Human Services

Library Corporation

Melissa C. Saalfield, President
Richard D. Briggs, Jr., Treasurer
Frederick H. Lovejoy, md, Clerk
Walter W. Birge
Stedman Buttrick, Jr.
Diana W. Clymer
O. Mario Favorito, Esq.
Belinda P. Smith
Katherine U. Takvorian, md

Communicate - Cooperate - Coordinate

To launch the first full year of operations in the newly expanded and renovated Library, the Corporation Trustees hosted a strategic planning retreat at the Town House in January attended by members of all governing boards (Corporation, Committee and Friends), staff, Selectmen and Town Manager. The retreat identified priorities for the Library: the future of Fowler, building maintenance, technology, fundraising for programs and capital improvements and customer relations. What also emerged was consensus to improve communication, cooperation and coordination among all responsible for oversight of the Library.

The Trustees began to hold monthly coordination meetings with the chairs of the governing groups (Corporation, Committee, Friends, staff and Selectmen's representative). They financed the Town-wide distribution of quarterly program cards to all households outlining Library activities. With the Committee, the Trustees encouraged an expanded and enhanced web site with opportunities for direct patron feedback. They created a Fowler Building Committee comprised of Corporation Trustees, Committee members, staff and community representatives to begin evaluation of Fowler's structural needs, space utilization and programming possibilities. Working with the Friends and its Music Committee, the Trustees are evaluating the purchase of a piano for Library use. And, finally, they revised a building use policy for community groups.

Building Maintenance/Campaign Follow up

With the aide of volunteer professionals and our Library Director, the Trustees worked to resolve lingering issues from the recent capital campaign. Leaks at both structures required attention. Granite on the front apron of the Main Library was repaired. Air conditioning, one of the key achievements of the campaign, proved to be worth every penny! Arborists removed an ailing tree and pruned several more at Fowler. Landscaping installed for the renovation/expansion at the Main Library has matured beautifully. Additional furnishing purchases -- shelving for Children's, community bulletin board, signage and donor plaques - rounded out campaign expenses. Various maintenance contracts were signed with additional insurance requirements added to ensure protection of the Library and its contents.

Development and Community Outreach

Following completion of the capital campaign, the annual appeal once again became the primary focus of fundraising. In November, Lissa and Carter Winstanley, Annual Appeal co-chairs, hosted a kick off party in coordination with the Trustees. The Winstanleys are completing their second year as co-chairs. Their enthusiasm and generosity along with the community's obvious commitment to the Library resulted in a year end total of over $130,000 (since July 1, 2006). We are well on our way to our goal of $200,000 by the end of the fiscal year June 30, 2007.

Also, in November, a silent auction of decorated bookends netted several thousand dollars and much good will for the Children's Department. The development office under the direction of Sue Gladstone and assistant Susie Baldwin participated in an exciting community-wide initiative to encourage Library use among middle school students. Parents, teachers, school librarians and principals, and the Library joined together to create a variety of programs. Book discussion groups, art exhibits, pizza parties and a book buying trip were some of the activities offered.

The development team also represented Corporation interests as participants in the Concord Reads program focusing on China. This community program will involve all ages, all the schools, various town departments and many private citizens - an outstanding example of the library serving as the cornerstone of community activity.

Special Collections

Curator Leslie Wilson, (full report under Library Director report) drawing on Library holdings, presented an outstanding exhibition on the anti-slavery movement in Concord leading up to the Civil War. In conjunction with the exhibition, she organized a three-part lecture series to explore different aspects of Concordians' involvement. Lecturers included Sandra Petrulionis of Penn State; Roosevelt Montas of Columbia University; and Elise Lemire of Purchase College. All lectures were free and open to the public.

Williams Scholars

As Administrators of the Williams Scholarships, the Trustees awarded funds to: Elisa Purinton (Mount Ida College in pursuit of a graphic arts degree); Sarah Bird (Brown University and arts studies at Rhode Island School of Design); Merli Guerra (Mount Holyoke College, dance) and Linh Ha (Rochester Institute of Technology, interior design). These scholarships were made possible by the bequest of Charles H.S. Williams to encourage promising students of the arts.

Trustees

2006 brought some changes to the Corporation. Mario Favorito, who provided extraordinary service as Corporation Treasurer since 2000 as well as Treasurer of the capital campaign, stepped down. Rick Briggs was elected the new treasurer. Other officers for the year included Melissa Saalfield, President and Fred Lovejoy, Clerk.

