Page 14 - BusinessWest November 10, 2021

to establish a business civic association (BCA).
“The idea is to form a business community in Monson,” Surprise said. “With local people concentrating on the issues that are important to their business and community, it helps the chamber to better focus on ways they can help.”
Upon joining Quabaog Hills, Sur- prise noticed the chamber did not have strong contacts with local officials at the town or state level.
“As a former city councilor [in West- field], I’ve seen how important it is for the chamber to have these relation-
ships,” he said. “By connecting busi- nesses and local officials, we can offer better value to everyone involved.”
Coordinating efforts is already pay- ing off. Surprise began working with Wolowicz on the idea of a BCA while the town was in the process of seek- ing a Rapid Recovery grant from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. Knowing that Monson was looking to have a business organization focused on its needs, the PVPC advised Sur- prise and Wolowicz to make it a joint request. Surprise said the BCA will be formed no matter what, but a grant makes a more robust effort possible.
“The grant would allow a much more expansive implementation and enable us to speed up the building of the BCA,” Surprise said. “Also, the grant makes it possible for the chamber to hire a person dedicated to establishing and recruiting for BCAs in both Mon- son and Belchertown.”
Main Concerns
Much of Monson’s business com- munity can be found right in the heart of town, so BusinessWest asked three Main Street business owners about the idea of a business civic association.
Nissa Lempart, owner of Monson Optical, said the BCA is a good idea if the goal is to reach more people out- side of town. “My customers already know where we are, and they tend to keep their business in Monson.”
Richard Green, who owns Richard R. Green Insurance Agency, said that, in his experience, many people tend not to do business in town, so he believes a BCA would be a big plus for Monson.
“It would be a way for local busi- nesses to interact more with the com- munity while benefiting each business and the community at large,” he noted. “I think it would be fantastic.”
Bill Belanger, who has owned Belanger Jewelers for more than 30 years, called Monson a wonderful com- munity, and he’s open to the town tak- ing a different approach to business.
“While the small-business model remains an important part of Monson, we also need to open our doors to new thinking,” he explained.
Part of that new thinking would allow larger franchises to do business in Monson. In 2020, residents staged
a vocal rejection when Dollar General proposed a location in town.
“Dollar General might not have been the right fit for our town,” Belanger said. “But there are many other types of national businesses that would work well here.”
One example of Monson welcoming new thinking involves a 26,000-square- foot building on Route 32 where Holis- tic Industries runs a cannabis growing
Left: Jennifer Wolowicz says developers have been looking
at some of the town’s old mills and other sites for redevelopment. Right: Andrew Surprise, CEO
of Quabaog
Hills Chamber
of Commerce, is on a mission to introduce himself to businesses in Monson.
facility.
Wolowicz noted that Holistic rep-
resents a large tax base for Monson, as the town received $500,000 in tax reve- nues from the company in June. Holis- tic-grown products are sold by Liberty Cannabis retail stores in Springfield, Somerville, and Easthampton. “COVID was good for cannabis sales,” she noted.
“
business model remains an important part of Monson, we also need to open our doors to new thinking.”
In terms of seeking other growth for the town, Wolowicz said discussions are taking place with developers about reusing some of the older mills in town. There is also activity at the former site of the state-owned Monson Develop- mental Center, where several buildings are being taken down. She said some residents have questioned why the town isn’t involved in redevelopment of this parcel.
“These folks don’t understand this is state property and the cleanup is their project,” she noted. “Their plan is to bring it back to green space and hope- fully give the land back to the town at some point.”
For the last year and a half Mon- son, has been making energy-saving improvements to schools and munici- pal buildings. Part of the project involves converting the current street lights to LED fixtures.
“Even Town Hall, which was built in 2014, will be getting new lighting because that’s how fast technology has changed,” Wolowicz said.
The town also works with neighbor-
Monson
Continued on page 42
While the small-
Virtual
At Home. In the World.
WILBRAHAM & MONSON ACADEMY
OPEN HOUSE
THURSDAY, NOV. 18, 9:45 AM
Learn about WMA’s programs & community. Virtually meet faculty, coaches, students and parents. Grades 6 - 12, PG
www.wma.us/openhouse
14 NOVEMBER 10, 2021
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
BusinessWest