HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-06-04-MMC-min.docxMonuments and Memorials Committee
Minutes of Meeting
June 4, 2026, By Zoom Teleconference
Attendance: Nick Wong, Chair; Glen Bassett, Linda Dixon, George Gamota, Regina Sutton
Absent: Avram Baskin, Liz Huttner, Leslie Masson
Guests: Doug Lucente, Select Board Member; Bill Poole
Business
Chair Nick Wong opened the meeting at 4:05 pm , welcomed everyone, and declared
that a quorum was present.
Approval of Minutes of May 7, 2026
On motion duly made and seconded, the minutes of May 7, 2026 were approved
unanimously by roll call vote.
Update of STEAM Team Projection Mapping Event
Chair Nick attended the projection mapping event held at Depot Square on May 30. In
collaboration with the Munroe Center for the Arts, the STEAM Team, under the
mentorship of Dr. Wei Ding and with help from two design professionals, produced a
slide show with animated story boards that showcased Lexington's contemporary
heroes. More than 200 viewers attended the 30 -minute show. Nick felt the video was
very professional, and will send a link for committee members to view.
Next Steps for Database — a Discussion with Doug Lucente, Select Board Liaison
Overview of Major Town Events: The Boot Camp training session for new committee
members held in September 2025 was very successful and will be offered again this
year. Town Meeting will be dealing with Article 31, concerning new charges for certain
trash collections. Groundwork has begun on the site of the planned new high school.
A Youth Commission traffic island and bench at the end of Park Drive, both considered
town monuments or memorials, will be removed and reinstalled at a new location at a
future date. Doug asked the committee to identify any memorials they may come across
that are inadvertently removed during the construction process. The Town is facing a
period of tough finances. Commercial growth and therefore, tax revenue, is below
expectations, putting pressure on the residential tax rate. The Town has worked hard
with the School Committee to avoid an override. Conflict seems inevitable.
The M&M Database and the Select Board: Glen asked whether the M&M database is
of interest to the Select Board. How far should we go in making it available to the public
vs. letting some other entity do it? Doug feels the M&M database is and should remain a
town asset; the Town is obligated to maintain it. M&M should be brought into the
decision-making process, but Town involvement at some level, such as IT, is good.
With all the demands on its attention, the SB is probably not thinking much about
existing memorial objects or potential future monuments. If M&M doesn't advise the SB
about the status of these monuments, they could be overlooked and forgotten. He
suggests M&M bring the Town into the decision process, and offer guidance and
recommendations, whenever a new monument comes along on public land.
The Community Preservation Act and its associated fund are a potential resource.
Town Meeting allocates money from this fund each year for a variety of community
purposes. If we created a list of the Town's most endangered memorials, we might get
funding from this source. The Town must spend a minimum amount each year.
M&M understands the importance and nuances of our memorials more than DPW or
other entities. Our role should be to 1) identify the monuments that have historic value
and meaning to the Town; 2) determine funding sources to restore, repair, and maintain
the monuments; and 3) make appropriate recommendations to the Select Board.
Doug emphasized that the Select Board relies on M&M to assure equity of the selection
process for official monuments and to highlight which monuments need preservation help.
Follow-up Discussion: The group will aim for September to finish database issues. They
will invite key individuals, such as the Chair of the Lexington Historical Commission, to
committee meetings in September and October to assist in this completion work.
Elections
Following motions made and seconded, the committee voted unanimously to elect the
following officers for a one-year term, ending in June 2027: Nick Wong, Chair; Avram
Baskin, Vice Chair; and Linda Dixon, Secretary. Upon Liz Huttner's term expiration in
September, she will retire from the committee due to her full-time job, which prevents
her attendance at meetings. There are now two vacancies on the committee (7 of 9
members).
Adjournment
The committee voted to adjourn by roll call vote at 4:55 p.m.
There will be no meetings during July and August.
Due to Labor Day on September 7, the committee agreed to move its fall meeting
to the second week of September on Thursday, September 10 at 4:00 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Dixon, Secretary