HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-06-11-LCC-min.pdfTown of Lexington
Lexington Center Committee
Submitted by Kat MacDonald
Minutes for the meeting held on Thursday, June 11, 2026 beginning at 8:40 am in the
Parker Room, Town Office Building, Lexington, Massachusetts
Members present: T. Eric Ballard, Jr., Mike Harris, Katherine Huang, Kat MacDonald,
Jerold Michelson (Chair), Danit Netzer
Liaisons present: JayAbdella, EDC; Capt. Christopher Barry, LPD; Doug Lucente, Select
Board; Sandhya Iyer, EDD; Tina McBride, Planning Board; Olivia Kelley, Lexington Chamber
of Commerce; Dave Pinsonneault, DPW; Tom Shiple, Bike Advosiry Committee
Guests present: Felix Albano, General Manager of Post 1917; Fred Johnson; Pam Lyons;
Carol Sacerdote
DPW Update
• Dave P. gave updates on the status of some outstanding DPW issues.
o The daily Center clean-up person has resigned. DPW is looking to refill this
spot. It is a four hour paid job and it will be posted.
o Weekend trash pickup has re -started with extra pickups on holidays.
o The Belfry Tower will re -open this week. It is a great improvement. It is much
more accessible and has new steps.
o Parklet will be installed by the end of this week (near Post 1917).
o The kiosk is installed.
o DPW is monitoring a few trees.
o DPW has a few changes to personnel -Joel Custance is the Public Grounds
Superintendent (30 yrs experience); Todd Erickson is the Highway
Superintendent; Nick Burke is the Assistant Public Grounds Superintendent.
Economic Development Update
Business Updates:
• Galaray House is vacant. Building is owned by Lexington Place so some limitations.
Retail is likely the best use of that space.
• 7 Depot Square is currently working through the permitting process.
• 1844B Mass Ave (Second Floor) is soon to be a Medical Salon.
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• Linear Retail Properties Building (Giroux Building -1833-1853 Mass Ave) petitioned
the Select Board to increase electricity to the building. This has been an issue in
securing tenants.
o Town of Lexington (as well as other towns) has an ongoing issue with double
poles. They are illegal but a low priority for Eversource. Sometimes this can
be used in negotiating future work by Eversource.
■ Eversource must address double poles and hanging wires within 500
feet if they want to do work. State law says Eversource has 90 days to
remove double poles but they are not in compliance. There is no hard
line but the work must be scheduled.
■ Issue should be back to Select Board schedule Monday night.
• Russian School of Math
o Expect to be open by the end of June for summer classes.
o Students will be walked from the Depot Lot to the building by a staff member.
Wayfinding Signs
• Grain Mill Alley Kiosk has been installed.
o The main structure is in place. The roof needs to be put on then the
computer connectivity will be put in place.
o Screen Cloud (computer connection) will be managed by Jay and Sandhya.
The backside of the kiosk is a fixed screen of the entire bike path.
o This project has been 15 years in the making and is finally near completion.
o Ribbon Cutting scheduled for Monday, June 15th at 1:30 at Grain Mill Alley.
Parklet / Post 1917 Presentation
• Located in front of Post 1917. That restaurant will partially care for the parklet
although the parklet itself is a public space and open to anyone. DPW is currently
working to add bike parking on both sides of the parklet.
• Felix Albano, new General Manager of Post 1917, addressed the committee. He is
new to the position but has been in similar positions for most of his career. He is a
sommelier and is interested in starting a Wine Club. He is very open to suggestions
about Post 1917 and is interested in working with the community. Post 1917 has a
presence on both Facebook and Instagram and Felix can be reached through those
sites or in person.
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Street Banners
• Danit is responsible for creating the Jewish Heritage Banners and getting them hung
along Mass Ave and in Lexington Center. There are 22 in total. They will now be
hung annually. Thank you Danit!
Upcoming Programs:
• Art Lex
o Funded by the Lexington Fund
o June 11-30 art vendors will be along Emery Park displaying and selling their
work.
• Lions Club Carnival
o July 1 — 5 with fireworks on July 2 (Thursday) at 9:30p
• FIFA Watch Parties
o June 16-26 on the Visitor Center Lawn. This is a FREE event.
o Games are between 2:00 and 9:00 with 2 games per day.
o Other towns are hosting but not to the extent of Lexington. We expect 500-
1,000 visitors per day.
o Biking to the event will be encouraged.
o Two traffic officers will be on Meriam St and 2 officers will be in the event
area.
o Volunteers are needed. Information on volunteering is on the Chamber of
Commerce Website. This is a huge undertaking for the town and our staff,
Lexington Chamber of Commerce, and many other businesses and
volunteers have dedicated many hours to this effort.
E -bikes and Bike Riding on Sidewalks in Center
o Capt. Barry reported that there is now a LPD presence in the Center. Correction
works when addressing issues but not clear whether this results in changed long-
term behavior.
o Tom Shiple from the Bike Advisory Committee invites anyone interested to join the
meetings on the second Thursday of each month at 7p in the Parker Room in the
Town Office Building.
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o On the school half -days, volunteers are in the Center reminding bikers to
walk their bikes.
o Certain vehicles (motorized scooters/bicycles) are not even legal.
o Suggestions have been made to create a one-page instruction describing
types of vehicles included in the by-laws and that it should be posted on the
LPD webpage.
o Suggestions to post on the Lexington Mavens and Lexington Parents
webpages/FB groups.
o Information can also be circulated through the PTO Presidents' Council.
o Lexington Center Committee should have a liaison to the Bicycle Advisory
Committee. No one present at the meeting volunteered.
16 Clarke Street Development Update
o Tina reported that there was a Planning Board Meeting last night where various
waivers were requested, including a parking requirement waiver.
o The exterior plan is still with the Historic District Commission.
o Next Planning Board meeting is 7/15. Moving forward with this project is partially
dependent on HDC decision.
LCC Priorities Updates
1. Traffic Working Group
o Grant has been submitted. Response expected in September or October.
2. Parking Working Group
o Holding awaiting results of Traffic Grant request.
o No funding for parking lots is currently in front of the Select Board. Given the
tight town budget, very little will happen in the near future without grant
funding.
o Issue of employees parking outside of the Depot Lot (assigned) was
discussed.
■ Current Employee Parking Program: 175 pre -paid stickers and 89 pay-
as-you-go employees.
■ There may be an opportunity for more education.
3. Housing in Center/Building Height in Center
o This is an item that could be addressed now because it is not directly
dependent on parking or traffic flow.
o The folks who worked on Article 2 indicated they would work on this issue but
no action as yet.
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4. Vacancies in Center
o Would LCC want to talk with the Council on Economic Development?
Meeting Tuesday 8:30-10a.
o Need work to understand:
■ Reasons for vacancies
■ What is the next "thing"?
Items for July Meeting
• Jerry asked LCC members to think about the items above (priorities) and to come
to the July meeting with ideas on where we can focus our efforts NOW.
• July meeting may include a walking tour of Lexington Center.
Lexington Center Committee voted to accept the minutes of the May 2026 meeting as
written.
Meeting adjourned 10:00
Next Meetin : Thursday, July 9th 8:30-10:00
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