Lowell Downtown Neighborhood Association
Minutes of the Meeting of September 28, 2023
Jack Moynihan called the meeting to order at 7:04 PM.
Treasurer Greene reported our balance at $2,212.29 which reflects a $20 deposit against no expenditures.
Approval of the minutes for the August 28 was deferred to the next meeting.
Jack introduced Captain Marisol Nobrega, the newly appointed commander of Charley District which includes downtown. Captain Nobrega has been working on introducing herself to the district and has met with other neighborhood groups and recently held a meeting with downtown business owners. She also has secured an additional officer (despite the department being short 36 officers) and is working toward greater police visibility and presence downtown. The captain reported that there were 70 arrests throughout the entire district over the past 2 months. Downtown incidents ranged from assaults(2); disorderly conduct (6); car break-ins (7); a burglary at Fuse Bistro; a robbery at an ATM at 148 Central Street; vandalism at 70 Merrimack Street. Captain Nobrega briefly discussed the shooting incident at Canal Place on September 22, stressing it was not a random incident and was still under investigation. (Subsequent to this meeting, LPD did make an arrest). Questions about homeless sleeping in doorways, noisy vehicles, and the status of the ICC came up. Captain Nobrega closed by distributing her contact information and urged DTL residents to contact her anytime.
Jack introduced Councilor Corey Robinson to speak about his idea to develop plans to utilize the upper floors of downtown garages. With the current excess of available parking spaces, the councilor spoke about the innovative approach taken in Lawrence where they converted the top floor of a garage into 4 turf fields for youth and adult sports programs. He asked the members for their ideas and received several suggestions and a good deal of support for the concept. Among the suggestions were a dog park and bocce courts.
Councilor Eric Gitchier was also in attendance, and Jack invited him to speak . He mentioned that he was filing a motion to study the possibility of demolition of the Smith Baker Center. He indicated he believes the facility has fallen into severe disrepair.
Treasurer Greene spoke next and suggested that with more than $2,000 in our account, it may be time to think about either funding a project or planning a social event in the near future. Discussion to be continued
.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned, following a motion and second by Stephen Greene andLaura Lamarre-Anderson at 8:20 PM.
Respectfully submitted
Robert Casey,
Secretary