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

Field Notes: Let it grow for No Mow May 

By Rachel Neurath

Field Notes is an occasional feature highlighting climate and environment work in town and spotlighting Lincoln residents and staff. Rachel Neurath is a soil microbial ecologist, co-leader of Lincoln Common Ground, and a member of Lincoln’s Climate Action Plan Working Group. 

This May, Lincoln is joining the growing global movement to keep mowers in the shed until June. By delaying mowing, you give flowers a chance to bloom among the grass. Flowers provide nectar and habitat for pollinators like butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. No Mow May is a chance to discover beautiful surprises, support pollinators, create a wildlife haven, increase ecosystem resilience, and store carbon in soil. The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust (LLCT) and Lincoln Common Ground encourage you to give it a try — even leaving a patch of lawn unmown can make a big difference. 

On Tuesday, April 11 at 7 p.m., I will give a Zoom presentation on No Mow May. I will talk about its benefits, share photos of my unmown lawn last May, give some tips, and open the conversation up to answer your questions. You can learn more and register here. 

Robin Wilkerson, ecological landscape designer and gardener, is leading the Lincoln Common Ground No Mow May movement. Wilkerson and other Lincoln Common Ground members will table at the transfer station on Saturday, April 8 and Saturday, April 22 from 8 a.m–noon where you can learn more about No Mow May. 

“Since learning as a child about the demise of passenger pigeons, I gained an understanding of the irreversible damage that humans can inflict on the environment. Then Rachel Carson wrote her unfortunately prescient book, Silent Spring, about the catastrophic effects of our war on insects. Those two events set me on a life course of being a committed organic gardener and attempting to live compassionately on the land,” Wilkerson says,.

“I am utterly buoyed by others who share this sensibility. Lincoln Common Ground is a group of passionate people who care deeply about the survival of species and at the same time we are trying to find ways to address the climate emergency. It’s a big task, but it’s a journey with a group that gives me hope.”

Bryn Gingrich, outreach director of LLCT, grew up in Lincoln. Last May, Gingrich’s unmown lawn transformed into a sea of violets. “No Mow May is a really exciting initiative because it focuses on an easy way for folks to improve biodiversity in their own yards,” she says. “It’s a really hopeful and positive way to engage with busy families because it’s actually less work for people and they can enjoy seeing more color and more life in their lawns. I think it’s important to recognize that this is a big culture shift we are promoting. Perfectly manicured and leaf-blown lawns are seen as a sign of care for one’s property. That’s why signage is such an important part of initiatives like this one. Signs like LLCT’s Pollinator Pathway signs cue passerby that the “messiness” is intentional.

“I also want to acknowledge that change can be slow and incremental, and for me just seeing small patches of unmown lawn or new pocket pollinator meadows popping up is heartening.

“One of the ways that LLCT has been engaging with our community recently is providing content on the connection between land stewardship and biodiversity, ecosystems, and carbon sequestration. This applies both on conservation land, stewarded by LLCT, and in Lincolnites’ yards and gardens. As part of LLCT’s Pollinator Action Plan, we’ve put a much greater emphasis on new plantings on conservation land that increase biodiversity and functional ecosystems.”

My family loved No Mow May last year and plans to participate every year now. We were amazed how many flowers popped up in our yard. I worried we might find more ticks on our daughter, but we did not. New research actually shows that mowing less frequently can decrease ticks. You can learn more about No Mow May here. So this May, consider letting it grow. 

“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.

Service on April 11 for Murray Nicolson

Murray Nicolson

A funeral service will be held in St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church on Tuesday, April 11 at 11 a.m. for Murray Nicolson, 84, of Concord, who passed away on Saturday, April 1, 2023, surrounded by his beloved family.

He leaves behind his loving and devoted wife of 61 years, Barbara (Jones) Nicolson; his son, Edward Nicolson and his wife Valerie of San Francisco, Calif.; three grandchildren, Eleanor, Walter and James Nicolson; and his brother, David Nicolson and wife Liz of Edinburgh, Scotland. He was predeceased by his son, Stephen Murray Nicolson.

Family and friends are invited to gather for his funeral service at St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, 147 Concord Road, Lincoln on April 11 at 11 a.m. Services will conclude with a reception in the parish hall and burial at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Murray’s memory to St. Anne’s in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 6, Lincoln, MA 01773.

Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home, which provided this obituary. To share a remembrance or to offer a condolence in Nicolson’s online guestbook, visit  www.DeeFuneralHome.com and click on Obituaries.

My Turn: Oppose solar plan next to reservoir in Lexington

(Editor’s note: This op-ed was originally published in the Lexington Observer on March 30, 2023.)

By Ed Sullivan

Lexington [and Lincoln] residents need to be aware of the Tracer Lane Solar Project at 0 Cambridge St./Concord Turnpike that is currently under review by the Lexington Planning Board. The project is planned in a forestry area adjacent to Lexington conservation land, the Cambridge Reservoir, and residential property in Lincoln and Waltham. The scope of the project is to cut down approximately 800 trees over 9+ acres and build a 1 megawatt 4,000-panel solar installation. Imagine the tree loss and wildlife displacement. The solar panels will be located on a steep hill and jammed up against Waltham residential property. The panels will have a proposed 50-foot setback from the residential property lines, but much of the area between the property line and actual panel placement will be cleared. 

Because of the proximity to the reservoir, there will be no foam fire suppression installed or used, as foam could contaminate the reservoir. Should there be a fire (solar panels do catch fire more frequently than people think), the agreed strategy by the Lexington and Waltham Fire Departments is essentially: let it burn itself out. You cannot fight an electrical fire with water, so all the responding firefighters will do is wet the ground near the abutting homes in hopes the fire will not spread. This is the plan! Where else in Lexington is there a “let it burn” strategy?

If there were a fire, the plume of smoke would contain both lead and cadmium (both carcinogens) that would settle on the reservoir and potentially contaminate the water. The smoke could travel for 1.25 miles and the residue settle on homes in Lexington, Lincoln, and Waltham. The potential for risk to firefighters is high. They would be exposed to toxic smoke, working on an extremely slippery and steep incline. The sole entry and exit to this solar field will be a 20-foot-wide gravel path installed across a residential property in Waltham (owned by the developer) which backs up to the Lexington property the developer is planning for this solar field.

The Waltham residents are not against solar. Some have it on their own homes. This is not NIMBY opposition. It is just a bad project with multiple problems. For more information, please visit our website at WalthamNeighborsForSafeSolar.org.

Sullivan lives at 24 Sherbourne Place in Waltham. 

“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: Vigilance urged after theft at Codman farm

By Pete Lowy

(Editor’s note: This account was included in the latest Codman Community Farms member newsletter from farmer Pete Lowy. On Friday, March 31, Lincoln police said they are still investigating the incident and have some leads, and may have something to report by the end of next week.)

As many know, our awesome Farm Store is open 24/7 and is fully stocked with a highly curated selection of the best local foods that can be found in the region. Our dedication to remaining open at all times AND operating on the self-serve/honor system has been one of our pride and joys and certainly something that makes us very unique.

Unfortunately, this aspect of our store can be taken advantage of. We are very sad to report we had quite a large theft late one evening this past week. A large amount of chicken and other high-value items were stolen from our store. This is always deeply saddening to witness and makes all our hearts sink. We work so very hard to grow the best quality products we can and to then see folks take advantage of our honor store is very depressing.

The good news is that our robust video surveillance system which records all activity 24 hours a day captured the entire theft including the license plate of the suspects. The Lincoln Police Department has been notified and they are in the process of hopefully recouping the value of our loss. We are always grateful for the support of the Lincoln Police Department whenever these situations arise. In the future, if folks are shopping in the store at odd hours and see something suspicious or just “off” — say something, call the police if it’s after hours, or let our staff know as soon as possible.

We hope in the future we won’t have to up our game and solicit the help of AI Farm-Chick-Bots to begin patrolling the grounds, as seen in the photo below. We are beginning to work on prototypes with Lincoln Labs just in case…

“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.

First Parish music director is a multidisciplinary artist

Miranda Loud

In the choir loft at the First Parish in Lincoln, music director Miranda Loud moves between roles, sitting to play the organ and then standing to conduct the choir — but doing more than one thing at a time is nothing new to this interdisciplinary musician, artist, photographer, and educator.

As one would expect, Holy Week is an especially busy time, when music at the church will range “from meditative and introspective to celebratory and full of trumpet fanfare,” Loud said. The Good Friday service at 7 p.m. will be predominantly music and poetry; the choir will sing Puccini’s Requiem, and soprano Ann Moss — another Lincoln native from a musical family — will sing several pieces.

