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Lexington Tourism Committee <br />Meeting Minutes <br />Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. <br />Ellen Stone Room - Cary Hall <br />Lexington Tourism Committee <br />Meeting Minutes <br />Wed., Aug, 10, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. - Ellen Stone Room at Cary Hall <br />Members Present Mary Jo Bohart, Kerry Brandin, Bebe Fallick, Carla Fortmann, Mary Gillespie, Dawn <br />McKenna, Paul O'Shaughnessy, John Patrick, Jim Shaw, Lou Sideris Staff Present Masha Traber <br />Guests Present Carl Valente, Linda Vine, Alison Falitco, Fred Johnson, Carmen Manthin, Phil Hurd, Jan <br />Hurd, Jeanne McKenna Hobbs, Trisha Perez Kenneally <br />1. Economic Development Officer. Town Manager, Carl Valente, and Assistant Town <br />Manager, Linda Vine, came to discuss the opportunity for hiring a new Economic <br />Development Officer (EDO). Although Tourism is not currently under the jurisdiction of the <br />EDO, Carl acknowledged the importance of seeking input from the Committee. Committee <br />members freely shared their concerns over the need to receive support from the Town on a <br />variety of matters. Some of the items discussed were: Desire to have a representative from <br />Tourism as part of the search/ interview committee; history of the EDO with respect to the <br />Tourism Committee; desire to see the EDO be a senior management level position, and not <br />under the Planning Department; cultural tourism and the positive impact on the hotel and <br />meals tax; fear of Tourism efforts being bogged down in the bureaucracy if it were to be part <br />under the EDO; desire for additional marketing money; "Linger in Lexington" campaign and <br />goals; request for Carl to attend one regional conference a year; possible use of the White <br />House for Tourism; need to get into social media; sheer volume of people visiting Lexington, <br />corporate connection to tourism. <br />2. Dana Home. Trisha Perez Kenneally, the new owner, came to speak with the Tourism <br />Committee about the planned proposal to convert it to an Inn. This conversion will require a <br />rezoning at Town Meeting. The Tourism Committee will take a position prior to Town <br />Meeting but invited her for information and to see what questions we had at this time. In <br />general the Tourism Committee was favorable towards the use, and wanted more <br />information on the project itself. John Patrick expressed his belief that a smaller business <br />model would work such as the Hawthorne Inn. He is against the current proposal. Paul <br />O'Shaughnessy also raised a concern of the change of the site to a commercial enterprise. <br />Several neighbors voiced their opposition to the plan. The Committee will follow the <br />progress and vote a position at an appropriate time. <br />3. Announcements: <br />a. Mary Jo Bohart, Colin Smith, and Dawn McKenna are working on a redesign of the <br />Visitors Center and will bring the plans for discussion at a future meeting. <br />b. We need to be thinking about whether or not to buy the Lexington Home Page on Trip <br />Advisor. <br />c. The Historical Society plans to have an outdoor Antiques Show in the Depot Square <br />Parking Lot next year. <br />d. On Tuesday, September 27 from 7 -9 p.m. there will be a discussion on "What does Community <br />Mean ?" at Keilty Hall at St. Brigid's Church. <br />Documents available for Review - None <br />Upon motion duly made and seconded, the meeting was adjourned at approximately 3:30 p.m. <br />Respectfully submitted, <br />Dawn McKenna <br />