CCC April 14 Minutes

MEETING MINUTES April 14, 2009
Present: Brett Fermeglia, Marshall Field, Jason Gibbs, Capt। Thomas Kennedy, RC Lations, Ted Lavash, Bill Lipchitz, Anne Ruthmann, Chris Samaras, and Terry Williams.

The meeting opened at 8:35 AM।

Captain Kennedy started the meeting by talking about changes that typically come with the warming weather – more noise at night on the streets as people congregate outside bars and restaurants to smoke and/or talk with others।

Marshall informed the group that Edible Arrangements is moving into 60 Merrimack Street which has been vacant since Garber Travel left। Several people remarked that the recently opened Market Street Market appears to be doing very well and is a great addition to the downtown.

Marshall talked to UMass Lowell students Brett Fermeglia, Jason Gibbs, and RC Lations about a nearby mill space that could be converted into a venue for music and the arts। The space has 5,000 square feet of open space on each of two upper floors, but the first floor still has some former mill and hydro-electric equipment in it. It needs a lot of work done to it but is centrally located and in many ways is what the students are looking for.

Anne updated the committee on the CCC blog which will need to be transferred from WordPress to Blogspot। Anne made suggestions on how the blog could be used. For example, the City’s weekly newsletter produced by Chris Samaras could be put on the Downtown blog with a link to the City’s website through a simple cut-and-paste. By doing this the newsletter becomes searchable and available to more people than those on the newsletter email list. The CCC minutes can also be easily added to the blog.

A meeting will be taking place Friday, April 24th at 3pm at CTI to finalize the design of the blog. Authors are being added as well. The importance of really promoting the blog when it comes out was brought up by the UMass students. Other blogs could be used, Facebook, and Twitter, for example. Other possibilities include advertising in downtown store windows, UMass Lowell and MCC campuses, a press release, and an email blast. The blog could also spotlight a “Business of the Week” or a cultural venue, etc. Anne will talk to the person who has developed Lowell.com to see if he is still updating the site. Chris Samaras will add information in the weekly newsletter.
The meeting adjourned at 9:30 AM.

The Next Meeting of the Stakeholder RepresentativesWill be Tuesday April 28, 2009The MCC Morse Federal Building East Merrimack Street8:30 AM. The Next Informal Meeting of the Center City CommitteeWill be Tuesday May 5, 20098:30 AMOlive That & More167 Market Street