Concord Free Public Library Committee

Claire M. Greene, Chair
Bob Baldridge
Dave Hegarty
Martin Santis
Pamela Talbot
Robert Treitman
Jay W. Vogt

In 2006, the Library Committee measured the importance to Concord citizens of the beautifully renovated and updated Main Library, the loved and well-used Fowler Branch, and the increasingly busy website, www.concordlibrary.org.

For the year ending May 31, 2003 (the last full year before the Main Library renovation) to the year ending May 31, 2006 (the first full fiscal year after the renovation):

• Main library circulation increased 6%

• Fowler Branch Library circulation increased 10%

• Hits to the library's home page (www.concordlibrary.org) increased 80%

• With the increase in online use, interlibrary loans received by Concord patrons more than doubled

As these increases make clear, Concord patrons are making good use of both the "real" and "virtual" libraries. With combined daily attendance at the Main and Fowler Libraries of approximately 1,000 and daily hits to the website of approximately 700, real and virtual users are converging.

The Concord Free Public Library website consists of approximately 3,600 pages. Links to catalogs make it possible for patrons to access the collections of more than 400 libraries. Special Collections alone has about 3,100 pages of important historical documents and information online.

With this in the mind, the Library Committee worked both to assure a welcoming library environment for patrons and to increase Internet-based outreach. Activities during 2006 included the following:

For the "Real" Library:

• Supported staff efforts to improve customer service.

• Examined challenges and opportunities facing the Fowler Branch Library, including water issues in the old basement, heat issues in the staff workspace, and crowding on the main floor. David Hegarty and Pamela Talbot volunteered to assist the Trustees in evaluating the facilities at Fowler.

• Initiated outreach to middle school and high school students.

• Monitored the impact of increased energy costs.

• With the help of the Concord Art Association, increased participation in art gallery juries.

• Approved an effort to increase the Chinese-language collection.

For the "Virtual" Library:

• Initiated the use of email newsletters to inform patrons of events and services.

• Evaluated new technologies .

• Promoted the Library's databases.

• Designed a survey on database use.

• Affirmed policies for protecting patrons' privacy.

• Established the following email policy: "We won't share your email with any one for any reason."

Visit the Library, Real and Virtual

At the Library and at the website, you can:

• Consult with a Reference Librarian (24/7 online!)

• Request books from Concord and other libraries

• Search the catalog

• Search magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias

• Reserve museum passes

• Sign up for Library events

• Research your genealogy

• See images from Special Collections

• Get reading recommendations

The physical space still trumps the virtual when you want to browse the collection, read or study in comfort, look at art, or connect with other readers. To learn about book discussion groups for adults and teens, ask at the Circulation desk.

Citizen Participation Invited

In May, Anne Irza-Leggat completed six years of service on the Committee, notable for her chairmanship during the renovation project and work with the art gallery. Martin Santis, a Library Volunteer in technical services, joined as a new member. There will be two vacancies for terms beginning June 1, 2007, and the Committee requests applications.

The Library Committee meets on the second Tuesday of the month, 7:30 p.m. at the Main Library. Observers are welcome.

You can make suggestions by emailing any staff member from the website or using the suggestion notebooks (in the Main Library just outside the computer alcove; at Fowler, in the main room near the newspapers).

Concord Free Public Library Administration

Barbara Powell,
Director

With all the collections back in the renovated building and the staff ensconced in comfortable workplaces, we've felt particularly free this year to experiment - both with potential new uses of the building and with the burgeoning array of technical means available to provide library services to Concord's townspeople.

We've found, for instance, that a jazz quartet or poet performing in the new periodical reading room could not be heard in the downstairs study areas, but that "Old MacDonald' sung in the Children's Room still reverberates in the Trustees' room. We can break down the Children's Room for a sing-a-long in five minutes, while setting up for a concert in the lobby takes 15-20 minutes. The Director's office works well for meetings and book discussions. High school students actually do use the tables in the stacks to work quietly together on homework.

