Saving Springfield

Link to August 7 Valley Advocate article.

Excerpt:

The overarching question, of course, is where the city will find the resources to do all it needs to do, from training workers to fixing aging infrastructure. There are signs of hope, like Gov. Deval Patrick's recent announcement of more than $2 million in state aid, including a grant for improvements in the Armory Street area, the creation of an "economic growth district" along Main and State streets, and worker-training grants for three local businesses.

Springfield also needs to build a successful development track record to draw skittish investors back to the city. What does Panagore consider the two or three most crucial projects for the city? "How about the top 16?" he asks with a laugh.

But he narrows it to two: the South End, where the decrepit Hollywood section and the site of the former Gemini factory are reminders of years of neglect; and 31 Elm Street, the handsome but largely dormant block opposite City Hall, a site that could draw new retail and revivify downtown "so we can prove to the market that downtown living can work for Springfield," Panagore says.