Since I was out-of-town, I missed the June meeting, I lifted this from the JAMBRA meeting notes.
A facade improvement program for the JAM neighborhood has been adopted. Called the JAM Flip Program, the city will provide a matching grant in amounts up to $25,000 for facade and landscape improvement. Information available at the DPD website: http://www.lowellma.gov/depts/dpd/projects/jam/JAMFLIP
Having talked to a few business owners in the JAM area who really wanted to improve the exterior of their spaces but lacked the funding, this is an exceptional idea. Since much of the JAM area is within an historic district, regulation requirements can dramatically increase the cost of an improvements.
During this year’s “Neighborhood Clean-Up Day” there was an overwhelming turn-out of volunteers in the JAM area. Many contractors, landscapers, donated time and materials to clean-up the area. For anyone who doesn’t get to Middlesex St. every morning, Tim Shanahan leads a group of volunteers, many from the Lowell Transitional Living Center, in keeping the area clean. It’s a wonderful statement about the future of the neighborhood.
You can get more at the JAMBRA wiki page.
http://jambra.wetpaint.com/
