In the February 22 story headlined “Artwork by Lincoln’s Selvage adorns new MBTA station,” the purpose of the “Speeding Green Line” artwork has bene corrected, and several other changes have been made to the story based on feedback by Nancy Selvage.
Owners postpone move to expand The Commons
In this map of The Commons campus, the additional units that had been proposed are shown in yellow.
Faced with resident objections and a tight timeline, New England Life Plan Communities, which owns The Commons in Lincoln, has postponed their push for an expansion proposal that was slated for a February 28 Planning Board public hearing.
Owner’s representative OnePoint Partners submitted a proposal to the Planning Board on February 6 that called for 32 new apartments in the existing Flint and Russell buildings and eight freestanding and attached cottages at various locations on the campus. This gave residents and others about three weeks to prepare for the public hearing, which would have preceded a vote at the March 25 Annual Town Meeting. Because The Commons resides in a zoning overlay district with specific conditions, a two-thirds majority approval would have been required at that time.
“We have engaged in several conversations with current Commons residents and it has become clear that more collaboration is required to address certain elements of the project. In order to ensure these critical stakeholders are given multiple opportunities to provide input, we need more time than the few weeks before the March Town Meeting allows,” said Larry Bradshaw, chairman of the board of New England Life Plan Communities, in a February 23 letter to the Planning Board.
David Levington, a Commons resident who has been active in organizing opposition to the proposal, said he was “pleased and relieved” by the postponement. “Everyone will have to work together in an open manner so that The Commons can grow in a manner that is healthy for all. The upset has been corrected and we’re moving forward — residents, management, ownership.”
He didn’t specify whether some aspects of the proposal were more objectionable than others but added, “Eventually a new plan will be developed… and I do look forward to a collaboration in which the residents have a voice.”
“Thanks to the efforts of the executive director of The Commons, Reynaldo LeBlanc, and the Resident Council, a number of formats were provided for residents to present their questions and concerns about the proposed expansion of The Commons to the new owners and their consultant and management teams,” said council president Judith Foster. “As a result of these meetings, the owners have withdrawn the proposed plan in order to allow more time to address the concerns of residents. We are looking forward to a productive partnership between residents and the ownership team.”
My Turn: Levinson seeks election to Planning Board
(Editor’s note: Levinson is one of three candidates running for two seats on the Planning Board along with Craig Nicholson and incumbent Lyn DeLisi. Incumbent Bob Domnitz filed papers to run for another term but recently withdrew his name and endorsed Levinson.)
By Mark Levinson
I am pleased to announce my candidacy for one of the two open seats on the Lincoln Planning Board.
I have lived near Lincoln Station for almost 25 years and have been active in issues affecting our neighborhood and the town. I have served as one of two neighborhood liaisons to the Planning Board and its South Lincoln Planning Advisory Committee (SLPAC). I have also been committed to environmental issues, and volunteered for many years for the Sudbury Valley Trustees, a very active and successful land conservation organization.
I think that town planning is a key factor in allowing Lincoln to navigate current and future challenges, while preserving the character of the town and our wonderful quality of life. I believe I share the goals of many Lincolnites for our neighborhood and our town: viability of local businesses, diversity, encouraging use of public transportation, and generally doing what we can to fight climate change while maintaining the rural character of our town.
I will represent the views and opinions of all Lincoln residents, not only those of my neighborhood. I will do my best to be open-minded, always considering the facts and likely outcomes of any course of action, knowing that actions to promote one goal may sometimes produce adverse consequences for others.
I ask for your support on election day, Monday, March 27. Thank you and best regards.
Mark Levinson
8 Ridge Road, Lincoln
“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: Thanks from Domestic Violence Roundtable
By the Domestic Violence Roundtable
This year, despite the continuing circumstances created by Covid, the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable held its annual Valentine collection at Sudbury Wine and Spirits. Although community members could not be invited to help fill the Valentine bags for families affected by abuse, members of the Roundtable gathered to fill the bags and delivered them to clients of REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, The Second Step, and Voices Against Violence. Due to the generosity of our local communities, the Roundtable was able to provide 50 gift bags to all the residents who ranged in age from 5 months to 71 years old.
Domestic Violence Roundtable members sort donations for Valentine’s Day bags.
