What's up for Worcester?

Forward progress or business
as usual - it could go either
way this year.

By Chris Kanaracus

You could call 2000 the "Year of the Plan" when it comes to Worcester's future. New politicians arrived on the scene, new action plans were prepared, and plenty of hand-wringing occurred. But in terms of tangible results, there weren't many. As of this writing, three areas seem the most ripe for improvement or failure: economic development and city life, Worcester arts and culture, and the face of local politics. Here's our take on what could lie ahead this year.

While multiple task forces focusing on what to do with abandoned buildings, Union Station, and the economically depressed downtown area were formed, major movement on their findings is pending. Add the sudden departure of chief development officer Everett Shaw in December, and derailment seems possible. Just prior to his announcement, Shaw was set to be the single man in charge of Worcester's various development bodies. In the past, cooperation between groups like the Office of Planning and Community Development and the Worcester Redevelopment Authority was undermined by each faction's relative autonomy.

Although Shaw's last day is January 5, no replacement has been named. At least eight possible candidates -- including former state senator Robert A. Bernstein and Chamber of Commerce official Philip J. Niddrie -- have been leaked in recent weeks, but nothing's been confirmed. Then, last week, Worcester Magazine political writer Martha Akstin made an impassioned plea that current mayor Raymond V. Mariano be offered the job, which should set the rumor mill a-turnin' even faster.

At-large city councilor Konstantina Lukes says she's heard as little concrete information as the rest of us concerning a replacement, but suggests it could be a while yet, and also that the job's description and duties could change. "My sense is it's not firm yet. I see this thing going through some redrafting," says Lukes.

In the opinion of former mayor and current WTAG (AM 580) talk show host Jordan Levy, the biggest thing from a development standpoint in 2001 will be a utilization plan for Union Station, which despite a gala opening earlier this year, remains free of rent-paying tenants and is short on trains and other forms of transportation. Levy praises city manager Tom Hoover's recent formation of a focus group to fix the problems (although one wonders exactly where the cart and the horse are placed, since the station opened about a year ago) but with a caveat: "[Union Station] is never going to be a cash cow. We have to stop looking at it that way. Level funded, perhaps, but not a cash cow." Currently, the station is on track to run an operating deficit of about $440,000 each year.

Then there are those big projects currently in limbo. Plans for the long-hoped for new courthouse slated for the parcel of land next to the Sh-Boom's nightclub on Main Street are still bogged down in legal maneuverings. Blocking the $125 million, 400,000 square

foot project is an lawsuit filed by businessman Philip O. Shwachman, owner of the Gilman building, which houses Sh-Boom's, and the parcels of land at 201-249 Main Street where the courthouse would be built.

Shwachman has expressed virulent discontent with the state's handling of the land-taking process. Others see a different motive; that Shwachman wishes to finagle a compromise that would allow him to build a hotel on part of the site. Such a deal could require razing the nearby Central Fire Station. So far, officials have rejected the idea.

Shwachman's cause also gained support when the Massachusetts Historical Commission recommended the Gilman building be placed on the National Register of Historic Properties. The process requires a lengthy review (including public hearings) that could take several months or even longer.

That delay, say courthouse backers, could scuttle the project. The money for its construction has been approved by the Legislature and Governor Paul Cellucci has voiced strong support, but many fear the dispute could extend all the way to June 2003, when the state authorization of the funds would expire.

State officials still hope to use eminent domain powers to acquire the property, which could supercede even the Gilman building's historic status. But the process is far from over. Where downtown's makeup is concerned, the courthouse project will be one to watch in 2001.

Downtown's most active retail center, the Worcester Common Outlets mall, seems to have an uncertain future as well. For sure, locals have predicted the mall's imminent demise with regularity (see "Shop of Horrors," March 17, 2000) without result.

Yet the ever-persisent rumor mill has it that business was terrible this season. And a recent Dianne Williamson Telegram & Gazette column all but tagged the mall's toe, describing horrific (for middle-aged, wealthy shoppers) scenes of teenage loitering, shoplifting, and wasteland-like surroundings.

Making things a little more tricky for the city council and manager is the matter of the mall's tax-increment financing, or TIF agreement, which was struck with the city at the time of the Outlet's 1994, $50 million overhaul. The TIF gave mall owners New England Development and CIGNA Realty Trust $13 million in tax breaks over 20 years, provided the owners added 100,000 feet of additional retail space by 1999. Needless to say, that hasn't happened.

A request for comment faxed to Chelsea GCA, the New Jersey-based realty trust which manages the Outlets, elicited no reply by press time.

Also, efforts to find uses for the ample empty space in the bowels of the mall haven't moved along much since March, when a partnership between the mall and the Worcester Business Development Corporation was formed. And a planned movie theater in the former General Cinemas, located underneath the Applebee's restaurant, is on hold pending approval of a beer and wine license. Owner Leslie Courtney first applied for the license in December, but was temporarily rejected by the License Commission, first for unfixed code violations and second because Courtney wished to serve alcohol in all three of the theater's screening rooms. The License Commission has suggested Courtney open a beer and wine "garden" in the lobby, or restrict serving alcohol to one theater.

