HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-05-14-TOUR2-minLexington Tourism Committee
Meeting Minutes
Monday, May 14, 2007
Present: Dawn McKenna, Susan Bennett, Mary Jo Bohart, Kerry Brandin, Richard
Canale, John Ott, Lou Sideris, Paul O'Shaughnessy, Masha Traber (Liberty Ride)
Absent: Bebe Fallick, Peter Kelley
Called to order at 4:15 pm.
Minutes:
• Minutes of 9 April 2007 were approved as amended
Liberty Ride:
• Dawn McKenna updated the committee on the trolley contract. Kerry Brandin
will work on the trolley decor.
• Dawn McKenna presented Article 55 from the Arlington Town Meeting warrant
to establish a Liberty Ride Study Committee to investigate joining the Liberty
Ride and present recommendations to the 2008 Town Meeting.
• Discussion ensued on alignment of the Ride with its originally stated goals.
Susan Bennett suggested that the Arlington description of a "fee -based shuttle" is
closer to the original intent and Mary Jo Bohart argued that the current service
aligns with original goals. Richard Canale joined discussion commenting that an
Arlington connection might assist the shuttle goal with possible pickups closer to
Boston. Dawn McKenna commented that there is a broad benefit provided by the
Ride. Criteria for measuring success were suggested.
• Cross - training between guides from tourism service providers (Liberty Ride,
Historic Society, Chamber of Commerce) was discussed, including goals,
schedule, materials, and fact sheets on each site.
Two off - agenda issues were discussed:
• Mary Jo described an incident in which an individual from the Town's Article 40
Anti- Idling Committee berated a Mennonite tour for idling their vehicle. She
emphasized that judgment and tact must be employed in these situations. Dawn
will contact the Chair of the Anti- Idling Committee to communicate Tourism's
concerns.
• Discussion ensued regarding the layout and composition of the Lexington Visitors
Center, centering on how to balance tourism information with the existing
displays and plaques. There may be a future meeting at the Visitors Center to
examine these issues more closely.
Liberty Ride:
• Dates for cross - training of guides were discussed — possible dates being 6, 7 or 11
June.
• Sample tickets offering Historic Society house tour to Liberty Ride patrons on a
pilot basis were presented. These were created as a pilot program through
cooperation between the Ride and the Society. The Society will keep the smaller
section for re- imbursement.
• Dawn will check on obtaining services of a photographer for stock photos of the
Ride and historic sites.
• A letter received from Milestone program, requesting discounts was discussed.
The sense of the Committee was to decline. No motion was made.
Other Tourism Activities
• Susan Bennett provided an update on plans for exhibit changes at Munroe Tavern
and Buckman Tavern signage.
• Susan Bennett described the Historic Society's concern and desire to prevent sale
of the Follen Church silver — critical artifacts dating to early Lexington, currently
on display at the Heritage Museum. A discussion ensued on what might be done.
John Ott and Susan Bennett agreed to approach the Church on this subject.
• The layout of the Visitors' Center had been discussed earlier in the meeting, so
the meeting passed over the agenda item on this topic.
• Information sheets for businesses — Masha has all the site information to create
paper handouts and a downloadable PDF.
• Dawn presented informational maps of Boston and Lowell, asking if there is
interest in a similar map for Lexington. There was general support for this
initiative. Richard described a "walkable communities" effort that would be
served by such maps.
• The Committee discussed reviving a Lexington brochure. Copies of original are
kept at the Town Clerk's office. Dawn will speak to Bebe Fallick and get pricing
for printing. The gift account funds could be contributed to this effort.
• No update on Christopher Bing sign progress.
• Directional signage funding has been approved — funds will be available July 1St
Motion to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 6:00 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Paul O'Shaughnessy, recording secretary