Page 10 - BusinessWest July 25, 2022

The renovated 95 Elm St., now known as Town Commons, features an eclectic mix of businesses and will soon add a restaurant.
fronts in the community, everything from the planning of infrastructure work on Memorial Avenue and River- dale Street to determining how to spend roughly $8 million in ARPA funds (other infrastructure projects are at the top of that list) to contemplat- ing what might be done if that massive power plant actually comes down.
Reflecting on that list, and his first six and half years in office, Reichelt, now one of the longest-serving mayors in the region, said he’s learned during his tenure that it often (always?) takes a long time to get something done, and, as a result, communities and those who lead them must be patient and
perseverant.
“Once I got into this, there was so
much I wanted to do, and I quickly realized that nothing happens fast,” he told BusinessWest. “Projects that I started talking about back in 2016 ... we’re just starting to get funding for and breaking ground now.”
As an example, he pointed to the last remaining piece, the restaurant at 95 Elm St., something he’s been pursuing for years and an element he believes will be a nice compliment to what already exists on that street — a few restaurants, the Majestic The- atre, and a bagel shop already at 95 Elm — and make the area more of a destination.
It’s also taken some time to make the planned improvements to the green area, which now boasts new traffic lights, improved intersections, and a half-mile loop for walking and other uses, said the mayor, adding that a similar upgrade is planned for Elm Street.
“We want to bring people downtown and have it be a spot where you can walk around, go to the theater, have dinner in a couple of different places ... make a night of it. We have great commercial corridors on Memorial Avenue and Riverdale, but there’s
no real place for people intowntogo;tohavea walkable downtown would be nice. It’s nice to see come that come to fruition after six years.”
“We want to bring people down- town and have it be a spot where you can walk around, go to the theater, have dinner in a couple of different places ... make a night of it,” he said. “We have great commercial corridors on Memorial Avenue and Riverdale, but there’s no real place for people in town to go; to have a walkable down- town would be nice. It’s nice to see come that come to fruition after six years.”
Meanwhile, there are ambitious plans on the table for improving the full length of Memorial Avenue, from the Route 5 rotary to the recently wid- ened Morgan Sullivan Bridge. The $25 million, state-funded project is slated
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10 JULY 25, 2022
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
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