"I think it gives new energy to people to work together. I think that's the most important thing. I think what it comes down to is not so much new ideas but priorities."
-- Fred Faust, owner, the Edge Group
"I'm more curious about the second session, when there's going to be actual brainstorming. I don't think anything new came up, but I think bringing a lot of these things to light in front of the City Council, the city manager, prominent city businesspeople ... is important."
-- Greg Harding, co-owner, Giovanni's Trends
"I was thoroughly impressed with the turnout and the different categories of stakeholders -- institutions, residents, community representatives. People seemed incredibly positive. I think we're going to see some very positive results."
-- J. Matthew Coggins, director of the city's Division of Planning and Development
"We've made a lot of progress in the downtown. As we see success, we see a lot of people copying our model. We have to constantly be vigilant, constantly be turning
the corner and looking for the next big thing."
-- Bill Martin, Lowell mayor
"We're making strides, but we also feel we could be doing a lot more."
-- LZ Nunn, Cultural Organization of Lowell executive director
"The fact that 142 people (attended), that's spectacular. When we all started talking about this we envisioned 40, 50, maybe 60 people."
-- Jim Cook, executive director, the Lowell Plan
This story appeared in the Lowell Sun on Thursday, January 25, 2007