HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-12-07-MMC-min
Monuments & Memorials Committee, Lexington, MA
Minutes of Meeting
December 7, 2023
By Zoom Teleconference
Members Present
Linda Dixon, Chair; Glen Bassett, Avram Baskin, Bebe Fallick, Chuck French
Guests: Nicholas Wong and Elizabeth Huttner, prospective members; Jonas Miller, Director of
Communications, Town of Lexington, James (Yue) Pan, parent mentor.
Business
The meeting was called to order at 4:05pm. The Chair declared that a quorum was present and
that the meeting was being held by Zoom.
The minutes of the meeting of November 3, 2023 were approved by roll call vote.
Welcome New Members
Linda Dixon introduced Nicholas Wong and Elizabeth Huttner, who have applied to join the
committee and who should be formally approved by the Select Board soon. Both Nick and Liz
learned about the committee through our community outreach asking for help in identifying local
monuments and memorials. Nick is a native of Lexington, a Tufts graduate, and works as a
program manager in Bedford. Liz is Associate Director, Learning & Development at TJP and
has higher education and industry experience through her work at MIT and IBM. The committee
gave them a warm welcome.
Introduction of new Director of Communications
Linda introduced Jonas Miller, the Town’s new Director of Communications. Jonas will
temporarily oversee the Town website until a replacement is found for Bethany Ramirez, the
former Webmaster. At a meeting with Chuck French and Linda Dixon on November 27, Jonas
commented that the committee website could be enhanced in several ways to show a visitor what
we have done, what we are now doing, and how to locate a specific memorial anywhere in town
quickly and simply. The committee will form a website working group to explore ways in which
the Heroes team can contribute. Jonas agreed to be a resource for the committee.
Relationship of HDC and M&M in the Monument Approval Process
Experience with handling monument proposals has shown the need for an adjustment in the
timing of a proposer’s visit with the Historic Districts Commission (HDC) and the Monuments
and Memorials Committee (MMC). After discussions among MMC Chair Linda Dixon, HDC
Chair Paul O’Shaughnessy, and Select Board Member and MMC Committee Liaison Suzie
Barry, it was agreed that HDC would be the final stop made by the proposer before meeting with
the Select Board, for the following reasons:
1) HDC is primarily concerned with aesthetic design. If they issue a certificate of
appropriateness (COA) too early in the process, subsequent design changes could slip
by under their radar. Major design changes could require a revised COA or even a
new hearing.
2) While HDC has a narrow focus, MMC addresses a wide range of requirements and is
prepared to perform due diligence to ensure that the proposer meets these
requirements.
3) HDC feels it would benefit from the deliberations of the MMC in their own
deliberations.
Progress Report: Mass DAR Proposed Plaque
Linda reported that she had received a submission form from the Mass DAR for the proposed
plaque near Buckman Tavern to be installed in connection with Lex250. The group still has
some tasks to complete (meetings with the Tourism Committee and the Commission on
Disability).
Report from Lex250
Bebe Fallick reported that the Tourism Committee has built a new platform and webpage that
will launch this month. There will be a dedicated page for Lex250. There are plans also to link
to the M&M Committee.
Resolution of Kolin Torah Issue
In November, the committee had a thorough discussion about whether to include the Kolin
Torah, a 500-year-old Torah residing at Temple Isaiah, in our database. It has obvious historical
significance, but no direct connection to Lexington’s history. After discussion, the sense of the
committee was that it would not be included in our database.
Other Business
The problem of how to handle multiple submissions for the same monument has been
solved, thanks to Judy Baldasaro. The software now sifts and verifies all entries and
enters the final, correct information.
Maybe it is time for the committee to recommend that the single Vietnam/Korea
monument in front of Cary Hall be replaced with two individual monuments. They could
be plaques, installed inside Cary Hall near those for WWI and WWII, with names of the
fallen. Funding would be an issue. It could be part of Lex250.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:30 p.m. Next meeting: January 4, 2024.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Dixon, Chair