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Historic thoroughfare to be reborn

The new Federal Court House. Reminder Publications G. Michael Dobbs
By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



SPRINGFIELD A vision for the central artery of the city of Springfield first expressed in 1985 will finally become reality when construction begins shortly on the State Street Corridor project.

Congressman Richard Neal, though, said the $17 million project will ultimately only be successful if the businesses and organizations that make State Street their home are able to upgrade their own facilities.

When serving as mayor, Neal had the idea to redevelop State Street. Now, over 20 years later, the $17 million project will renovate the 3.2-mile street from Riverfront Park to St. Michael's Cemetery.

When coupled with the construction of the new federal courthouse, the corridor will have a $94 million investment in federal and state funding, Neal said.

The project will improve the flow of traffic on the street there are an estimated 29,000 cars that use it every day as well as add new parking and lighting and improve the street's aesthetics. The contractors, Palmer Paving, are expected to begin shortly as the company has gained permission to proceed from MassHighways. The project is expected to be completed in two years.

At the groundbreaking on Tuesday conducted on the lawn of Putnam Vocational and Technical High School a location Neal described as the geographic center of the city federal, state and local officials gathered for a ceremony that was half congratulations and half a roast with the participants kidding one another.

Neal looked to the audience and said, "There are always critics on earmarks. This is an earmark. Is there anyone here who would send the money back?"

Dora Robinson, representing the State Street Alliance, said, "This is what happens when you bring all of the stakeholders to the table."

City Council President Bud Williams credited Raymond Jordan, the one-time state representative for the 11th Hampden District and now a senior official with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as the first elected official who began the redevelopment of State Street years ago.

U.S. District Court Judge Michael Ponsor said the project has meaning for all of Western Massachusetts.

"The triumph of Springfield is the triumph of Western Massachusetts. The struggle of Springfield is the struggle of Western Massachusetts," Ponsor said.

He added, "No matter where we live, we all come from, we are all Springfield people."

Following ceremonial tossing of shovels of earth, Neal and a number of the participants continued a walk of State Street that continued down to Riverfront Park. A noted student of history, Neal noted in a press release that along State Street, General Henry Knox dragged the cannons by oxen to Boston that helped start the Revolutionary War. The federal armory was located along State Street and Daniel Shays used the thoroughfare to reach the armory in his effort to take control of it. Basketball was invented in a YMCA along the street. The Indian Motorcycle Company the manufacturers of the first successful American motorcycle was built on State Street as well.

After the groundbreaking David Panagore, the chief economic development officer for the city, said the city is "in the midst of trying to convince HUD" the city can once again manage federal dollars that could be used by businesses for fa ade improvements.

HUD denied the use of funds for such uses during the Albano Administration and Panagore said the city would include a fa ade plan into next year's action plan for HUD.

What will help convince HUD officials to reconsider the use of the funding is a demand from the business community, which Panagore explained will come from the start of this project.

"Realistically, people want to see shovels in the ground," Panagore said. "It takes years."

Panagore said a "community consensus" needs to be created to move the funding process along.

The next day, July 2, the 60-plus members of the State Street Alliance comprised of those businesses and organizations met at Springfield College with Maureen Hayes of the Springfield Business Development Corporation to discuss the Corridor Redevelopment Program, which was described as a "a series of strategic redevelopment initiatives that are market-driven, financially feasible and based on sound development principles and is intended as a blueprint for future development along the State Street Corridor."