The Mayor's Desk
There are rumblings of a renaissance in Gloucester. A resurgence. A revitalization. A reawakening — all words that describe renaissance.
Tonight, we have a Block Party on Main Street. There is a resurgence of Gloucester's downtown and Main Street. Begun last summer and continuing this summer, the Block Parties have attracted thousands of people to our downtown. In many ways, I think the backlash from Gloucester Crossing and the fear that it would eradicate Main Street made the community come together and support Main Street more than ever.
The city poured thousands of dollars into snow removal rather than just plowing during last winter to help ease access in the shopping, dining and civic center of the city. We also allocated hundreds of thousands of dollars of our paving budget to downtown and Main Street. I overheard one person remark, "Main Street looks like a movie set."
The revitalization of the Bird's Eye building is nearing possibility under the ownership and community-based approach of Mac Bell. About 100 people attended the "lawn chair" discussion last Saturday.
I listened for a while and thought about the public floggings I took during the discussions regarding a proposed hotel for the site. But I also thought that the lawn chair discussion may not have been possible if we hadn't had a very public and transparent process about a possible development there.
The community absolutely made it clear what they don't want. Now, the community is stepping forward and dreaming about what they do want. And this time, unlike last time, they have the full ear of the property owner and developer. I am feeling very optimistic about the revitalization of the Bird's Eye building in a way as Mac would say, adds to Gloucester's "magic."
Renaissance means a reawakening as well. And last week's Triathlon was a real reawakening of heart, mind and spirit for all the first-time Gloucester triathletes! What an incredible event. Even though we had been involved in the planning for almost a year, even I was amazed at the logistics and infrastructure that took over St. Peter's Park and downtown.
Janda Ricci-Munn had a vision about a course that wound its way through Gloucester and showcased our beautiful city, and he was right.
There are a few kinks to work out for next year. For example, we need to do a better job of alerting the neighbors on what to expect in terms of road closures and set up. But all in all, for a first time event, it was a huge success.
Again, the city rose to support it — the DPW crews were out at 6 a.m. on Sunday ensuring clean swept roads, police were out in full force to ensure safety of the route, the Fire Department paramedics ensured the safety of the athletes, and the Coast Guard helped ensure water safety as 900 swimmers made their way around Pavilion Beach.
And volunteers by the dozens did everything from pick up trash to direct athletes on the course. Jonathan Pope and Dick Wilson of the Gloucester Fishermen's Athletic Association did a masterful job in working with the city and the race organizers to pull it off.
Yes, I think there is a renaissance occurring in Gloucester. A resurgence of downtown and Main Street. A revitalization of the Bird's Eye building. A reawakening of heart, mind and spirit.
See you at the Block Party!
Carolyn Kirk is mayor of the city of Gloucester.SFlb
