CENTER CITY COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES
November 16, 1999

PRESENT: Henri Marchand, Tom Edmonds, Peggy Shepard, Bill Lipchitz, Tom Giossi, Chris DeFeo

Today's meeting was held at Community Teamwork, Inc.

· Members of the CCC welcomed Tom Edmonds, the new Executive Director of the Whistler House Museum of Art. Previously, Tom was the Curator for the Andover Historical Society.

Tom and his wife are artists who are considering moving into the Artist Live/Workspace at the J.C. Ayer Building. He remarked on his attraction to Lowell because of its focus and commitment to the arts, and also commented on the fact that he felt extremely safe downtown, which is important if he is going to live here. His feeling is that artists could be the future of Lowell if it is done correctly. At last week's meeting, there was some discussion as to other buildings being developed privately. The Ayer Building seems to be the closest to being developed. Tom did express some concern as to the design of the building, where doorways and elevators were not conducive to artists needs. Issues like insulation for noise, large empty spaces, etc. are factors that need to be addressed. From an artists standpoint, it is extremely important for them to design their own space, and only require the very minimum allowed to pass code. An artist's image and taste creates his own world and environment.

When the artist colony does fall into place, there may be some connection between the artists and the Lowell Small Business Assistance Center in helping them to perhaps start businesses, market their works, etc.

· Henri Marchand announced the City of Lights Parade will be held on Saturday, November 27th at 5:00pm. The parade route will run down Central Street to Merrimack Street and will stop at City Hall. This year the City will be showcasing the new holiday lighting/decorations. Rico Petrocelli will serve as Grand Marshall. There will be 6 bands, several musical groups, a dozen floats, approximately 300 Girl Scouts/Boy Scouts, several marching groups and about 14-15 antique cars.

· Tom Giossi announced the LSBAC will be hosting a seminar on Legal Considerations for Small Businesses. It will be held this Thursday, November 18th at 6:00pm.

Due to the holiday next week, there will be no meeting. The next meeting will be Tuesday, November 30th at the Enterprise Bank (Conference Room).

Reminder:

Meeting minutes are available on our website and by e-mail. If you are no longer interested in receiving the meeting minutes, please contact Chris DeFeo (459-0551).