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Board of Selectmen continued from previous page involving substantial public input, to bring forward a build- ing that meets the needs of the community by providing for the safety of the public and our employees, assuring efficien- cies in DPW operations as well as cost efficient operations of the building. The DPW facility is the first municipal building to be initiated under the Town's Sustainable Design Policy, requiring that the building be capable of achieving certain standards of energy efficiency to reduce operating costs and increase efficiencies over the life of the building. The demo- lition of the old structure is complete and construction underway. The stewardship of our assets continues as a high priority and is becoming a reality through application of Community Preservation Funds. Studies are being initiated to enhancing the stage of Cary Hall to accommodate performance space, to consider converting the `White House', the former site of the school administration building, into a second campus for a Senior Center and to understand the options for preserva- tion and reuse of the East Lexington Library. The East Lexington Library was closed abruptly in August due to water damage from broken pipes. A portion of the second floor of the Town Office Building was renovated. The Selectmen and Town Manager's Office moved back into brighter, better appointed space that makes conducting public business friendlier and more efficient. Included in the improvements is the capability for live cable broadcast using remotely operated video cameras mounted in the Selectmen's Meeting Room. Meetings of the Board of Selectmen and School Committee are already routinely broadcast from this location and it is expected that meetings of other major boards and committees will be added to the broadcast schedule during the coming year. The need to invest in a fire protection system at the Munroe School has triggered an examination of the long -term use of the building. The Board of Selectmen embraces the mission of the Munroe Center of the Arts and recognizes that the Center addresses needs not provided by school or recreation programs. The building, however, is in disrepair and contin- ued ownership by the Town is in question. Progress continued on improvements in the Center. The NSTAR parking lot off Edison Way was opened this summer and has provided welcome parking relief. A new section of wire -cut brick sidewalk based upon structured soil to pro- mote the health of urban trees has been laid on Massachusetts Avenue. The pilot strip will be evaluated prior to continuing construction down Massachusetts Avenue toward Cary Library. The striping of Hartwell Avenue, from McGuire Road to Hanscom Air Force Base to permit two bicycle lanes and three traffic lanes, one for turns, has met with mixed reviews. The impacts of this change will continue to be eval- uated, with special emphasis on traffic concerns which are likely to arise should the density of commercial development on Hartwell Avenue increase. Virtual and real changes are occurring within Town Hall to more efficiently and effectively serve the community. A Memorandum of Agreement between the Board of Selectmen, Town Manager, and School Committee for the creation of a Lexington Department of Public Facilities was enacted paving the way for a single department to manage and monitor all Town and School buildings, provide a focus for energy management, and oversee the construction of municipal and school buildings. The first of a three phase program to implement a Geographic Information System (GIS) to electronically integrate Town databases and plots is underway. Launch of a new, much improved Town website at http: / /www.lexingtonma.gov is imminent. Communicating Community Values For the past seven years, the No Place for Hate® (NPFH) Steering Committee has served with distinction as a group of caring citizens who helped the Town deal with problems when incidents of prejudice and hate arose in Lexington. Typical of the approach NPFH has taken was the organizing of many community groups to come up with a way of responding in a non - confrontational way to the two hate groups that came to Lexington in 2005 to protest. For this community effort, the Civil Rights Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police awarded a cer- tificate of recognition to the Lexington Police department for its efforts to protect and promote civil rights through the "No Place for Hate" program. When one of the parent groups of the NPFH® program, the Anti - Defamation League (ADL), became embroiled in a political issue that jeopardized the integrity of the local program the Board rescinded our endorsement of the Town's formal relation- ship with the No Place for Hate® program. An ad hoc com- mittee has been formed to outline an organizational struc- ture, name, and charge for a renewed Lexington human rights effort. LexMedia, Lexington's non - profit local cable access provider, continues to develop their volunteer base and pro- gramming effort. Thanks to the ingenuity of the LexMedia Board of Directors, on demand viewing of selected meetings and presentations is now available at http://www.lexme - dia.org. Plans are well underway to move LexMedia's studio to new quarters in Kline Hall at the site of the former Metropolitan State Hospital. The State housing regulatory agency has approved Lexington's Subsidized Housing Inventory at 11.34% with the inclusion of 15 units at the Douglas House, a significant achievement but not a release from our obligation to contin- ue to site affordable housing in the Town. Lexington Hills, the Avalon development at the site of the former Metropolitan State Hospital began renting units this spring, the ultimate implementation of the rezoning approved at the 2004 Annual Town Meeting. To assist ratepayers seeking adjustment of water /sewer charges due to disputes, hardship or error the Board estab- 2007 Annual Report, Town of Lexington Page 5