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

My Turn: CCBC offers revised site plans but no cost estimates

By Lynne Smith

Editor’s note: the CCBC’s next regular meetings (Zoom only) are scheduled for July 26 and August 16 at 7:30 p.m. See the CCBC home page for Zoom links.

At the June 28 Community Center Building Committee meeting, ICON offered three new site plans that differed significantly from the earlier plans — the parking was located in front of the main building, not behind it. This major change delighted many of us who were concerned about the loss of the green space if the parking lot were placed behind the building. While no cost estimates are available yet, project manager Mark McKivitz suggested that this new plan might reduce the cost of the site work, which had been estimated at $3.5 million for all earlier plans. McKivitz noted that the cost estimate for the new plans would take about three weeks to develop.

The committee offered additional data for Council on Aging event attendance, though several people at the meeting complained that the numbers seemed inflated to justify larger spaces and thus a larger building. Committee member Alison Taunton-Rigby voiced concerns about the building size and said she will continue to study the issue over the summer months. Dennis Picker pointed out that almost 2,000 square feet was earmarked for reception areas, lobbies, waiting spaces and offices occupied only part-time. In contrast, committee member Dilla Tingley noted that she thinks we need to build space for future use as the Lincoln population ages. She also said that other towns that built new community centers experienced a sharp increase in attendance. These are complex issues and it was good to hear them openly addressed by the committee members as well as residents at the meeting.

Despite these concerns, the committee voted to “accept” rather than “approve” the attendance numbers for ICON’s continued work during the summer. If these numbers are used, the building space required for COA&HS, PRD, LEAP, and maintenance appears to be a total of 20,000 square feet — some in renovated buildings and some in new construction. With costs per square foot at about $1,100, the building size is of serious concern.

All in all, the new site plans show that the architects and the committee members are listening to the public. Personally, I want to see a plan that comes in at or below the 50% option, which is about $12.5 million. I think a plan at that cost level will pass at the town vote. I fear that the higher levels will fail. ICON has their work for the summer cut out for them.

CCBC will hold one meeting in July and one meeting in August with ICON. These meetings will set the stage for more detailed plans for the September 30 State of the Town meeting. I urge everyone to attend the July and August meetings and sign up for emails from CCBC here.

“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.

News acorns

Get outdoors during RiverFest Summer 2023

RiverFest is the annual celebration of the federally protected Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Wild and Scenic Rivers, with six weeks of guided paddles, interpretive walks, art installations, and kids’ activities from July 1 to August 13. Events will be hosted on and along the rivers highlighting the historic, recreational, scenic, and ecological values of our rivers. Click here for a full list of activities.

Meet and eat at The Food Project

The Food Project invites everyone to its annual Farm Lunch on Wednesday, July 12 at the intersection of Baker Bridge Road and Route 126. Learn informally about TFP’s mission and programming, including through conversations with teenage members of Root Crew, professional farmers, and regional directors. Arrive by noon for a walking tour of the farm. A complimentary buffet lunch including vegetarian options featuring items from the farm will be provided at 12:30 p.m. as everyone gathers at picnic tables or under the pavilion. While philanthropic support of The Food Project is always welcomed, there is no expectation of a donation associated with these community building events. Due to limited capacity, RSVP is required; email jsoto@thefoodproject.org.

Rubik’s cube workshops

Always wanted to learn how to solve a Rubik’s cube? Now’s your chance! Learn about “speed cubing” and how to solve a 3×3 cube at workshops hosted by the Lincoln Public Library on Mondays, July 10, 17, and 24 from 6–8 p.m. Best for ages 8+. Participants are encouraged to sign up for all three sessions. Registration required as space is limited; email dshaver@minlib.net to register. Made possible by the Friends of the Lincoln Library.

Morris dancers coming to Lincoln

The American Traveling Morrice brings the Morris dance (an English country tradition with roots in medieval street theater) to a new geographical region each summer. The dancers, with small bells strapped to their legs, leap through complex figures accompanied by the music of the accordion, fiddle, or the ancient pipe and tabor. They will appear twice in Lincoln on Monday, July 24: at the deCordova Sculpture Park at 3:15 p.m. and in South Lincoln behind Donelan’s at 5:30 p.m. They will also appear that week in Sudbury, Concord, Maynard and other area towns; click here for the full schedule.

