HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-11-30-LCIW-min.pdf LexCelebrate! Incorporation Weekend (LCIW) Committee Meeting
Agenda
November 30, 2012, 10:30 a.m.
Present: Beth Briggs, Donna Burns, Mollie Garberg, Betty Gau (chair), Jill Hai, Polly Kienle,
Shelby Kishket, Lisah Rhodes, Van Seasholes
Minutes. Polly Kienle
Housekeeping:
Group Photo —We took one at the end of the meeting; this was to accompany the first
photo taken at the previous meeting, in which fewer of the team appear The team photos will
be posted on the Lex300th website, along with a blurb about Incorporation Weekend
Welcome new committee members Beth Briggs and Cristina Burwell — Beth
joins us as budget coordinator for LexCelebrate! Events, Cristina will be working on publicity
and our arts "branch" with Lisah Rhodes Thank you and welcome, Beth and Cristina.
Meeting Minutes —At each meeting, one of us will volunteer to take minutes.
Public Relations and Website Articles —We discussed the publicity process for
LexCelebrate!
1) Jessie & Tanya have asked for volunteers from our group to profile in the Lexington news
media.
ACTION ITEM—Who will volunteer to be featured? (Polly will coordinate)
2) Jessie &Tanya have given us a list of specific publicity materials to be submitted and a
procedure for doing this
• Polly Kienle will be coordinating the submission of these materials
• Each group in our team will be responsible for submitting materials
• Texts and images need to meet the format requirements established by Jessie &
Tanya, however, beyond that, there are no stipulations of any kind
• Groups will commit to passing on their texts and images at set times A sign-up list
will be established to this end
• Groups are welcome to sign up for future dates and then submit all their materials at
once, if this is easier
ACTION ITEM— Create a Signup Genius list and distribute link to all (Beth and Polly) The sign-
up tool will include a brief description of format requirements.
ACTION ITEM— Create a list of materials we need to create and the dates by which these need
to be turned over to Polly (vs submitted to Cheryl Meadow and/or Lexington news media reps )
December Article for 300th website -
We need to submit a blurb to the Lex. 300th website that describes what our group is
doing
ACTION ITEM—Write the blurb, send to Cheryl Meadow by Thurs PM (her usual deadline for
posting to the 300th website on Monday) (Polly—done!)
ACTION ITEM—Take group photo, send to Cheryl (Jill)
ACTION ITEM— Send blurb to LexCelebrate! group (Polly—done!)
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Logo/Poster Meeting with Betsy Sarles — On Thurs , Nov 29, Betty and Polly met
with Betsy Sarles and Jessie Steigerwald to get started on the LCIW logo and poster An email
from Jessie about the meeting and including the PR concepts is in Appendix II to these minutes.
The logo would be available for all of us to use in whatever materials we create
Here are the "branches" that were passed on to Betsy Sarles for incorporation into the
logo/poster
Art, Music & Dance
History& Politics
Technology& Business
Sports & Recreation
Massachusetts Memories
Lexington Authors
Dance Around the World/Multicultural
Tercentennial Tastes/Lexington Food Festival
Mock Town Meeting (we consider it a part of History&Politics)
ACTION ITEM-Take a look at the concepts in Appendix II and provide any feedback ASAP
January postcard to invite all residents -
Along with the Lex300th standards (tax insert, poster, bookmark for schools), we would like
to send a postcard to all households in January This will include Mass Memories Road Show
and get people thinking about participation
Discussion Where are the funds for the publicity going to come from? Does the
LexCelebratel budget provide?Are the funds nested in a higher-level budget, e g at the 300th
Events level? The 300th is "in the hole" at present— if we spend beyond what our budget
provides for, we need to provide for those extra monies through fundraising.
Who is coordinating fundraising? Names mentioned. Larry Link, Sue Rockwell.
ACTION ITEM— Find out where funds for publicity for LexCelebrate will come from —are they
provided for at some level in the 300th budget? (Beth)
Upcoming Meeting — Our next meeting will be the last in 2012 — Fri , Dec 14, 1030, in
the Parker Room at the Town Offices.
