Author Archive

‘South Common’ by Martha Norkunas

In her book Monuments and Memory: History and Representation in Lowell, Massachusetts (Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002), Martha Norkunas, Ph.D., writes about the South Common: “In 1845 the mayor of Lowell, Elisha Huntington, recognized that the city needed open public spaces beyond those of the Lowell Cemetery. The city purchased ten…

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Continuous Civic Engagement

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the successful civic-engagement action at the Lowell City Council last night, encouraging the councilors to study further refinements of the current design of Father Morissette Boulevard as opposed to removing bike lanes and parking meters. Kudos to the council as a whole for showing…

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R & D Hub

In all the good words spread around last Thursday at the announcement of the forthcoming UMass Lowell Innovation Hub in the 110 Canal St. building, formerly Freudenberg Nonwovens, this  statement by Mayor Rodney Elliot resonated strongly for me because it had a familiar theme: “The location of UMass Lowell’s Innovation…

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