Lincolnites are awarded diplomas

  • Christopher Harrison received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Hamilton College on May 21.
  • Iris Sodowick received a Bachelors of Arts degree in psychological science from Hobart and William Smith Colleges on Sunday, May 21. Sodowick, the daughter of Adam C. Sodowick, studied abroad in Galway, Ireland while at HWS.

Committee seeks new at-large member

The Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee, which works to improve safety for walkers and bikers in Lincoln, is looking for a new at-large member. Current BPAC work includes:

  • Implementing and maintaining the Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan
  • Advising on infrastructure work such as Complete Streets, DPW and MassDOT projects 
  • Organizing biking and walking education events such as Walk/Bike/Roll to School and the e-bike demo
  • Conducting outreach around Massachusetts laws as they pertain to biking and walking

The BPAC meets monthly, generally on the third Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m. Members also attend other town meetings as interested and available, including Transportation Coalition, Roadway & Traffic Committee, walk/bike events, and project-specific meetings. Click here for more information.

My Turn: Food pantry needs help with non-food items

By Karen Boyce

Summer is here and our donations, both monetary and grocery, are down. We have had to take a hard look at what we offer our clients and cut back on some areas. We are limiting dish soap, paper towels, toilet paper and laundry detergent and are focusing solely on providing protein foods, dairy, and fresh vegetables to our many clients. Local farmers are donating produce and eggs to us through the Lincoln Agriculture Commission. We are so thankful!

Please, at this very tentative time of year, consider making a donation to us. You can send a check to us at St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lincoln and Weston, PO Box 324, Lincoln, MA. You might add on the check that it is for the food pantry.

Would you rather donate a product? Costco is having a sale on paper towels! We also need small laundry detergent and small bottles of dish soap — toilet paper, too. You can leave the donations on the porch of the St. Joseph house, right beside the food pantry at 142 Lincoln Road (rear) in the blue bins. Even one bottle of dish soap helps us out. And as always, salad dressings, mayonnaise, and cereals are things we just cannot keep on the shelves. They are on sale everywhere. Thank you for your generosity. Happy Fourth of July!

Karen Boyce is chair of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lincoln and Weston food pantry.

“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.

Homer Eckhardt passes away at age 98

Homer Eckhardt

Homer David Eckhardt, 98, of Lincoln died peacefully in his sleep on June 26, 2023. He was the loving husband for 54 years of Beverly Hillmann Eckhardt, with whom he had recently moved to the Residence at Paine Estate in Wayland.

Homer was born in Rochester, N.Y., and attended public schools. A lifelong engineer by profession as well as by temperament, he entered the Class of 1945 at the MIT but interrupted his studies to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He completed his Bachelor of Science at MIT, where he was also awarded a Master of Science in aeronautics and astronautics in 1948. He continued his work for two years at the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory.

After work opportunities took him to Minneapolis, Minn., and Binghamton, N.Y., Homer returned to Massachusetts, where he lived for the rest of his life. He was a founding member of Brown’s Wood in Lincoln, where he moved with his late first wife, Mary Grinnell, and their first two daughters into a beautiful modern house surrounded by trees. He maintained an active interest in his neighborhood association, town affairs, and the public school system.

During his long career, Homer applied his expertise to a range of engineering challenges. For nearly three decades he worked in aeronautical systems controls at RCA Aerospace Systems Division in Burlington. Then, at Rockwell Industries in Hopedale, he designed improvements to increase the speed and reduce the noise of textile manufacturing equipment. At this time he became active in the Acoustical Society of America. His final full-time job at Polaroid was followed by a period of consulting.

Homer was a lifelong learner who enthusiastically shared his knowledge and constructive ways of thinking with colleagues, family and friends alike. During his years as a consultant, he was delighted to also serve as adjunct professor in mechanical engineering at Tufts University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His textbook Kinematic Design of Machines and Mechanisms was published in 1998 to lead his students and other engineers into a deeper understanding of the design of mechanical systems.

Homer supported the arts and loved to design and build things in his basement shop. Furniture and clocks he made could be found throughout his home. He also enjoyed constructing models to demonstrate mathematical and mechanical concepts he was exploring and teaching.

Beginning with hiking and skiing adventures in college, outdoor sports were an activity Homer enjoyed, introducing to his children and sharing with friends and family throughout his life. He particularly enjoyed long-distance bicycling, including riding with the Northeast Bicycle Club in the 1980s. Well into his nineties, he was fondly known by his neighbors for his daily walks up and down the hilly roads of his neighborhood.

