2014-07-10-MMC-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Monuments and Memorials Committee Minutes of Meeting July 10, 2014 Hadley Building, Room 121 Attendance Sam Doran, Chair; members Linda Dixon and Charlie Price;prospective member Kathy Jacob; Liaisons from the Department of Public Works Chris Filadoro and Shawn Newell; and Guest Margie Gibbons of the Merriam Hill Association. Chair's Remarks Chair Sam Doran welcomed the group to the initial meeting of the committee. As no quorum was present, all votes will be deferred until the next meeting. Discussion of Committee Charge Sam invited the group to offer comments on the Charge to the Committee, which had been distributed earlier. Highlights of the discussion were: • Kathy Jacob, whose committee membership is due to be approved by the Selectmen later this month, will use her background as author and researcher to serve as our"Memorials Scholar." Her first project will be to check with several professional associations to help answer the question, `what actually constitutes a memorial'? Shawn will also contact colleagues on his listsery and Charlie will talk with administrators at Minuteman National Park. • The creation of a database with an inventory of all town memorials, continually updated, would be a huge asset to the town. • Chris and Shawn described the Geographical Information System (GIS), a digital map of the town built in layers, each layer containing one element of town facilities such as trees, hydrants, etc. It would be possible to build another overlay that would pinpoint the location of all known memorials in the town. • Judy Seppola is the GIS expert. We might invite her to a future meeting to explore possibilities. Priorities In terms of priorities, age, size, condition, safety, and historical significance should all be considered. The group agreed that restoration of existing monuments/memorials should take precedence over new construction.