The Roundtable would like to thank everyone who generously donated Valentine gifts and made this year’s collection a great success. We would like to offer special thanks to Joseph Saia of Sudbury Wine and Spirits for again hosting the collection basket, to the students at Sudbury Extended Day for decorating the gift bags, and to the staff and the families of Sudbury Extended Day for their wonderful donations. Thank you also to Kate Ryan for using her birthday celebration to collect donations in lieu of personal gifts. The Roundtable also appreciates the ongoing support of members of the League of Women Voters of Sudbury.
The pandemic has been especially difficult for families in abusive situations, and these Valentine’s Day bags brighten the lives of families living in domestic violence shelters and transitional housing and let them know that they are supported in their efforts to rebuild their lives free from abuse.
“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.
Artwork by Lincoln’s Selvage adorns new MBTA station
Commuters approach “Speeding Green Line” at the new Medford/Tufts MBTA station.
By Maureen Belt
While thousands of commuters impatiently waited years for the MBTA to extend its Green Line to the Tufts campus in Medford, Lincoln resident Nancy Selvage was at home shaping the art to characterize the new station.
Her contribution to GLX (the MBTA’s Green Line Extension project) took more than seven years from the day she was granted the commission. It finally saw the light of day (actually predawn) at 4:40 a.m. on Dec. 12, 2022, when the Medford/Tufts station opened to large crowds and great fanfare including a ribbon cutting. In a later interview with the Lincoln Squirrel, she pulled up a Twitter post of then-Gov. Charlie Baker, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and other dignitaries flashing big smiles while cutting a ribbon at the inauguration. One of Selvage’s newly installed pieces, “Speeding Green Line,” was a prominent backdrop.
“I’m not a Twitter follower myself,” she remarked. “Someone forwarded this to me.”
“Speeding Green Line” and the station’s wayfinder signs — platform indicators that give commuters information — are now part of Selvage’s public art work portfolio, which includes an installation at the Google building lobby in Cambridge and at the Canyon Rim in Arizona, among others. Selvage incorporates location, environment, and usage into all of her work.
In an earlier plaza design that was later scrapped due to budget cuts, the purpose of the GLX art was to camouflage unsightly ductwork and to compensate for the lack of landscaping. The current purpose is to simulate the visual effect of trees speeding past a moving train.
Nancy Selvage at her desk.
“Speeding Green Line” consists of two 22-foot-long, 120-pound backlit glass panels placed over the Medford/Tufts entrance. Selvage made complex blueprints and engineered a design to ensure the finished art would hold up to New England weather and the expected hustle and bustle of a long-overdue light-rail station. Aesthetically, she meticulously designed it to reflect light and, though static, give the appearance of motion as one passes by.
“The piece is activated by the view of movement,” said Selvage.
On the station platform, the artwork suggests a correspondence between commuters and honeybees in a sequence of four panels: setting forth (flying off), finding sustenance (foraging), returning to nourish a community (back home), and sharing news of the journey (waggle dance). The images were created digitally by collaging and warping photographic details of Selvage’s perforated metal sculptures.
She was unaware at the time that Tufts University was the first urban campus in Massachusetts to be certified in the Bee Campus USA program. Selvage is also a Tufts alumna — she holds an MFA in sculpture from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts/Tufts University as well as a BA in art history from Wellesley College. Gardens maintained by the Tufts Pollinator Initiative at four sites on campus contain native plants to feed a diversity of pollinators, according to a December 2022 article about Selvage’s work in TuftsNow.
“It’s about coming and going and finding your way,” she said, comparing her images of bees on their journey of finding nectar to “commuters finding sweetness in the city.” (Click here to see detailed proof images.)
Selvage’s creativity is only one of the ingredients that are essential to her multilayered work. She also needs plenty of patience, trust in others, the ability to work within budget constraints and, in the case of public art, a tolerance for multiple bureaucratic meetings.
As with any major project, challenges cropped up. When sketching ideas for “Speeding Green Line,” she wanted natural shades of green. She toyed with iPhone photos of local summer foliage, but the images became blurred when enlarged using Photoshop. She then hired a photographer with a high-resolution digital camera, so images of individual pine needles and oak leaves remained vivid.
