Previous Years’ Ideas

Food Cart or concessions stand at Ecummenical Plaza

Idea:

Ecumenenical plaza is a beautiful and spacious court at the confluence of St. Patricks church and Holy Trinity church. Having a food cart that sells affordable, healthy, and delicious food to patrons exploring and working in the historic Acre neighborhood. This cart can be versatile, serving everything from ice-cream to cultural foods. We can also [Read more…]

Benefit:

This plaza would open up a vibrant space, that will allow the public to enjoy the historic acre neighborhood. What better way to draw people to the Acre than with delicious food.
Location:

Acre, OldIdea.

Food History Trail

Idea:

A pop-up trail similar to the Downtown History Pop-Up Trail, but this one could go by local restaurants and talk about their history. For example, Bishops’ has an interesting history about how it started in Lawrence but is now in Lowell. The trail could go between UMass Lowell and Middlesex Community College, and it could [Read more…]

Benefit:

Draw students into the town to different restaurants and teach locals about the history of restaurants. New students may be disoriented because the schools are mixed into the City rather than having discrete campuses. Economic development and culture.
Location:

Acre, Downtown / JAM, OldIdea.

Fruit trees

Idea:

Many people in Lowell crave tropical fruits, but they are not easy to grow here. Also, there is a shortage of fruit of all types for people or wildlife. I propose planting fruit trees such as apple, apricot, mulberry, and hardy Meader persimmons in out-of-the-way areas that could benefit all for free. Maybe the canal [Read more…]

Benefit:

Fruit is nutritious and expensive. Low-income people in particular don't get enough because of cost. Growing some locally would help these people as well as pollinators, helping to form a reserve of pollinators for gardens. It would be good for the environment because fruit bought at supermarkets is sprayed and [Read more…]

Location:

Acre, OldIdea.

Garden Stepping Stones & Murals

Idea:

In the heart of Centralville, at the intersection of Jewett and West 6th street there lies a small park with a basketball court, playground and a thriving green community garden. Monsignor Keenan Park, a.k.a Eagle Park, is a hub for community engagement in Centralville and at almost any hour of the day you might see [Read more…]

Benefit:

Both art and gardening are creative expressions that contribute positively to community spaces and I would like to pair the two at Mill City Grows newest garden. Involving gardeners and community members in the creation process would open up dialogue between the two groups and add some art to the [Read more…]

Location:

Centralville, OldIdea.

Ghost Sign Projections

Idea:

Lowell has many “ghost signs” on buildings where you can see remnants of a beautiful, painted, historic advertisement. Restoring them probably isn’t feasible in the short term, but we could recreate the sign on a computer and use a projector to throw the image up on the building in its original location at night.
Benefit:

Captures an interesting fragment of lost history, adds interesting nighttime feature making Lowell feel more active and alive after dark, and builds interest in possible larger project to restore. 
Location:

Citywide, OldIdea.

Green community roof top demo

Idea:

Create a green community roof top demonstration open to the public. Vegetable gardens, rain barrels, beekeeping and eco habitat gardening with native plants that support a variety of pollinators and song birds.
Benefit:

In addition to providing food from a community vegetable garden it would provide a community gathering space, provide habitat for wildlife, vegetation for water control, and improve urban air quality, reduce energy consumption, and generally improve the quality of life for residents of the community. This is a system that [Read more…]

Location:

Downtown / JAM, OldIdea.