HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-02-02-MMC-min
Monuments and Memorials Committee
Thursday, 2 Feb 2023
Conducted by Remote Participation
7:00 p.m.
Members Present
Linda Dixon, Chair; Avram Baskin, Bebe Fallick, Charles French, George Gamota, Leslie
Masson
Members Not Present
Glen Bassett, Charles Price, Jr. & Danjun Pu
Liaisons Present
Dave Pinsonneault, Public Works Director
Liaisons Not Present
Suzanne (Suzie) Barry, Select Board; Gina Rada, Veterans Agent
Business
Chair Dixon convened the meeting at 7:04. She read the Town notice regarding the conduct of
public virtual meetings and declared that a quorum was present.
The 2 March 2023 meeting is scheduled to at 7:00 pm in person in the Parker Room. This will be
a hybrid meeting and Chair Dixon will be looking to IT to assure the AV works.
Approval of Minutes
After a minor correction, on a roll call vote, the corrected minutes of the 12 January 2023
meeting were approved.
Pathfinder Presentation at Lex250
At the invitation of the Lex250 committee, Chair Dixon along with Holly Ding and Cassidy Xu
of the Lexington Heroes demonstrated the Pathfinder app at their 18 January meeting. The
committee asked many technical questions and immediately used the QR code when it was
shown during the demonstration. Lex250 Chair Suzie Barry has sent out a request for proposals
for the Lex250 website. While no commitments were asked for or given concerning a possible
link to Pathfinder, Suzie was quite optimistic that there would be a place for this app on their
new website.
Database Group Meeting with Economic Development
On 31 January, Chair Dixon, Mr. Baskin, Mr. French & Ms. Masson met with Economic
Development Director Sandhya Iyer to discuss and understand the Economic Development
Department’s (EDD) plans concerning apps like their own Tour Lexington.
EDD is planning to phase out Tour Lexington and replace it with a Vistors Center-only website.
This is still very much in the planning phase and there was discussion about funding and the
committee’s role.
Lexington EDD is part of the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Tourism Bureau
(GMVCTB). EDD is exploring the use of a tourism app developed by GMVCTB. They are also
working on a story map project with Arlington and Concord in conjunction with Freedom’s
Way. This could mean that Pathfinder may not have a place with the Visitors Center, but would
still have many uses.
It was suggested that Rick Lofia of GMVCTB be invited to discuss their app. Several members
had concerns about why the State considers Lexington to be part of the Merrimack Valley
tourism region and not Boston’s.
Lexington Historical Commission as a Resource
Next the committee learned about the Massachusetts Historical Commission’s and the Lexington
Historical Commission’s documentation of cultural resources (monuments, historic houses, etc.).
The Lexington Historical Commission (LHC) has researched, photographed, and written
narratives about many monuments, memorials, and buildings in town. Chair Dixon has
contacted the leadership of the LHC, who are supportive of our project and offer their
cooperation in sharing their information for our database purposes.
Final Business
There was a discussion that no formal memorial to Captain John Parker exists. He is buried in
the Old Burying Ground, but the exact location of his body is unknown. Perhaps now is the time
to pay homage to this man and construct a suitable memorial. Director of Public Works Dave
Pinsonneault had no objection to the Committee’s contacting Jeff Howry, a researcher with
extensive knowledge about the Old Burying Ground, for exploratory talks.
The meeting was adjourned by roll call vote at 8:30 pm.
Next meeting: 2 March 2023 at 7:00 in person in the Parker Room.
Respectfully submitted,
Leslie Masson