Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 2/18/2022
If there’s one thing local business owners, restauranteurs, nonprofit runners, real estate agents and government officials want you to know – it’s that they’re prepared to bounce back better than ever.
Resilience and rebuilding were common themes amongst those our staff of reporters spoke with for this year’s 2022 Community Outlook. It’s no surprise that in the face of the past two years of pandemic highs and lows, locals have managed to pick themselves up by their bootstraps and forge forth – looking to a brighter future.
Take Center Square Grill owner Bill Collins, for example. After an already challenging few years with staffing concerns and retrofitting his East Longmeadow restaurant to accommodate for COVID-19 precautions, in January of this year disaster struck. A malfunction occurred in his heating system, leading to thousands of gallons of water dumping from the restaurants sprinklers and destroying not only the flooring, artwork and tilework, but the basement kitchen – which Collins describes as “heartbeat, the brain” of the restaurant.
This catastrophe may have bogged some business owners down, but Collins was quick to focus on the bright side – repairs that were already in talks could be made, improvements to decor could ensue, and he even hoped to when he reopens host a fundraiser for a local cause. All this, after losing nearly two months of business.
Downtown Springfield is welcoming several new businesses to the community, including Del Rey Taqueria & Bar, The Place 2 Be and All American Bar, Grill and Patio. These new businesses are physical proof of a resurgence and rebirth of energy to the city nearly two years after most businesses were forced to close and cease operations due to the pandemic.
Restaurants aren’t the only local infrastructure being forced to look to rebuild – many school districts in the area are looking to enter the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) process for the potential to rebuild or refurbish many of their schools. Agawam Public Schools, for example, is facing concerns with the high school, which was originally built in 1955, had additions built on the school in 1980 and 1987, and has many features that are now considered “decrepit,” according to Agawam Mayor William Sapelli.
This 2022 Community Outlook sheds a light on the happenings in our communities, colleges, workforce – and promises a bit of “good news” which is so often left out of the 5 o’clock news. We hope you enjoy the features and columns in this section, as it truly displays the unique ability of Western Massachusetts residents to persevere in the face of tough times.