Loud became the church’s music director in December 2022 after serving as acting director for almost a year. She’s been working to develop a sense of camaraderie as well as strong performances from the choir, which has quadrupled in size from seven to 28 members during her tenure.

“The most fun part of the job is working with the choir and feeling part of a community again. As a freelance organist for about seven years and doing visual art and photography, I’ve missed a sense of community and seeing the same people and building relationships with them,” she said.

Loud has filled in as a sub occasionally at First Parish over the years but has also held worked as a music director and organist for over 30 years in various churches, including two in New York City — St. James’ Episcopal Church Madison Avenue and the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola Park Avenue — and then in the Boston area at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Weston, where she founded and developed a large and diverse concert series.

Coming back to the First Parish is like coming home for Loud. She grew up in Lincoln, and her father Rob Loud and grandmother Mary Loud both worked in the church’s music program in the 1960s. After earning music degrees from Wellesley College and the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, she focused on becoming a professional singer in her 30s and has been singing alto with the Handel & Haydn Chorus since 2011.

Working at the First Parish in Lincoln “gives me much more leeway in terms of what kind of music I can do,” she said. In recent services, she’s played jazz by John Coltrane and George Shearing and conducted the choir in a Renaissance piece, a Civil Rights Movement marching song, and songs from Cameroon with drums. The wide range of music reflects the religious and social diversity of the congregation, which includes Jews, evangelicals, Quakers, agnostics, and everything in between.

“I’m excited to be learning new repertoire by living composers, women composers, and composers of color,” she said. “It’s so important to try to bring in excellent music-making from different perspectives.”

Loud’s own artistic perspectives have been just as varied. In the 2000 and 2010s, she created multimedia concerts and films for NatureStage, a group she founded that uses the emotional power of art and film to explore human relationships with other species and inspire action to become global stewards. More recently, she’s immersed herself in the visual arts as a professional photographer and self-taught watercolor painter and designer, learning techniques from YouTube videos and refining them in her home studio. Trying something new is a recurring theme for her.

“We all have hidden talents,” Loud said. “I think a lot of people in midlife have urges to do something different but think they can’t start as a beginner in their 40s or later… I always loved visual art but was a musician and never had time to do that. It didn’t even occur to me that I would have this whole other iteration as a painter — it just kind of snuck up on me.” She’s earned part of her living from selling her photographs, paintings, and gifts with her designs through websites she built (mirandaloudphotography.com and mirandaloudartist.com) as well as teaching sketchbook workshops.

“It’s wonderful to have the [part-time] First Parish job because it takes the pressure off to always wonder ‘Will someone buy this?’ But right now my focus is on the church and getting in a rhythm with the music and the new ministers and not spreading myself too thin,” she said. Nonetheless, despite (or perhaps because of) her varied pursuits, “I feel much more comfortable in my own skin. I’m doing the best I can and constantly trying to learn.”

Police log for March 19–26, 2023

March 19

Lincoln Police Department (9:30 a.m.) — DEP police wanted to speak with a supervisor in relation to signage.

Forester Road (9:42 a.m.) — A caller reported a deer running in circles in their back yard. The caller was given a phone number for Animal Control. The deer subsequently left the caller’s yard and opted for the woods.

Liberty Lane (4:00 p.m.) — An individual asked to speak with an officer.

South Great Road (5:19 p.m.) — Multiple motorists reported a brush fire across from the Mt. Misery parking lot. The Fire Department was dispatched and had the small fire under control.

March 20

Old Sudbury Road (2:00 a.m.) — An officer observed the railroad gates at Old Sudbury Road appeared to be stuck in the down position. The MBTA was notified. A Keolis representative arrived at 3:00 a.m. and addressed the issue.

Lexington Road (11:41 a.m.) — A caller reported that a suspicious party had driven past them on Lexington Road. After a brief investigation, it turned out the individuals knew each other.

March 21

Liberty Lane (9:00 a.m.) — An officer assisted parties on Liberty Lane.

Codman Community Farms (9:09 a.m.) — The farm called to report a possible theft from their store. An officer is investigating the incident (click here for details).

