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I always turn first to the Ideas section of the Boston Sunday Globe and, today, found Lowell featured on the front page under the dismal headline:  “What Renaissance?”  The same section features an article about Jack Kerouac’s ‘newly-burnished reputation.’  Yes, the author of On the Road is now ‘in’, having been recently inducted into the Library of America, joining Hemingway, Faulkner, Steinbeck and other literary legends; while, of course, being the subject of much celebration here in town on the 50th anniversary of the publication of his major work.

Lowell, however, is apparently ‘out’.  According to the article, Lowell’s heyday is over, and the ‘Lowell miracle’ is being questioned by many, including our own Bob Forrant, professor of regional economics at UML.  The criticisms seem to be that Lowell’s emphasis has been on large construction projects (such as the Arena, the National park and the stadium) to the detriment of the working class, and that city officials have consistently over-emphasized the city’s gains.   The really damning statistic is that Lowell’s poverty rate went up astronomically between 1980 and 2000, compared with Brockton, Fall River and Worcester.  This is worrying and gives credence to the fear, expressed by city council candidate Darius Mitchell in the last election, that there are ‘two Lowells.’

It might be interesting to graph Kerouac’s reputation alongside of Lowell’s.  Jack Kerouac came out of the post-industrial Lowell.  He was down a long time after his initial success, especially as his reputation was conflated with a generation with which he disagreed vehemently, struggling to disavow the title ‘King of the Beats.’  His talent though was real and is now more widely recognized.  I don’t dispute the points that Bob Forrant is trying to make, but I think the Globe author was stretching to make his point that Lowell is a failure:  the poverty statistics from 2000 are now nearing a decade old, positive events like the opening the Brew’d Awakening Coffee Shop occurred in the last five years, even Middlesex Street (a photo of empty storefronts on Middlesex Street is in the story) is showing some signs of revitalization and the National Park was surely the saving of the city - not in the same league as stadium and arena projects.  In addition, Manager Bernie Lynch had good answers to many of the criticisms raised, including the fact that ‘experimentation is part of the Lowell model.’  Lowell will no doubt continue to have ups and downs, but there is something here that is real and that persists despite the current fashions in urban renewal.

Fast forward a decade and this could be you, strolling along what is now a neglected area bordered on the north by the National Park Service lot off Dutton Street and on the south by Middlesex and Revere Streets. This morning, City Manager Bernie Lynch introduced Trinity Financial, master planner for the renovation of the Hamilton Canal District, to about 100 members of the community. The conceptual drawing shown above is a view from the lot which incorporates the original brick wall that exists today with new pedestrian-friendly bridges and wide sidewalks. Key factors of the Hamilton Canal District project include respect for the site’s historical significance, waterways, and environmental aspects, as well as making connections to the existing downtown and public transportation system. Touted as the most important development the city has undertaken since the Tsongas Arena and the baseball stadium, the completed project is expected to nearly double the size of the downtown, increase tax revenue by $2.2 million, and provide new jobs, residents, and businesses. Today’s meeting launched a series of informational sessions with the community that will continue over the next nine months. These charrettes (a French word defined by Trinity as an “intensive, collaborative, public-planning process to produce a shared vision”) are designed to get community input on the project. The planning process will include forming community groups to work on issues such as housing, retail, history, and open space. Ground breaking is projected for 2009, with the entire project taking up to 10 years to complete. Trinity, a firm that claims to “listen well,” appears to have a proven track record for accomplishing complex projects. For instance, they built an attractive, mixed-use space (housing, commercial, and parking) on top of an MBTA subway line in Boston. They also won a national award last year for a mixed-residential project in East Boston. Renovating the Hamilton Canal District will cost about a half billion dollars. (Not much was said today about financing other than the great partnership between the city, state, and private interests.) The project’s potential to transform the city makes it worth investing our own vision for what that future may be. 

 Hundreds of smiling, happy people sang and danced at last Friday’s sold out Indigo Girls concert under a starry night and balmy temperatures. It was perfect weather for listening to the amazing harmony, guitar playing, and poetic lyrics that the Girls are known for. In addition to making sure we’re around for the Folk Festival during the last full weekend in July, each summer we try to catch some of the concerts that are part of Lowell’s Summer Music Series held at Boarding House Park. We always end up wishing we’d had time for more of these great events because they truly are fun for all ages. There’s nothing like sitting out on lawn chairs and blankets with a bunch of other music-loving folks and listening to great tunes under the open sky. The series is winding down now, with only a few weekends left, but it’s not too late to catch a concert. For information on the remaining acts, check here.

My previous post on recycling compared Lowell’s effort to that of Worcester, to Lowell’s detriment. But there is more to the story.  On the plus side, Lowell’s recycling program seems to be newly-energized, with bi-weekly columns in the Lowell Sun by Recycling Coordinator Gunther Wellenstein and a page on the city website that lists FAQs, upcoming events and hazardous waste days.  The Mission Statement on the website sums up the problem and the approach — I thought it was well worth copying in part: 

Massachusetts’ waste generation continues to outpace the state’s disposal capacity resulting in the need to export trash to other states. Increasing pressure is being placed on each state, by the Environmental Protection Agency, to provide disposal capacity for all the waste it generates. Incinerators and landfills are both sources of pollution affecting the quality of our air and water; building more of these facilities is not the answer. Therefore, the mission of Lowell’s Recycling office is to reduce the amount of trash generated by our City.

