Residents discuss ideas for revitalized mill, riverfront
By Don Eriksson
Staff Writer
Groton Landmark,
October 31, 2008
(Emphasis added by the Campaign)
PEPPERELL -- Citizen's ideas for the future of the paper mill and the town itself were noted during a three-hour public "visioning" session facilitated by Northern Middlesex Council of Governments (NMCOG) members at the Senior Center.
As chairman of the Mill Site Study Committee, Selectman Joseph Sergi said, "This is part of the community process to determine what we want on an important, 14-acre site in the heart of our town."
Information gathered at last weekend's session will apply not only to the mill site but to a master plan for "downtown" Pepperell -- meaning Railroad Square and its environs -- that NMCOG will help develop.
Rep. Robert Hargraves, who with Sen. Steven Panagiotakos pushed Pepperell's designation as an Economic Target Area (ETA) through the Legislature, congratulated Pepperell for making "the appropriate decision at the right time last May (town meeting). You're on the right track," he said. "It will be wonderful to see what you come up with."
Sergi advised participants that the session was not a "waste of time" because "the Board of Selectmen and Planning Board can use this (mill site master plan) to negotiate" with mill owner Perry Videx LLC and any developer that may purchase the property.
The mill could be sold at any time. However, the owner is partially paying for development of town preference.
Establishment as an ETA, and with it the listing of the mill as a Economic Opportunity Area and town approval of a 180-day streamlined permitting process under state law Chapter 43D, will open up the mill's visibility and can pique developer interest, Sergi said. With the 43D designation comes $60,000 from the state with which to develop permitting.
NMCOG assistant director Jay Donovan, with staff members Beverly Wood and David Scotia, facilitated development of preference lists.
Donovan spoke to the importance of local ideas.
"This is not for us nor Boston to tell you what's important. It's for you to tell us," Donovan said. "We're trying to focus on the mill site, Railroad Square and the river as a whole."
Charts of varying responses were made, to which participants affixed several colors of sticky "dots" to indicate importance. Topics and responses included the following.
Strengths
Pepperell has a great natural environment and includes the Nashua and Nissitissit Rivers, good access via Routes 113 and 111, strong cooperation between property owners and the town, and relative affordability, participants noted.
The mill site is a great location and is a large parcel with historical significance as well as an established infrastructure.
Railroad Square also is historically significant, has infrastructure, along with access to the Rail Trail and marketability.
The Nashua River has excellent water quality, is popular for recreation and a source for renewable energy and has a pristine setting. A smallish town population guarantees maintaining a rural feel.
Weaknesses
There is too much traffic, limited access to main roads and a lack of cultural diversions such as a movie theater. The river front is susceptible to flooding (particularly a large portion of mill land), the industrial/commercial tax base is puny, there is a lack of public transportation and residents seem to spend money out of town, participants said.
Davis Hobbs, Swift River Hydro vice president and one of the partners in Pepperell Hydro Co., LLC, reminded participants that his company has deeded water rights to the river, except for an 18-inch pipeline that once brought water to the mill interior buried beside the company-owned red garage at the dam.
"That's not a threat," he added. "We're all for this and we'll do whatever we can. We're not a negative by any stretch of the imagination."
The hydro plant can be loud, some thought, and Massachusetts is so over-regulated that it makes nearby New Hampshire attractive to many residents.
Railroad Square's weaknesses include parking, insufficient design for the current population, limited dining options and buildings that aren't large enough to accommodate major retail outlets which the population couldn't support anyway. There are also physical restrictions on development, the square isn't walkable and it needs a face-lift, and there is not much to attract visitors and residents, people said.
Opportunities
Participants in the visioning session listed several opportunities for a revitalized Pepperell. The list includes brew houses and restaurants, opening up the riverfront, and trails to connect open spaces.
The Department of Fisheries and Wildlife owns the hilltop to the north of the covered bridge. The state owns the small parcel by the bridge (abutting Lowell Street) where there is opportunity for a park. The town owns the land between the Nashua and Nissitissit Rivers behind the Senior Center. There is resulting connectivity from Main Street all the way to the town land.
Some felt the mill site could support small cottage-style clustered homes or senior housing.
There is, participants felt, an opportunity to address traffic improvements, to preserve the area's historic nature, to build central office space and perhaps a wellness center or college extension, all using green technology while maintaining a "nice, little town."
Threats
Looming large is the threat of unfriendly development if the mill site is sold without town input. Potential environmental concerns if the site is disturbed, including flooding, worried some participants. One saw an increase in crime levels occurring.
However, the greatest threat to the downtown's potential is to do nothing, residents felt.