Homer was brother to the late Joan E. Cody. He is survived by his wife, Beverly H. Eckhardt; his daughters Margaretha M. Eckhardt of Waltham, Juliana E. Huljack of Stockton, N.J., and Anneliese M.E. Pugh of Alna, Maine; his sons Jason C. Eckhardt of New Bedford, Mass., and Kris G. Eckhardt of Westbrook, Maine; six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

A private graveside service will be held for the immediate family at Lincoln Cemetery. At a later date, the family will announce a memorial service to which all are invited. In lieu of flowers, donations in Homer Eckhardt’s memory may be made to one of the following:

MIT Undergraduate Scholarships Fund
P.O. Box 412926
Boston MA 02241-2926
Attention: Memorial Gifts Office
 
American Friends Service Committee
1501 Cherry St.
Philadelphia PA 19102

Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord, which provided this obituary. To share a memory or to offer a condolence in his online guestbook, please click here.

Town unveils draft Climate Action Plan

The town is kicking off the summer review period of its draft Climate Action Plan at a virtual event on Thursday, June 29 from 7–8 p.m. Residents are invited to learn more about the plan and the strategies to reduce carbon emissions and increase the community’s resilience to climate change impacts (click here to register).

The plan — which was developed by Assistant Director of Planning and Land Use Jennifer Curtin and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council along the lines of other towns’ climate action plans — lists Lincoln’s climate action goals and groups strategies into six categories:

  • Energy 
  • Mobility 
  • Built environment 
  • Working land and natural resources 
  • Water and solid waste 
  • Social resilience  

More than 200 strategy ideas were received from community engagement activities during the spring that included workshops, focus groups and a survey. After public review this summer, the final draft will be submitted to the Select Board for approval in the fall.

When the plan was presented to the Select Board on June 26, board member Kim Bodnar was intrigued by one of the proposed strategies: establishing an “ambassador program” to help residents understand and access grants for weatherization, building energy retrofits, adoption of solar power, battery storage, etc. “Is it like a Geek Squad for green folks?” she asked. “That would be incredibly helpful — sometimes people just don’t know.”

“We heard from folks that they would rather hear [about steps they could take] from their neighbors rather than Mass Save or people who want to sell you things,” Curtin said. The ambassador program “is my #1 focus… it’s really impactful and not an expensive thing for the town to do.”

Board member Jim Hutchinson asked whether the town would need more staffing to carry out various elements of the plan, which will also involve extensive grant application writing. “We’re going to have to give some serious consideration to that when we have a real solid sense of priorities and timeline,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins replied.

“A lot of this stuff is kind of aspirational” and will involve more detailed feasibility studies, cost/benefit analyses and data gathering, Curtin added.

More information on the draft Climate Action Plan:

Police log for June 15–22, 2023

June 15

Lincoln Road (1:27 p.m.) — A parking ticket was issued at the commuter lot.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (8:17 p.m.) — An officer responded for a report of illegal dumping of construction materials on private property.

June 16

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (8:05 a.m.) — An additional report of illegal dumping occurred at another private property location. Lincoln police, the DPW, and the Conservation Department are aware and investigating.

Cambridge Turnpike eastbound (7:59 p.m.) — A 911 caller reported a male appearing disoriented by the I-95 overpass on Route 2. State police and Lexington police were notified.

Twin Pond Lane (7:04 pm.) — An individual requested to speak with an officer regarding suspicious phone calls.

Tower Road (10:55 p.m.) —Police and fire personnel responded to a residence for a residential lockout.

June 17

Sandy Pond Road (3:22 p.m.) — A motorist reported a strong odor of natural gas in the area. National Grid was notified. The Fire Department metered the area but no measurable readings of gas were detected.

Autumn Lane (3:42 p.m.) — An individual recovered a loose dog. They were given contact information for Animal Control.

Pierce House (10:25 p.m.) — A resident from Beaver Pond Road called regarding music coming from the Pierce House. An officer responded to the Pierce House; all was quiet upon arrival.

June 18

Between 6:09 p.m. and 10:34 p.m., police received seven alarms from the town well on Tower Road. The Water Department reported that a remote telemetry unit failed, which took out communication with the treatment plant. Staff had to monitor the storage tank level manually overnight and turn on the treatment plant by hand. The event did not affect water quality or availability.