In the same heuristic vein we are constantly working on our webpage, www.ConcordLibary.org. Other new online services are the museum pass booking capability (wildly popular) and the downloadable audio books (being adopted at a more stately pace). We've added "Ancestry.com" (heavily used) and dropped "CorpTech" ( out-of-date and impossible to use). We've adopted most of the upgrades available to the "My Account" function on the Minuteman online catalog. In what is certainly a foreshadowing of the future, two-thirds of the access to the online databases comes from Concordians' homes or workplaces. Our next endeavor will be an online newsletter, issued to subscribers irregularly as new services or programs are inaugurated. Patrons can sign up at the circulation or reference desks or online.

Children/Young Adult

The Children's Department continues to be a hub of activity. The year began with a colorful celebration of the Chinese New Year given by young members of the Concord-Carlisle Chinese Club including music, dance, song, crafts and a demonstration of the Chinese yo-yo. Our weekly and drop-in storytimes and monthly Toddler Singalongs with Ed Morgan are very popular.

This year's On the Same Page program highlighted Shakespeare, and the resultant activities were inspired by the play The Midsummer Night's Dream. Middle school student Helen Titchener gave a jewelry making workshop. Teens made magical cakes and shakes in a cooking class held at the Library. They also created clever fairies, gnomes and other magical creatures from a variety of craft materials. A version of the film of the Midsummer Night's Dream was shown. Young thespians from Concord teacher Carol Birdsall's 4th grade class presented scenes from the play and book discussions rounded out the month long celebration of Shakespeare's literature.

Earth Day was celebrated with a talk and slide presentation given by David Allen Sibley, author and illustrator of numerous well respected bird guides. The Library was represented in Concord's Musketaquid parade by Children's Librarian Karen Ahearn dressed as a large book.

The department was buzzing with activities from the summer reading club What's Buzzin' @ your library. Pajama Storytimes, Toddler Singalongs, book discussions in the popular Teen Talk Tuesday series, programs on bugs and bees, and crafts such as origami, paint your own tiles, and creating queen bee costumes kept many young patrons visiting the Library.

The summer Music on the Lawn concerts, which are sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library, are a popular way to spend a hot summer's night. Included in this year's series was a family concert by musicians and singers Peter and Ellen Allard, Brazilian music of Banda Ponto Com and a program including brass classics, Broadway tunes, and patriotic pieces given by the United States Air Force Colonial Brass.

The 3 Apples Storytelling Festival held a satellite program in the Children's Department, bringing two of their performers to our audience.

There have been joint programs between the Library and the Concord School system. Many elementary school students and their families took part in a Family Poetry Blast, reading their favorite poems in celebration of Poetry Month. The Library has become a regular school bus stop allowing the young adults to become a strong presence in the Library.

As part of the Concord Festival of Authors. Children traveled to Oz, enjoying crafts, refreshments, a visit with the Wizard (a.k.a. Special Collections Librarian Bob Hall), and meeting Dorothy (Children's Librarian Karen Ahearn). Rounding out the year was our annual Halloween party. This year we were entertained by musician and singer Ed Morgan.

An interesting twist to our fundraising was a silent auction of decorated bookends to benefit the art collection of the Children's Room. Children's Librarian Fayth Chamberland and Sue Gladstone of the Development Office planned the popular event.

Circulation

Circulation is a very busy department, the largest in the Library, and has the enormous responsibility of tracking the movement of all Concord's materials. Thousands of items pass over our desk each week finding their way into waiting hands, back to the shelf, to the Fowler Branch and into or out of a delivery truck. All of this takes a detail-oriented staff dedicated to providing our patrons with the highest level of customer service.

This year, several changes occurred in Circulation policy and practice. The $1 fee to replace lost library cards was dropped to encourage patrons to carry a library card rather than rely on the use of id, and we increased the loan period for tv series on dvd from 1 week to 2 weeks. Downloadable audio is now available for Concord residents and those working or attending school here inTown and the staff is enjoying numerous new enhancements to our circulation software.

Many Library Circulation services are available online and the Library website, www.concordlibrary.org, provides the links. New this year is the ability for patrons with outstanding requests for items to "freeze" them. For example, you've been on the waiting list for the latest hot bestseller, but you are going on vacation and don't want to miss it if it arrives for you while you are away. You can "freeze" your hold by going to your Library account, and then the requests, and click on "freeze." Your request will not be filled while you are away, and you won't lose your place in line. Soon patrons will be able to set a default pickup location for their requests to avoid having to constantly choose from the drop down menu.

