HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-09-11-LCC-min.pdfPage 1 of 4
Town of Lexington
Lexington Center Committee
Submitted by Kat MacDonald
Minutes for the meeting held on Thursday, September 11, 2025 beginning at 8:30 am in
the Parker Room, Town OCice Building, Lexington, Massachusetts
Members present: Upasna Chhabra, Mike Harris, Katherine Huang, JeCrey Lyon, Kat
MacDonald, Jerold Michelson (Chair), Danit Netzer, Jon Wakelin
Liaisons present: Jay Abdella, EDC; Capt. Christopher Barry, Lexington Police Dept;
Michael Boudett, Capital Expenditures; Betty Gau, Bike Advisory; Olivia Kelley, Chamber of
Commerce; Doug Lucente, Select Board; Tina McBride, Planning Committee; Maggie
Peard, Sustainability and Resilience OCicer
Guests present: Fred Johnson, Pamela Lyons, Carol Sacerdote
===================================
DPW Update
Jerry provided some updates in Dave P’s absence.
• Trash barrel in front of Rancatore’s needs more frequent emptying.
• Sidewalks need a regular assessment schedule for washing and maintenance.
• Dead tree in front of Rancatore’s should be assessed.
• Center Committee thought Parklet was a success and much better than previous
years. Galaray House planted and did maintenance on the plantings. Anecdotally,
the parklet did not seem as well-used as prior years.
Economic Development Department (EDD) Updates
• Vacancy Update/New Businesses:
o Penguin Coding School is now in the old Dragonfly Boutique location.
o Via Lago and Abbotts Frozen Custard are both vacant. There is interest in
another fast casual restaurant.
o 1800 Mass Ave (previously Signature Stationers) – building has a new owner.
EDD has a meeting scheduled with the owner next week.
o Post 1917 opened to good reviews. The Muzzey Lot has been very busy with
both patrons and delivery trucks.
o Zen is making very slow progress. Contractor has changed.
o Russian School of Math moving into Depot Square Fall of 2026.
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• Programming:
o Center Mural Project Ribbon Cutting – Tuesday, 9/16.25 at 10:00a at Depot
Building.
o Lexington Visitor Center – Monday 9/22/25 at 9:30a premiere of videos on the
history of Black patriots in Lexington.
o Bike Block Party this weekend 9/14/25 10:00a-3:00p
o Porchfest Saturday 9/27/25 music at private homes and throughout the
Center.
o ArtWalk – Early October through beginning of November throughout Center
Business District.
o Halloween Trick-or-Treating – Friday, 10/31 on the half day of school
Wayfinding Signs and Grain Mill Alley (GMA) Kiosk
• The designer has the e-ink sign and is working to get it put into the kiosk.
• Installation slated for October of November but need concrete to be poured before
the temperatures drop.
• A reminder that there will be a map, an events calendar and oCerings by businesses.
Welcome Olivia Kelley – Executive Director of Lexington Chamber of Commerce
• Summer Concert Series sponsored by the Chamber drew large crowds to Emery
Park.
• Next Saturday is the annual Arts & Crafts Fair 9/20/25 10:00a-4:00p with over 15
vendors.
• Chamber will be trying new ideas.
o First is Town Takeover tomorrow 9/12 from 12:00-2:00.
o Middle Schools have half day once a month. Trying to get businesses to oCer
something to encourage middle schoolers to spend time in the Center.
Omar’s is oCering a Mario Kart event. Paul Mammola is oCering specials on
certain services.
o Chamber of Commerce is working with PTO’s on identifying which
businesses to approach for which services.
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EV Charging Stations and Usage Presentation – Maggie Peard
• Maggie shared a formal presentation on the number of charging stations, their
locations, and their level of usage.
• Locations are:
o Depot Lot
o NStar Lot – has 5 ports currently with 2 fast chargers on order
o Muzzey Street Lot - 2 stations and the most highly used
o Behind the Town OCices
o Community Center – least used location
• Lexington has the highest number of registered vehicles per person in
Massachusetts.
• Muzzey Street area experienced 3 power outages this past summer, each of which
lasted over 9 hours. LCC questions whether vehicle charging played any role.
• No current plans to add more ports in the Center. Lexington still has open capacity.
• Next step for the town is to look at fleet charging.
Verizon Building – Fuel Cell Project
• Jerry notified the LCC that Verizon had an interest in putting a fuel cell center in the
existing Verizon Building. It would have been used to generate power for Verizon and
essentially be a small power plant.
• The proposed use would have generated both noise and waste.
• Lexington Building Department determined that it would not allow it at that location.
• Nothing exists in current regulations regarding power plants or generators. This may
be something the Select Board considers in the future.
Bicycles on Sidewalks
• Betty Gau from the Bike Advisory Committee spoke on what has been done to
address pedestrian safety in the Center as it applies to biking.
• This has been an ongoing issue and numerous ideas have been used to address the
problem of wheeled vehicles on Center sidewalks.
• Some suggestions are:
o Position a Police OCicer in the Center to issue cards with biking rules.
o OCicer Delano is currently the head of the Bike Unit.
o Change negative talk to positive – “Protect Our Elders”.
o Create additional spots clarifying where students should leave bikes while
they are in the Center.
o Work with the schools on education about biking rules.
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o Need for bike lanes coming out of the high school. Current bike parking is full
at the high school and biking is diCicult during busy drop-oC/pick-up times.
Betty said DPW is working on this.
o Sandwich board in Center are instructive but also not terribly eCective.
o Try posters where students naturally congregate – ice cream/juice/smoothie
shops.
o Motorized bikes present additional concerns for safety.
Parking Lot Redesign Status – topic deferred to future meeting.
Lexington Center Committee Priorities for the Upcoming Year
• Jerry Michelson asked each member of the LCC to submit 3-5 priorities.
• Jerry will distribute the list in advance of the next meeting. We may choose to use a
full meeting to gain consensus on the committee priorities for the coming year.
Liaison Updates
• Planning – Tina reported the Planning Board has been extremely busy with all the new
building projects proposed.
• Select Board – Doug asked that all volunteers log their volunteer hours and submit
them to Lex250.org. Doug also asked anyone available to attend the Board and
Committee Boot Camp on 10/4/25 8:00-11:30a.
• Tourism – Kat reported that the Tourism Committee is discussing the future of the
Liberty Ride. It is currently losing money and the trolley itself is very old. Proposals
for a future contract have much increased expenses. Kat will continue to report on
this issue.
• LCC Annual Report is due soon. Jerry will prepare this for our committee.
Meeting adjourned 10:10.
Next Meeting: Thursday, October 9th 8:30-10:00
Remaining 2025 Meetings: November 13, December 11