Friday, February 22, 2008

Consultant Begins Pre-Planning Phase










Our consulting team is pouring over maps, reports, photos, and site plans provided to them by Town staff. They have conducted three site visits - one at the a.m. peak traffic hour, another at the p.m. peak hour, and finally a Saturday mid-day. They have met with a prospective developer of the Montgomery mill complex and representatives of the Dexter Plaza management firm. A meeting with Ahlstrom representatives will soon be scheduled. They are preparing base mapping and have begun formulating preliminary design concepts. One area of focus is the "municipal" campus made up of the library, Town and Hall and school with fields. How can we affectively connect those to Main Street? The consultant has also questioned whether it would be conceivable to return the Amtrak train station back to the heart of Main Street rather than its current location on the outskirts of the Main Street area. Once the preliminary plans are completed a public forum will be organized so stay tuned. Please share your comments on how Main Street can be enhanced.

5 comments:

Chris Kervick said...

In discussions re Dexter Plaza, the s owners should be reminded that they can defer their capital gains if they transfer the property through eminent domain proceedings or sell the property in the face of eminent domain proceedings. This affords them a great opportunity and it would be fairly easy to begin eminent domain proceeding to afford them the benefit of that tax loophole.

Chris Kervick said...

Sometimes the most obvious solutions to a problem are the hardest to see. Wouldn't it be ironic if we solved the age-old question, "What is the best use for the old train station," by deciding to use it as a train station?

Anonymous said...

I attended the meeting at the High School tonight. I thought it was and important start. I want to remind people than it is just that "a start", and that any input will help to recapture what was destroyed 30 years or so, ago.

Anonymous said...

I attended the 5/1/08 meeting last week at the High School and really like the draft plan that was unveiled. KUDOS to all that are PARTICIPATING AND WORKING DILIGENTLY on this project!

Wouldn't it be nice to see the "North Gateway" of Main Street cleaned up and a bridge going over the canal to a park / park like setting for us to picnic, view the river and obtain access to the bike path from here?

Wouldn't it be nice to have the train station renovated to be active/fibrant again?

Wouldn't it be nice to see the natural beauty that Kettle Brook has to offer?

Wouldn't it be nice to see the vegetation on the sides of the street managed better so that we could be proud of the appearance of our Main Street again?

I am looking forward to the draft plan being approved, accepted and made into a reality!

Anonymous said...

It'd be nice if the west side sidewalk of North Main Street -- i.e. Church Street North to CVS plaza -- could be swept. The gravel all over it does not present an appealing appearance.