Once digitally expanded across 22 feet, she captured the green abstract lines she sought. Intentionally, she added a thin colorless vertical stripe every few inches, necessary to give the effect of motion. Selvage then delivered her files to a fabrication company with expertise in printing and a kiln to fuse her images onto hurricane-proof glass. Despite that precaution, installers broke one of the panels during the installation. It had to be refabricated and installed a few weeks after the opening.
Selvage’s honeybees hover about curved blossoms, also of her creation, on the 4-foot by 18-foot wayfinder signs. The blossoms, which look like calla lilies, are actually warped and altered photographs of a variety of Selvage’s metal sculptures.
The same photographer was hired to take high-resolution photos of the pieces. Selvage Photoshopped the images into cartoonish flowers. She made the bees from details of other 3-D pieces, then worked to proportion each bee to a flower. One oversized bee performs a waggle dance, a rhythmic, geometric succession of rapid movements performed to announce they’ve found the cache.
“It took forever to do these bees,” Selvage said. “It just took forever.”
Once the honey bees were situated, the MBTA outsourced her work to a factory for printing the images on metal panels. Unhappy with the results, the agency shopped around for other niche companies. “The only thing I could say is that the yellows are too orange,” Selvage said. But the second time was the charm.
After factoring in supplies, payments to vendors and other expenses, Selvage barely broke even on her predetermined design fee. But she isn’t in it for the money. Interactive art is a passion she turned into a lifelong career. Other public installations by Selvage in the Boston area include “Hydro” in Lowell and “Water Wall” in Trolley Square in Cambridge, and she’s excited about a project to sculpt an interactive gathering place for children in Virginia.
“I’m totally comfortable in three dimensions,” Selvage said. “There’s nothing better than a big empty space. On the other hand, there’s nothing worse than a blank canvas.”
News acorns
Claudia Fox Tree
“On Belonging” speaker series kicks off
The “On Belonging in Outdoor Spaces” series returns with three upcoming events:
- Lincoln School teacher and social justice activist Claudia Fox Tree — Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
- Leah Penniman, co-founder of Soul Fire Farm and author of Black Earth Wisdom — Wednesday, March 8 at 7 p.m.
- José G. González, founder of Latino Outdoors and co-founder of the Outdoorist Oath — Wednesday, March 29 at 7 p.m.
The free speaker series, which launched in 2021, seeks to feature individuals whose work is advancing efforts to strengthen belonging and connection between communities of color and the outdoors. Click here for more information and to register. This year’s series is sponsored by the Ogden Codman Trust, Freedom’s Way, and the Lincoln Cultural Council. The host organizations are Farrington Nature Linc, Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, Mass Audubon, Walden Woods Project, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, and the Food Project.
Saturday ranger walks scheduled
Join Lincoln Conservation Ranger Will Leona to visit different trails in Lincoln on the first Saturday of each month (March 4, April 1, and May 6) from 9:30–11 a.m. Walks are generally two miles long and are appropriate for all ages. Click here for registration, which is required to keep group size under 15 people and to ensure we can contact you in case of cancellation due to weather.
Lincoln student featured in Concord theater production
Huxley Jade
Lincoln youth Huxley Jade is in the cast of the Concord Youth Theatre’s (CYT) Mainstage Company production of the musical “Robin Hood.” Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Merry Men, and other timeless characters in this classic story find new life through the original script and score written by Rene Pfister and Jan Mankowsky. CYT’s Mainstage Company includes young performers ages 10-18 from several towns. Performances are Friday, March 3 and 10 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, March 4 and 11 at 4 p.m.; and Sunday, March 5 at 2:30 p.m. at the theater 53 Church St. in Concord. Click here for more information and to buy tickets.
L-S Parents Night for incoming freshmen on March 9
Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School’s Eighth-Grade Parent/Guardian Night, will be held at Lincoln-Sudbury on Thursday, March 9 from 7–8:30 p.m. This evening is for parents and guardians only. The evening begins in the L-S Auditorium with an overview of the ninth-grade curriculum and the scheduling process, followed by an opportunity to visit faculty members of the various departments to ask questions about course selection and curriculum.
Brush burning permits now available
To apply for a permit for outdoor brush burning, which is allowed until May 1, fill out this online form and mail a check for $5.00 to the Lincoln Fire Department, 169 Lincoln Rd., Lincoln MA 01773. Or if you prefer, send your name, address, phone number and email address along with a check for $5.00 to the fire department, or drop them in the red box in the lobby. All applicants are also required to call on the morning you plan to burn to ask permission and give the dispatcher your address.
