New Trees Enhance Fr. Grillo Park

As part of the Manager’s Neighborhood Impact Initiative/Back Central, five ornamental trees were recently planted in Fr. Grillo Park.

This gem of a green space in the Back Central neighborhood is maintained by Adopt an Island participants Chris and Diane Geggis.  The new Kwanzan Cherry trees will provide a dramatic mid-spring display of pink blossoms and, as they grow, increasing shade for this highly visible park at the junction of Central and Chapel Streets.

More trees will be planted as part of ongoing efforts in the Back Central Initiative area.  In addition, the extension of Richmond Avenue is expected to be complete soon and will improve access and security for Rotary Club Park and for the park’s successful community garden project.

Even more trees will be planted as part of the currently underway East Pawtucketville/West Acre initiative.

Updates 5/23/13

The City of Lowell’s own Ron LaBrecque has been recognized as a Massachusetts Master Roads Scholar by the Bay State Roads Program. Great job, Ron!

“I began my career with the City
of Lowell as a draftsman in 1969.
I worked in the City Engineers
Office drawing maps for assessment
purposes. Several years later I started
to do construction inspections for
underground telephone, electric, water
and sewer lines for new subdivisions
that were being built throughout the
city.

When the City of Lowell began
to construct new schools, there were
not enough Clerk of Works/Engineers
to oversee each school to be built. I
was sent out for three years to oversee
the construction of three new schools.

After getting back into the office, I
handled inspections of city streets that
needed to be reconstructed, and also
collected estimates and quantities for
the new contracts.

I spent many years gathering
quantities and estimates in order to
write contracts for streets needing
reconstruction. I have also spent
many years with the Baystate Roads
Program, improving my skills through
its many workshops.

After 43 years with the City
Engineers, I’m now the Sr. Assistant
City Engineer for the City of Lowell. I
supervise the reconstruction of streets
and review new contracts for bid,
many of which are for Chapter 90
funds.”

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Public Meeting Notice

The Department of Planning and Development invites you to participate in a meeting regarding the restoration of two-way traffic in downtown Lowell.

The City’s consulting engineers from Nelson Nygaard and TEC will present their proposals for the restoration of two-way traffic to Merrimack, Market, Central, and Shattuck Streets as well as
the extensive traffic analysis they have conducted to establish the feasibility of this change.

The City is very interested in hearing from Downtown stakeholders regarding your reactions to the proposal.

Should you have any questions about the meeting or the project, or if you require any special accommodations to participate in the meeting, please contact Transportation Engineer Eric Eby at 978-674-4252 or eeby@lowellma.gov.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 29th at 6:00 PM in the Mayor’s Reception Room in City Hall.

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The Lowell Election and Census Commission announces that absentee ballots for the June 25 Special US Senate election are now available.

Under Massachusetts Law, voters may cast absentee ballots for the following reasons only:
1) absence from the City during polling hours (7am – 8pm); or
2) physical disability preventing you from going to your polling location; or
3) religious belief

To request an absentee ballot, you may request an absentee ballot application from the Election & Commission or send a letter of request including the following: your name and Lowell address where you are registered to vote, the address where the ballot is to be sent, your signed name, your printed name, and reason for voting absentee. Our address is 375 Merrimack Street, Room 5, Lowell, MA 01852.

Voters who are not current in the census will only be allowed to vote if they submit their ballots with a copy of identification and sign an affidavit that they still reside at the given Lowell address.

The deadline to apply for absentee voting is 12:00 noon on Monday, June 24 but voters who are requesting voting through the mail are urged to apply well in advance of the deadline. Only ballots received by the close of the day on Election Day will be counted.

For further information on your voter registration status or absentee voting procedures, please call the Election Office at 978-674-1200.

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Tonight, Lowell students will be competing in the “Louder Than a Bomb” slam poetry festival in Boston!

Louder Than A Bomb was started in 2001 in Chicago by poets Anna West and Kevin Coval. It’s since grown to be the largest youth poetry festival in the world, and even inspired a full-length feature film.

Louder Than A Bomb aims to bring together a diverse group of teens through a friendly competition that emphasizes self-expression and community via performance poetry.

In 2012, MassLEAP kicked off the very first Louder Than A Bomb in the sate of Massachusetts!

Finals: Thursday, May 23, 6 pm – 9 pm
Boston University Theatre | Huntington Theatre Company
264 Huntington Avenue, Boston

For tickets: http://ltabmass.brownpapertickets.com/

Further reading: http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2013/05/20/poetry-slam-competition-louder-than-bomb-nears-finals/twNbEAod8ZQg7ma4nf5CIJ/story.html

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Some news out of Cultural Affairs!

