HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-10-05-DAC-min.pdf DESIGN ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Town of Lexington
October 30, 1999
The Minutes
October 5, 1999 Meeting
Present: Steve Hurley (Chairman), Carl Oldenburg, John Frey, Karen Bechtel, Bruce
Creager Barbara Hulsizer, Olga Veronina and Stacey Bridge-Denzak, Dawn McKenna
(guest).
Scribe: Stacey Bridge-Denzak
1 Approval of Minutes dated 9/7/99.
2. Depot Square
• Chapter 90/Federal funds issue; no start update.
3. Cary Hall Update
• No current issues; DAC may need to reconsider bollards at walkway
4 Minute Man Statue/ Harrington Road Tour Bus Parking
• Under construction- temporary neckdowns in place; some areas need paint to
better stand out.
5. Center Parking Improvements
• Survey still in progress.
6. New Members
• Jonathan Longley was not reappointed; one vacancy for membership available-
the DAC would like to fill this position with a Planner
7 Presentations
• Chief Casey— Center Sidewalk Signage
a. Chief Casey reviewed his concerns necessitating additional signage in the
Center which intended to discourage biking, skate boarding, and roller
blading on Center sidewalks; he has the support of the Bicycle Advisory
Committee (BAC); 2 members were present confirming their desire to see
added signage because they support the Police concerns as well as they are
responding to citizen comments they have received.
b. Chief Casey feels that signage is needed to help regulate current behaviors
since currently these walks are not to be used as previously described; offer
fair notice to users for enforcement; and create a user-friendly awareness of
such regulations in Town.
c. Steve Hurley stated that the DAC was in agreement that signs were needed,
but the DAC is concerned about how many are proposed and where they will
be located; the DAC recommended at the last discussion to mount signs to
existing poles and/or to the bike racks themselves.
d. Chief Casey and BAC propose one sign at each of the following locations:
the police booth, Eddison Way, Muzzey Street, Crafty Yankee, Depot Square,
and Merriam Street bike access; the height of the signs was an issue
DESIGN ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Town of Lexington
October 30, 1999
because the BAC would like to see them mounted at 8' where the DAC sees
that as a hazard, and would like to see them lower and less obtrusive in the
landscape; Bruce Creager recommended temporary signs at these key
locations to experiment where they should be, and if in fact they needed to be
posted year-round; Bruce questioned if this is a seasonal issue; The BAC
feels that these temporary signs will get lost.
e. Dawn McKenna expressed concern over cluttering up the Center with more
signs; she agreed with signage at the bike path notifying users before theYgo
to the Center of the rules.
f. Karen Bechtel volunteered to work with Chief Casey and the BAC to resolve
these issues.
• Chief Casey— Police Booth
a. Currently proposed is a wood frame structure with double hung windows;
door to match raised panels painted white as found along the rest of the
structure; hexagon shape with granite base foundation (shape offers better
site lines); copper roof and white trim; it also acts as an information booth
where people are free to approach and ask questions.
b. DAC Comments:
1 Trim should be Dark Green.
2. Consider adding a finial or some type of ornamentation to the roof.
3. Look at redesign of the nearby planters so the structure does not looked
dropped into place and the area just"bandaged."
4 Overall this proposal seems very schematic and needs further detail to
fully understand the design; Carl Oldenburg and Steve Hurley will work
with Chief Casey on this.
• Rob Travis— Cable Co. (David Kaufman present from the Cable Committee)
a. Rebuilding their system in Lexington; installing fibre optic trunk lines;
proposed locations they presented are not all locations once system
completely upgraded.
b. Rebuilding main plant; it will be located underground.
c. They are currently working with the Engineering Department in Town to
coordinate their efforts with the Bedford Street work.
d. Transformers cannot share poles with other cable company installations.
• Doug Wilkins, Esq. —AT&T Wireless Services/Boston Edison Electrical Tower on
Wood Street
a. John Frey mentioned that there should be sensitivity to the site design based
upon its residential location; currently it is a popular bird-watching area and
has an associated trail.
b. Many questions were raised about the facility and its 'cookie-cutter" design;
the DAC needs to see more research done as to why the facility is the size,
location, and structure's design; a vinyl coated chain link fence should
enclose the facility instead of bare chain link.
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