Archive for May 12th, 2011

May 12th, 2011

Lowell: Preservation, Pride, Progress, Partnership

by Marie

Tonight I was pleased to represent the Lowell Heritage Partnership at the National Park and City of Lowell Reception that kicked-off the 10th Annual Doors Open Lowell. Special recognition was also given jointly by the Park and the Lowell Heritage Partnership for “Excellence in Cultural Heritage” to Jr. High teacher Rebecca Duda and her students for their work in reclaiming the Claypit Cemetery; to teacher and historian of the Irish in Lowell David McKean for his preservation work with St. Patrick’s Cemetery and assistance with the UML/Queens university dig at St. Patrick’s Church; and to citizen researcher and historian Marurice Comtois for his work in documenting the burial locations of Lowellians who served in the Civil War; and to urban developers Trinity Financial, LLC for “Excellence in Historic Preservation.” The Trinity group assembled for the award reminded me of the Oscars – when everyone involved trooped happily to the stage. It’s an impressive crew!

Speakers including host Michael Creasey, Superintendent of the Lowell National Historical Park, Lowell City Manager Bernie Lynch, State Senator Eileen Donoghue and Brian Martin, District Director for Congresswoman Niki Tsongas extolled the history, the partnerships, the vision and commitment that is Lowell. Superintendent Creasey while introducing the stakeholders and luminaries in attendance paid particular note and tribute to the presence of “the Father of the Lowell National Historical Park – 93 year old Dr. Patrick J. Mogan.

Another special guest – Lowell Sun publisher Mark O’Neil – with a prologue by Deputy Superintendent Peter Aucella – unveiled the 48-page supplement – available in your Lowell Sun tomorrow – that explores Lowell mill redevelopment efforts to date and what’s in store for the future. Don’t miss it. The photos alone are worth a look. The lead article by Dave Perry and those by Marie Donovan and Dennis Shaughnessy paint an interesting portrait of this redevlopement phenomenon.

The reception and ceremony was one of the best in a bevy of events held all over town in recent weeks. Kudos to the Park and the City.

CategoryCulture, Current Events, Education, History, Lowell | Comment1 Comment »

May 12th, 2011

Subsidizing big mortgages

by DickH

Should your tax dollars be used to subsidize mortgages of up to $750,000? My guess is that most people would say no to that and the Feds will soon be bringing policy in line with those sentiments. As reported in today’s New York Times, the size of home mortgages that will be guaranteed by the Federal government will soon shrink by about one-third. Those already owning homes in expensive areas and especially those wanting to sell those homes, feel that such a move would unduly penalize them in an already stagnant housing market.

With foreclosures beginning to rise and the housing market still stagnant, now is a bad time to alter government policy in a way that will further depress housing prices. Still, there will never be a good time to do that so the proposed reductions should just be implemented as soon as possible which is probably the first step in getting prices to where they should be – that is, what the market says they should be. Maybe those really expensive areas shouldn’t be so expensive after all. Once this government policy is discontinued, perhaps the home mortgage interest deduction on Federal income taxes will be the next housing market subsidy to be discontinued.

CategoryCurrent Events | Comment5 Comments »

May 12th, 2011

‘When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d’ by Whitman

by PaulM

Read one of the great poems of North American culture by Walt Whitman. The season, the convergence of heritage and present moment, the sounds and language of our nation, all these combine in a lasting artwork. Here are the first two sections of Whitman’s 1865 elegy for President Lincoln:

1
When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d,
And the great star early droop’d in the western sky in the night,
I mourn’d, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring.
Ever-returning spring, trinity sure to me you bring,
Lilac blooming perennial and drooping star in the west,
And thought of him I love.
2
O powerful western fallen star!
O shades of night—O moody, tearful night!
O great star disappear’d—O the black murk that hides the star!
O cruel hands that hold me powerless—O helpless soul of me!
O harsh surrounding cloud that will not free my soul.

CategoryCulture, Education, History, Lowell, Poetry | Comment9 Comments »

May 12th, 2011

Merrimack Repertory Theatre Receives $325k Kresge Grant

by PaulM

Bravo to eveyone at Merrimack Repertory Theatre for bringing home a highly competitive Kresge Foundation grant of $325,000. Awards from prestigious national foundations such as Kresge signal the excellence and maturity of Lowell’s cultural industry. There’s more where this came from, and the various parts and pieces of Lowell’s creative economy are primed to attract more large-scale funding of this kind. Read all about it on the MRT blog here.

CategoryCulture, Education, History, Lowell | Comment1 Comment »

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May 12th, 2011

Blue Clock

by DickH

A unique view of the clock on Lowell City Hall by Tony Sampas

CategoryLowell | Comment1 Comment »