HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-08-23-2020-min
Town of Lexington
Lexington 2020 Vision Committee
Minutes of Meeting of August 23, 2013
2020 Vision Committee
A meeting of the was held on Friday, August 23 at 7:45 a.m. in the Parker Room in the
Town Office Building at 1625 Massachusetts Avenue.
Members Present: Fernando Quezada, Bhumip Khasnabish, Dan Krupka, Marian Cohen, Andrew Dixon, Peter
Enrich, Jane Warren, Alan Wrigley, Peter Lee, BOS Liaison Joe Pato
Staff: Melissa Jones
Members Absent: Chuck Benson, Planning Board Liaison Greg Zurlo, School Committee Liaison Margaret
Coppe
Action Items:
Future agenda item: Health Department representative to discuss Healthy Communities project (Candy)
Future agenda item: Discuss committee recruitment and possible revision of charge (Candy)
The meeting was called to order at 7:50 a.m. and acted on the following items:
Approved the minutes from July 19, 2013.
Approved Town Report submission and took photo:
Dave Tabeling was present to take the photo.
Reviewed data analysis from community survey:
Marian said that she and Dan had a debate regarding where
to place the section on the demographic profile of respondents. Marian said that in her field, it always goes first
while Dan believes that it is not exciting for the reader to see that first. The Committee decided to send the
preliminary report to the following parties: those respondents who requested the results; TMMA; Minuteman;
Colonial Times; Patch; the leadership of IAL and CAAL; Town website. Marian will provide email addresses
and the results will be distributed the week of Labor Day. Staff will follow up with Fernando to draft the
language that will accompany the email blast, website posting, and media submissions. The Committee decided
to include the demographic section as an Appendix. The Committee decided to meet with the other boards to
discuss this in early October.
Overview of Healthy Communities Project:
Melissa provided a brief overview on the work done by the
Health Department. The Committee discussed the project’s relevance to 2020, particularly that the issues relate
to what the Committee focuses on, and the fact that this provides more data. Marian noted that the issue of
mental health stands out, as this is a neglected area. Fernando said that the mental health piece fits in when
considering the overall health of the community. Marian said that a focus on mental health in Lexington will
help to reduce the stigma associated with psychiatric disorders in our part of the world. Fernando noted that
stigma is a cultural creation, and that an ongoing discussion for the Committee is whether it should “impose” or
“discover” cultural values. Fernando asked how this project feeds into the Committee’s efforts, and vice versa.
He suggested that the Health Department’s efforts could be supplemented by the Committee’s own information.
The Committee would like to invite a representative to talk about this project further.
Dan asked how the Board of Selectmen considers all of the different results from surveys conducted by various
boards and Town departments. Joe said that the Board has not reviewed them yet, but he is happy to receive
suggestions. Marian suggested putting all of the surveys in one place and looking at the patterns. Peter Enrich
suggested that this might be a task for the Committee. Dan said that it is important to take a step back and see
how the results can be integrated.
Received update on subcommittee on demographic change:
Dan said that the draft is 75 percent complete.
He discussed the sub-committee’s work with the schools to determine what they do to promote the diversity of
staff. He said that we need to begin thinking about what the benefits are of a diverse student population, and
how we can capitalize on this and turn it into a meaningful, unique opportunity. Bhumip mentioned that at
graduation, the school staff does not pronounce many of the students’ names correctly, and the Committee
discussed how this reflects the lack of diversity of the staff. Fernando said the meat of that discussion should
take place at another meeting, especially when Margaret is present. Peter Lee said that CAAL talked about
promoting an Asian day, or expanding the curriculum to include a module on Asian culture. There is a need to
build a foundation that goes deeper than simply knowing about holidays and basic traditions. Peter Enrich noted
that the history and literature curricula have been expanded over the years to include African, Latin American,
and other cultures, but that Asian cultures have been left out.
Committee recruitment:
Fernando noted that in the interest of time, the final agenda item would be moved to
the next meeting. A brief discussion arose about recruitment of younger members, and how that should be a
focus moving forward. Melissa noted that by September 30, the Committee will no longer have enough
members to constitute a quorum. Joe said that the Secretary of State considers the upper bound of the range to
be the official quorum and that we might consider revising the charge and changing the Committee’s range.
Dan suggested that all boards and committees develop better descriptions of their work and the skills required of
members. He also said that boards should begin thinking about how they operate, and consider how to adjust to
draw in younger members.
Meeting Adjourned:
9:08 a.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Jones, Scribe
Next meeting:
Friday, September 20 in the Parker Meeting Room