July 15, 2010

Creative Economy Initiative Part II

Over the past ten years, if not more, I have attended meetings of the South Worcester Industrial Park (SWIP).    I don't go anymore?   Why?

Three years ago SWIP put a pacel of land that the city assembled and decided to award the 13 acre parcel to Pharmashpere for $1 when an abutter offered 50K.   Myself I liked the 50K offer from the abutter versus the one dollar offer?

I even asked a represenaitve from the City of Worcester what weight our input, the neighbohood who met monthly or whenever a meeting was called, had? Answer--none!      No BS the representative told us we had no input. So why do I take time out of my day to help SWIP move forward? I don't anymore and Pharmasphere has yet to take title to the property for $1.

Why do I bring this up?   The City of Worcester comes up with $40,000 to give out in areas that  I feel myself and others can have an input as to how it should be packaged and nobody asks us??? 

4 comments:

Jahn Dough said...

Bill ya know I was thinking last night after my last email on this $40,000 giveaway (up to $5,000 per peson) for bringing foot traffic and or job(s) to downtown and it think the article said some of the surrounding areas too??

I am being serious here now. Can anyone tell me why Pualies NOLA Fest shouldnt apply and immedialtely be awarded $5,000? Maybe he already has? If not then someone got dime up the Davis Sq Dude and plant this idea in his Winterhill brain???

Then on the other hand I think to myself we pay these Econ. Dev'ment and neighborhood services bureacrats good money to bring peopel and jobs to Worcester. Now we have to run a contest and pay others for what they are supposed to be doing. But hey it's only money from washington DC so who cares.......right? $400,000 to build a low income housing unit in the ghetto.....hey its' only money from DC ....so who cares right???

Anonymous said...

Bill - City did reach out to property owners along Main - I represented Hadley at a meeting or two. If you own any property within their Creative district, I would expect that they would have reached out to you at some point....

Eric K.
Worc., MA

Jahn Dough said...

Think about it, the city gives the Hand It Over Theatre, $4,000,000 in direct subsidies ( per Sutner?) plus God knows how much more in smaller amounts and other more indirect giveaways like a make over of the Pathenon Pathway, the Fed'l Sq garage facade clean up and others................now everyone is supposed to stand on collective their collective heads and spit nickels for a paltry $5,000?

If was an astsy kinda guy I would tell them to keep their god dam brad crums and they can all take a looooong walk on a short.
pier.

Should this miniscule $40,000/$5,000 prize be deemed spin over from The Hand It Over Theatre......or just plain SPIN?.......meanwhile back at The Hand It Over Ranch they got their hands out for million dollar+ loan guarantee to get their reataurant off the ground?

Anyone beginning to feel like a mushroom........keep us in the dark and feed us bovine fecal matter.

David Z. said...

Eric, seeing you seem to have some involvement with the Hadley building redevelopment, what is the status of the retail spaces? Also, what is the occupancy rate of the apartments.