Town library wins five-star rating
For 15 years, Library Journal has used statistics collected by the Institute of Museum and Library Services public library survey to score U.S. public libraries and award star ratings. The FY2020 scores and ratings were published in December 2022 and Lincoln Public Library received five stars, the highest rating, in its category. Libraries are put into peer groups based on their annual expenditures and Lincoln was one of 10 libraries nationwide to earn five stars in the $1 million to $4.9 million category. The survey looks at measures of service delivery including the number of checkouts (both physical and electronic), library visits, program attendance, website visits, Internet computer use, and public WiFi sessions.
Old Town Hall Exchange is back in business
Kate Dahmen shows off some of the wares on offer at the Old Town Hall Exchange.
The Covid-19 pandemic closed the Old Town Hall Exchange’s doors for almost two years — but the shop is back.
“I’ve always loved this place and wanted to see if I could help reopen it,” said Lincoln resident and artist Kate Dahmen. She reached out to Stacy Osur, who manages the building for the nonprofit Lincoln Old Town Hall Corporation, and reopened the store on an intermittent basis during the holiday season.
On the main floor, visitors can browse through the pre-pandemic stock of gifts, cards, toys, baby clothing, and books as well as new penny candy — a favorite of Lincoln kids for decades. The basement is fuller than ever with antiques (“a lot of stuff came in during the pandemic,” Dahmen said). The Exchange does consignment sales, returning 70% of the proceeds to crafters and antique owners while the remainder goes to building maintenance and shop operations.
“We’ll slowly bring in new stuff as space allows,” she said. “We’d love to bring in more unique things and create wall space for original art. This is a place where you can buy something you couldn’t find on Amazon or a major store, but we’ll always have cards and penny candy no matter what.”
The hours of operations are still not set in stone since Dahmen is in the process of finding volunteers to help for two hours a week apiece, so she advised calling ahead (781-259-9876). She hopes to be open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and Saturday from noon–4 p.m. when staffing allows. Anyone interested in volunteering may email her at kate.dahmen@gmail.com. “It’s a really happy place to spend time and it’s a great way to meet people,” she said.
The Old Town Hall is now in its third location. It was built in 1848 close to the current location of Bemis Hall “for all Political, Temperance, Antislavery & Peace Meetings and Lecturers for Lyceum, and Singing Schools, for Picnics, Fairs and Sabbath School celebrations and for all Literary & Scientific Lecturers,” according to the building’s website. It was moved down the hill closer to the First Parish Church in 1884 and then to its current location in 1918. At various times it housed Lincoln’s first high school and the public library. Later tenants included a general store and gas station, a law office, and a small publisher.
Coldwell Banker occupied some of the upstairs office space until leaving in October 2022. The space is being renovated for new tenants, but Osur said she didn’t know what the space will be used for and when. “The whole thing is still up in the air,” she said.
Missing man found after large-scale search
Officials are briefed during the search for a missing North Commons resident. (Photo courtesy Lincoln Fire Department)
A North Commons resident with Alzheimer’s who disappeared from his North Commons home on February 18 was safely located about two hours after a town-wide alert went out via phone and text.
Lincoln police and firefighters were notified at 8:30 a.m. that David Myer, 79, had gone missing. About 50 officers and firefighters from area towns set up a command post and swung into action with ATVs, mountain bicycles, and on foot. Also involved in the search were a Massachusetts State Police helicopter, Minute Man National Historic Park officers, Lincoln’s Conservation Ranger, and even the Lincoln Fire Department’s new public safety drone operated by a Lincoln firefighter who is an FAA-certified drone pilot.
At about 1:30 p.m., staff at a soup kitchen at the Church of Our Redeemer on Merriam St. in Lexington alerted authorities that they had Myers, who had apparently walked there, Lincoln Fire Chief Brian Young said. He had an abrasion on his head and was transported to the hospital by Lexington ambulance.
My Turn: DeLisi on why she’s running for reelection to the Planning Board
By Lynn DeLisi
Lincoln’s local election on Monday March 27 is going to have crucial implications for the long-term future of the town. You are not casting your vote for individual personalities and their backgrounds, but instead are making important choices about decisions that will impact the town for a long time to come.
