HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-04-20-COD-min Commission on Disability
Minutes from April 20, 2021
Members: Victoria Buckley (Chair), Sue Cusack, Shaun Grady, Julie Miller, Len Morse-Fortier,
Janet Perry, Francine Stieglitz,
Town Liaisons: Kelly Axtell, Assistant Town Manager; Jim Kelly, Building Commissioner, Joe
Pato, Select Board
Commission Liaisons: Bonnie Teitleman-Levin, COA, Rod Cole, Planning Board, Stephanie
Hsu, HRC
Guests: John Livsey, Matt Weisman, Casey Hagerty, Betty Gau, Jessie Steigerwald, Valerie
Overton
NOTE: The meeting of the Commission on Disability was held on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, at
5:45 PM—7:OOPM, conducted by Remote Participation, via Zoom webinar, an online meeting
platform.
The meeting started with the reading of Governor Baker's orders.
Pursuant to Governor Baker's March 12,2020 Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law, G.L.
c. 30A, §18,and the Governor's March 15,2020 and subsequent Orders imposing strict limitation on the number of
people that may gather in one place,this meeting of the Lexington Commission on Disability will be conducted via
remote participation to the greatest extent possible. Specific information and the general guidelines for remote
participation by members of the public and/or parties with a right and/or requirement to attend this meeting can be
found below.No in-person attendance of members of the public will be permitted,but every effort will be made to
ensure that the public can adequately access the proceedings in real time,via technological means.In the event that
we are unable to do so,despite best efforts,we will post on the Town of Lexington website or through LexMedia an
audio or video recording,transcript,or other comprehensive record of proceedings as soon as possible after the
meeting. (*as per Executive Order regarding remote participation:https://www.mass.gov/doc/open-meetinglaw-
order-march-12-2020/download)
The reading was followed by an oral roll call.
Review of minutes for March 16, approved with no changes.
Together We Rise
Victoria shared an event happening on May 61h 7:00 —8:30pm, Together We Rise, talking about
re-imagining public safety in Lexington. We have been invited to speak for a few minutes. The
topics would include: training related to mental health, disability, verbal de-escalation
techniques, and police in schools. Francine will attend on our behalf.
Select Board—Outreach about the Future of Policing
Joe Pato and Doug Lucente will be representing the Select Board, they have reached out to 32
community groups to discuss the future of policing and how that may impact the design of the
future police station. They will hold small group sessions in intimate settings to discuss the good
and bad encounters with police and what people hope for in the future for the department. They
want the best department possible and seek to elicit the most feedback possible from as many
different pockets of the community as possible. They have found that larger meetings seem to
dampen the diversity of perspective. Joe and Doug are coming to the Commission during our
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May meeting, and then the Human Rights Committee. They have advised people that if they are
uncomfortable discussing these issues in a public meeting, they will arrange a private meeting to
facilitate the conversation. Their report will list the groups that they spoke with, but all other
information will be anonymized before it is presented to the Select Board. The goal is to work
toward having the best police department that we can reasonably have. They plan to submit their
report by the end of June so the Select Board can deliberate in early July.
New Sidewalks in Lexington
Discussion with John Livsey and Matt Weisman about: (a)the orientation of detectable warning
panels (rumble strips); (b) update to the Commission on the Streetscape project, including
general expectations and communication during construction. It has been agreed that federal
yellow will be used for any and all new rumble strips. It was also agreed that perpendicular
placement facing the direction of travel was the preferred approach, but it is not always possible.
Placement related to the street and the sidewalk can present challenges in positioning of the
crosswalk and the terrain, the amount of land available at the curb, and positioning relative to the
radius of the corner. This is in accordance with the recent site visits Victoria and Janet had with
DPW staff. Len asked about the curves of the sidewalks which amplifies the challenge of placing
the curb cuts in the path of travel. Everything that the DPW installs meets requirements and the
compliance calls for a minimum threshold, but John offered that they are happy to do better with
our input. He also mentioned that as they are doing roadwork,they do look to see if the curb cuts
are in compliance and have been addressing those issues as they discover them.
John also offered that due to Len's guidance, he has been mindful to place storm drains on the
uphill versus downhill side of curb cuts to avoid heavy water flow or puddling during rain storms
at the base of the curb cut.