What’s new in the past year in Lowell:

o UnchARTed opened a permanent gallery space on Merrimack St.
o The Zeitgeist Gallery opened on Market St. with a co-op gallery & vintage clothing store
o HOWL in Lowell started up as a new on-line arts and culture magazine
o The Brush Gallery turned 30, the Quilt Museum and Angkor Dance each celebrate 25 years!
o Western Avenue Lofts opened offering 50 affordable live/work spaces for artists
o The MRT completed a major renovation of their theater
o 119 Gallery installed a new mural on the side of their building
o The ATHM partnered with the Smithsonian to bring astronauts to Lowell!
o Middlesex Community College and the NPS partnered with Cambodian Master Ceramicist Yari Livan in the creation of a traditional wood fired kiln
o Lowell hosted the New England Music Awards

What can we look forward to:

o Arts League of Lowell opens their permanent home in the Gates Block on Market St. The new space has a members gallery, a cooperative gallery, classrooms, Van Gogh’s Gear art supplies and 36 artists’ work studios
o Renovations at Western Avenue Studios that will increase the number of studios to 245 and create new event spaces. WAS will now be the largest community of its kind on the East Coast
o The opening of two new Maker spaces in the Canalway Cultural District, one for fashion and one for community makers
o A new mural at 119 and the introduction of an Artist in Residence program in the fall
o Angkor Dance begins work on a 10 year plan that will include the creation of a school for traditional dance

Articles in the Boston Globe on Lowell arts:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2013/02/21/somerville-and-lowell-yourselfers-making-work/Ip5PbMWLdSAbMGIiApdgsM/story.html

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2012/08/16/art_renaissance_building_in_lowell/

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/04/08/lowell-mill-built-with-fun-house-style/xUcT65ZyoIMR3e3az7sYXI/story.html

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“Hydro” is the new piece that was selected for Point Park in the Hamilton Canal District. It represents water flowing through turbines to generate power, a vital part of Lowell’s industrial history.

 

Pollard Memorial Library – Board of Trustees Opening

There is an Open position on the Pollard Memorial Library’s Board of Trustees. The position is volunteer based, helps oversee the general care, administration, and policy making for the library, and meets on the 1st Wednesday of each month.

Please contact Lynda Clark (lclark@lowellma.gov, 978-674-1001) for more information.

Buildings Open in Lowell!

Buildings Open May 17-18

Now in its 12th year, Doors Open Lowell is the community’s signature preservation, architecture, and design event and was the first of its kind in the United States when it debuted in 2002. Presented as part of National Preservation Month, it’s a celebration of urban living and culture where people and preservation have made Lowell a creative and exciting place to live, work, and visit.

So come on out this weekend, put on your good walking shoes, grab a camera, and invite some family and friends along as you discover a different side of Lowell…the inside!

For a full schedule of events, please visit http://www.doorsopenlowell.org/events-1.

Athenian Corner Serves Up Huge Energy Savings

The Athenian Corner, a local mainstay here in downtown Lowell, has a nice feature on www.energy.gov website, detailing the success the small business has enjoyed since utilizing the BetterBuildings Lowell Energy Upgrade (BLEU) program. 

Some facts:

• The Athenian Corner, a family-owned restaurant in Lowell, Massachusetts, made energy efficiency upgrades that are saving it more than 41 percent in energy costs.
• The upgrades also helped improve the comfort of the restaurant, leading to increased business for the Athenian Corner.

Please visit http://energy.gov/articles/family-owned-restaurant-serves-huge-energy-savings for the full article!

 

Coyotes Deployed at Edwards Soccer Field

 

A pack of coyotes is being deployed at the Edwards Soccer Field to discourage flocks of wild geese from taking over the turf and turning it into a hazardous waste field.

With its proximity to the Merrimack River and wide open spaces, the field has recently become a favorite landing spot for the fast-growing numbers of wild geese in the area. These hardy waterfowl have become the bane of parks and open spaces in recent years, digging up grasses and leaving behind their droppings. With the soccer season starting, these birds, with their bad habits, have become unwelcome visitors.

In an effort to chase away Mother Goose and her many followers, the Parks Department has purchased several faux coyotes which will be positioned to keep watch over the field and do their 3D “menacing predator” best to scare away the geese.

This effort is the latest in a number of improvements done to Edwards Soccer Field since its development by the City in the early 1990s.

Over the years improvements included construction of the concession stand/restroom facilities, parking area, fencing, gates and storage containers. A $75,000 irrigation system was installed resulting in improved field condition and expansion of the league’s hours of operations. Recently the City invested approximately $40,000 to connect the concession stand to the City’s sewer system, replacing the $7,800 holding tanks installed in 2006.

This season, the Department of Public Works will repave the entry and install new curbing.