June 19

Trapelo Road (8:58 p.m.) — A number of youths were advised that there was no fishing allowed at the Cambridge Reservoir.

Winter Street (11:07 p.m.) — A minor motor vehicle crash occurred at the hospice house when a vehicle struck another as it was backing out of a parking space. An officer assisted parties with exchanging information.

June 20

Hanscom Drive (7:26 p.m.) — Ever Ferreras, 21, of Lawrence was taken into custody by the Lincoln police after being detained by Hanscom Air Force Security Forces on two outstanding warrants. After booking, he was brought to Concord District Court.

Bedford Road (1:01 p.m.) — Police responded to a residence for a missing child under the age of 12. The child was located shortly after the officers arrived.

June 21

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (9:15 a.m.) — Multiple 911 calls were received for a vehicle fire on Route 2. The Lincoln Fire Department and state police responded.

Hanscom Air Force Base (9:37 a.m.) — Hanscom Security Force notified the Lincoln police of a male recording the outside of the military installation. When approached by Hanscom personnel, the male fled on foot. Police assisted Hanscom with a check of the area but were unable to locate the individual.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (5:09 p.m.) —Police received a call regarding a male walking on Route 2 near Crosby’s Corner. A short time later, Concord police notified Lincoln police that they were speaking with the individual.

161 Lincoln Road (6:33 p.m.) — Police were called to Country Pizza for an individual causing a scene. Officers responded and were able to de-escalate. The individual was asked to leave after paying for some damaged property.

Pierce House (8:05 p.m.) — An officer responded to the Pierce House to assist a motorist with exchanging information after a minor motor vehicle crash in the parking lot.

June 22

North Great Road (3:14 p.m.) — Several calls were received regarding a garbage truck depositing trash as it made its way west on Route 2A. An officer checked the area but was unable to locate the truck. A Concord police officer later located the trash truck on Route 2.

South Great Road (3:38 p.m.) — A caller reported following a vehicle that was having difficulty maintaining control on South Great Road. The operators stopped and had a confrontation on South Great Road eastbound shortly before the railroad crossing. Officers arrived and determined that the operator in question had struck the mirror of a passing vehicle. The operator was cited for a marked lanes violation and their vehicle was towed from the scene.

Concord Road (5:54 p.m.) — An officer located a disabled motor vehicle near South Great Road. The operator had a co-worker coming to assist and the vehicle posed no hazard.

July 1 service for Jacquelyn Snelling, 1937–2023

Jacquelyn Hall Snelling

There will be visiting hours on June 30 and a service on July 1 for Jacquelyn Hall Snelling, 86, recently of Maynard and formerly of Lincoln and Concord, who passed away on June 24, 2023 at Emerson Hospital. She was the beloved wife of 66 years to John R. Snelling.

Jacquelyn Hall was born in Boston on January 15, 1937, the only child of Abbott Hall and Ebba (Hanson) Hall. Early raised and educated in Roslindale, she moved to Needham where she attended and graduated from Needham High School. She later attended secretarial school at Westbrook College in Maine, earning an associate’s degree.

Jackie and John married on May 31, 1958, in Christ Episcopal Church in Needham. They first settled in Boston for a short time before relocating to Lincoln for many years, and in 2013 they moved to Concord.  Jackie worked as a secretary for both Digital Equipment Corporation as well as St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Lincoln before retiring in 1995.

A devoted wife, mother, grandmother and recently great-grandmother, Jackie cherished the time with her family. She knitted baby sweaters for family and friends as well as Christmas stockings that are still hung by chimneys with care.

Jackie was a selfless, caring person. She was a long-time contributor and volunteer for Emerson Hospital, Meals on Wheels, the Lincoln, and Concord Council on Aging. She also drove many elderly residents to their local appointments.

Along with her husband John, she is survived by her son Philip R. Snelling and wife Kathleen of Lawrenceville, Ga., and her daughter Kristen Snelling Barrett of Maynard. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Lauren and Kyle Khawly, Tucker Barrett, Shannon Barrett Porter and her husband Steven, and James Barrett, as well as her great-granddaughter Ava Porter.

Family and friends will gather to honor and remember Jackie on Friday, June 30 from 4–7 p.m. at the Concord Funeral Home (74 Belknap St., Concord). Her funeral service will be held on Saturday, July 1 at 11:00 am at St. Anne’s-in-the-Fields Church, 147 Concord Rd., Lincoln. Burial in Lincoln Cemetery will be private. Donations in her memory may be made to Emerson Hospital, 133 ORNAC, Concord, MA. 01742

Arrangements under the care of Concord Funeral Home, which provided this obituary. Click here to see Jacquelyn’s remembrance page.