Confirm schedule for LCIW meetings —We agreed on a rigorous schedule of morning
and evening meetings Betty subsequently sent the list of dates to all of us See Appendix I for
the updated (12/3) list of meeting dates and locations
Along with our own meetings, there are other groups whose meetings we should be aware
of Aside from the 300th Events Co-Chairs meetings (every other week), there will be two
community meetings (Jan 9 and Feb XX)
Lexington High School Facility Meeting with Laura Lasa, Laurie
Lucibello, Don Johnson (head custodian), Donna Hooper, Naomi
Martin, etc. — Need to schedule!
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Jill Hai will be coordinating LHS facilities use for LexCelebrate! She is setting up a meeting with
LHS facilities manager Laurie Lucibello Betty reported back on the strong recommendation
from the 300th committee (as stated at the last meeting by Sue Rockwell; confirmed to Betty in
discussion with Jessie Steigerwald and Tanya Morrisett) that representatives of our group meet
with a larger group, including Laura Lasa, Laurie Lucibello, Don Johnson, Donna Hooper,
Naomi Martin, and Suzie Barry The group considered whether one or two meetings are
necessary Consensus moved towards planning two meetings the first one between Jill Hai and
Laurie Lucibello, at which the logistical baseline will be set; the second will be between 300th
Committee representatives, a LexCelebrate! rep , Town employees and volunteers (Donna
Hooper and Suzie Barry), and LHS principal Laura Lasa, at which all stakeholders in
LexCelebrate! logistics will acknowledge arrangements made
Jil"s meeting with Laurie Lucibello will set allocation of custodial staff for LexCelebrate! These
costs have been estimated and are included in the budget. (Police &fire costs are also in the
budget.) As the winter progresses, representatives of each of the LC! branches will meet with
Jill and Laurie Lucibello to nail down the specifics of each event's set-up
ACTION ITEM— Jill needs everyone's space and equipment requirements ASAP, so that she
can present a complete package to Laurie Lucibello and Don Johnson. LHS facilities needs to
know how many tables and chairs, power requirements, spatial set-up, etc. Send what you have
currently; each concept will be refined in the course of the winter through meetings with LHS
facilities people
ACTION ITEM— Betty will ask that the 300th Committee events reps initiate scheduling a
meeting with Laura Lasa and Naomi Martin, in the company of Donna Hooper and Suzie Barry
Jill told us that LexCelebrate! Weekend has the following Town facilities reserved. LHS (the
complete package), Clarke MS, Diamond MS, and Cary Hall (Saturday) We discussed whether
we feel comfortable releasing one of the middle school facilities from our hold Consensus
moved to keeping one of the middle schools on hold until Jill and Mollie know whether we will
have a special guest who would require a well-secured facility for his appearance LHS will be a
hive of activity and thus a difficult environment to secure A middle school where no other
aspect of LC!WE is scheduled would be easier to secure
ACTION ITEM— Decide which of the two middle schools is the more suitable facility for a
special guest (Jill, Mollie, Betty)
ACTION ITEM—Jill mentioned that the booths in Commons I are difficult to move LHS
custodians will not be able to remove them Food vendor coordinators should thing about how
their set-up concept can incorporate the booths
ACTION ITEM— Shelby Kishket noted that we should be creating reserved parking and drop-off
areas for our performers/speakers/vendors/volunteers Although we have the LHS parking lot
reserved for Saturday & Sunday, regulation of that space will be necessary We need to find a
person to coordinate parking in all its dimensions, from participant access to perhaps providing
for overflow/alternative parking areas for residents.
- Talk to Laurie Lucibello about how LHS handles receiving (who?)
- Drop a line to Ilene Bengiat and her co-coordinator, who worked on parking and
transportation for Opening Ceremonies (Betty)
300th Community Meetings on January 9th, 9:00 and 7:00 pm. to
recruit volunteers — Need to prepare and be present at these meetings
to recruit volunteers
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This first of two community meetings is intended to be a marketplace for potential volunteers,
who can come and see what each of our"branches" is doing and what help we need We
should prepare presentations that inform and invite, we should be able to tell interested folks
about specific, bite-size volunteer opportunities so that they know what they are getting into and
can commit to things that suit their available time, interests, and talents
The community meetings (the other one will be in Feb , date TBD) will be held both in the AM
and the PM, so as to be as inclusive as possible Groups might want to find a way to be
represented at both the morning and the evening session, if possible
LexCelebrate Incorp Weekend Volunteers needed —We will need numerous
volunteers.
