Left In Lowell

From a press release of the Patrick administration:

GOVERNOR PATRICK AWARDS $3.56 MILLION TO BOOST LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Funding to Spur Infrastructure Improvements in Lawrence, Fitchburg, Hopkinton, and Lowell

AWRENCE – Thursday, April 23, 2009 – As part of his Massachusetts Recovery Plan to secure the state’s economic future, Governor Deval Patrick today awarded four Community Development Action Grants (CDAG) totaling $3.56 million to Lawrence, Fitchburg, Hopkinton, and Lowell. The communities will receive funding for public infrastructure projects that promise to generate significant economic activity in each community. Taken together, the grants will create more than 490 new local jobs and 160 affordable housing units.

Created as part of the Patrick Administration’s 2008 Housing Bond Bill, the CDAG program provides funding for publicly-owned or managed projects that improve the overall economic condition of a city or town. CDAG grants are designed to support workforce and affordable housing needs across a range of incomes, create or retain long-term employment opportunities, and leverage significant private investment.

Specifically, the funds in Lowell are to go to:

In Lowell, $1 million in CDAG funds will support the construction of approximately 800 LF of new sidewalks with historic lighting on the North Side of Jackson Street along the frontage of the new American Heritage Foundation project. The grant will also be used to build approximately 740 LF of landscaped canal side walkway, sidewalks, new on-street parking, and historic lighting and resurface approximately 200 LF of sidewalks along the south side of Jackson Street. Lowell stands to benefit from the CDAG award in the following ways: $17 million in private investment, 65 new affordable housing units, and 120 new construction jobs and three full-time positions in property management/maintenance.

Having watched the amazement on the faces of friends and family visiting Lowell when I take them through the parts which have already received this sort of attention, I can tell you it makes a world of difference. Lowell can’t move forward without restoring its historic waterways and cleaning up its public spaces. This invites private development, new homeowners, and ultimately, jobs. The more amenities we can offer, the better.