City, Sun Santa Team Up to Help Fire Victims
Needles aimed at hard to reach population Covid-19 Vaccines
Lowell General Hospital’s mass vaccination site at the Cross River Center isn’t normally open on Wednesdays, but this week it was for a good reason. The 1001 Pawtucket Blvd. site opened Wednesday morning to vaccinate about 1,000 members of the hardest- to- reach communities in the region, thanks to a partnership with the Greater Lowell Health Alliance. https://bit.ly/32hu54F …
Bryanna Payne, a case manager at Community Teamwork Inc., joined clients in getting vaccinated Wednesday. She said it was a relief to get the vaccine and to see so many others getting vaccinated.
“ I think it’s amazing,” Payne, of Leominster, said of the effort. “ I think it’s super important for it to be accessible to all the populations of Lowell.”..
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Merrimack River Mariner “crosses the bar”
“Crossing the bar” is a common term in boating that refers to the death of a mariner
Armand ‘Butch’ Milot led Lowell Motor Boat Club
The late commodore in the place he loved, on the Merrimack River, in front of the Lowell Motor Boat Club on July 10, 2018.
By SCOTT SHURTLEFF |
PUBLISHED: April 7, 2021 at 6:14 a.m. | UPDATED: April 7, 2021 at 6:15 a.m.
LOWELL – “Crossing the bar” is a common term in boating that refers to the death of a mariner.
Last month Armand “Butch” Milot “crossed the bar” at 71 years old, but his bright spirit continues to moor itself inside the Lowell Motor Boat Club.
Milot was the longest serving commodore in the 146-year-old club’s history, serving at its helm for 27 years, overseeing finances, maintaining the boathouse and recruiting members to the popular club whose ocean is a wonderful stretch of the Merrimack River upstream from the Pawtucket Dam all the way into Southern New Hampshire.
In his wake and at his wake, a community grieves but remains grateful to have known the man who touched so many lives.
“He was a great leader,” said long-time member John Marchand. “He was not afraid to get his hands dirty; grab a shovel in the winter or cut the grass. When other members see him doing maintenance, they would chip in. Everything is done in-house and Butch was the one to delegate. And no one questioned him; out of respect for the man not so much the title.”
The flag at the Lowell Motor Boat Club recently flew at half-mast to honor the passing of the club’s longtime leader, Armand “Butch” Milot. Milot’s friend, John Marchand, left, and the club’s new commodore, John Manning, admire the flagpole that Milot installed.
In October 2020, Armand “Butch” Milot with YouthBuild member Derek Monroig.
Armand (Butch) Milot receiving his well-deserved Retired Commodore’s Flag on 30 June 2020 after serving as Commodore of the Lowell Motor Boat Club for 27 years. Butch was the longest serving Commodore in the club’s 146 year history.
The late commodore in the place he loved, on the Merrimack River, in front of the Lowell Motor Boat Club on July 10, 2018.
Also speaking reverently was incumbent commodore John Manning, of Westford, who replaced Milot a year ago.
“When Butch died (March 8, 2021) we not only lost an incredibly effective commodore, we lost our friend.” Manning proudly shows guests at the LMBC the changes, upgrades and additions that Butch made to the old building.
A sunroom that overlooks the river toward the spires of Lowell General Hospital is named in his honor. An upstairs deck hosts cookouts, a coffee spot on the front lawn hides in the shadow of an adjacent flagpole.
All of these are part of Milot’s legacy. His efforts as commodore include the construction and reconfiguration of docks and mooring points.
“He was the first to offer the Lowell Police Department free dock space at the club,” said Manning.
As the river has gained in popularity among recreational boaters and personal watercraft, that space has been key for local public safety personnel. River One is the Lowell Police Department vessel that still rests at the ready at LMBC. The Lowell Fire Department also has access to emergency launches.
“The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary holds annual ‘safe boating’ classes for the public. This is another way that Butch gave of himself,” Manning said.
