LOWELL — Old and new Lowell was on the agenda during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, with business ranging from signs to solar panels and from energy rates to sustainability.
Historic landmarks were on the minds of Councilors Corey Robinson and Rita Mercier, who asked City Manager Tom Golden for updates on the potential restoration of The Sun and Spaghettiville signs.
“That’s a historic sign in the city,” Mercier said of the rusted out and faded “Welcome to Spaghettiville” sign affixed to the train bridge at the intersection Gorham and Moore streets. The sign harkens to a time when the Prince Pasta company dominated that area of the city.
Referred to by many as Lowell’s Citgo sign, The Sun sign has been a downtown fixture since at least the early 1940s, sitting atop the 10-story Sun Building in Kearney Square. When the company left the building in 1979, the newspaper entered a 99-year lease with the new property owner to maintain the sign.
Almost a year ago, the Department of Planning and Development estimated the cost of upgrading and converting the sign from neon to LED to be $59,580, with sources of funding to be determined.
During the day, the sign can be seen from many vantage points in the city, and nighttime illumination would be a wayfinder to the downtown business district.
The council unanimously approved the motion.
Councilor Paul Ratha Yem’s motion asked Golden to have the proper department explore amending the current site improvements plan to the area in front of Nibbana Café and Tasty Dumpling off Market Street to include solar panels on the outdoor shade seating areas.
“The project was created to create an urban space for both businesses,” Yem said.
In February, the Historic Board approved the construction of an outdoor seating pavilion with landscaping at 355 Market St. in the Downtown Lowell Historic District.
The privately owned parcel was formerly an asphalt-paved parking lot, but the location has been used by both businesses, which face significant indoor seating constraints, for temporary outdoor seating.
The board worked with a project team including designers, as well as the city’s Economic Development Office, on site review and permitting for the project, which received $200,000 in funding from MassDevelopment under the Transformative Development Initiative program.
TDI provides funding sources for Gateway Cities designed to accelerate economic growth at the neighborhood level. The program works with local partnerships to create more vibrant streets.
Lowell’s TDI District includes the upper Merrimack and Market Street corridors of the Acre neighborhood.
“If we can incorporate solar panels on the roofs of those outdoor seating that will provide a charging station and lighting,” Yem said.
Resident Stephen Malagodi was a registered speaker on the motion submitted by Councilors Vesna Nuon, Erik Gitschier and Wayne Jenness to request Golden reach out to the state Department of Public Utilities asking them to hold a public hearing in Lowell regarding National Grid’s electric base rate.
Among its many responsibilities, the DPU oversees investor-owned electric power, natural gas and water companies.
Malagodi, who said he represented 350 Mass of Greater Lowell, an independent climate change and energy advocacy organization, said the group was “surprised” that DPU didn’t schedule hearings in the fifth largest city in the commonwealth.
“We were surprised that DPU scheduled hearings in Lawrence but not in Lowell,” he said. “In the past, the cost burdens have fallen and continue to fall on the working poor who pay a greater proportion of their income for housing, transportation and home energy than those of wealthier means.”
He told the council that 350 Mass supported the motion and efforts to “adopt a progressive rate structure that takes into account the cost and distributes those costs in a fair and equitable manner across the social landscape.”
Prior to a unanimous vote of approval on the motion, Nuon said that holding a hearing in Lowell would allow residents in Lowell and in neighboring communities to attend.
“We need to be heard because this is going to impact our residents,” he said.
The sustainability conversation included remarks by Jay Mason, who was stepping down as chair of the Sustainability Council.
“It’s been a long time since I first came here and advocated for sustainability,” he said. “It’s exciting to see that the city has adopted a sustainability division. It’s really exciting that we’ve taken that charge and we’re going to execute that responsibility.”
He praised Katherine Moses, who started as an energy manager with the city nine years ago, before being selected as the director of the newly created Sustainability Division under the Department of Public Works.
“I’m looking forward for the city to set the example for the Merrimack Valley,” Mason said.
Committee member Mikaela Hondros-McCarthy will take over as chair.
Budgets and budgeting rounded out the agenda, with Gitschier asking Golden for a list of all the positions currently funded with American Rescue Plan Act money.
“The ARPA money is one-time funds, with end dates,” Gitschier said. “I’d like to see a list of the jobs that are actually funded through ARPA and what our plans are when the ARPA money stops.”
Councilor John Leahy’s motion asked the manager to reach out to the council for input regarding the upcoming fiscal 2025 budget, which must be approved by June, and the upcoming union contract negotiations.
