Page 12 - BusinessWest April 1, 2024

Palmer
and then take a bus or an Uber to those institutions.
“There will be more connectivity,” he said, adding that this qual- ity will bring many benefits, especially a greater ability to commute
from Palmer and surrounding towns to other parts of the state. “You can take the Mass Pike, but it will be more conducive for
more people to take the rail and not risk delays or inclement weath- er; it’s a safer mode of travel,” Lavoie told BusinessWest, adding that professionals can commute and work at the same time.
Meawhile, at a time when fewer young people are married to the notion of owning and maintaining a car, a community with a rail stop, and especially one with home prices several notches (at least for now) below those in Eastern Mass., moves toward the top of their places to live, work, or both.
“In essence, you’re pushing the bedroom community of the busi- ness hub of Massachusetts [Boston] further west, and anything that’s occuring in the Springfield area, you’re pushing that bedroom community further east,” he explained, adding that rail can only help amplify this trend.
Mannarino agreed, noting that one of the next steps in the pro- cess of making rail a reality in Palmer is finding a site for a new sta- tion. A committee of town officials and residents is being assembled to work with Andy Koziol, the recently named director of East-West Rail, and MassDOT on that assignment.
Several sites have been proposed, Mannarino said, listing the land near the Steaming Tender and DPW property off Water Street among the contenders. “The goal is to choose the one that’s most feasible and makes the most sense. Each of the sites has caveats.” There is no timetable yet for east-west rail or Palmer’s stop on this highly anticipated transit initiative, and residents and town offi- cials understand that it will likely be several years before the first trains stop in town. But the general consensus is that, after years of lobbying and pushing for this facility, it is now becoming real, and the question, increasingly, isn’t if, but when.
That means this town with a deep rail past is set to write an exciting new chapter in that history. BW
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“In essence, you’re pushing the bedroom community of the business hub of Massachusetts [Boston] further west, and anything that’s occuring in the Springfield area, you’re pushing that bedroom community further east.”
once home to a trucking operation and other businesses and actu- ally has rail tracks running behind it), secure the necessary permits and licenses, build out the space, and open the doors.
“It was a long journey, but it was well worth it,” she said, not once but several times, noting that the brewery is off to a solid start, drawing a mix of locals, students from the nearby Five Colleges, and a number of other brewers who have come in to welcome the latest addition to the region’s growing portfolio of craft breweries.
In most respects, Roenbloom said, all that competition is good — for the region, for beer lovers, and even the various breweries, because it creates a critical mass that makes the region a craft-beer destination.
Meanwhile, Seven Railroads is on an island of sorts, she went on, adding that it is the only brewery in Palmer — in fact, the only one within 25 minutes of the center of the community — giving it some breathing room.
Thus far, things are going pretty much according to the business plan, said Rosenbloom, noting that Seven Railroads has become part of a growing restaurant and hospitality scene in Palmer, with many patrons stopping in before or after visiting one of several restaurants in town, including the Steaming Tender, Figlio’s, Tables, Day and Night Diner, and others. And she expects that rail service might bring more additions to that list and, overall, more people to Palmer.
Next Stop: Palmer
Indeed, while the rail stop is expected to encourage people to live in Palmer and perhaps work in Boston, it could also bring more people from Boston and other parts of the state to this community and those around it, said Lavoie, adding that, while the turnpike already brings visitors to exit 63, rail service will bring even more convenience.
Elaborating, he noted that students at UMass Amherst and the other Five Colleges could take the east-west rail service to Palmer
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