Murray Joins Ribbon Cutting For Pittsfield StreetscapeStaff Reports, iBerkshires
03:32PM / Wednesday, July 25, 2012 | |
Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray will join city officials on Thursday to mark the completion of the downtown streetscape project. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray will be in the city on Thursday afternoon to mark the completion of the $7 million downtown streetscape project.
Murray will join Mayor Daniel Bianchi at 3:15 for a ribbon cutting at 57 North St. before visiting Interprint as part of the Patrick administration's CreativeNEXT Tour on the creative economy.
The streetscape project has taken six years in planning and construction and was made possible by an influx of state and federal funding, including $1.25 million through the efforts of U.S. Rep. John W. Olver for the North Street section. The groundbreaking was in 2009.
The primary development in the project was the reconfiguration of Park Square, which allowed traffic to travel north and south without circling the park. The project also included new sidewalks and crosswalks, bumpouts, lighting and traffic lights, plantings and other aesthetics.
The pace of the project nearly delayed the start of the popular Third Thursday in May over concerns of safety because of the uncompleted construction. But an outpouring of disappointment from local businesses and residents led the mayor to change his mind.
Murray will stop at Indian Orchard Mills earlier in the afternoon. The 100-year-old Indian Orchard complex is 300,000 square feet and is home to 130 artists, designers and small manufacturers.
Interprint is a designer and manufacturing of high-quality printed papers, including flooring and laminates.
The tours of Indian Orchard and Interprint are being billed as a way for the Massachusetts Creative Economy Council to hear from creative economy businesses, organizations and individuals.
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