For sure, the Common Outlets needs to flourish if Worcester's downtown is to be revived. Last July, the Centre City Development Corporation, a 50-person committee composed of politicians, activists and downtown business owners formed by Everett Shaw, released an exhaustive downtown action plan. Among other things, the plan hopes to create new housing, boost arts-related activities, and create incentives for new businesses.

Observers like Levy are skeptical of the Centre City plan's chances. "With the economy slowing down, capital risk things like that are even more risky. There's so much risk for business types down there right now that you'd really have to give away the farm in order for people to move in." At least one step in that direction, though, has taken place. In November the city council approved changing the city's tax structure to place more of a burden on homeowners.

Also still on deck is a new vocational high school, which officials hope to build on 5.8 acres of Green Hill Park off Skyline Drive and part of the former Belmont Home. Voke's current location in Lincoln Square has been run down and inadequate in size for years. In fact, the New England Association of Schools & Colleges has threatened to revoke its accreditation if the facility isn't replaced by the end of 2001.

The city settled on Green Hill after other parcels, such as the former Wyman-Gordon factory on Madison Street, were deemed too costly to purchase and prepare for construction. The state's School Building Assistance Act provides up to a 90 percent reimbursement of the construction costs of new school buildings. But it doesn't include land acquisition costs.

Park land is essentially free to the city, though not necessarily free from litigation. In 1999, the grassroots Green Hill Park Coalition filed an appeal with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection in an attempt to overturn a wetlands permit granted to the city. The Coalition maintains the 5.8 acres in question contain vernal pools and other lifeform-harboring features that are protected under wetlands law. A woman returning a call placed to city solicitor David Moore said both parties are still awaiting a decision from the DEP. In any case, Voke's future one way or the other could be decided this year.

There are some signs, however, that 2001 could begin a shift away from mega-project-itis. "Neighborhoods. That's a story for 2001," says Frank Kartheiser, director of Worcester Interfaith. Since last fall, the group has been organizing neighborhood groups with "house meetings," informal gatherings held at area churches. The group's ultimate goal is to secure some of the $6 million in federal block grant funds Worcester currently receives each year and direct them to previously overlooked neighborhood initiatives. The group hopes to present their desires to city leaders at a "neighborhood convention" this spring. (The Phoenix has been following Interfaith's progress and attending house meetings for several months. Look for an expanded feature in an upcoming issue).

Neighborhood-based efforts are in the works at the city level, too. Still pending an announcement is the city manager's planned "neighborhood cabinet," which would consist of representatives from areas like Main South, Vernon Hill and Chandler Street. An announcement seemed imminent as long as three months ago, but is now slated for January 9. "The wheels turn slowly in city government," says William J. Breault, perhaps the city's most visible activist and, if we were guessing, a likely cabinet member.

Along with the neighborhood cabinet, Breault points to promising, neighborhood-based works in progress like the Main South Community Development Corporation's $5 million overhaul of Oread Street in Beacon-Brightly. When completed the project will add nine new units and 25 refurbished apartments to the street, which for decades has been a bleak shadow of its former, upper-middle-class past.

Breault also expects the Gardner-Kilby-Hammond Street initiative to proceed soon, as well. In theory, the $30 million, public and private project will produce athletic fields, a new Boys & Girls Club, and perhaps 100 new units of affordable housing. Clark University is heavily involved in the endeavor. So far, about $1.7 million in federal funds have been committed to the project. Getting the rest will certainly be time-consuming, but this particular effort seems to have good chances; Congressman James McGovern has repeatedly referred to it as his top priority for Worcester.

Christine Proffitt, Worcester's cultural liaison officer, sounds positive about the state of the arts in 2001. "We finally have all the people in place. There's a spirit of collaboration out there. . .you know, like `things are really going to happen.'" Proffitt was hired last September to improve the relationship between local artists and city government.

She's not totally off-base, either: there's at least one new arts festival set to hit town. In April and May, the Worcester Art Museum will serve as a satellite venue for the Boston Cyber Arts Festival, a biannual affair focusing on "new media" art, first established in 1999. Proffitt says she's working with festival director George Fitfield to make Worcester's participation in 2003 a city-wide effort (Note: The Phoenix Communications/Media Group, parent company of the Worcester Phoenix, is a major sponsor of the Boston Cyber Arts Festival).

Proffitt has particularly high hopes for the planned "cultural corridor," which would create a visible path stretching from the Worcester Art Museum to the Main South-based arts district. "[This year] you'll start seeing visible elements to the cultural corridor in the way of signage and other things," says Proffitt.

Crediting Chamber of Commerce director Mark Love, Proffitt expects the relationship between the arts and local businesses will grow. One plan will be to offer area businesses discounted memberships to organizations such as the Worcester Art Museum. Also, the Chamber is brokering "marriages" between businesses and arts groups. With money gained from the partnerships, backers hope to present cultural events downtown.