The Lowell Motor Boat Club was founded in 1875 and incorporated in 1937. The current boathouse at 487 Pawtucket St. was constructed in 1937, after the Great Flood of 1936 destroyed the original building.
The club is entirely volunteer-based, meaning members enlist to help with upkeep such as mowing the lawn and pulling the pier from the water at the end of the season.
But his impact extends far beyond the single acre parcel along the southern bank of the Merrimack on Pawtucket Street.
At CTI’s YouthBuild, Milot was known as Armand.
“We didn’t know who ‘Butch’ was,” said Siobahn Sheehan, program manager of YouthBuild. “I didn’t even know he was the commodore of the club.”
He kept the many personal and professional roles separate from each other but treating each with fervor, enthusiasm and the focus to perform it successfully. His lifelong vocation as a contractor led him to YouthBuild, where he served as crew leader and teacher for more than three years.
“He was a staple here as construction supervisor,” said Sheehan. “He was great with the kids,” she said of his work with the group of at-risk youth under his tutelage. “He taught them carpentry and trained them how to get certified. Vocational school atmosphere, great role model beyond the trades, professionalism and accountability. There is a huge gap in the soul of our student body.”
Aside from the many homes that Milot and his students built, they also boast the construction of two horse barns at Andover’s Ironstone Farm, where DeeDee O’Brien formerly served as
executive director. “He supervised the whole project, the volunteers and the kids from YouthBuild. Everybody worked together,” she said.
Merrimack River mariner “crosses the bar” – Lowell Sun
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Lowell Women Keep City’s Small Businesses Running from Behind the Scenes
Influential Women in Lowell
Influential women in Lowell, by the Homage to Women statue on Market Street. From left, Franky Descoteaux, Christine McCall, Germaine Vigeant-Trudel, Danielle McFadden, Allison Lamey, and Soumita Acharya. JULIA MALAKIE/LOWELLSUN
By AMY SOKOLOW | asokolow@lowellsun.com |
March 21, 2021 at 10:39 a.m.
LOWELL — Although their work may be behind the scenes, Lowell’s business-minded women in leadership positions have arguably done more than many to keep the city’s small businesses afloat through the pandemic.
An informal group that began around the start of the pandemic to help Lowell’s business community has turned into a bridge-building experience between groups in Lowell, but also a tight-knit support system for these women, now known as the Lowell Business Recovery Task Force.
The group began when Christine McCall, just weeks into her new role as Lowell’s director of economic development, could see that the pandemic looming on the horizon could have detrimental effects on the city’s businesses. She quickly assembled a group of business leaders, many of whom are women, to discuss how best to support Lowell’s business community and how to disseminate information to them about how state regulations may affect their operations.
“It was Christine that kind of kicked us all off back in March, to really rein us in and say, ‘we’ve got to, you know, respond to the needs of the business community,’” said Allison Lamey, economic development director of the Lowell Plan and the Lowell Development and Financial Corporation. “Things were changing so quickly, and it was hard to get a handle on (the situation).”
Over the past year, the group has been involved with several initiatives to support the city’s businesses, each bringing their own expertise and network with them. The group’s initiatives have included a video package, spearheaded by Soumita Acharya, director for community programs at Lowell Telecommunications, to promote local businesses around the holidays, a “Lowell Shopping Network” similar to HSN, a “Five Star Frenzy” to encourage patrons to leave positive reviews at their favorite local businesses, and a “Takeout Tuesdays” weekly event, to name a few.
The group’s members will have also given $900,000 in flexible grants for small businesses by the end of this fiscal year, excluding marketing programs the city has done, according to McCall, and have helped businesses with moratoriums on other payments. Franky Descoteaux, who runs the Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork, added that her organization raised $850,000 to provide free consultants to Lowell-area businesses during the pandemic.
“We’ve been meeting quite regularly to talk about how we can support the business community through the closures that were felt of the pandemic, and you know, what we could do about it,” Lamey said. “A lot of the work has been behind the scenes and not getting some of the recognition it probably deserves.”
