Jackie Ballance: Northampton’s own ‘Big Dig’

Downtown Northampton over Main Street.

Downtown Northampton over Main Street. GAZETTE FILE PHOTO

Published: 10-30-2024 4:32 PM

The Gazette featured tongue-in-cheek humor on top of the Oct. 28 front page. The article “$11M in state grants to flow to region” reported that “Northampton’s money [$25,000] will develop a construction mitigation plan to help downtown businesses thrive during the two-year ‘Picture Main Street’ reconstruction.”

In the first place, the notion of a two-year window for the reconstruction of Main Street is obviously a joke. To make my point about road reconstruction, I’ll offer two words: Damon Road. As the Gazette already reported on Oct. 19, Northampton will spend its $25K just for an expert consultant, no doubt from outside our community, to help plan for those mitigation efforts for downtown businesses and residents.

I’m surprised that with all the talent in City Hall, we have to outsource this key piece of the plan at this late date. Why isn’t the mitigation plan already well underway with meaningful input from the actual people most affected? It sounds like the city is moving forward full speed with its controversial Main Street “Big Dig” and paying a consultant to come up with, to quote a major political personality, “the concept of a plan” to get Main Street businesses and residents through a construction nightmare.

Not good enough. The plan should be in place before ground is broken. By the way, my bookie says the odds favor five years for the Main Street job, minimum.

Jackie Ballance

Florence