Status of Center Streetscape Plans
John shared that the plans are 100% complete, it has gone out for bid, bids have come back, and
the town is in the process of awarding the project to I W Harding. They are in the process of
marking the streets for utilities and placement of catch basins, etc. They are using test kits to
determine the accuracy of the current maps to make sure there are no surprises when digging up
the streets. Shop drawings are underway, meetings with the contractors are actively happening,
tree removal has begun. The town has hired a resident engineer from Environmental Partners —
who has skills in contractor quality controls, streetscapes experience, and communication with
businesses. To maintain active communication with the community, there are two pathways that
have been created—one path is directly to abutters. The second pathway will be communication
to the public. They will have: a website with updates weekly with a two-week projection of
project activities with an interactive map and periodic videos; answers posted to questions that
they receive; an eNewsletter that people can subscribe to; a Facebook Page. They will also
provide monthly memos to the Select Board, and regular updates to Colonial Times. There will
be a public meeting on May 5 1 to provide the public with updates.
Discussion with Casey Hagerty about Outdoor Dining
In line with the Governor's Expanded Outdoor Seating Program related to current constraints
brought on by COVID, to support the unique needs of businesses, the town is taking applications
for outdoor seating on sidewalks and private/public parking lots on Mass. Ave. for summer and
then during construction—the requests for on-sidewalk seating are on the CVS side only—Via
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Lago, Bertucci's, II Casale, Mario's, Upper Crust. The application will then be reviewed by 6
different departments based on the requirements, including the Economic Development,
Department of Public Works, Police Department, Fire Department, Building Department, and
Town Manager's Office. Every business has to attest to meeting the requirements of the state,
including the ADA and AAB requirements for dining. They are also working with restaurants in
anticipation of the impact of Streetscape. II Casale and Mario's are possibly looking to identify
spaces in the back parking lot for pop-up dining for a few weeks during the construction cycle.
Barriers will be used, and they are confident that they learned from last year's experience to be
better able to anticipate access considerations.
Questions came up related to access to restrooms from these outdoor eating areas for restaurants
setting up in the back parking lot, and the hope that the seating will also be near accessible
parking. These issues will be a clear challenge and will have to be addressed on a case by case
basis.
Presentation by LexSeeHer Monument Group
Jessie Steigerwald, Valerie Overton, and Betty Gau came to discuss their effort on the
LexSeeHer Monument project. pitalad;_://www..lexseep er.._c_oit/ This effort began last March with
the goal of making women across time more visible. They brought an article to Town Meeting
last fall to move forward with this privately funded project. The site is proposed with an eye to:
accessibility and visibility so people can interact with the monument, somewhere near electricity,
within view of the Spinning Protests and the Minuteman statue, minimizing siting expenses,
avoiding existing Public Works systems, aligning with Streetscape and other town projects, and
fitting in with the Battle Green Master Plan. They have identified 20 sites within this area, and
specifically highlighted 415, which is close to Massachusetts Avenue and the Visitor Center near
the sidewalk with room for people to gather. Two other sites near Meriam Street may work but
the foliage is still a question concerning possible impact on visibility. Next step is a call to
artists. There will be creative interpretation of three women from history, specifically: someone
representing the 45 women from the Spinning Protests in 1769; a woman to represent Margaret,
a Black woman who was free, then enslaved, and then won her freedom suit, also in the 1700's;
a woman from the 1800's representing abolition and suffrage.
Discussion: The Commission prefers stone dust to pavers. The monument group will meet with
the HDC after they have a design. The possibility of placing a bench nearby was raised—perhaps
if a bench is included, Len suggested that one of the statues be sitting at the bench. The group
offered to meet with us on site to see these specific locations. Francine volunteered to be the
Commission liaison to this committee.
Traffic Safety Group
Francine shared the Hastings School discussion about the traffic flow and the need to keep the
current configuration to accommodate the bus sizes. The public bus stops will be on Wood
Street. There is a meeting pending to discuss cutting down some of the bus stops.
Update -Article 30, Full Inclusion Resolution
Resolution has passed unanimously. Our next step is to be involved in the hiring of the Town's
new DEI coordinator. Kelly is pulling together two panels, one for staff and one for committees.
Kelly would appreciate any questions for this process to be submit by May 71h. All Aces, the
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consulting firm, has offered ideas. The interview target date is the 3rd week in May. Janet will be
on the panel representing the Commission on the committee panel.
Next Meeting: May 181h at 5:45 pm
Motion to adjourn - 7:38 PM
Minutes respectfully submitted by Sue Cusack
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