LexMedia liaison — Shelby Kishket and Van Seasholes will be liaisons to LexMedia We
would like our panels and other events filmed! Thank you, Shelby and Van.
Volunteer Coordinator - Diane Daly is likely to join us in the New Year as volunteer
coordinator We aim to find a co-coordinator for Diane Some names were mentioned
Requirements from 300th Committee — Paperwork— Betty showed us the
paperwork that she has to fill out for the 300th Committee events coordinators (Jessie &Tanya)
See Appendix Ill
ACTION ITEM—Take a look at Appendix Ill — Comments? Ideas? (submit to Betty ASAP — due
date was 12/1!)
Status of each Branch — Our meeting schedule will allow us to keep in touch about the
progress we are making We can also communicate with the group via email
Review / update the spreadsheet— Mollie Garberg will update our spreadsheet using
our meeting minutes and input she gets from each group She'll distribute updated versions
ACTION ITEM— Please keep Mollie up-to-date!
Check in with each Branch
Art, Music & Dance Branch — Lisah Rhodes
Lisah is looking forward to working with Cristina Burwell. She has some things lined up She
will reach out to the Lex. Arts and Crafts Society/ Molly Nye Betty reported on Jessie
Steigerwald's offer to coordinate five craft demo activities
History & Politics Branch —Jill Hai & Mollie Garberq
- The military panel is shaping up particularly well—waiting to hear whether the Gov
will join us for that. Jay Kaufmann contributing to coordination with Hanscom AFB
commander Minute Man NHP to be invited
- Dann Fenn's event about Lexington's beginnings will happen on the Friday evening
before LexCelebrate! Mollie & Jill will contact Sue Rockwell to coordinate
- One of the Wilson brothers may speak on agricultural history Who to contact? How
to connect to LexFarm offering?
- Care not to drift into commercial promotion through management of panel
participants/speaker configuration
- Lex Interfaith Clergy Ass'n —They may be doing something, are they at LHS?Are
they elsewhere?Are they doing this on LexCelebrate WE? Stay tuned
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Technology & Business Branch — Shelby Kishket
Sport & Recreation Branch— Donna Burns
Donna is working on securing participants for the activities at LHS field house She has 4 to
date It has been a long process to secure answers and commitments
Donna would like to work on facility logistics — bleachers, button sales location
Are the Frisbee folks on board? (Yes! Perhaps an outdoor offering ) Betsy would like to
include a Frisbee on the poster!
Mass Memories Roadshow— Polly Kienle
Diversity is a precondition for project grant application success Contacts to Lex. community
segments in place— build on these for gathering information about response to overall
LexCelebrate! planning
Author Series — Betty Gau Becky Sue Eostein & Cerise Jalelian
Categories — Fiction writing, publishing panel for new writers (traditional and self-publishing),
Lexington authors celebration at Cary Mem Library, young adults/children
Dance Around the World — Melaine Lin & Geetha Padaki
Updates sent per email.
- We are in the process of getting quotes for the Sound system and DJ.
- The ethnic groups and dance leads for the performance and the instuctional part have
been identified a while ago. The music will be finalized by the end of December - The leads for
the distinct parts are (1) dance performance and interactive dance Melanie Lin and Geetha
Padaki, (2) Multi-cultural booths (Neerja Bajaj and Sandy Chew and(3) Multi-cuisine Food-
TBD (4) Decorations- Shobha Reginald and Faith Lin (5) Budget and Finance -Jessie Shi(6)
Web and print publicity- TBD
- For the Facilities and Logistics coordinator, we won't have a seperate lead and will work
with the assigned lead from the Incorporation weekend.
Please let us know if you have any questions or need additional details.
Tercentennial Tastes / Lexington Food Festival — Jean Birnberg & Karen Kristen
Garden Club
The Garden Club has a plan and is doing its own thing There will be activities!
Review of Budget Discussion from 11/15 if needed — Betty reported that the 300th
Committee has stated that we must charge admission to LexCelebrate! as costs will run to
$11,000 and we have no monies to draw on The 300th is running a minus, at the moment. The
Musket Ball has been postponed until April 6 and is no longer being run as a fundraiser, rather
as a self-financing event like all other 300th events.
Discussion topics.