Recognition is not ultimately the goal, though. “We all know what the common goal is, and it’s to help, and that’s really all we care about,” said Danielle McFadden, president of the Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce. “We don’t care how it gets done, or who does it, or who or who gets credit. It’s just that we get it done. And that’s what I think is the power when you get a bunch of women together.”
McFadden added that many of these women face the added challenge of running their households during the pandemic. “You’re dealing with the challenges that you’ve always dealt with: the work-life balance, but now you have the kids at home, and worrying about everybody else’s mental health and everybody being happy, and a lot of times we put ourselves to the backburner,” she said.
These same challenges that affect the women in the group affect the women-owned businesses they serve, and likely do even more so. McCall said that the unemployment rate in Lowell is currently around 8%, higher than the state average, and that women have filed more unemployment claims than men overall, partially due to their outsize employment in the hard-hit hospitality industry and partially because of their childcare duties.
Kathleen Plath, co-owner of Cobblestones restaurant and others in the region, as well as director of marketing and communications and development at Community Teamwork, described the challenges she faced starting up her own business years ago, while also parenting three young children and earning her master’s degree. “How did I ever do that? But I think as women, we just put our heads down and get it done. You just do it. You’re not looking for credit, you’re not looking for any help,” she said.
Descoteaux added that the women the group serves often bear a heavier emotional burden when their businesses fail than men because of their childcare roles in the family and because now a majority of women take care of the finances in their businesses. She said that women may also have trouble accessing grants and loans because they are the predominant owners of sole proprietor-type businesses.
“It was very surprising to me as we were working with businesses… how many women felt that they had done something wrong, even though this is obviously a pandemic, many of the women still internalize their struggling business. And so we as women who are coaches and providing support, I know we carry that (burden),” she said.
Because many of these women also may not speak English as their first language, the group has teamed up to provide support and information in four languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese and Khmer. The group agreed that businesses owned by women of color were among those hardest hit by the pandemic.
Germaine Vigeant-Trudel, assistant director of the Local Development Financial Corporation, added that even as the pandemic subsides, she’s worried that women may not return to the workforce in full force, which some are calling a “shecesssion.”
“A lot of these women, even if they could go back to work, really couldn’t go back to work now, because they have to help their children and childcare was too expensive for the type of jobs (these women have), so it just adds the layers on and on,” she said. Plath said she has seen this first-hand as she tries to ramp up employment at Cobblestones.
Even though the situation now may look bleak, the group is encouraged by their successes so far, and plan to continue meeting, brainstorming and helping well after the pandemic ends.
“Yes, we’ve had some business closures in the city, and I’m sure there will be more, but I actually think, through the efforts of this group, we’ve done a really good job of supporting businesses and that’s why so many of them are still in business today, McCall said. “That should be our biggest success.”
McFadden agreed. “What I’m most proud of are the businesses that are still here, how fierce they are. I mean, really, you could just crawl into bed and put the blanket over your head and say, ‘I’ll deal with this when this is over and figure things out.’ But just the fighting spirit that Lowell has I think is amazing,” she said.
And she attributes some of that success to this group of women. “I’ve been in this position for almost 10 years, I’ve never felt closer with a group of people professionally. And also like, look at what we’ve done. When we can get together, watch out world!”
Greenwood Joins Financial Education Center as Director
Bonnie Greenwood Hired as New Director of the Financial Education Center
The Sun (Lowell), 28 Mar 2021
LOWELL » The Financial Education Center at Community Teamwork Inc., a Lowell-based group that teaches the development and enhancement of personal finance and employment skills, has hired Bonnie Greenwood as its new Director.
“I am excited to be a part of such an impactful organization that is working so hard for the communities I have been a part of for 30plus years,” Greenwood said.
Greenwood comes to Community Teamwork with over 15 years of education experience, including but not limited to teaching in private and public schools, directing Bonnie programs Greenwood and teaching English language learners at the university level, and directing education programs for immigrants and refugees for a nonprofit in Boston.
