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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-06-24-MMC-min Monuments & Memorials Committee Meeting Minutes Thursday, June 24, 2021 Conducted by Remote Participation 7:00 PM Members Present Linda Dixon, Chair; Avram Baskin, Bebe Fallick, George Gamota, Leslie Masson, Danjun Pu Members Not Present Glen Bassett, Chuck French, Charles Price Guests Doug Lucente, Vice Chair, Select Board Dave Pinsonneault, Director, Department of Public Works Dawn McKenna, Chair, Tourism Committee Wei Ding, Gabriel Sui, Trevor Xing-Xie, Town Celebrations Committee Citizen participation: Betty Gau, Valerie Overton, Jessie Steigerwald, Corinne Steigerwald, Michelle Tran Business Linda convened the meeting at 7:08 p.m. and read the Town notice regarding the conduct of public virtual meetings. Battle Green Master Plan Dawn McKenna, Chair of the Tourism Committee, presented slides on the Battle Green Master Plan, which was approved by the Board of Selectmen (now Select Board) on March 14, 2011. This planning document lays out a set of key goals that define the area of the Battle Green, describe appropriate uses, and identify the need for an oversight committee to monitor the execution of the Plan. The Battle Green has been designated a National Historic Landmark, one of only 2600 in the country. Dawn described the various monuments that have been installed on the Battle Green, beginning with the Obelisk in 1799, the oldest war memorial in the country (pages 43-46 of the Master Plan). She indicated the boundaries of the area, (pages 11-13 of the plan). There are private, public, and Historic Districts land included. The 2011 plan recommended the creation of an Advisory Committee to assure overall coordination of the site and to avoid turf wars and a"fractured approach." The Select Board assigned this responsibility to the Tourism Committee, who works closely with the Select Board, the Historic Districts Commission, and most recently, the Monuments and Memorials Committee. Committee Questions and Discussion: Responding to a question, Doug explained that the Design Advisory Committee (composed of professionals) usually participates on public buildings and signage. In response to question about more signage, Dawn described the three new interpretive rails that will be installed behind the Captain Parker statue, a new walking map, and all the new additional information that has become available in the new Visitors' Center. Funding for projects has been achieved via grants and the tax levy. Implementation of projects is ongoing, including restoration of the Hayes Fountain at the base of the Captain Parker statue. TourismlEconomic Development: Tourism Opportunities Next, Dawn talked about the opportunities for collaboration between Tourism/Economic Development and the Monuments & Memorials Committee. Tourists are defined as those who travel 50 miles or more to arrive at their destination, and stay overnight. Cultural tourists are those "day trippers"who travel within 50 miles. The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism collects detailed information and publishes local, state, and national data. Two people counters at the entrances of the Visitors' Center collect visitation numbers. Tourism is an essential part of Economic Development. As we develop our inventory of town monuments, the M&M Committee is invited to place a link on the Tourism website, www.tourlexington/us/attractions. Other opportunities include the various brochures, pamphlets and tours offered by Tourism; marketing vehicles such as Facebook, Twitter, and specially targeted messaging; and special events. Information on these various events/opportunities is available at the Visitors' Center as well as on their website. Dawn expressed the value and the importance of collaboration among the various stakeholders. Patriots Point Walk:Miles and Smiles Historic Monuments Project Wei Ding, Gabriel Sui, Trevor Xing-Xie, Town Celebrations Committee The Town Celebrations Committee introduced this project to the community for Patriots' Day. Residents identified monuments on an interactive map, visited the monuments, tracked their miles on GPS, took photos at the sites, and received prizes for most miles traveled. Wei Ding introduced the Lexington Computer Science Team and her role as mentor. Gabriel and Trevor explained that they began by creating the Interactive Maps using existing material (Google's "Custom Map" feature} and then created new features of their own. These included the physical location on the map, a photo of the site, and a written description. People were encouraged to take personal photos while at the site. Linda invited the group to join with Tourism and Monuments and Memorials to develop similar continuing projects related to our database development. The group welcomed the idea of a collaborative, integrated effort with all material kept in one place. Danjun offered to be the liaison among the Monuments and Memorials Committee, the Tourism Committee, and Wei's team. Approval of Minutes: Before asking for a vote to approve the minutes of June 10, 2021, Linda mentioned that prior to that meeting, Leslie, knowing that she would miss the meeting, had written to express her favorable opinion on the Lafayette marker and wished to be recorded as such. Avram requested that a sentence be added to the discussion on the Lafayette marker to indicate that the committee considered whether to take its vote while the petitioner still had more approvals to seek, and decided to go ahead and vote. Linda agreed to add the sentence. On a roll call vote, the committee voted to approve the minutes of June 10, 2021, as amended. Lexington 250: Bebe stated that the Select Board's Semiquincentennial Committee (Lex 250) had met for the first time. In 2025, we will celebrate the 250'h anniversary of the Battle of Lexington. This will be a year-long celebration and the Committee is asking for everyone to brainstorm some exciting and creative program ideas in which all, both local and non-local citizens, can participate. Database Development: Leslie offered to contact neighboring towns to learn how they are managing their monument databases. Dawn suggested that Casey Hagerty, Coordinator, Department of Economic Development, has many local contacts and could provide help. Linda suggested a public relations initiative inviting residents to help us identify monuments throughout Town, submitting photographs and content to contribute to our monuments and memorials inventory. George suggested going out to the schools, capitalizing on children's natural curiosity and love of games, with prizes awarded for monuments identified. World War II Plaque: George reported that the installation of the WWII plaque of the Fallen, approved by a previous Monuments and Memorials Committee, was proceeding post pandemic. Planning for in-Person Meetings The Fall meeting schedule is as follows (all Thursdays): September 23 October 21 Novemberl 8 December 16 The meeting adjourned at 9: 06 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Bebe Fallick, Interim Secretary