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Date: 3/23/2022
LUDLOW – With Ludlow’s town election just days away, candidates in the race for a three-year term on the Planning Board answered questions about the seat and their goals.
Current Planning Board member Joshua Carpenter is going up against current associate Planning Board member Joel Silva for the seat, and both answered a set of four questions ahead of the election.
Reminder Publishing: Can you tell the readers a little about yourself and what made you want to run for Planning Board?
Joshua Carpenter: I am a graduate of Ludlow High School and I have served on many committees and boards in town as a way to give back to our community. From leading the ballot initiative for our beautiful new Senior Center, chairing the Town Administrator Search Committee, to being a member of our Superintendent search and currently holding the vice chairmanship of our Housing Authority. I was appointed as an associate member to Ludlow Planning Board in October of 2020. I was honored to be unanimously appointed during a joint session of the Planning Board, and the Board of Selectmen, to fill a vacancy created by a resigning member. I felt then, and still feel, that it is vital to give back to a community that has given me so much over my lifetime. I would be honored if the town felt the same way on election day and allowed me the opportunity to serve the community for an additional three years. I have always said there are 351 cities and towns across our commonwealth, but none greater than Ludlow.
Joel Silva: I have lived in Ludlow for the past 15 years. I am a first-generation immigrant from Portugal. I came to the US in 2007 making Ludlow my hometown, where I met my wife Jennifer who is a lifelong town resident and where we raise our two children, Samuel age 11 and Noelle, age 2. I have been working in the heavy civil construction industry for the past 15 years from humble beginnings to an exciting and challenging management position that gives me the opportunity to work on various projects in various towns and cities around New England. The experience I acquired while working collaboratively with municipalities as well as the Mass. Department of Transportation and Department of Corrections Engineering providing solutions for utility, transportation and urban development gave me the skill set needed for the current open position. I was appointed to the Planning Board as the associate member in December 2021 and it has been exciting to hear our board members debate the issues, ask questions and learn how the board operates. I believe that I can be a valuable asset to the Planning Board as a full voting member at a time that Ludlow faces concerning traffic issues on Center Street and Chapin Street parking and traffic flow at intersections within the business area of East Street and the needed revision of the Town Master Plan.
RP: Are there any issues you see coming up for the Planning Board that you would like to address if elected?
Carpenter: The cost to operate our town is forever increasing. There are contractual obligations that are growing year to year, salaries, healthcare costs, employee retirement contributions, etc. In order to keep up with these increases, it requires we create growth and/or new revenue streams. Properly planned, these new growth streams should accomplish two things – additional revenue and jobs with no additional stress on services (fire, schools, police, etc.), no additional downtown traffic on Ludlow’s main arteries. Without these moving parts properly executed, the only other way to meet those obligations would be increased taxes which is something none of us look forward to.
Silva: We all agree that the town is facing stressing traffic conditions at Center and Chapin Streets, also the poor visibility issue at the intersections surrounding the East Street business area and its parking. We need to see the progress made to the Town Master Plan, revise and adjust where needed.
RP: Are there any planning bylaws you would like to work on changing or implementing?
Carpenter: A good amount of our town’s bylaws are antiquated. As times change, the way of doing business also changes. What made good zoning sense 20 years ago is now considered prehistoric. Bylaws should be reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis – a work in motion. Land planning and zoning bylaws have to work hand in hand to ensure the smartest use of the land left in town that is undeveloped. At the same time, as everything around us changes, we too must adapt to the rules. The development and maintenance of the town’s Master Plan is crucial to make the changes last the test of time and be consistent with the town’s need for development, or in many cases, no development at all and maintain open space.
Silva: We are very short on industrial space and as a result the town lost a lot of construction companies that could be generating much needed good paying jobs and contribute to the tax base that would allow for a revision to the homeowner taxes.
RP: How would you like to see Ludlow evolve over the course of the upcoming term, specifically through development?
Carpenter: I believe that we have the opportunity to address the need for revenue growth and at the same time conserve open space with the Ludlow-WestMass Development partnership we have at the old Ludlow Mills. There is a tremendous amount of land and building area available to attract some good revenue-paying commercial exposures that can greatly assist with the need for a tax stream while creating some additional jobs for our residents. At the same time, WestMass has committed to assisting the community with beautiful residential housing units that are desperately needed. While we can’t rely completely on this project to take care of all our town’s needs, we do gain a huge advantage over surrounding communities with that parcel. As long as there is progress within the Mill area, we can minimize the usage of other land in town to accomplish what is necessary.
Silva: I would love to see Ludlow having a redesigned and improved East Street business area regarding parking, intersection visibility while creating more foot traffic for the current and future businesses. Create green areas, skate park, water park at a designated area by The Mills that together with the river walk our families can enjoy and also bring sponsored fun activities to bring the community together.