She holds a Bachelor’s in business management and administration from Umass Lowell as well as two Master’s degrees in education from Cambridge College and the American College of Education, respectively.
“I am passionate about helping others by providing educational and economic opportunities and resources, which will create sustainable stability and success for themselves, their families and the community,” Greenwood said.
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Community Teamwork Hires Local Business Owner
PRIME funds will be used to hire local consultants who will provide critical support to businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19.
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Ani Vong
By AMY SOKOLOW | asokolow@lowellsun.com |
PUBLISHED: February 9, 2021 at 1:58 p.m. | UPDATED: February 9, 2021 at 4:54 p.m.
LOWELL — The Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork, a Lowell-based group that teaches entrepreneurship and financial skills to local business owners, has hired Ani Vong, owner of Humanity Boutique in Lowell.
Vong, a Khmer American woman, who will help manage $650,000 in funding as the specialized technical assistance team’s (STAT) program coordinator.
“The Entrepreneurship Center @CTI, with its mission and all that it’s accomplished in support of small businesses and the local economy, is an organization I see myself growing with, and with my experience I can help further their mission,” Vong said. “I am passionate about supporting others on their entrepreneurial journey.”
“One of the greatest gifts the ownership of Humanity afforded Ani is a central place in the community – as a business owner, a Khmer woman, and a supporter of entrepreneurs and businesses,” said Franky Descoteaux, director of the Entrepreneurship Center. “She is well-connected within the business community as well as the nonprofit community in Lowell and surrounding areas. Ani’s ability to wear many hats as a business owner, along with the demands of her nonprofit volunteer work, has forged her into a sensible, entrepreneurial spirit. It’s this spirit, we believe, that will be of great benefit to the Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork.”
The funding Vong will manage comes from a variety of sources, including a highly competitive Small Business Administration (SBA) PRIME grant.
The Entrepreneurship Center was one of 27 awardees, and two in Mass., out of 200 national applicants. In partnership with Lowell’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) COVID emergency funds, PRIME funds will be used to hire local consultants who will provide critical support to businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19.
Vong has steered her boutique, opened in 2014, through slow economic times before, including the pandemic. In the last year, she has transformed her business into an e-commerce presence and pop-up shop.
As the STAT Program Coordinator at the Entrepreneurship Center, Vong will provide culturally and language competent consulting to underserved restaurants and retailers across Lowell, focusing in Cambodia Town, The Acre, Downtown, and Back Central.
The Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork will work with local partners to identify consultants, including the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (CMAA), Coalition for a Better Acre (CBA), Working Cities Challenge, African Community Center of Lowell (ACCL), Portuguese American Center, the LatinX Community Center for Empowerment and others.
The goal of the STAT team is to work with the business owner to resolve current business challenges and to help them achieve future business goals. Consultants will work collaboratively with business owners, completing necessary tasks, training new critical skills, setting up systems for long-term success, and amplifying local business awareness through coordinated marketing.
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Community Teamwork Hires Local Business Owner, Ani Vong
By Amy Sokolow asokolow@ lowellsun. com Lowell »
The Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork Inc., a Lowell- based group that teaches entrepreneurship and financial skills to local business owners, has hired Ani Vong, owner of Humanity Boutique in Lowell.
Vong, a Khmer American woman, will help manage $ 650,000 in funding as the specialized technical assistance team’s (STAT) program coordinator. “The Entrepreneurship Center @ CTI, with its mission and all that it’s accomplished in support of small businesses and the local economy, is an organization I see myself growing with, and with my experience I can help further their mission,” Vong said. “I am passionate about supporting others on their entrepreneurial journey.”
“One of the greatest gifts the ownership of Humanity afforded Ani is a central place in the community — as a business owner, a Khmer woman, and a supporter of entrepreneurs and businesses,” said Franky Descoteaux, Director of the Entrepreneurship Center. “She is well- connected within the business community as well as the nonprofit community in Lowell and surrounding areas. Ani’s ability to wear many hats as a business owner, along with the demands of her nonprofit volunteer work, has forged her into a sensible, entrepreneurial spirit. It’s this spirit, we believe, that will be of great benefit to the Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork.”
