CENTER CITY COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES
May 24, 2005

Present: Ray DeRosa, Larry Field, Marshall Field, Matt Fitzpatrick, Bob Flynn, Ken Lavallee, Ted Lavash, Janet Leggat, Bill Lipchitz, and Jeanne Osborn.

The meeting opened at 8:35 AM.

Ted Lavash reported on the meeting of Downtown Residents that was organizaed by the Police Department. While it was not all that well attended, there were representatives from most of the residential buildings in the downtown. The meeting quickly moved into complaints about noise late at night, particularly from two establishments on Market Street and Central Street. They are not supposed to put amplifiers outside to pipe the inside music out to patrons using the sidewalk seating areas, but they do. Captain Flaherty gave out phone numbers for residents to call when they have concerns such as these. Ken Lavallee said the bar owners see this as conflicting messages because they think the city is encouraging them to make the downtown lively. The license to use the sidewalks does not come from the (liquor) Licensing Commission, but from DPD. In some cases, the outdoor area is used for smokers. Ted said there will be another meeting where more organizational issues will be discussed.

In downtown news, the Evos Building on Middle Street has been sold to the developer who is doing the Fairburn Building, but he plans for now to keep the space for a restaurant, an art gallery and some performance art. Fortunato’s is in the process of being sold, th eDubliner has changed hands, the fried chicken place at the former Burger King spot on Merrimack Street may be leaving soon,while the other chicken place next to the Mambo Grille is about to open and sell Paparazzi pizza as a middleman. Reports in today’s paper have the Textile Museum voting to sell the building on Dutton Street but continuing to operate the museum there through a lease arrangement.

Janet Leggat reported there is a lively email debate going on in the artist community about the need for places to display and sell artwork, and the need for buyers. Ted Lavash said there is an art fair being planned for 2006 that would help that cause, but that the downtown still needs some kind of attraction, such as a theater like the Embassy in Waltham, to serve as an anchor. Bob Flynn said that Lowell could learn a lot from Newburyport where the original plan of many boutiques didn’t work as expected and there was a lot of turnover before the city targeted a lot of resources to stabilize the downtown.

The meeting adjourned at 9:25 AM.