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Town of Lexington Tourism Committee Dawn McKenna, Chair info@tourlexington.us 1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420 Tourism Committee Minutes Thursday, November 18, 2021 3:30 pm Conducted Remotely Members Present: Marsha Baker, Sarah Boulos, Kerry Brandin, Bebe Fallick, Dawn McKenna, Wim Nijenberg Members Absent: Jason Connell, Margaret Coppe, Elsie Xu Also Present: Fred Johnson (Center Committee Liaison), Sandhya Iyer (Economic Development Director), Casey Hagerty (Economic Development Coordinator), Erin Sandler-Rathe (Executive Director, Lexington Historical Society), Carol Ward (Executive Director, Lexington Historical Society), Meredith Bergmann (Sculptor) and other representatives of the LexSeeHer project 1) Tourism Committee Appointments On Monday (11/15) the Select Board appointed Jason Connell and Elsie Xu to the Tourism Committee. Both were invited to attend this meeting but were unable to on short notice. While the committee looks forward to both serving, a discussion ensued about the process that did not consider expertise gaps on the Committee. The Select Board did not appoint either of the two people recommended by the Tourism Committee. Traditionally, The Committee reiterated that as part of our charge to “work with community groups to ensure a cohesive tourism experience,” having the leadership from both the Lexington Historical Society and the Chamber of Commerce on the Committee should be a priority. 2) LexSeeHer Meredith Bergman, the sculptor for the proposed LexSeeHer monument, presented a detailed look at the project and the proposed design. Other members were present from the LexSeeHer group and spoke in favor of the project. Meredith discussed how the project had evolved and that it would be a screen that connected women from different eras visually and from a storytelling standpoint. As part of the materials the Committee was provided with slides from the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail in support for the proposed location of the LexSeeHer Memorial dated November 28,2021. Slides showed photographs of the Boston Women’s Memorial created by Meredith along Commonwealth which was dedicated on October 2003. Photographs also showed subsequent anniversary celebrations and ways in which the work involved with the monuments has been used to support tourism with plays, guides, etc. Statistics presented showed that a majority of US and world travelers are female. The proposed size of the figures are at least life size, up to 6’8” tall. The rectangle would be as10’ by 16’ and 12’ high. It is to be set on a circular pad with a 24’ diameter. The proponents suggested that the site is planned to meet the current sidewalks. As the Tourism Committee discussed that, it was noted that the location of the walkways in front of the Visitors Center will be determined in a future phase of the Battle Green Master Plan (BGMP). Various Committee members discussed whether or not this type of structure was in conflict with the open sightlines between the Visitors Center and the Battle Green as described in the BGMP. Committee members liked the storyline. Dawn McKenna suggested that the placing the monument at the Stone Building near Pleasant Street could be compatible with telling Lexington’s history of women leaders, especially since the building is named after Ellen Stone. In this location, the monument would be at one of the gateways to the Town and anchor the other end of Mass Ave. as part of the proposed Cultural District. Ultimately, this is a private group looking to make a donation to the Town. It is up to the Select Board whether to accept that donation and if so, where it can be built, Dawn added.