The funding Vong will manage comes from a variety of sources, including a highly competitive Small Business Administration (SBA) PRIME grant.
ani Vong joins CTI from Humanity boutique. Courtesy Community Teamwork Inc.
The Entrepreneurship Center was one of 27 awardees, and two in Massachusetts, out of 200 national applicants. In partnership with Lowell’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) COVID emergency funds, PRIME funds will be used to hire local consultants who will provide critical support to businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19.
Vong has steered her boutique, opened in 2014, through slow economic times before, including the pandemic. In the last year, she has transformed her business into an e- commerce presence and a pop- up type shop.
As the STAT Program Coordinator at the Entrepreneurship Center, Vong will provide culturally and language competent consulting to underserved restaurants and retailers across Lowell, focusing in Cambodia Town, The Acre, Downtown and Back Central. The Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork will work with local partners to identify consultants, including the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (CMAA), Coalition for a Better Acre (CBA), Working Cities Challenge, African Community Center of Lowell (ACCL), Portuguese American Center, the LatinX Community Center for Empowerment and others. The goal of the STAT team is to work with the business owner to resolve current business challenges and to help them achieve future business goals.
Consultants will work collaboratively with business owners, completing necessary tasks, training new critical skills, setting up systems for long- term success, and amplifying local business awareness through coordinated marketing.
Curtain call for remote learners
With CTI’s help, venue shifts from shows to education Lowell MEMORIAL Auditorium
Lowell Sun 1/10/2021
By Barry Scanlon, Correspondent
https://bit.ly/3oBzltlt
Lowell » During its nearly 100- year run, Lowell Memorial Auditorium has hosted musicians, comedians, actors, boxers, dancers, and much more.
Now the venerable building on East Merrimack Street has added a new chapter to its glorious history: Classroom.
The building is hosting 24 students Monday through Friday thanks to a partnership between Pete Lally, president of the Lowell Management Group, and Community Teamwork, Inc.
“ It’s really nice to have the auditorium being used, especially for something like this in the community where there’s such a need,” Lally said. Lally was approached by Kathleen Plath, CTI’s director of Development and Marketing. Due to the pandemic, CTI was looking for buildings with capacity to help students learn remotely.
“ She said, ‘ Hey, I know you’re not doing many concerts these days,’” Lally said.
Indeed, few industries have been hurt by the pandemic more than the entertainment one. Events booked at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium have been canceled or postponed since last March. The auditorium, which opened in 1922, consists of 2,800 seats for most events and has 100,000 square feet of room.
“ It’s been a busy place for so many things,” Lally said. “ There’s been a number of days it was pretty much just me there.”
Lally jumped at the chance to assist CTI, an organization that does “ so many good things,” he said.
There were some hurdles to clear, mainly getting a license from the Department of Early Education and Care. That process took about six weeks as the auditorium was tested for air quality and the building’s WiFi had to be upgraded.
Auditorium » 6A
CTI health & safety content coordinator Vernon smith, left, and group leader tiffany De Oliveira, both of Lowell, inside Lowell Memorial auditorium which is hosting two-dozen schoolchildren for remote learning.
Julia Malakie photos/ lowell sun
Demetri Rivera-Robinson, 8, of lowell, uses on an online drawing instruction program.
Auditorium
FROM PAGE 1A
A total of 24 students, ages 5-13, have been remote learning at one of Lowell’s most notable buildings since Dec. 19. That number will grow, possibly up to 104, as CTI increases its staffing level. The students are able to use the building from 7 a. m. to 5 p. m., freeing up their parents to work during the day.
CTI is committed to helping low-income people become self sufficient. The organization serves 63 cities and towns in Middlesex and Essex counties.
“ It’s been absolutely fabulous,” said Meghan Siembor, CTI’s director of the Division of Child and Family Services. “ The kids love being there. The staff loves being there. It was a winwin. Pete and his entire team were fabulous to work with. It was a shared mission.