- Is there a way to avoid this? What about residents we will be driving away if we raise a
financial barrier to participation? Halloween event in town drew representatives of
diverse resident groups They appreciated the free offering Yet they were not reflected
in the Colonial Times photo spread Are these people not perceived? Do we have
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enough diversity at our own LexCelebrate! table to conduct a well-founded discussion
about the possible impact of an admission charge?
- 300th Committee discussed linking button purchase to guaranteed admission to one (?)
event with limited access If this is done, the database created in the process needs to
be as simple to manage as possible Who will do this?
- Another idea— charge admission to specific panels, ticket purchase secures your
admission
- The 300th Committee apparently agreed to a family cap to the admission charge Do we
know what that cap is?
- If we charge admission through buttons, we will need a team to coordinate that effort—
sales, button-checkers, etc Checkers cannot be HS kids who might be intimidated by
residents who object to the charge
ACTION ITEM—Take this back to the 300th Committee—we have not yet arrived at consensus
about what the best course of action is (What do we want to do next? More discussion on
12/14? Any further thoughts before 12/14? See PK email, 12/1 )
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APPENDIX I
LexCelebrate! Incorporation Weekend (LCIW) Committee
Meeting Schedule
Friday December 14, 10 30 a m in the Parker Room
January 2013 --All January meetinas in the Parker Room
Thursday January 3, 7 p m
Wednesday January 9, 9 00 a m and 7 30 p m — Community Meetings at Depot
Square
Thursday January 17, 7 p m
Friday, January 25, 10 30 a m
Thursday January 31, 7 p m
February 2013 -All February meetinas in the Parker Room
Friday February 8, 10 30 a.m
Friday February 15, 10 30 a m
Thursday February 28, 7 p m
March 2013 — 16 days prior our event!
Friday March 1, 10 30 a m - Parker Room
Thursday March 7, 7 p m - Stone Room
Friday March 8, 10 30 a m - Parker Room
Thursday March 14, 7 p m - Legion Room
Friday March 15, 10 30 a m - Parker Room
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APPENDIX II
11/30 Notes from Jessie Steigerwald on LexCelebrate logo and general
LexCelebrate! publicity materials
I have tried to copy my sketch from yesterday's meeting (11/29 Events Co-Chairs) - not easy
with microsoft word, but you should be able to get the general idea.
1 Tax Bill insert--front would feature Invite to Incorporation Weekend -- back would be Save
the Date for all 2013 remaining events.
March 31 - bell ringing at 17 13 (5 13 p m )
Patriots' Day
Old-Time Baseball
Outdoor Closing Ceremony - Clock dedication & Sealing of Time Capsule
Closing Ceremony Concert -
2 Town-wide mailing postcard (need to know number of households & price for this to see if it
would fit in the remaining PR budget where we had about $1,000 left for advertisement)
3 Bookmark for schools -to go out January 15th (ish)
4 Poster for Incorporation Weekend to place around town to solidify the theme/ logo/concepts
We are going to discuss and reach agreement that this is what we want before we get back to
Betsy—
ACTION ITEM-so please send your thoughts around a.s.a.p
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Incorporation Weekend Button Tax Bill Insert(front/3-16)(back/2013 events)
Mock Town Lexington s 300th Anniversary-you are invited!
Meeting
Bion Incorporation Weekend logo&date
Tag lrne`e
Bookmark.
Big postcard(front invitation,logo,dance)(back/tvlass Memories)
You are invited Lexington's1"30Anniversary Inxa
LexCelebrate! In�aoration Weekend Weekend
- =W Frisbee!
March 16—17,2013 -Art prolects1
Discover our roots - Stud films
about
See how we have grown Lexington's
We Are Lexington 3
dance,learn,bsten,create,play,snack Ili Araimd
tie World
Poster For Incorporation Weekend -�
Mock Town
Meeting for 8th
Grade students
Did you know?
Inc.date
Town Meeting
Govt.
Town Meeting
Fact
Town Meeting
Selectmen
[fiber
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APPENDIX III — sent 11/15, Jessie Steigerwald & Tanya Morrisett
Town-wide 300111 Anniversary Events require a strong leadership team!
Before moving forward with our 2013 events, the 300th Anniversary Committee asks each Event
Planning Team to please complete this leadership information by 12/1/12.
Event.
Date
Location.
