Page 13 - BusinessWest March 20, 2023

“I think the
Lee business community is always teetering between tourism and serving the residents. I think we are going to see a great deal of economic growth in the next five years with new businesses and residents moving in, also realizing the benefits of Lee.”
Lee’s bustling downtown is a destination in its own right.
affordable and market rate,” Brittain said. “That’s a big project to the north end of Main Street that involves six or eight buildings that will be torn down and rebuilt into one new structure, and then a complete rehab of the old paper mill. It’s an old brick mill with a smokestack.”
Berkshire Housing and the state Department of Housing and Community Development have been involved in making the Eagle Mill project a reality. It was supposed to start a couple of years ago, but COVID caused funding difficulties. However, after having just recently received state money, demolition is now slated for this April.
In addition to the Eagle Mill project, Lee is looking to update other elements of the town to better suit the community while still retaining its historic charm. Although funding and appropriation from the town is still in the works, plans are proceeding for a new public-safety facility.
The Lee Police Department, currently located at Town Hall, has outgrown that space, Brittain noted, and while the town wants to keep the current central fire station in some form, it is no longer practical for a 21st-century facility.
“I mean, it was built when we still had our original steam pump- er pulled by horses,” he said. “It was made for that, and modern
fire equipment doesn’t really fit in there anymore. It will probably become a museum or something ... it’s a beautiful, historic building. We’re hoping to build something that we don’t have to have a cus- tom truck made to fit into it. We are hoping to put a new combined facility up.”
Something Special
The town of Lee regularly honors its past while looking ahead to the future. Many events for residents and visitors are in the works for later this year, including Founder’s Day, an annual, three-day- long celebration of Lee including parades and various activities.
Meanwhile, town officials are already talking about Lee’s 250th anniversary in 2027 — an exciting occasion that the folks at the Lee Chamber of Commerce have already started brainstorming for.
“Our Cultural Council is doing some summer events in the
park right by Town Hall here, as they did last year,” Brittain said.
Of course, we’ll have stuff for Memorial Day going on in downtown also. And we will be coming up on our 250th anniversary; that’s not until 2027, but they’ve already started to talk about doing some- thing a little special.” BW
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