You don’t want buildings unoccupied, es- pecially during the winter.”
CTI looked into other venues, including community centers and churches, before finding the perfect match with Lally, Siembor said.
CTI provides meals to be brought to the students. Breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks are provided. The auditorium also affords space for the children to stay active when they close their laptops.
The stage has been used for acting purposes, and the auditorium also has space for arts and crafts activities.
Students learn while being socially distanced on the main floor of the building. Meeting spaces on the upper floors are available as well.
“ I think the parents are so grateful,” Siembor said.
The Lowell Memorial Auditorium normally hosts 120- 140 events a year. The Golden Gloves boxing tournament, concerts, dance competitions and recitals, High school graduations. It’s normally a beehive of activity.
Lally, who also operates entertainment buildings in Lexington and Plymouth, said the partnership between his group and CTI will continue through the end of February. If the pandemic continues to wreak havoc with the auditorium’s schedule, students may be allowed to learn there into the spring.
“ It’s refreshing for us to have it used 50 to 60 hours a week,” Lally said.
Karen Frederick, CTI executive director, echoed a similar sentiment: “ The partnership with the Lowell Memorial Auditorium has enabled us to provide services to our families and keep people working in the community, which they would not be able to do without much needed childcare. This is a good example of the community coming together to meet the needs created by this pandemic. We are grateful that LMA Management and the city of Lowell were willing to work with us to think outside the box to come up with this solution.”
Kaleb Liman, 7, of Lowell, shows his work to group leader Keily Escalante at Lowell Memorial Auditorium.
JULIA MALAK(E / LOWELL SUN
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Despite pandemic, Lowell Memorial Auditorium managers optimistic
Lowell Memorial Auditorium management is hoping for a better 2021 season after, or despite, the COVID-19 pandemic. LMG is also in talks with Community Teamwork, Inc., to use the facility for child care during the week.
Lowell Memorial Auditorium management is hoping for a better 2021 season after, or despite, the COVID-19 pandemic. From left, box office manager John Higgins, director of strategy and business development Brandon Caron, general manager Pete Lally, director of marketing Dan Berube, and director of operations Steve Purtell, in the auditorium, where they’ve been experimenting with table set up for 250 people, if that becomes allowed. (SUN/Julia Malakie)
By ALANA MELANSON | amelanson@lowellsun.com | Lowell Sun
PUBLISHED: October 12, 2020 at 9:35 a.m. | UPDATED: October 13, 2020 at 7:40 a.m.
LOWELL — In 2019, Lowell Management Group celebrated a strong first year of managing the Lowell Memorial Auditorium with a number of sold-out shows and performances by big-name entertainers.
Headed into 2020, it appeared nothing would stop that increasing momentum, as it drew countless people to downtown Lowell and helped spur economic activity.
“We were having a tremendous year,” said LMG partner John Chemaly. “It was going to be a banner year for LMG and the auditorium, and the city as well.”
But in March, the coronavirus pandemic hit, stopping that momentum dead in its tracks.
“The rug just got pulled right out,” LMG partner Chris Dick said.
Lowell Memorial Auditorium management is hoping for a better 2021 season after, or despite, the COVID-19 pandemic. General manager Pete Lally in the auditorium, where they’ve been experimenting with table set up for 250 people, if that becomes allowed. (SUN/Julia Malakie)
The last show was held in mid-March, and since then the bookings on the calendar have been pushed further out repeatedly as the pandemic has worn on.
“The business certainly has been affected a lot,” LMG President Pete Lally said. “But artists want to play, agents want to book and venues want to put artists on stages. Everybody is working hard to do it in the time frame we can.”
Lally said the big acts like Jay Leno, Kansas and the Righteous Brothers, who were supposed to come to Lowell this year, will come — eventually. They’ve all been rescheduled for 2021, up to a year beyond their original show dates.