One key topic is whether to comply with the Housing Choice Act (HCA) of the state of Massachusetts. It is not mandatory to do so, but there are some benefits that come with that compliance. The Planning Board currently has mixed views on how to pursue this important discussion. Some prefer to jump ahead now and create zoning for significantly more dense housing (a minimum of 15 units per acre for at least eight acres) that would comply with the HCA, even before the town’s HCA Committee studies it carefully and suggests how best to respond. I disagree.
I support a more logical approach to an unbiased examination of the risks and benefits that this significant (more than double) change in zoning will have on the town. (Currently, the target area allows approximately six residential units per acre). I believe collecting these basic data is a must to drive our decision-making:
• What all the residents of Lincoln want for the future of their town;
• What other towns like ours are doing;
• What our town’s infrastructure can support (septic, water, roads, fire/safety); and,
• What the financial implications of development are.
Only then can we make responsible decisions about the planning in the center of South Lincoln.
Thus, I am not biased toward or against development. Rather, I am biased toward fact-based, responsible planning for the long-term future of the town and, most importantly, taking the time to gather the input of the people who live within the region we want to change. I will not vote for new zoning that puts anyone who currently rents a home at risk of losing it. I currently do support Jennifer Glass’s leadership of a committee representing major town boards that will attempt to do this.
We do have some data on what the town wants. Last year, the Planning Board conducted a town-wide survey as a means of gathering input about the future of the Lincoln commuter rail area. Its scientific rigor was lacking, but even so, more than 800 responses were obtained, and many pointed comments indicated two priorities:
- Maintain Lincoln’s unique rural character; and
- Maintain viable commercial activities in Lincoln Center.
Significantly fewer respondents listed more housing as a priority.
We owe it to the town, its residents, and future residents to do our homework, to provide balanced information for solid decision-making, and not rush into decisions that will be difficult to reverse. We need to take time to understand what the people who now live in Lincoln would like to have as a town for future generations of residents. If you agree, then please vote for me in the March 27 election.
In summary, this is what I advocate for:
- Representing the interests of the people who currently live in Lincoln, both South and North Lincoln
- Preserving the unique character of the town of Lincoln with an historical and conservation perspective
- Creating an interesting and unique town center where people can have services they need and find an enticing place to gather
- Careful and responsible planning, with no preconceived bias toward development without understanding its long-term implications such as for noise, traffic, wildlife loss, and associated financial costs.
- Understanding what Lincoln specifically gets by complying with the HCA, and weighing the pros and cons of compliance carefully without any inherent bias.
- No expansion of the Hanscom airfield in any way. Any further noise and other environmental pollution would be beyond what should be allowed for North Lincoln, as well as Minuteman Park.
- Not supporting any zoning changes that put anyone at risk of losing their current housing.
I am committed to serving the Town of Lincoln and to representing you. As such, I am interested to know your views on all of these topics. I welcome speaking with you 1:1. You can email me at delisi76@aol.com or lynn_deLisi@hms.harvard.edu.
“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: Domnitz withdraws from Planning Board race
By Bob Domnitz
It has been my honor and privilege to have served on the Planning Board for 15 of the last 20 years. After many hundreds of meetings and countless hours spent on issues facing the town, I have decided to step back from the daily rigors of board membership. I am therefore withdrawing from this year’s race for Planning Board. I do look forward to continuing as an active voice in Town affairs.
My decision is made easier by the emergence of first-time candidate, Mark Levinson. Mark will bring new energy and focus to the important work of the Planning Board. Mark has been a regular attendee at board meetings for years. As a resident of the economically diverse Lincoln Station area for a quarter century, he has been an important voice in discussions regarding the area’s future. He has a strong conservation ethic and will help steer the town as it evolves while maintaining its rural character.
I also support the re-election of Lynn DeLisi. Lynn and I have been colleagues on the board for years. Lynn has an independent, fearless dedication to rational thinking about what is best for the town, and she is, above all, a uniquely empathic listener when residents ask to be heard. Many neighborhoods around Lincoln have benefited from Lynn’s support. Like Mark, she will continue her work to preserve the character of Lincoln that we all treasure.
“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.