Month: August 2011

1. What do you believe is the single biggest catalyst for change in Fitchburg, how would you bring about that change, and, given the current fiscal climate, how would you pay for your proposal?

What’s the biggest catalyst for change in this city? Downtown housing. People living downtown shop downtown and bring life to downtown. The Johnsonia fire was devastating, and my heart goes out to everyone affected by that tragedy. We need to have those 47 units of housing replaced.

I hear the Town View Tower project on Prichard Street is back on track, and will create about 100 senior citizen apartments. There’s also a proposal for student housing at North and Main Streets that’s looking for financing. We should do what we can to encourage that. People living downtown buy things, they keep an eye on the street, and bring life downtown, making it safer.

If the Johnsonia has to be demolished, please resist the pressure to make another parking lot for someone – Fitchburg needs the economic vitality downtown that housing brings!

Housing near downtown is the most effective & most realistically available solution to an economically healthy downtown. And a healthy downtown benefits the entire city.

Second, we would like you to talk about downtown.
2. What have you done professionally or civicly to improve Main Street and the downtown area?

Regarding what I’ve done for downtown, I’ve been involved in many downtown projects over the years. An early project of mine when I worked for the city was the widening of lower Main Street near Moran Square, with new sidewalks and trees. We fixed the flooding that used to occur after every heavy rain storm. The same grant program helped pay to replace the Main Street parking garage. Another replaced the sidewalks on a large stretch of Elm Street. I was personally involved in all these projects.

More recently, I wrote and managed the grant that made Sawyer Passway a public way that helped Micron, a major downtown employer. I also wrote two grants for Putnam Place. The North Street Corridor Project was the brainchild of my office. We wrote the planning grants that began it back in the early 90’s, and the construction grants that built it – all three phases.

Moving the flood wall at Riverfront Park was my project as much as anyone’s. I think it looks great, and makes the park much more attractive from downtown. By the way, a hatch shell or bandstand would not have been eligible or competitive under the state grants we obtained – it had to be a river-based improvement.

We have got to learn to work together, put political differences behind us, and reduce the divisiveness that exists between council and the mayor for the good of the city. I can give several examples of how that’s hurt us in the past. Last year the state combined two major grant programs into one infrastructure program, but all applicants have to have shovel ready projects to apply. Last fall the Mayor came to city council with an appropriation for CDBG money to design a project that could have been funded, but council refused to approve it! Even though it was all federal money, and it would have allowed the city to apply for millions of dollars to build Main Street improvements, City Council said no!

Earlier, City Council voted against the River Street Smart Growth District & its unrestricted $600,000, which was barely saved by a reconsideration at their next meeting. Two meetings ago city council prevented the residents of this city from voting whether we want to borrow money to pave the streets. And at the last meeting city council wouldn’t pass a no-cost petition to support the Longsjo race three days after Terry Longsjo died, after it was clearly explained by the Council president that the petition had been modified to use only funds already appropriated! Politics at its worst.

3. Outside of any government service, and as a citizen of Fitchburg, what have you personally done to improve or contribute to our downtown area?

As a resident, I shop at Shacks. I go to Chaibo and Destare, I go to Espresso Pizza and The Rabbit Hole and The Boulder and City Hall Cafe. I get crab rangoon from the Fitchburg Jade way too often. I ran the Brewers Festival at Riverfront Park three years straight, I help every year with the Blacksmith Festival, I’ve picked up trash along Blossom Street several times. I helped my daughter and her husband move into 470 Main Street.

4. If you were granted the ability and financial resources to make one change to Main Street, what would it be?

As for what I’d do if granted the resources, at the lower end of Main Street, I’d finance a housing project at North & Main Street, to bring more college-aged students downtown, and finance the reconstruction of the Johnsonia building.

At the upper end, I’d make it possible for west-bound traffic on Main Street approaching the Boulder to go directly up Mechanic Street instead of going around the Upper Common. And I’d fix those traffic lights at the two intersections at the Upper Common while I was at it. Thank you, and please don’t forget to vote.