South Great Road (4:37 p.m.) — Dispatch received a report of a single-vehicle crash near Drumlin Farm. The operator stated they had to veer out of the way of an object in the roadway and collided with a post as a result. The operator refused medical attention and the vehicle was able to be driven from the scene.

Laurel Drive (4:59 p.m.) — A caller reported their vehicle parked in the driveway was on fire. The Lincoln Police and Fire Departments arrived a short time later and the vehicle was extinguished.

March 22

Lincoln Road (2:09 a.m.) — An officer encountered a vehicle behind the Lincoln School. The operator was dropping off some construction tools.

Powdermill Road, Maynard (6:50 a.m.) — The Lincoln Fire Department responded to assist with a structure fire in Maynard.

South Great Road (9:00 a.m.) — A caller asked for the phone number for Animal Control after discovering a raccoon in their yard during the daytime.

Old Sudbury Road (4:58 p.m.) — A dog was reportedly running in the area. The Animal Control Officer was notified.

Lincoln Road (6:09 p.m.) — A resident called to report a Fire Department vehicle parked in a “no parking” area. The vehicle was moved.

Lexington Road (6:59 p.m.) — A caller asked to speak to an officer regarding ongoing issues with neighbors.

March 23

Magic Garden, Bedford Road (10:13 a.m.) — A caller reported a suspicious person possibly approaching children. The area was checked by officers but no one was found.

Todd Pond Road (10:17 a.m.) — A caller reported a scam where an individual was posing as a family member selling an item.

Mary’s Way (10:58 a.m.) — A caller reported their car’s catalytic converter had been stolen. An officer responded and took a report.

Lincoln School (2:58 p.m.) — A caller reported a loose dog in the area. The owner was reunited with the dog a short time later.

Beaver Pond Road (3:29 p.m.) — A caller reported seeing a dog wander through their yard with no owner. The area was checked by an officer but no dog was found.

Lincoln Road (4:30 p.m.) — A caller reported that the railroad gates at Lincoln Road appeared stuck in the down position. A Keolis representative was on scene approximately 10 minutes later and appeared to have resolved the issue.

March 24

Trapelo Road (3:22 p.m.) — A student who was supposed to remain at school at the end of the day took the bus instead. An officer accompanied the child’s father when the two were reunited.

Concord Road (3:30 p.m.) — The MBTA reported seeing two youths on the tracks between Concord Road and the Codman Estate. An officer located the pair and advised them to stay off the tracks.

Lincoln MBTA station (4:28 p.m.) — A caller reported that a train stopped at the lincoln train station appeared to have smoke coming from the wheel area. The MBTA was notified.

March 25

Old Sudbury Road (9:40 p.m.) — An officer responded to the Old Sudbury Road railroad gates for a report of the gates stuck in the down position. The gates appeared to be functioning properly approximately 30 minutes later.

Old Sudbury Road (10:21 p.m.) — The Old Sudbury railroad gates were once again malfunctioning. An officer remained on scene for approximately 30 minutes until a Keolis representative arrived.

March 26

Sandy Pond Road (2:22 p.m.) — A caller reported two people fishing. The individuals were located and advised to move along.

Cedar Road (3:47 p.m.) — A caller reported a raccoon lying in the roadway. An officer checked the area but was unable to locate the animal.

South Great Road (6:12 p.m.) — A motorist observed a vehicle strike the railroad island, knock over a traffic sign, an lose its front bumper before proceeding on South Great Road. Officers responded to the area, located the vehicle, and spoke to the operator. A criminal complaint was issued to the operator for leaving the scene of a property damage accident and a marked-lanes violation.

News acorns

Community center feedback opportunity

The Community Center Building Committee will host an “open mic night” on Tuesday, April 4 at 7 p.m. in the Hartwell multipurpose room and via Zoom. ICON Architecture is ICON is now working on parallel tracks to help confirm essential and desired program needs and synergies, and to undertake necessary site-related assessments and open-space planning. Click here to join the Zoom meeting and type the passcode of 579905. Browse Lincoln Squirrel stories on this topic here.

Lincoln Climate Action Plan workshop #2

The town of Lincoln is gathering input for a Climate Action Plan that will guide efforts to reduce carbon emissions and increase the community’s resilience to climate change impacts. The second community workshop will take place twice — on Wednesday, April 12 at 7 p.m. and  Friday, April 14 at 8:30 a.m. (both via Zoom). The information shared will be the same, so you only need to attend one. Click here to register for the April 12 event, or click here to register for the April 14 event. Questions or comments? Email Jennifer Curtin at curtinj@lincolntown.org. 

