Page 14 - BusinessWest May 30, 2022

be moved,” Brennan said. “There will be much more activity in the next few months as the town begins to replace storm water and sewer lines.” The project is expected to be completed by 2026.
According to Brennan, communication is essential to keep traffic flowing while construc- tion is occurring. Baltazar Contractors stays in close contact with the town when road work is planned. This approach is already paying divi- dends, as Baltazar had initially planned road work for May 13, the day of the UMass commencement ceremony at McGuirk Stadium.
“The perception is that Hadley is a small town, but it really isn’t when you consider the number of people who are here during the day.”
“We quickly notified them to not do any road work that day to avoid a traffic tie-up,” Brennan said. “It would have been insane.”
Brennan also shares the weekly construction schedule with Claudia Pazmany, executive direc- tor of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce.
“Hadley has been incredible with commu- nicating when road work will be taking place,” Pazmany said. “It allows us to let businesses know what the traffic patterns will be.”
And lately, traffic has been heavier as the region returns to something approaching nor-
malcy after two years of pandemic.
Indeed, business in Hadley is definitely pick- ing up, with Pazmany reporting that more busi- nesses are returning to pre-pandemic hours of operation and events like the Asparagus Festival (June 11) are back on the schedule.
“I’m hearing from our local hotels that week- ends are booked solid from now through the end of the summer,” Pazmany said. “The hotel folks are also saying their receipts are back up to 2019 levels. That’s huge.”
For this, the latest installment of its Com- munity Spotlight series, BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at a town that is much more than a bridge between Amherst and Northampton.
Carolyn Brennan says that while Hadley is a small town, the traffic and visitation it sees every day create some big-city challenges.
Fruits of Their Labor
Echoing Pazmany, Drew Perron, co-owner of Arizona Pizza at the Hampshire Mall said his business is vibrant, with numbers approaching those of 2019. He gave credit to his staff to help get through the worst of the pandemic.
“Many of our employees are long-termers and
have been with us from seven to 12 years,” Per- ron said. “We made it through this entire ordeal thanks to their dedication.”
Once part of a chain, Arizona Pizza is now locally owned by Perron and his business partner. While its location is tucked around the back of the mall, customers have no problem finding it.
“I’m very thankful we have a number of regu- lars who kept us going through COVID and they
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14 MAY 30, 2022
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
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