The Circulation Department would like to thank the Friends of the Concord Library for funding our very popular museum pass program and for providing Concord Library plastic bags to give out, particularly during stormy weather.

The Library welcomed the following new employees to the Circulation Department: Stacey Charbonneau and Polly Peterson are Library Assistants splitting their time between the Main Library and the Fowler Branch; Mary Burke is a Library Assistant at the Main Library but unfortunately, finds she needs to leave us already; the Library stacks look beautiful and are being maintained by new Library Page, Martha Proctor, and we also welcomed Library Page Alli Kustin. Sadly we said goodbye to Brian Williams and Ben Tritsch.

Reference

This year's public instructional seasons have begun to focus upon topics such as art resources. The intent of these sessions is to heighten awareness not only of this Library's online resources, but also those online databases available to residents of Massachusetts from Boston Public Library's electronic resources, as well as to an awareness of finding aids to quality Internet websites in subject areas.

The Reference Department has continued to collect and analyze statistics that report usage of the Library's subscription online databases. These statistics serve to provide information on the extent of use of each database, and to compare in-library and off-site or remote usage. As a part of the changing scope of Library use and Reference services, public database usage among several of the more popular databases revealed the extent to which research, using library resources, is accomplished beyond the physical confines of the Library; for example, in the period July 2005 through February 2006:

Expanded Academic asap (indexing of 2,300 scholarly and general interest periodicals and full text from 1,300 of the academic titles): in-library use, 152 sessions; remote use, 496 sessions.

Novelist (reader's advisory resource which helps readers of all ages find fiction): in-library use, 64 searches; remote, 363 searches.

General Reference Center (provides indexing of over 3900 general interest periodicals, and full text from 2958 of the indexed titles): in-library, 169 sessions; remote, 376 sessions.

New York Times Archive (1851-2002 full image of the newspaper): in-library, 551 searches; remote, 132 searches (in period July, 2005 through March, 2006).

Database usage from remote locations often has been far greater than in-library use. In some databases remote use exceeded in-house by twice or even four times. However, several heavily used library databases are only accessible from within the confines of the Library, e.g., the popular Westlaw (legal) databases, and the recently acquired, and popular, Ancestry Library Edition.

The face and scope of Reference services in the past several years has changed dramatically. This phenomenon in current Reference work has been very much influenced by the extent to which the popular Google and other Internet search engines are typically used by the general public to obtain easily found information on the Internet. Basic Reference questions, not entailing detailed research in book and database resources, often can be answered readily by the use of search engines. However, with the advent of ever more library subscription online databases, the public needs an even greater awareness of the Library's electronic resources and the content of these, whether the subscription online databases are at this Library, or at libraries such as Boston Public Library. Overall, the public needs guidance in databases and Internet websites applicable to research inquiries. Other recent thrusts in public reference include assistance in using basic equipment, e.g., printers, associated with information technology; determining search intricacies of specific Internet websites; and using wireless laptops for Internet access.

Special Collections

Special Collections staff (Leslie Wilson, Conni Manoli-Skocay, and Bob Hall) juggled a variety of reference, outreach, and technical activities in 2006. We served walk-in patrons; provided long-distance reference assistance to researchers contacting us by mail, email, phone, and fax; filled our largest-ever number of photo orders and permission requests; offered programming in the form of class and group visits, presentations and lectures, exhibitions, a lecture series, and intensive Web development; added significantly to our printed, manuscript, and photographic collections; processed recent acquisitions and backlogged materials; and trained future professionals through active participation in the Simmons College archival internship program. Facing heavy demands on staff, we were fortunate that our personnel hours were extended by eleven volunteers (Reed Anthony, Bette Aschaffenburg, Arlene Connolly, Ron Epp, Jiro Ishihara, Hugh Lauer, Margaret Martin, Freelon Morris, Gretchen O'Connor, Sheryl Peters, and Jim Stoessel) and seven interns (Peter Accardo, Angelina Altobellis, Joelle Burdette, Patrick Collins, Katie Gutheim, Miriam Leigh, and Peter Steinberg), whose hours together added up to those of nearly another full-time staff member.

