a “grandchild-in-need” scam attempt. The caller identified the scam early on and wanted to report the incident to the police.

August 18

Indian Camp Lane (1:17 a.m.) — A caller reported a family member had been the victim of a scam involving Snapchat.

South Great Road (10:19 a.m.) — An officer responded to South Great Road by Lincoln Road for a report of a female walking in the middle of the roadway. An officer located the individual and was able to transport them to Donelan’s.

Lexington Road (10:44 am.) — A resident reported seeing a cat in their yard that appeared ill. The resident was given contact information for Animal Control.

Bath, Maine (12:26 p.m.) — An officer from Bath, Maine called requesting information about a Lincoln resident who had lost their wallet in Maine.

Lewis Street (12:46 p.m.) — An individual reported an encounter with a dog. Animal Control was notified.

Lexington Road (5:32 p.m.) — A resident reported a suspicious individual at their front door. Police were notified and are investigating further.

Autumn Lane (7:42 p.m.) — A caller reported a delivery driver struck an object on their property. Officers responded to the scene.

Bedford Lane (10:29 p.m.) — A caller reported a suspicious circumstance involving a residential open door. Officers responded and spoke to the caller.

Wells Road (11:32 p.m.) — A caller reported an individual who appeared suspicious. The caller was advised that the individual was working on the property.

August 19

Donelan’s Supermarket (11:36 a.m.) — Police were notified of an unsupervised dog in the parking lot. The Animal Control officer was advised.

Conant Road (3:10 p.m.) — Police were dispatched to a residence to assist an individual with malfunctioning equipment in their home.

August 20

Twin Pond Lane (7:18 a.m.) — A resident reported receiving unwanted calls late in the evening. An officer responded and assisted the resident.

South Great Road (8:37 am.) — A caller reported losing a pair of glasses.

Mary’s Way (9:13 a.m.) — A resident asked to speak with an officer about being the victim of a possible fraud.

Hanscom Drive (11:33 a.m.) — Lincoln police assisted Hanscom Air Force Security Forces with an individual attempting to gain access to the base.

Hanscom Drive (12:06 p.m.) — The Lincoln Fire Department assisted the Massport Fire Department with an individual injured at the airport.

Blackburnian Road (8:53 a.m.) — A caller reported a suspicious vehicle parked on the street near their residence. An officer checked the area but the vehicle was gone.

Hartwell lot, North Great Road (10:02 p.m.) — An officer checked on several vehicles that were parked and unattended.

Corrections

The August 20 article headlined “Architects zero in on three design options for community center” had several errors:

  • The cost estimates given for the three schemes were the target costs (i.e., the maximum as stipulated by the November 2022 Town Meeting vote). The actual cost estimates are  $22.75 million for scheme 1, $18.7 million for scheme 2, and $12.05 million for scheme 3.
  • The square footage of scheme 1 was also listed incorrectly; it should have said 20,500 square feet. 
  • The description for scheme 1 mistakenly said that locating the maintenance facility in the main Hartwell building would add $850,000 to the cost. In fact it would save $850,000. 

The article has been updated to reflect these corrections.

Architects zero in on three design options for community center

(Editor’s note: this article was updated on August 22 to reflect corrections in the square footage of scheme 1 and the three estimated projects costs.)

ICON Architecture presented three design options to the Community Center Building Committee on August 16 and will forward them to the company’s cost estimator to get firmer price tags before the State of the Town charette on September 30.

The proposed square footage for programming and layout sketches can be seen on the indicated page numbers of the August 16 slide deck:

  1. Option 1, the courtyard scheme – page 17 (current estimate: $22.75 million)
    • Demolish all three pods and build a new 20,500-square-foot, one-story building
    • Total program space: 20,500 square feet
    • Incorporates 1,000 square feet for maintenance area (or relocate to main Hartwell building for a cost savings of $850,000)
  1. Option 2, the compact scheme – page 25 (current estimate:$18.7 million)
    • Demolish pods A and B; renovate pod C
    • 13,400 square feet of new construction in a two-story building and 4,965 square feet of renovation for total program space of 18,365 square feet
    • Incorporates 1,000 square feet for either maintenance or activity space (relocate maintenance in main Hartwell building for an additional $300,000)
  1. Option 3, the adaptive reuse scheme – page 33 (current estimate:$12.05 million)
    • Renovate pods A and B (9,885 square feet)
    • 6,185 square feet of new construction (connectors between pods all three)
    • Total program space: 16,000 square feet
    • Incorporates 1,000 square feet for either maintenance or activity space (relocate maintenance in main Hartwell building for an additional $300,000)
    • Optional: renovate pod C for an additional $3 million

The comparison table on page 11 shows the variables among the three options that center around programming space, the fate of Pod C (e.g., whether LEAP’s space will be renovated or not) and the level of site development. For example, option 3 (unlike the other two) does not include funds for a pedestrian bridge over the stream to the Brooks parking area and a raised Ballfield Road crosswalk, remediation of the former Strat’s playground to allow for a new playground or other use, or restorative landscaping.

At the State of the Town meeting in September, residents will have the chance to review the options in detail, ask questions, and express opinions. A preferred option with a specific dollar amount will be presented for a vote at a Special Town Meeting in November.