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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1970-06-17-MMNHPAC-min.pdf O ,.ENT_ F'i46 . ,-„7 :� UNITED STATES ra:' Z o! DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ," /i A NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 1400 Post Office & Courthouse IN REPLY REFER TO: Boston, Massachusetts 02109 A18 Minutes of the Twentieth Meeting - June 17. 1970 The Twentieth Meeting of the Minute Man National Historical Park Advisory Commission was held in the park headquarters on North Great Road, Lincoln, Massachu.etts, Wednesday evening, June 17, 1970. Present: Members Hon. James DeNormandie Mr. David B. Little, Chairman Mr. Francis S. Moulton, Jr. Mr. Donald E. Nickerson Mrs. Katharine S. White, Secretary Representing the National Park Service Mr. Edwin W. Small, Assistant to the Director, Northeast Region, New England Field Office Mr. Benjamin J. Zerbey, General Superintendent, Boston National Park Service Group Mr. Robert N. Perkins, Jr. , Unit Manager, Minute Man National Historical Park Project As Chairman, Mr. Little called the meeting to order at 8:10 P.M. An oral reading of the Minutes of the Nineteenth Meeting held on December 6, 1969, was dispensed with and it was voted to accept the condensed transcript of the meeting as distributed to the members by letter of February 16, 1970. The Chairman then called upon General Superintendent Zerbey and Unit Manager Perkins to present their report on programs and events of note on the park project since the last meeting. Mr. Zerbey turned this matter directly over to Mr. Perkins, who proceeded to give his report. Mr. Perkins called attention in particular to the observance of Patriots' Day, a beautiful day weatherwise on Sunday April 19, which drew a crowd estimated at 150,000 in Concord for the parade to the North Bridge Battle- ground. It was gratifying especially to have so many family groups in attendance. Mr. Perkins indicated that many school groups had come to AU 6 ,3 1 - 1 • 1 the park over the spring months, that an effective slide program was being conducted for visitors at the Buttrick Mansion and many had come to see the iris gardens at the peak of their bloom in early June. Plans for the summer include evening programs on the grounds of the Buttrick Mansion, where benches will be brought in and there will be talks on appropriate subjects and concerts by a band and a fife and drum corps. The program of musket firing by the Minute Man and Militia Companies from various towns will be repeated again on Saturdays and Sundays. The subject of personnel to assist during the busy summer season with interpretation and other matters came up for discussion, with mention being made especially of the conservation aides provided by the Student Conservation Association with headquarters at Sagamore Hill. Mr. Zerbey said aides had come to the park project from this source for several summers at no expense to the Park Service, but this summer for the first time it would be necessary for the Park Service to provide funds to pay the aides as the Association would be unable to do so. The next topic to come before the members present was a report of the hearing in Washington on June 2, 1970, before the House Subcommittee on Parks and Recreation on H. R. 13934 to amend the Minute Man Park Act of September 21, 1959, by raising the ceilings on authorized funds for land acquisition and development, and making some provision for additions and exchanges of land mainly with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to facilitate new routings of Routes 2 and 2A. Senator DeNormandie and Mr. Zerbey were both present at the hearing and were able to give an account of details of interest to the members. Senator DeNormandie was optimistic about the reception the subcommittee gave to testimony given by Congressmen Morse and Philbin as well as himself and the prospect of the bill being reported out favorably by both the subcommittee and the full House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. Mr. Zerbey indicated that but one serious question was raised by a member of the subcommittee and that related to motives for the arrangement on additions and exchanges of lands with the Commonwealth. Any idea that such an arrangement would be primarily for the advantage of the State Department of Public Works rather than the park project was apparently dispelled with ease. Some doubt remains, Mr. Zerbey stated, whether the bill will come up for a favorable hearing in the Senate Subcommittee before Congress adjourns. Copies of both H. R. 13934 and the favorable report on the bill made by the Department of the Interior to the House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee were available at the meeting and distri- buted to the members. Discussion of problems relating to the park and its environs was devoted mainly to the subject of highway plans of the Massachusetts Department of Public Works relating to Routes 2, 2A and 62. This proved to be a subject on which Senator DeNormandie, Mr. Zerbey and Mr. Perkins were all up-to- date. Mr. Moulton indicated that the Concord Selectmen had expressed strong opposition to Route 62 coming down Old Bedford Road and crossing Lexington Road at the gravel pit west of Meriam's Corner. Senator DeNormandie said this plan had been withdrawn by the Department of Public 2 � I , Works and no other decision had yet been reached as to any other route. A possibility is to draw this route and others into an interchange near the airfields of the Massachusetts Port Authority and the Air Force. Mr. Perkins brought in a drawing procured from the Department of Public Works showing the locations proposed for the new Routes 2 and 2A, and consider- able discussion followed with regard to identifying the locations of each in relation to the Battle Road Unit of the park. Things may begin to move on Routes 2 and 2A in a year's time. A new Route 62 is more distant in the future. The matter of moving houses out of the park for moderate income housing in Lincoln came up briefly. Mr. Zerbey and Mr. Perkins indicated there were some houses available and that might be considered for this purpose under established procedures. Senator DeNormandie, however, stated that the housing venture would be a private enterprise and the location for it in the town has not yet been fully worked out. The Bicentennial Celebration in 1975 was discussed only for a few minutes. Mrs. White was pleased to report that the Lincoln Celebrations Committee would finally be meeting with the committee planning the 1975 celebration in Concord the following week. John B. Finigan is chairman of the Concord committee. Under other business, Senator DeNormandie brought up the subject of revising the park boundaries. Additions to the park project will doubt- less result from the relocation and rebuilding of Routes 2 and 2A. There are also other additions and changes to consider in units of the park located in Concord. At the North Bridge Battleground, the matter of relocating Monument Street so that the parking area would be on the same side of the highway as the avenue to the North Bridge received some discussion. It appears that any relocation of Monument Street for this purpose south of the entrance to the existing parking area is not feasible. It was finally decided that Messrs. Zerbey and Perkins would give the matter of revised boundaries some study and consideration, and present their ideas and conclusions to the members at the next meeting of the Commission in the autumn. No other business came before the meeting and it was adjourned by the Chairman at 9:55 P.M. Approved Katharine S. White /sgd/ Katharine S. White, Secretary Date July 30, 1970 3