Our new coyote patrol will be keeping a sharp eye on Edwards Field and making sure the goose gang doesn’t do damage to our many investments to this great asset.

Updates for 5/3/13

Community Teamwork, Inc. announces their Summer Workshop Series 2013!

The Family Finance Solutions Program at Community Teamwork Inc. is empowering individuals and families to make sound financial decisions through the provision of quality training, education, and resources.

DAY workshops are free, for adults only, and you must register for them. You’ll have two opportunities to win a gift card to Market Basket!

DAY workshops are held Fridays 10:00-11:00 AM:
June 7 – How to Generate Additional Income through Business Ventures
Location: Community Teamwork, Inc.

June 14 – Understanding How Investments Work
Location: Community Teamwork, Inc.

June 21 – Budgeting Tools
Location: Pollard Memorial Library

June 28 – Understanding the Cost of Living
Location: Community Teamwork, Inc.

July 12 – Credit Repair
Location: Community Teamwork, Inc.

July 26 – Protecting Your Money, Credit & Identity
Location: Pollard Memorial Library

Some workshops are being held at Community Teamwork, Inc. located at 155 Merrimack St Lowell, MA 01852 & others are being offered at the Pollard Memorial Library located at 401 Merrimack St Lowell, MA 01852, Ground FL Meeting Room.

NIGHT workshops are free, include childcare (limited space) and pizza for dinner, and you must register for them.

NIGHT workshops are held Wednesdays 6:00-7:15 PM.
June 5 – Get Smart About Credit

June 12 – Finances for Couples Part 1: Understanding Your Family Money Decisions

June 19 – Finances for Couples Part 2: Creating a Plan for Your Household

June 26 – Adapting to Sudden Life Changes

July 10 – Budgeting 101

July 24 – Talking to Your Kids about Money

July 31 – Building a Savings Cushion

Summer Workshops Series during the evening will be held at: CTI’s James Houlares Early Learning Center, 126 Phoenix Ave Lowell, MA 01852.

To register today or for more information, please call Gladys at (978) 654-5673 or online at http://www.ctifamilyfinance.org

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Community Teamwork, Inc.’s Financial Literacy Institute for High School Students

The Summer Financial Literacy Institute teaches real-world personal finance skills to local high school students. Students will learn how to budget, handle credit cards, how to set financial goals, and how to create an action plan to achieve their financial goals.

Students also learn how personal choices determine their roles as participants in the greater economy, and how the greater economy influences the decisions they make. This applied knowledge will give them the knowledge and confidence to successfully navigate the major financial decisions to come.

Students will meet for three days and cover the following topics:

Day 1: Money and Debt Management
• Track daily spending habits.
• Understand credit reports.
• Identify ways to decrease spending.
• Credit cards & loans.
• Identify possible ways to increase income.
• Identify helpful budgeting tools.
• Managing bills
• Creating a plan to achieve financial goals

Day 2: Consumer Economics
Students will learn to make informed decisions as they explore the opportunity cost associated with each consumer choice.

Day 3: Reality Fair
The Reality Fair will be an interactive activity where students have the opportunity to put into practice the knowledge they gained during the past two days by making the best money decisions for themselves based on their predetermined career and salary.

Dates: July 17-19, 2013
Time: 9:00am-12:00pm
Location: Community Teamwork Inc.
155 Merrimack Street
Lowell, MA 01852

For more information or to register, please call Gladys at (978) 654-5673 or go to http://www.ctifamilyfinance.org

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Calling all entrepreneurs! This summer, turn your business or non-profit idea into a reality. From June to August, the Merrimack Valley Sandbox will host a 12-week accelerator for start-ups in the region. The Sandbox Summer Accelerator will give you the opportunity to:
• Work with seasoned executive MENTORS
• NETWORK with investors, industry experts, and successful entrepreneurs
• Have access to co-shared WORKSPACE
• Participate in technical workshops in business design, fundraising, social media marketing and more
• Compete for $30K in SEED CAPITAL

There are no fees to participate and the Sandbox does not take equity from the startups in our program.
The deadline to apply is May 16th at midnight!

For more information, or to apply: http://merrimackvalleysandbox.org/entrepreneur-program/sandbox-summer-accelerator/.

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The deadline to register to vote in the special U.S. Senate election on June 25th is Wednesday, June 5th at 8 PM! The Election Office will be open in City Hall until 8 PM on that day. They are located in the basement of City Hall at 375 Merrimack Street. Normal office hours are weekdays from 8 AM – 5 PM

Lowell voters who are current in the census remain on the Active Voters List but must inform us in writing if they changed their name or city address, or wish to change their party affiliation by June 5th.

Lowell residents who wish to check their registration status or would like to request a mail-in voter registration form may call the Election & Census Commission at 978-674-1200.