Number of Volunteers needed. (minimum) (maximum)
Number of people who will be able to participate in this event:
Projected budget** information. (expenses) (revenue)
** Events should be self-balancing or raise funds to support some free events
Please submit a copy of your Facilities Use Agreement form or a written document evidencing
that you have been able to reserve all necessary town facilities/buildings/outdoor areas required
for your event.
Information about the Leadership for your Plannina Team.
For each required position, please name, address, telephone, cell phone and a gmail account with
the following format First name.lex300@mail.com
Example: Pat.lex300/c4mail.corn
This account may be set to forward to your personal address.
Co-Chairs (at least two)
A.
B
C
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Co-Chairs are responsible for providing weekly updates to the Events Co-Chairs (Tanya
Morrisett & Jessie Steigerwald), attending bi-weekly Co-Chair Meetings to coordinate all 300th
events so every event remains connected to the broader themes of"We Are Lexington—
Celebrating 300 Years" and to participate in wise management of the overall budget for this
special Town Celebration.
Events Co-Chairs will
1 take every opportunity to involve Lexington residents
2 work collaboratively with Lexington staff members and administrators
3 support other Events Co-Chairs when possible
4 coordinate publicity to ensure success across all events
5 support fundraising
6 manage shared resources
7 minimize expenses wherever possible (think"Who might volunteer to do this in honor of
Lexington's 300th?" before hiring anyone)
8 communicate with the 300th Anniversary Committee and Chair Sue Rockwell
Treasurer(at least one)
This person is responsible for
1 tracking your event budget
2 coordinating reimbursements
3 keeping track of the Tax Exemption Certificate
4 working with the Event Co-Chairs to present recommendations for any budget
amendments to the 300th Anniversary Committee in a timely fashion
5 providing preliminary approval before any purchases are made
6 keeping copies of every contract, order, invoice and sending a copy to the Co-Chairs, Sue
Rockwell and Donna Hooper
Logistics /Facilities Coordinator (at least two)
1 Communicates regularly with appropriate Town Department Heads or other staff to
secure location, learn all rules governing town property, prepares layout plans for staff
(including DPW, DPF, Fire, Police, Custodians)
2 Maintains written documents related to facilities including reservation forms and layout
plans
3 Prepares necessary traffic or parking plans, including accessibility plans
Publicity (at least two—one for print, one for web)
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PRINT
Print is responsible for preparing 100—200 written updates on a bi-weekly basis for the
Minuteman, monthly basis for the Colonial Times, and 50 word updates monthly for the
Lexington Shopper In addition, press releases should be prepared as needed to promote the
event to other written publications, including the Boston Globe.
WEB
Web is responsible for preparing weekly updates for the web-site from 50—250 words, one
weekly facebook update and Twitter updates as appropriate leading up to the event. Web
submits finished copy to the webmaster by Thursday night—in preparation for an anticipated
weekly web update on Sunday (Our webmaster does not edit copy—so please ask another
member of your Event team to proof and edit your copy to make sure it is accurate and inviting
for readers!)
Advice for Chairs
1 Invite residents to participate in planning for your event
2. Identify small jobs that a busy person might be able to manage so more people can enjoy
the 300th Having a larger team will help support your event in many ways and it helps
fulfill one of the over-arching goals of the 300th Anniversary Committee. We aim to help
every resident find a meaningful way to engage in the 300th Anniversary—some will
attend events, some will volunteer to help host& some will help plan. Make the circle
bigger by inviting new people to join your team.
3 Communicate regularly with the public through the website, email, listserves, Lexmedia
and print media. The sooner you publicize the event, the better chance you have to help
people save your date so they can participate.
Protocols for Chairs.
1 Copy email related to your event to Tanya and Jessie and your 300th Committee liaison
2. Maintain a copy of every agreement, invoice, bill, receipt and anything that documents a
service to be provided to the town—or any obligation incurred by the town for your event
3 Do NOT sign any contracts on behalf of the town—all contracts should be presented to
Tanya & Jessie first. They should then be presented to Sue Rockwell, Committee Chair—
who will review them before they are presented to the Town Manager Volunteers do not
sign contracts on behalf of the town.
4 Do NOT make promises on behalf of the Town or the 300th Anniversary Committee
5 Keep track of expenses. Work closely with your treasurer You should communicate
weekly with your treasurer, publicity coordinators and your logistics coordinator
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