Lowell

City Council Round-Up A couple of discussions from last Tuesday’s City Council meeting are worth mentioning. The first was about the planned expansion of Lowell High School. Some preliminary cost estimates that had appeared the week before were so high that a sense of panic seemed to emerge in some…

One degree. That’s the temperature outside at 6 this morning, but there’s also a steady wind that makes it feel like 16 degrees below zero. School in Lowell has been cancelled because of the cold. The call came in last night at about 8 pm. Scrolling through the “Weather Closings”…

Western Avenue Access Thursday night I attended a presentation at Western Avenue Studios by members of Lowell’s Division of Planning and Development, led by DPD Director and Assistant City Manager Diane Tradd, to update the public on efforts to connect Western Ave to Dutton and Thorndike Streets. Historically, the roads…

City Council News There was no council meeting last week. It was cancelled because the preceding Friday, the day the meeting agenda is finalized and shared, was the day following Thanksgiving, and between the holiday and related early closures of city hall, it was unlikely that a productive meeting agenda…

Walkability I often write about walkability. Making Lowell a more walkable city – and getting more people walking, biking, and using public transportation – would yield many benefits. Here are a few: Economic Development Last spring, GE (formerly known as General Electric) stunned many when it announced it was moving…

Preserving River Meadow Brook Greenway The Lowell City Council faces a dilemma this Tuesday night. A generous, longtime, Lowell-grown business, Gervais Auto Group, wishes to expand its operations on Industrial Ave. But the expansion plan threatens to block an important stretch of the long-planned River Meadow Brook Greenway that once…

Above: 211 Pawtucket Street, August 1978. The CMCA (Corporation of the Members of the Catholic Association) founded in 1878. Below: Staircase of 211 Pawtucket Street, November 22, 2011 Photos by Tony Sampas

Moment of silence for Walter Bayliss, who passed away on November 1, 2016. Report on fees city charges. Manager Murphy highlights fee for registering foreclosed properties. It has been $100 per year. Proposes raising it to $1000 per year to create added incentive on banks to quickly sell foreclosed properties.…