Aside from the ticketed concerts and other shows, the spring normally brings a variety of dance recitals and competitions, proms, graduations and nonprofit events to the auditorium — about 50 of which had to either be canceled or postponed, Lally said.
He said it’s hard to estimate exactly how much revenue LMG has lost during the shutdown. But it certainly has had a big impact, considering it couldn’t hold any shows for most of March through June, normally the busiest months, Lally said.
About 100 part-time staff members and half of LMG’s full-time staff were laid off or furloughed due to the pandemic, Lally said. Chemaly said federal Paycheck Protection Program assistance helped to keep core staff on board. Lally said he hopes gradually to bring back as many employees as possible.
Director of Marketing Dan Berube said the large shows on the schedule were meant to be full-capacity events and will probably not be held until it is safe to hold them as such at the auditorium. But in the meantime, it may be possible to begin with some reduced-capacity events with more local artists, he said.
LMG was encouraged by some recent guidance from the state that some communities may be able to have events with up to 250 people under certain circumstances, Lally said. However, with Lowell still considered a high-risk community, it’s “not quite there yet,” he said.
The auditorium — which can hold up to 2,800 in normal times — offers a lot of flexibility for movable seating and tables that can allow people to keep a safe distance, Lally and Berube said. They’re looking at developing some new programming that uses both indoor and outdoor space, like the Lowell Irish Festival held last September, Lally said.
Berube said booking has been a bit tricky because the business is schedule-dependent. Artists on tour and ticket-holders want to be confident that shows will be held on the scheduled dates and that they’ll feel safe in the venue, he said.
“Any time you talk about holding an event these days, people have a ton of questions. What are the protocols — masks, hand sanitizer? How many people are coming in the building, and how many feet apart are they?” Berube said. “There’s a whole new rulebook that is getting developed that you have to have to do an event these days.”
He and Lally said they’ve done a lot of work around floor plans and crowd flow, including using multiple entrances, directional spacing and assigned restrooms.
LMG is also in talks with Community Teamwork, Inc., to use the facility for child care during the week.
CTI Director of Development and Marketing Kathleen Plath said CTI is grateful that Lally and LMG were “willing to look outside the box and consider this.” She said CTI is still working out the details with LMG, and the licensing and occupancy permitting with the state, which will determine the number of children that could be at the facility.
CTI typically has about 500 children in its day-care programs, including before and after school hours, but due to COVID and social-distancing requirements, the organization was only able to bring back about 80 children in its existing classroom space, Plath said. She said CTI is also in talks with some other entities around the city to try to gain more space in order to bring back all of its child-care clients and help parents get back to work.
For school-age kids in the program during the school day, the venue can also provide reliable internet for students to do remote learning, Plath and Lally said.
Plath said the partnership with the auditorium management could open the door to additional programming, such as theater programs for kids.
Even though there haven’t been shows, LMG has been making some changes behind the scenes that will benefit operations and efficiency when the auditorium is back up and running.
“Just because the lights are out on the stage doesn’t mean they’re out in the offices,” Lally said. “We’re working every day to make sure we can come back as soon as possible and to do that safely.”
That includes new software systems to handle booking and contracting, as well as new filters for the building’s ventilation system to help keep occupants safe, Lally said. He said they’re also evaluating a new cloud-based phone and customer-service system that should help LMG better communicate with customers, and address and track their concerns.
Berube said they are also looking at developing a membership program for those who like not only to attend shows in Lowell but also at other venues around the region that are managed by LMG’s sister company, Spectacle Management.
Chemaly said they’re thankful many sponsors, like Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union, are sticking with them through the whole thing.
“As they say, the show must go on, and we’ll be going after it in 2021,” Dick said.
Alana Melanson | Multimedia journalist
Alana Melanson is a regional general assignment reporter who has been with The Sun since September 2014. Before that, she spent three years covering Fitchburg at The Sun’s sister paper, the Sentinel & Enterprise. A Worcester-area native and graduate of UMass Amherst, Alana enjoys live music, traveling and making jewelry.