Another idea floated by Proffitt is the possible creation of a massive arts information database, with everyone submitting their listings. Proffitt's job would be to ensure the info is timely and accurate. Not a bad concept, but it's also a little unoriginal and a bit redundant when you consider Worcester's three newspapers are already overflowing with arts listings on a daily and weekly basis - the Phoenix, as you may have noticed, devotes an entire section to them.

Other parts of the Arts District plan need more attention, however. The Burwick building, which was first chosen to anchor the District, remains shuttered since the Community Builders Inc., a non-profit group who hoped to renovate the building, pulled out after it was found existing damage would make an overhaul too costly.

In 1998, the McDonald's corporation made a push to buy the site for a possible restaurant. They were turned down by the Zoning Board of Appeals. To be sure, Worcester has more than enough Golden Arches. But since Ronald and friends left town, no takers have surfaced for the Burwick building, which is looking dingier every day.

Since then things have moved along, albeit slightly down the block. Businessman Ediberto Santiago announced plans in December to renovate the former Mart building on Main Street. The $1.8 million-plus project, which could revive a long-suffering block, will also benefit from a TIF agreement with the city. Let's hope that's not the only one.

Politically speaking, don't expect many fireworks until the fall, when municipal elections will be held. The contest every political observer is salivating over has to be the upcoming mayor's race. Although wounded by a stinging defeat for Clerk of Courts against incumbent Loring Lamoureux, many say current mayor Raymond V. Mariano will take another stab at it. Mariano himself has deflected the suggestion, for now.

But should Mariano decline a fourth term, the field will likely get crowded in a hurry. At-large councilor Tim Murray has been pegged as the next hizzoner for some time, and has already (albeit quietly) announced his intentions to run for the job. In addition to Murray's, there are names like district councilor Dennis Irish, who has made some strides as a development booster during his first term. Most put Murray as the favorite, however, due to his diligently crafted, broad base of support.

The rumor mill is churning about potential City Council candidates as well, including a possible challenge to longtime District 4 Councilor Janice Nadeau from former state representative candidate, grassroots activist, and occasional Worcester Phoenix contributor Joe O'Brien.

In past election cycles, others, such as Hispanic activist Maritza Cruz, have tried to unseat Nadeau, but have failed. Many observers say this is due to voter indifference in much of the awkwardly-shaped district, which snakes from the Webster Square area to Highland Street, with most of downtown in between. Nadeau's base in solidly blue-collar, voter-heavy South Worcester has been enough every time.

In any case, the council will have its share of contentious issues to deal with this year. In early Spring, expect heated debate over fluoridating the city's water supply, an idea that's back on the table four years after local voters overwhelmingly defeated it with a ballot question.

Ongoing contract talks with unions representing city workers over raises could create a fiscal squeeze play. Initially when contracts ran out last summer, city manager Hoover claimed there wasn't money in the budget for pay increases. While the council later authorized about $2.5 million in emergency funds to grant union workers three percent raises, late last year Hoover gave most of his top administrators raises beginning at 4.1 percent and going as high as 6.7 percent. The move has rankled union leadership and could drag out contract talks for months.

Beyond council activity, the local statehouse delegation gained a couple of new faces this past election season. The prosperous 13th District, which covers the West Side and part of Paxton, lost three-term incumbent Harriette Chandler to the state senate seat vacated by Robert A. Bernstein, but gained energetic Democrat Robert Spellane, 30. For a first-time candidate, Spellane showed surprising organizational skills and fundraising ability and a knack for effectively on-message campaigning in fashioning his win over Republican James Lukes.

James Leary, also a Democrat and similar in age to Spellane at 33, is also a first-timer, having knocked off three-term incumbent William J. McManus. Leary may have some catching up to do. Out of any local legislator, McManus best fit the title "statehouse insider," forging close relationships with both House Speaker Thomas Finneran and Governor Paul Cellucci and landing an appointment as co-chair of the powerful Steering, Policy and Scheduling Committee. McManus maintained his bipartisan alliances were good for the district. But many local observers -- to be fair, mostly disgruntled Democrats -- griped they were better for McManus's alleged hunt for a plush appointed job. However, no such job has yet materialized for McManus.

During the campaign, both Spellane and Leary paid some lip service to the idea they'd be firebrands at the Statehouse, facing down leadership for the good of the district. Don't count on it, according to Levy. "[Spellane and Leary] are doomed to fail if they try to resurrect the Golden Dome. The Speaker controls the House. They have to keep their heads down and play ball. That's the way it is in any state."

The real winner could be State Senator Harriette Chandler, who takes over the 1st Worcester seat from the well-liked Robert A. Bernstein. Chandler boasts one of the strongest political organizations in the county and has a seemingly Teflon reputation; both of which could also pay off for the Worcester area.

The blueprints are in place for a mostly promising year. But that notion is far from certain. Lest we get too starry-eyed, perennial contrarian Konstantina Lukes has a message for us: "Plans are only as good as their implementation. Worcester has a habit of disliking change, no matter how much we say we want it. And not all change is progress. I want to see progress." Don't we all?

Chris Kanaracus can be reached at ckanaracus[a]phx.com.