Weaving at deCordova

The deCordova is offering weaving workshops and a guided tour of the park in early April. On Sunday, April 2 from 10-12:30 p.m. and also 1:30-4 p.m., join artist Mihoko Wakabayashi in exploring the practice of saori weaving. This freestyle contemporary weaving technique emphasizes the individuality of the maker through spontaneity and freedom of expression. Come for a half-day from session to produce a nature-inspired wall hanging or register for two half-day sessions (five hours total) to create a larger wall hanging, scarf, or placemat. Click on one or both times above to register.

Learn about Ukrainian egg-dyeing

Codman Community Farms will be getting crafty in its farm kitchen with two pysansky classes. On Wednesday, April 5 from 3­–4 p.m. and Saturday, April 8 from 11 a.m.–noon (click here to register), kids age 5­-10 can create natural dyes with plant materials to decorate one-of-a kind eggs from the Codman flock. Each participant will get a dozen hard-boiled farm eggs to decorate and dye in the class… and to snack on later in the week if they choose. Cost is $25; all materials included.

Using beeswax, traditional kistka tools, colorful dyes, and Codman-raised eggs, guest instructor and artist Gretjen Helene will teach “Pyansky Egg Happy Hour” for adults and teens, making both simple and complicated designs with an old wax-resist dyeing technique on Saturday, April 8 from 3–5 p.m. Farm snacks provided. Cost is $80; all materials included. Drop-off and pickup in the farm kitchen. Parents are welcome to pop in and watch as long as there is space for us to move around.

Click here to register for any of these classes.

Learn about No Mo May

On Tuesday, April 11 at 7 p.m., the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and Lincoln Common Ground will host a town-wide Zoom event to raise awareness about the No Mow May campaign and answer questions. Leaving lawns unmowed, even for a month, allows flowers to bloom, which provides sustenance for bees and other early pollinating insects. Delaying the start of mowing season for just a month can make a positive difference in our local ecology and reduce the town’s carbon footprint by diminishing the use of gas and electric mower. Visit lincolncommonground.com to register. Questions? Email Robin Wilkerson at outsideinformation@gmail.com.

My Turn: See author Bill McKibben at the First Parish or on livestream

By Barbara Slayter

If you live in Lincoln, chances are you are deeply concerned about the environment, distressed about the polarization afflicting our nation, alarmed about climate change, and disturbed about the rise of right-wing authoritarianism. Come hear Bill McKibben, who will discuss his childhood experiences and his reflection on transformations in our country as they are revealed in his latest book, The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks back at his Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened, on Sunday, April 2 at 3 p.m. (event details below).

Bill McKibben is an eminent environmentalist, Professor of Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, and author of more than a dozen books, including the best sellers Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?, Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, and The End of Nature, which was the first book to warn the general public about the climate crisis. Recipient of several prestigious prizes, he founded the global grassroots climate campaign 350.org, an international movement of ordinary people working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-led renewable energy for all. His new project, organizing people over 60 for progressive change, is called Third Act.

McKibben grew up next door in Lexington, where he moved when he was ten years old. He rapidly became enmeshed in Lexington’s cherished heritage of colonial farmer-patriots who fought to secure the independence of this country. He was confident in the patterns and certainties of his family’s participation in the Hancock United Church of Christ, an institution central to the religious life of his family. He reveled in the opportunities made possible in an affluent suburb by the automobile, the mechanism for connecting home, work, schools, church, shopping, vacations, and various and sundry other destinations.

Now, 50 years later, he is asking a lot of questions about past policies that shaped contemporary life in America. He is looking around at vast inequalities in wealth, an extraordinary dependence on fossil fuels, sharp racial injustices, and a widespread collapse of trust in our long-treasured institutions. He asks, “What went so suddenly sour with American patriotism, American faith and American prosperity?”   

And we ask, how do McKibben’s questions, his experience, and his reflections relate to our small New England town? We may find that they do so in more ways than we could have imagined. Can we seize the opportunity to learn from this scholar/activist who is probing for ways that Americans – all of us — can build a sustainable and just future?

