Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-12-07-MMC-min Monuments & Memorials Committee, Lexington, MA Minutes of Meeting December 7, 2023 By Zoom Teleconference Members Present Linda Dixon, Chair; Glen Bassett, Avram Baskin, Bebe Fallick, Chuck French Guests: Nicholas Wong and Elizabeth Huttner, prospective members; Jonas Miller, Director of Communications, Town of Lexington, James (Yue) Pan, parent mentor. Business The meeting was called to order at 4:05pm. The Chair declared that a quorum was present and that the meeting was being held by Zoom. The minutes of the meeting of November 3, 2023 were approved by roll call vote. Welcome New Members Linda Dixon introduced Nicholas Wong and Elizabeth Huttner, who have applied to join the committee and who should be formally approved by the Select Board soon. Both Nick and Liz learned about the committee through our community outreach asking for help in identifying local monuments and memorials. Nick is a native of Lexington, a Tufts graduate, and works as a program manager in Bedford. Liz is Associate Director, Learning & Development at TJP and has higher education and industry experience through her work at MIT and IBM. The committee gave them a warm welcome. Introduction of new Director of Communications Linda introduced Jonas Miller, the Town’s new Director of Communications. Jonas will temporarily oversee the Town website until a replacement is found for Bethany Ramirez, the former Webmaster. At a meeting with Chuck French and Linda Dixon on November 27, Jonas commented that the committee website could be enhanced in several ways to show a visitor what we have done, what we are now doing, and how to locate a specific memorial anywhere in town quickly and simply. The committee will form a website working group to explore ways in which the Heroes team can contribute. Jonas agreed to be a resource for the committee. Relationship of HDC and M&M in the Monument Approval Process Experience with handling monument proposals has shown the need for an adjustment in the timing of a proposer’s visit with the Historic Districts Commission (HDC) and the Monuments and Memorials Committee (MMC). After discussions among MMC Chair Linda Dixon, HDC Chair Paul O’Shaughnessy, and Select Board Member and MMC Committee Liaison Suzie Barry, it was agreed that HDC would be the final stop made by the proposer before meeting with the Select Board, for the following reasons: 1) HDC is primarily concerned with aesthetic design. If they issue a certificate of appropriateness (COA) too early in the process, subsequent design changes could slip by under their radar. Major design changes could require a revised COA or even a new hearing. 2) While HDC has a narrow focus, MMC addresses a wide range of requirements and is prepared to perform due diligence to ensure that the proposer meets these requirements. 3) HDC feels it would benefit from the deliberations of the MMC in their own deliberations. Progress Report: Mass DAR Proposed Plaque Linda reported that she had received a submission form from the Mass DAR for the proposed plaque near Buckman Tavern to be installed in connection with Lex250. The group still has some tasks to complete (meetings with the Tourism Committee and the Commission on Disability). Report from Lex250 Bebe Fallick reported that the Tourism Committee has built a new platform and webpage that will launch this month. There will be a dedicated page for Lex250. There are plans also to link to the M&M Committee. Resolution of Kolin Torah Issue In November, the committee had a thorough discussion about whether to include the Kolin Torah, a 500-year-old Torah residing at Temple Isaiah, in our database. It has obvious historical significance, but no direct connection to Lexington’s history. After discussion, the sense of the committee was that it would not be included in our database. Other Business  The problem of how to handle multiple submissions for the same monument has been solved, thanks to Judy Baldasaro. The software now sifts and verifies all entries and enters the final, correct information.  Maybe it is time for the committee to recommend that the single Vietnam/Korea monument in front of Cary Hall be replaced with two individual monuments. They could be plaques, installed inside Cary Hall near those for WWI and WWII, with names of the fallen. Funding would be an issue. It could be part of Lex250. The meeting was adjourned at 5:30 p.m. Next meeting: January 4, 2024. Respectfully submitted, Linda Dixon, Chair