CENTER CITY COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES
January 15, 2008

Present: Mehmed Ali, Bill Lipchitz, Jamie O’Hearn, Molly Sheehy, and Terry Williams.

The meeting opened at 8:35 AM.

There was some discussion about last year’s goals and how they were addressed. One related to making the downtown more pedestrian friendly and was subsumed into the Downtown Summit that the City conducted. The City has contracted with an engineering firm to study the sidewalks and crosswalks and other physical aspects of downtown, so we will be asking DPD what the results of that study are and what are the next steps. A second goal related to the integration of the JAM area into the downtown, and that has been subsumed into the Hamilton Canal District master plan process in which several CCC members are participating. The third goal related to welcoming newcomers to Lowell and creating a more formal package of information to be given out on an on-going basis rather than just once a year at Newcomer’s Night. Ali said there was a need for that committee to get back together to see what can be done. This led to a discussion about a centralized calendar (and the need for staff time to do it), an improved website with a specific page for welcoming new residents, and a possibility of a CCC blog. The committee should think about looking for some grant money to help with these ideas.

Molly Sheehy asked what might be the effect of creating a new City Department for Cultural Affairs as mentioned in the Cultural Plan and what role the CCC might play. This could be a topic of discussion at the Stakeholder’s Meeting, especially since Rosemary Noon will be attending.

Due to other engagements for several members at the meeting, the meeting adjourned at 9:00 AM.