By perusing the site, I learned that Lowell has a ‘freecycle’ list where residents can post items they would like to get rid of for free–cool! You can also purchase compost bins and read about how to compost your yard and kitchen waste, which has given me the impetus to start up my compost pile again. I’ve gone from feeling slightly apologetic about my recycling compulsion to someone on a mission to spread the word about recycling – starting with my family!   

As my family will readily admit, I am a bit of a recycling nut.  I am always pulling cans out of the trash and rinsing bottles and pointing out to family members all of the items that can be recycled. I even had a compost pile for a while.  Thus, I was thrilled to see the great recycling effort at the Lowell Folk Festival.  I got my free bag of compost and learned that “the Festival has been recognized as a national model of sustainability, since over 90% of the festival trash is turned into garden quality mulch in just one year!” (www.lowellfolkfestival.org).   

  This is all well and good, but what about the City of Lowell? There seems to be a feeling out there (and in my house) that recycling doesn’t really save money since all that stuff has to be handled and sorted and disposed of in different ways. Well, after talking with Lowell’s Recycling Coordinator, Gunther Wellenstein, I have learned some interesting facts about recycling.  First of all, 24% of household waste is estimated to be glass or plastic and able to be put in the green bin; 39% is paper and cardboard.  Yard waste is another 14% and 6% is waste that could be composted (kitchen scraps). If every bottle, can and carrot was disposed of through recycling or composting, it would divert 83% of our total waste from the State’s incinerators.  Currently the city only diverts around 10% (although this number was skewed lower by the huge amount of debris resulting from the 2006 floods; we are actually closer to 13%).  Why is this important?  Well, the city is charged by the ton for non-recyclable waste – the trash in barrels at the curb that are picked up by BFI.  When BFI takes the waste to the State incinerators, it is weighed and the city is charged again. Recyclables are only charged once and at a lower rate.  At one point, it was estimated that each 1% of waste that could be diverted from the incinerators would save the city $53,000.  This may not seem all that impressive until you realize that Worcester (a much larger city) is consistently able to divert around 50% of its waste.  Do the math, and think of the teachers, police cars, sidewalks or snow-plowing we could pay for with that savings. The difference may be that Worcester has a ‘pay-as-you-throw’ program, forcing people to be mindful of how many garbage bags they put at the curb on trash day. Is this what it will take to increase recycling in Lowell?  

Gee, I go away for a few days and miss everything. I recently returned home and discovered WCAP was sold, Lou Stylos (a decent guy with a great voice) joined the city council race, and Guatemala won the One Lowell World Cup soccer championship. (For a detailed report on the soccer event, held last week at Cawley Stadium, see yesterday’s Globe.) This reminds me of coming home from a trip to California in April 2006. After traveling for 12 hours by plane and car, we finally reached city limits and saw signs saying I’m for Cox posted everywhere. In my exhausted state, it was surreal—almost like we’d entered the Twilight Zone—because when we left, he was simply the manager. I realize now that as a kid, I hated going to bed while adults were up because I was afraid I’d miss something. (Apparently, I’m still like that.) I already have issues about when I absolutely cannot leave Lowell—such as when school is in session, and during the City Lights Parade, WinterFest, and the Folk Festival. Now apparently, I may not be able to leave at all, for fear of missing something important. On that note, a comment about the above-mentioned news: First, I’m thrilled WCAP was purchased by a local owner and anticipate improvements that will increase the station’s listeners, professionalism, and level of engagement with citizens. Second, Lou Stylos is a great addition to the council race. As an intelligent professional, LHS alumnus, and former singer with the SRO Players, Lou will add to the campaign’s thoughtfulness and level of discourse. As for the soccer championship, kudos to One Lowell, the Fahlbergs in particular, and this great city for once again standing out as uniquely American: a truly diverse place to live, learn, and play.

When I think about different philosophical approaches to life, I tend to revert to clichés. Whether you see life as a “dog eat dog world” or one in which “we’re all in this boat together,” it greatly impacts your social and political beliefs and actions. As for me, I see us all in the boat together. My success, and the success of my children, is intimately connected with my neighbors; by neighbors, I don’t simply mean the people who live on my street. We can’t ever be truly successful if too many others are desperate. Ten years ago, I met a wealthy Brazilian mother whose son had stayed with us as an exchange student. As I drove her around the Highlands, she was struck by how open our residences were, without walls, attack dogs, or fences protecting our homes from the streets. She told me that in Sao Paulo, they had bars on their ninth floor windows because of the severe crime and poverty. I remember feeling sorry for her. It seemed difficult to enjoy what you have with all that fear. Yet, I think we’re heading that way in this country as the middle class shrinks and more and more people find it difficult to earn a livable wage, own a home, and provide for their children. Perhaps you’re thinking I’m one of the “loony left” we hear about on local talk radio (maybe I am), but to me, it is more than being soft-hearted or fair-minded—ultimately, it is self-centered. It all goes back to that basic philosophy: since we are in this boat together, my children will not succeed if yours don’t have an equal opportunity to do so.