 |
|
Upper Acushnet workshop unveils boathouse, other
plans
By Joe Cohen
Standard-Times staff writer
 NEW
BEDFORD — Friday night and Saturday belonged to the
upper Acushnet River dreamers and true believers in an
old industrial neighborhood where pessimism about
economic development and revitalization have often
trumped bold initiatives.
Although small in number, those attending the New
Bedford Upper Harbor Community Visioning Workshop came
together for three hours Friday night and seven hours
Saturday to talk about opportunities they see in the
area north of I-195, bordered on the east by the
Acushnet River, the west by Acushnet Avenue and the
north by Wood Street.
There was sizzle — plans shown for a state-of-the-art
boathouse and community center designed by MIT students
and touted by city officials as something that could
realistically be developed in the near term. They said
it would open the upper river to rowers, canoe and kayak
paddlers and small-boat sailors. The dramatic, soaring
architectural design included much glass, special
lighting at night and extensive space for community
access.
And there was substance — plans for economic development
of businesses large and small and a reconnecting of the
neighborhood to the waterfront through a variety of
means for neighborhood residents and people from
throughout the region.
More than 100 people attended the session's kickoff
Friday night in a party-like atmosphere accompanied by
beverages and light fare along with the unveiling of the
boathouse plans.
About 60 attended Saturday, listening to presentations,
breaking into work groups and coming back together to
report on ideas for jobs and small business, waterfront
access, environmental issues, neighborhood historic
character and reuse, and recreation and events.
The workshop was sponsored by the city, MassDevelopment
and the New Bedford Economic Development Council and
supported by a grant from the Garfield Foundation of
Marion.
Attendees included current and former city officials,
state and federal representatives, consultants, people
representing city-based organizations including whale
boat rowing clubs and a smattering of local residents
that included dreamers, the curious and the skeptical.
The setting itself was inspiring — a more than
100-year-old mill building extensively modernized to
house Joseph Abboud Manufacturing Corp. where 175
employees turn out very high quality men's clothing that
sells for as much as $1,100 a suit.
Anthony R. Sapienza, president of Joseph Abboud and head
of the NBEDC, talked about his company's commitment to
the neighborhood and the irony of the neighborhood's
current relationship to the water. Mr. Sapienza said the
neighborhood has an extensive Portuguese influence, an
ethnic group with very strong ties to the water. Yet
recently-born generations in the Acushnet Avenue area
are literally cut off from the nearby waterfront by old
mills and industrial sites.
Mayor Scott W. Lang said the river has been
"inaccessible for 100 years." In addition, "developers
said it is a dead river," Mayor Lang said. He said that
will change.
Talking about New Bedford's advantages, Mayor Lang said,
"What makes us different, what separates us from other
places — location. The ocean, outer harbor, inner
harbor, upper harbor and river. We are going to use
every inch of that water, we are going to maximize
resources."
Mayor Lang called the workshop a "key turning point"
with "fresh ideas and energy" from the MIT design
students and others. "We have the attributes people
dream about," Mayor Lang said.
The workshop produced dozens of ideas, all of which will
be filtered by the NBEDC and consultants and laid out in
a report expected in three months.
City Councilor Steven Martins, who represents Ward 2
which encompasses much of the Acushnet Avenue area,
agreed there is a lot of potential for the neighborhood.
"It is good to see the community involved," he said,
noting he has "my own ideas for Ward 2."
"We are not here for self-interest," said Councilor
Martins, "but to share a vision. The community is
spending its Saturday to get its ideas put forward."
The workshop attracted people from outside the
neighborhood, including from the Town of Acushnet across
the river. One such person, Richard Medeiros, said the
public needs to get more involved and become aware of
the changes that are underway.
"Years ago it used to stink," he said about the Acushnet
River, "Now, it is cleaned up. People don't know about
this."
There still are serious environmental issues related to
the river. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is
cleaning up PCBs from the river in a decades-long
process that, even if speeded up to meet the city's
plans, would still take more than a decade. Sewage also
pollutes the river during periods when the city's
wastewater system becomes overtaxed, creating a
potential health hazard. Officials said that problem
will be addressed.
"We are going to take an integrated approach," Mayor
Lang said at the workshop's closing. "There will be no
instant gratification," he said, but planning will lead
to finding funding, there will be "buy-in" by residents
of the city, and the access to the river will be gained
and the neighborhood revitalized.
Contact Joe Cohen at jcohen@s-t.com
February 17, 2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