McKibben’s talk is on Sunday, April 2 at  3 p.m. Reservations are not required, so arrive early at the First Parish in Lincoln, go to St. Anne’s Episcopal Church to watch it simulcast live with others (enjoy light refreshments and informal discussion afterwards), or watch on livestream here. This event is sponsored by the First Parish in Lincoln and its committees: Racial Justice Advocates, Outreach, Green and Adult Education.

“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: CCBC has tight timeline for gathering public input

By Lynne Smith

(Editor’s note: writer Lynne Smith indicates her personal opinions in italics.)

The March 22 evening meeting of the Community Center Building Committee was disappointing for public attendees, many of whom hoped to hear detail on programming needs, alternate spaces, and a process for soliciting community opinion. About 30 Lincoln residents attended the meeting virtually and in person and were paying close attention. Committee Chair Sarah Chester started the meeting at 7 p.m. and opened it for public comments around 8 p.m.

The topics covered include the following.

  1. Timeline — The committee intends to have ICON, the architectural firm, design several options by June, spend the summer refining costs, and then do further review and refinement prior to a vote for a preferred choice at a fall 2023 Special Town Meeting. Apparently, much work has been happening behind the scenes. Now that the public is engaged, the committee needs to issue updates at the beginning of each meeting. It is late March and the timing seems tight for bringing the town into the discussion.

  2. Community survey and forum — The committee has not prepared a survey but hopes to create, conduct, analyze, and get the results back in time for a community forum on April 25. As Alison Taunton-Rigby of the Communications Subcommittee pointed out, these steps take about one month. During the meeting, the committee brainstormed whom to survey and what sorts of things would be included: Lincoln values, programming wishes, open-ended comments, raw feelings.

The subcommittee agreed to draft the survey at a public meeting on Wednesday, March 29 and mentioned that several other surveys would be conducted this spring, although no specifics were pinned down. There was little discussion of what the community forum would include other than a report by ICON and the survey results. When the meeting opened up to the public, attendees requested that the survey and the forum be used to give the community an opportunity to comment. This suddenly seemed to remind the committee that residents had opinions that should be solicited, both in survey form and in public meetings. To be meaningful, a survey needs thoughtful content and a large sample and a forum needs to attract a large audience. Both take time.

  1. “Stakeholders” and “open mic” night — The CCBC frequently used the term “stakeholders,” meaning COA&HS, Parks and Recreation Department (PRD), the School Committee, and liaisons from the Historical and Conservation Commissions. During public discussion, a consensus was reached that town organizations — such as the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and the Lincoln Family Association — and ordinary citizens are also stakeholders. Consequently, the committee decided to give representatives from 20-30 town organizations and members of the public the opportunity to speak for two minutes or submit a written brief at the CCBC’s April 4 meeting. Assistant Town Administrator Dan Pereira offered to invite these representatives and post the invitation for the public. It appears that the committee will begin soliciting public outreach in April — tight timing as it is already late March.
  1. Programming needs and alternate spaces — The committee presented no analysis of programming needs. At the prior meeting on March 8, [Select Board member] Jonathan Dwyer and [Town Administrator] Tim Higgins reassured some of us that the committee would explore “existing available spaces” for programs, and the committee agreed that an inventory of potential available spaces would aid the architect. At this meeting, however, no mention was made of this until the public discussion. ICON architect Ned Collier said that Chester graciously gave him a “driving tour” of the school and other buildings around town. That sounds insufficient to the expressed desire of many people in town to see a full evaluation of these spaces and how they might be used to flesh out the program needs. It is time for the committee to share a programing analysis with the town as well as with the architect.

*   *   *

I believe a community center is more than a building — it is a coordinated set of activities and places for residents, both young and old. I want to see an analysis of programming needs and an inventory of available spaces that might serve those needs. I would vote for investment in a modest new building on the Hartwell site. I would also vote for an additional sum allocated to improvements/modifications to make existing spaces in Bemis Hall, Pierce House, and the Hartwell Pods more suitable for programs.

The CCBC and town staff may be hard at work on the community center, but this work needs to be more transparent to the town. Public meeting dates need to be announced broadly. I am on the CCBC mailing list but have yet to receive information about scheduled meetings. I urge residents to respond to the survey and attend the April 4 and April 25 meetings, when these opportunities are announced. I urge the committee to seek broad public input from the town prior to the vote next fall.

“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.