Please Join Us On Facebook - Lowell Live Feed Forum

I had this idea. It is not unique or stupendous in any way. But, it did take a bit of nurturing and elbow grease to get it off the ground.

It's simple, actually.

Lowellians should talk to each other. Face to face is best. When that can't happen, we should meet in the most convenient way. Maybe, this forum can be that way?

As a blogger, I value discussion, even heated debate. What this group can provide, afforded by the tool of Facebook, is to have these exchanges with our true identity.

Please bring your voice, your vision for Lowell, and your friends to join us here.

Lowell Live Feed Forum (Link)

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Swapping Out Print Dopes For Digital Dignity

Most of you know, I refer to The Sun as "The Blog of Record." I say this because it mixes what, I think, are First Amendment foundations with an evolving trend in the Digital Era (Link).

For clarity, Wiki defines a chunk of my re-branding:

A newspaper of record is a major newspaper that has a large circulation and whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered professional and typically authoritative. A newspaper of record may also be a publicly available newspaper that has been authorized or maintained by a government to publish public or legal notices, and therefore serves as a "newspaper of public record."
(bold mine)

As for "The Blog .." part, readers of The Sun will get it, especially those that have read it for decades, watching it's rather abrupt decline since Jim Camapanini took the helm. For those of you who are new to The Sun, or just minimize touching "dead tree" print products, I'll redirect you to a diary I did in October 2013, A Blogger's Sin (Link). The short of it is, in my opinion, our local newspaper is in its death throes. Instead of going out with some dignity, they have opted to go kicking and screaming, foregoing principles of journalism, while embracing a modern brand of "Yellow Journalism" that employs a reckless type of "political pornography" to boost circulation.

Under Campi, The Sun has 'jumped the shark,' spiraling downward to the level of amateur hobbyists. I don't mean to disparage bloggers or the effort many put into blogging. The point is, a professional news organization is supposed to have so many more tools at their disposal. They are supposed to render a product that meets the standard of the "Fourth Estate." This is a function spelled out by our Founders, inscribed in our Constitution.

As the print news industry withers (Link), The Sun has seemingly opted to surrender to the easy road to black ink.

For example,

Lowell's "Cult of Personality"

Apparently, JMac is ticked off that I likened his Plan of Nothing to this -

JMac Plan

He is on WCAP, as I type, ranting on his AM Infomercial.

I've stated repeatedly, I am open minded regarding the decision to locate the Lowell High School. I should note, the fact that I am willing to consider the South Common has put me at odds with several of my political pals. So be it. The difference between me and JMac is that I am not paid to rule out the Downtown location. My opinion belongs to me, not the highest bidder.

What's interesting about JMac's vaporous tirade, he is citing the work of Sal Lupoli in Lawrence. That makes sense, as this is all that JMac knows. And listening, it is clear that JMac worships Lupoli.

Here is the gist of JMac's pushback to my "City of Oz" jab.

His proof that something will work at the corner of Arcand & Fr. Morissette is


No, really!

Jeff Speck Responds in Writing

Gerry Nutter reached out to noted Urban Planner, Jeff Speck. He posted about it on this blog's Facebook page - Lowell Live Feed Forum (Link). I've posted the content below the hash tags.

Please comment here, or join us on Facebook.

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I emailed Jeff Speck and invited him on Saturday Morning Live to try and give him the opportunity to address the items teddy can't seem to shake. He instead responded and gave me permission to post his reply in full.

Hi Gerry! Thanks for asking, and for the vote of confidence.

I have to decline, because don't work Saturdays, and also because I would make a soup of it, not having set foot in Lowell in almost four years. But here is what I want to say.

First, as the record shows and the folks at the Lowell Plan can attest, I spoke with literally hundreds of people in dozens of meetings, large and small, over a full month spent in Lowell. I challenge you to find another nationally active planner who has spent as much time in your community.

Second, I did speak to Chris Scott, but the School Superintendent's position was not enough to outweigh the vast majority who spoke in favor of keeping the High School downtown, including the High School's Principal and students.

Third, whatever public opinion, there are many compelling reasons for keeping the high school downtown. These are outlined in my report. In any of this debate, has anyone gone back to my report and read the arguments for the current site? Instead of having me on your show, can you please just read that passage?

I was about to repeat its salient points, here, but they are all in the report. If anything, the past four years have made me even more confident in them. PLEASE READ THEM!

My goal is for your city to thrive, and if you read my book Walkable City, you will understand why the city can't thrive unless the downtown thrives. If you think that those school kids are a nuisance -- and I know some shop-keepers do -- just wait and see how your downtown feels with a big hole in the middle and its sidewalks empty every morning and afternoon.

And I personally will be sure to show up when Lowell wins the National Dumb Growth Award for throwing out its centrally-located transit-served historic high school in favor of a shiny new sprawl bomb on the edge of town.

Best, JBS

Lowell High School - Bullshit and Blather

There is a very vocal minority in Lowell, that is trying desperately to degrade public confidence in the VERY PUBLIC process that has played out for close to a decade (or more) about what Lowell should do with modernizing the Lowell High School. Unfortunately, that minority has a large presence in the Blog of Record and WCAP.

There was a time when news organizations could be trusted to help residents sort through confusing details, especially when those concerns involved large scale political decisions and expenditure of taxpayers dollars. The reality is, legacy media is desperate to survive. As such, I don't recommend putting any stock in what they bellow. To be honest, I don't recommend putting any stock in what I blurt out, here.

As Lowellians, you have a responsibility to figure out the shit from Shinola. If you can't do that, then you better be especially careful when you go vote. Because someone is going to sign off on a plan. If I was to recommend anything, it would be this - DO NOT leave big decisions to little people.

I want to address two things, in this sitting. First, did Lowell have a public process to get Lowell where we are, right now. Second, what is Corey Belanger thinking?

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I've already answered to the frothy gurgling of WCAP (Link).

The internet is covered in public fingerprints:

Downtown Summit 2011 (Link)
The Speck Plan (Link)
Lowell Plan- UML: Downtown Initiative Report (Link)
Sustainable Lowell 2025 - The Master Plan (Link)

Radio Reject

For some odd reason, Teddy Panos has been on a tear, growling about downtown economic development. You're all big and ugly enough to sort through the fodder for yourselves. But, I thought I'd point out (Link):

Attention to detail is not Teddy's strong suit.

The Lupoli - Belanger Connection

On WCAP, this morning, Corey Belanger asserted the South Common site was the best place for a new high school to be built.

In the same breaths, Belanger also labored to prove out that students going to and fro from school are deleterious for most of the business in the DT. If we take that as gospel, Sal Lupoli is gonna be pretty pissed about moving the LHS to South Common. Twice a day, pedestrian students will stream, from the Highlands and South Lowell, like lemmings, past the Thorndike miracle.

Or, just maybe, the student rush hours hold a promise of riches for those in the right place, selling the right stuff?

By fronting the South Common location, Belanger has tied himself to Lupoli. But, is it by a "brass ring" or an "albatross?"