FLOODING! Love it or hate it - it simply makes sense to start this project as soon as humanly possible to relieve the number one issue that is impacting both the people who live, work and travel through Peabody Square
and is holding up the discussions and actions needed to remake Downtown Peabody into a place we can all be (more?) proud to have as our own!Salem News: City seeks input on flood plan
I can't really think of a good reason to delay this project from being undertaken. This is not a brand new area where work was never done before - so one would expect few, if any, surprises to be uncovered. In fact, this area has been worked on repeatedly for the past 20+ years all in an attempt to try and find CHEAP solutions to the flooding problem. 
This is NOT a cheap solution, but instead is probably the best chance we have (in the current economic/political environment) to get a project of this magnitude underway here in Peabody.All images from Life.com
10 comments:
Sorry about the formatting issues... I hope this is readable. Blogger seems to be experiencing issues...?
FYI: Removed SPAM comment
Insider,
I believe that we need to "shit or get off the pot" with the flooding fixes in our downtown! Trouble is, the people that I know (elected officials included) do not think that the current proposed plan will help AT ALL with the problem.
Not sure if you have been a "Peabody lifer" like myself, but hey...let's think realistically here. Ever since I was a kid Peabody Square has been the armpit of Peabody! Am I proud of it? NO of course not, does it effect me in my neighborhood? NO Do I go downtown for anything? NO Why...because there is nothing there..
SEE...it is a viscious circle that continues to fester (sp?) and grow. If I had to make an educated guess how many times a year I visit the "Downtown Area" I would say maybe 4 times. 4 TIMES A FREAKIN' YEAR!!! And I have lived in Peabody my whole life of 49 years!!
Downtown is a ghetto and has been for decades since the leather factories closed! Mavroulas, Torigian, and now Bonfanti are to blame for the problem. YES the problem has been inherited, and YES none of the previousley mentioned names had the BALLS to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Building owners, Landlords, and Property Managers need to be held accountable to maintain their buildings with upgrades to keep them "current" or eminent domaine should be forced upon them (somehow) to help Peabody prosper.
A new "Out of the Box" thinking Mayor is what we need, and I do not see one currently on the council. We have heard recently of a "Medical Hub"!!!
WE ALREADY HAVE ALL THE BIG NAMES IN PEABODY!!! IS THIS GUY SMOKING A NEW BRAND OF CRACK THAT HASN'T YET HIT FOSTER STREET? THESE BIG MEDICAL EMPIRES ARE STAYING AS FAR AWAY FROM THE CENTER OF PEABODY AS POSSIBLE! Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!?
Will a real leader please step forward? One that can balance a budget and keep up with the times? Truly, that is all we really need! The budget NEEDS TO BE CUT!!! NOT IN SEFETY OR EDUCATION....JACKASS! Step up to the plate and make a difference... your so called legacy depends on it!
Well said TT, but I tend to disagree with you on the Medical Hub front. Peabody Sq is a pretty good location to bring in the ancillary businesses associated with the healthcare industry. It's conveniently located midway between the 3 largest medical centers on the North Shore; Salem Hosp, Lahey, and MGH. That alone will bring in doctors, therapists, and other business that have to commute between these facilities.
I give Bettencourt a lot of credit on this front. Its easy to sit back and criticize every proposal, its hard to through something out there to be picked apart. But that's what leadership is. Bravo for Teddy for stepping up to the plate. Its something we haven't seen since Torigian proposed Centennial park.
I can see the D.T. coming to life with medical practices BUT not in the square itself. Who in hell would want to seek health care in an area that floods? That would be the opposite of good health care! If it were that the Bettencourt idea were to come true I'd would hope it would be at least a 1000 yards beyond every direction of the monument in Peabody Square. Yes D.T. is a good location given that we have probable new and possible medical practices in the square area. Leahey is within a short distance of our present swimming hole known as Peabody Square that could take care of any medical problems that may arise.
I made a mistake !! I meant 100 yards not a 1000 yards. Sorry no one picked up it to be critical .
With all this federal money flowing....can someone tell me why Peabody is having such a difficult time getting any of it to fund this project?
I will be creating a post on the Downtown and Councilor Bettencourt's idea concerning a "medical hub" very soon.
I did not get a reply from him regarding his slideshow, but I don't blame him for not responding to anonymous emails.
But I wish he had taken the request, to publish the information online for everyone of his constituants to see, as a serious one. I think many citizens of Peabody would like to better understand his idea.
To Anon (Re: funding the flooding mitigation project):
I don't think the project funding is in question here. The funds are in place, I believe...
But perhaps you are referring to a complete and comprehensive reconstruction of the entire area of the City (both Cities, Peabody and Salem?) that is affected by flooding: the upstream, the Square/Downtown and the downstream.
This would be whopper of a project costing 100's of Millions of dollars and would effectively shutdown Downtown for 2-3 years (wild guesstimate here, but based on figures I have heard used in the media and from comments by public officials.)
I would love to see a Downtown that never floods but NOBODY is ever going to fund that project.
OG says....
OG hasn't missed...still beating the same dead horse issues...if this was a TV show it would have been cancelled after three episodes....my God the progress is snail-like isn't it? hints of gray now appear on my head....the kids get older and bigger....the odometer keeps going up in the OG -Mobile....nothing changes here in Dark City with these issues...nothing changes folks...
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