HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-07-26-2020ECON-min.pdf 2020 Minutes
July 26th 2007
Meeting time: 7:45 a.m.
Meeting place: Selectmen's Meeting Room
In attendance: Fernando Quezada, Marian Cohen, Mollie Garberg, Peter Enrich,
Margaret Coppe, Candy McLaughlin, Carl Valente, & Matt Courchene
Meeting Began: 7:53 a.m.
Fernando Quezada called the meeting to order. The Committee approved the June 7
meeting minutes.
Economic Development
August 7th is the deadline for responses to the consulting services RFP. The Task Force
has met with the Planning Board, and has a meeting scheduled for tonight (7/26) before
the Appropriation Committee.
Fernando asked whether we are making Lexington attractive, and noted that the
Economic Development Officer needs to promote Lexington as a good place for
business. Carl mentioned that zoning restrictions play a role, so there is fairly limited
opportunity for businesses to expand.
Carl explained how research indicated there is an advantage to have a well-established
company (such as Shire) come to Town rather than a start-up. If Shire moves to
Lexington, it will probably be in Lexington for at least 15 years. Greg and Mollie are
going to frame the issues around possible Tax Incentive Financing (TIF) for Shire. There
is concern that certain constituencies may use the TIF to oppose business development in
general; the nature of some of the TMMA group discussions is worrisome. Peter agreed
that the TIF conversation needs to happen, although evidence says these kinds of
incentives have almost no influence on business location decisions. He understands that
Lexington needs to create an overall environment that is business-friendly. He also
noted several real concerns in Town about development on Hartwell Ave, including
increased traffic and possible future expansion of the airport at Hanscom.
Climate Action Plan
Candy reported that the Selectmen will make appointments to the Climate Action
Committee on June 12. The Town is now a member of ICLEI Cities for Climate
Protection and has begun receiving information.
Website
Candy discussed the news and updates regarding the Town's website. The Committee
discussed what 2020 on the web should look like. Candy asked the Committee think
about what kind of web design they wish to build. There are many various items that
could be posted on the web.
Selectmen Strategic Planning
Candy distributed a document that listed the suggested Board of Selectmen goal areas for
FY08-09. The Board came up with 11 top goals from a much broader list of topics. The
Selectmen would like 2020 Vision to identify the nature and impact of demographic
change in the community.
Library
Candy spoke about the Library's desire to collect community feedback over the summer
as part of a strategic planning process. She asked those present to respond to several
questions, and the Committee discussed how they personally utilized the services of the
library, and their recommendations for the future. Some Committee members expressed
frustration about the size and quality of the library collection. There was also a
discussion about vandalism at the library, which many Committee members were very
surprised to hear.
Demographic Change in Lexington
The Committee members discussed the changes they have been noticing in Town over
the last several years. The overall themes expressed were that Lexington was not as
comfortable as earlier, and there was less communication among neighbors compared to
prior years. The committee approved setting up a scoping group to define the issues
around demographic change. Marian, Fernando, and Candy will meet to develop a
charge for the scoping group.
Future Committee Work
The role of education for the future of Lexington is very important. There should be a
connection between the 2020 and school staff. Mollie said that she had Ann have invited
Dr. Ash to collaborate and see if someone from the school department could attend 2020
Vision Committee meetings and participate in the process. The collaboration between
the Committee and the schools would be very effective and productive.
Meeting Adjourned: 9:04am