Not taking casual visitors into account, we accommodated approximately 1,600 patron visits over the course of the year. These included everything from quick stops by local residents, genealogists, and students to repeated visits over extended periods by scholars from Europe, Canada, Mexico, China, and all over the United States. In addition, reflecting the fact that the Library web pages and nationally accessible databases now make the extent and importance of our holdings transparent, we were asked by approximately 150 researchers unable to visit Concord to provide information about or photocopy from specific items. (Our site statistics show that a major proportion of the hundreds of thousands of annual page visits to the Library Web site were directed to Special Collections pages.) Beyond this, staff filled some 80 photo orders (encompassing a total of about 350 images).

Programming formed an important focus in 2006. We hosted 15 groups for prearranged, in-library, collections-based presentations. These included a Lincoln-Sudbury High School class, Calvin College students, Salve Regina College students, Winsor School fifth graders, Minute Man National Historical Park seasonal rangers, Concord Guide and History course registrants, the Concordant Volunteers, Orchard House teachers' seminar participants, Thoreau Society Annual Gathering participants, an neh-funded community college teachers seminar, the Minuteman Library Network Local History Task Force, and the West Concord Women's Club. Leslie Wilson and Bob Hall also traveled to College Station, Texas in March to do a presentation for Texas A & M faculty, staff, and students and to Wolbach Farm in Sudbury in November to do a slide presentation for the Sudbury Valley Trustees.

Throughout the year, we kept the showcases outside the Special Collections reading room and upstairs in the lobby filled with a variety of materials on a range of subjects. Our major 2006-2007 fall/winter gallery exhibition "Antislavery in Concord" provided a natural opportunity for a lecture series, with Sandra Harbert Petrulionis of Penn State Altoona, Roosevelt Montás of Columbia University, and Elise Lemire of Purchase College (suny) as speakers in November and December, 2006 and January, 2007. We are grateful to these scholars for their generosity in freely sharing their specialized knowledge.

Friends of the Library

Rebecca S. Purcell, President
Sarah Taylor, Vice President
Ellen Campbell, Clerk
Stephan & Faith Bader, Co-Treasurers
Jane Torpie, Membership
Frances Brown, Historic Concord Sales
Kate Stout, Publicity
Judy Dennen, Marketing
Laurie Gioia, Film Series
Edith & Kenneth Hetling, Book Sales
E. Glenn Mitchell, Adult Programs
Marcia Marlow, Music Series
Barbara Powell, Library Liaison

The Friends, a non-profit, volunteer organization marked its 35th year by continuing to provide many of the services and amenities that enrich the experience of our library community. The Friends provide museum passes, large-print books, books on tape, videos, cd-roms, dvds, multimedia equipment and staff development opportunities. The Friends also fund the author and music series, a film series, and most of the special children's programs and events throughout the year (See Children's Services under Library Report.)

Town residents continue to provide us with books and other materials to sell at our book sales and book cart. Once again this year, we had a very successful June sale and a record-setting December holiday book sale. Our book cart sales and on-line book sales also set records.

The 2006 Friends poetry and author programs included Marie Howe, X.J. Kennedy, John Tagliabue, Jane Hirschfield, David Rivard and John Hodgen. In April, the Friends held a "Poetry Blast", an event featuring elementary and middle school students and their families, coordinated with Concord Public School librarians. The Fowler film series featured a contemporary Middle East theme. The Friends hosted three Concord Festival of Authors' events--the Suspense Night event and two author readings at Fowler.

The ninth annual "Music from the Library" series featured a mixture of classical and cutting-edge contemporary music with virtuoso performances by Sanford Sylvan and David Breitman; Emmanuel Feldman and Joy Cline-Phinney; and Slowind, a wind quintet from Slovenia. We are indebted to the Music Committee for once again producing this superb series.

True to the tradition of our Free Public Library, all the foregoing Friends events were free and open to the public.

On October 21, the Friends hosted its sixth annual Ruth Ratner Miller Memorial Lecture in Concord. The award associated with this event recognizes the contributions of American historians. This year's honoree was Concordian Doris Kearns Goodwin, distinguished historian, social and political commentator, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author.

The Friends contributed $35,000 to the Library this year. Our funds are derived from our book sales, Friends' merchandise receipts, and membership dues. The key to the success of the Friends is the support of its members and volunteers. We welcome you to join us.

Books for all ages and spontaneous reading opportunities were a highlight of the Friends of the Library Sale.