Correction

The June 25 story headlined “Mall redevelopment coming sooner than state-mandated rezoning” indicated that the rezoning proposal for part of the Lincoln mall calls for 42 housing units per acre. The proposal actually calls for 25 units per acre overall. The sketch of the front of the mall showed what a denser concentration on the front acre would look like. The story has been updated.

Mall redevelopment coming sooner than state-mandated rezoning

An illustration of what the mall building might look like if the area was rezoned to allow 25 units of housing per acre. This sketch shows a denser massing of 42 units per acre at the front of the subdistrict, which would be balanced by a lower concentration of housing in the rest. Donelan’s is in white at left rear.

Rezoning to comply with the Housing Choice Act may some day result in more multifamily housing in South Lincoln and perhaps other areas, if developers are interested — but change is probably coming much sooner to the mall. Civico, which designed and built Oriole Landing, is poised to redevelop the mall’s main building with more commercial space and housing — assuming a separate rezoning proposal is approved by voters.

In the second of two public forums on June 20, consultants recapped their June 6 presentation about rezoning options to comply with the HCA. The law will require Lincoln to allow at least 15 housing units per acre (for a total capacity of 635 units) on parcels of land totaling at least 42 acres, 20% of which must be within half a mile of the train station — click here to see the updated slide deck.

Running alongside the HCA work is a separate effort to rezone just the mall area with the goal of encouraging more commercial use while also adding housing above stores in the main building (the post office and restaurant buildings would not be affected). One of the HCA’s stipulations is that commercial use can’t be required in the rezoned areas, but the Rural Land Foundation (owners of the mall) and Civico are proposing a new subdistrict that would pave the way for a mixed-use buildout by right with improved commercial space and 25 multifamily housing units per acre. The subdistrict would include the commuter lot on the east side of the railroad tracks.

“We need to think holistically about this area,” Select Board Jennifer Glass said. “These two kind of work together — two ideas with one zoning package.” The two proposals — a preferred rezoning option selected from five viable HCA concepts, and the mall subdistrict — will be presented at the State of the Town meeting on September 30 and submitted to votes at Town Meeting in March 2024.

“Without a mall subdistrict, it’s highly unlikely we’ll be able to revitalize the mall in keeping with Lincoln’s values and rural character,” said Michelle Barnes, chair of the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust/RLF Board of Trustees. This effort would go beyond the HCA moves (which simply allow denser housing but do not require anyone to build them) because the RLF already has a development partner and a preliminary sketch of a project.

Civico, a developer that is “known to and trusted by the town,” went through the arduous Town Meeting approval process for Oriole Landing but has indicated that “they would not be willing to do so again,” Barnes said.

The mall project would actually allow Lincoln to respond more quickly to the area-wide housing crisis and the state’s push for more transit-oriented housing, she added. If all goes as planned, Civico and the town (which does not have the resources to redevelop the mall on its own) would collaborate on a project in keeping with the town’s character, with the sale of the mall contingent on such a design.

One stumbling block to redevelopment is the age and limited capacity of the wastewater treatment plant that services both the mall and Lincoln Woods. The plant is owned by TCB (The Community Builders, Inc.). Paula Vaughn-MacKenzie, Director of Planning and Land Use, said that the RLF is working with TCB on a plan for upgrading the plant, but the financial details are still unknown. However, the town already received $400,000 from the state in late 2021 to design an upgrade.

TCB and Civico are “both more than confident that they would be able to get a Massworks grant for the mall project as long as the town complies with the HCA,” Barnes said.

Massworks grants are often in the millions and could pay for more than half of the project, Vaughn-MacKenzie said. Even if the HCA weren’t in the picture, “the state would be thrilled [with the mall project]. It’s just the type of project they’d want to support,” Vaughn-MacKenzie said.

Town rezoning approval for a mall project funded by Civico and the state would be a big plus for Lincoln, which would broaden its tax base as well as improve housing and commercial options there, said Planning Board member Gary Taylor. “Right now everything seems to be aligned in trying to make this happen.”

Lexington is the first town to approve rezoning to comply with the HCA while also encouraging improved commercial use. The measure was the subject of articles in the Boston Globe and the New Yorker.