Oral History Program

Renee Garrelick, Interviewer
Nancy McKinney, Transcriber
Alice Moulton, Photographer

The Concord Oral History Program marked 30 years of documenting Town life and preserving information that would otherwise be lost as it has expanded the scope of Concord's history. The program has benefited from the team effort of interviewer/coordinator Renee Garrelick, transcriber Nancy McKinney, and photographer Alice Moulton.

This was a technological transition year from cassette tapes to cd recordings, with the collection at the Concord Free Public Library continuing to be a resource to the community.

The well-attended exhibit From A Main Street Point of View at the Concord Museum which opened in January 2006 utilized the collection for the development of Concord's commercial life and Renee Garrelick led a standing room only program session with Concord business leaders.

Dan and Rosemary Giurleo shared their 40 years in the horticultural business at Colonial Gardens, Nine Acre Corner, as the largest area greenhouse grower and as a member of the newly formed agricultural committee this year. Steve Verrill of Verrill Farm recorded a second oral history regarding when he stopped dairy farming to begin a year round family business expanding the scope and combining farm produce and gardening with baked and prepared foods, and sponsoring festivals and events, and a marketing outreach that supplies Boston restaurants.

John Bemis, owner of Hutchins Farms on Monument Street, discussed the organic vegetable and orchard farming engaged in with brother Gordon and agricultural preservation restrictions to preserve the land in perpetuity. John chairs the Agricultural Committee giving voice and advocacy to local farming issues while promoting support to buying local. Each of the farmers interviewed is aware of the fragile nature of the Town's farms and farmers.

Jack Lorenz, a former employee with Dovre Ski Binding, manages the properties of Littleton-Concord Properties on Bradford and Beharrell Streets and Commonwealth Avenue, owned by Joe Collins and Conrad Ulbricht dating back to the mid 1960s. With multi-small tenants, these older buildings offer lower rents and a way for emerging businesses to get started in Concord.

Howard Soberg at E&S Mobile Service in West Concord. When Howard started the business 51 years ago, fuel cost 21¢ per gallon!

Retiring Public Works Director Bill Edgerton discussed the past nine years of his leadership of the Concord Public Works Department and approach to community-sensitive problem solving in dealing with the Town road maintenance, water supply expansion, waste management planning, cemetery expansion and maintenance, and landfill shared use with land composting, and professional expertise hired for recycling, including expanded solid waste recycling.

When John Shaw joined the Public Works Commission in 1954, members were elected and there was no Town Manager form of government. His long service on the Commission took place at a time of extensive development and tension between the wants of developers and needs of the Town. Shaw describes his Coolidge Park neighborhood, his many years as a member of Concord's Social Circle, and devotion to service and pride in Emerson Hospital.

Mary Crocker has experienced Concord life from a Main Street point of view, having lived for 75 years at 1891 Main Street and five years before that on Main Street in Concord Center. Her West Concord home, owned by the American Powder Company, reflected the importance of the powder mill industry in West Concord and South Acton. She relates the division between the two parts of town and having to pay 50 cents a week to go to the high school on Stow Street or walk when she didn't have the money. Mary describes West Concord and a lifetime love of Concord which she has never left.

Howard Soberg's E&S Mobile gas station has been a part of West Concord life for the past 51 years as the automobile has impacted American society. Soberg discusses the changes from the time he opened, when gas cost 21 cents a gallon and was filled by an attendant in uniform, and marked by such occurrences as the gas shortage of 1973.

The Al Filipov Peace and Justice Forum was spawned by the tragic events of September 11 and the loss of the Concord resident for whom it is named, on Flight 11. By the numbers of people who came to the fifth anniversary commemorative, the annual Filipov Forum is an institutional part of the Concord community. Loretta Filipov and Rev. John Lombard of Concord's Trinitarian Congregational Church record follow up oral histories relating the impact of Sept. 11, their work for peace, including Loretta Filipov's participation in the organization Peaceful Tomorrows formed by September 11 survivors, with outreach to those who have suffered loss through other tragic national and world events.

Richard Spaulding, President of Spaulding & Co., a development and real estate management company, discussed the planning and techniques of renovating the older buildings of the Milldam properties he acquired at 21-43 Main Street and 1-15 Walden Street, and the development of the Concord Farms office complex employing the natural country setting of Virginia Road, which houses some of the major employers in Concord. Adjacent to the new construction has been the restoration of the 1692 Meriam-Wheeler farmhouse built along one of the earlier approaches to the Town, and the barn at One Concord Farms which became the company's headquarters.