Demolition Begins At South Worcester Site
The South Worcester Industrial Park (SWIP) long has been a dream for many in the city, but the start of demolition of two derelict industrial buildings at Southgate Place this morning marked the first step forward in a plan to realize that vision.
For decades, the dilapidated brick and cinder block buildings, with their corrugated steel and rotting wooden walls, served only as canvases for the city's graffiti artists. But the current demolition leads the way for the development of a light industrial park in the South Worcester neighborhood.
About $7.1 million in state and federal funds is being used for demolition and environmental remediation at the site. Tim McGourthy, the city's economic development director, estimated that the redevelopment of the site could cost another $40 million.
"For years we thought this was just a talking exercise," said Ron Charette, a member of the South Worcester Neighborhood Improvement Corp. "It's finally off and running."
The proposed redevelopment project would include more than 360,000 square feet of light industrial and commercial space along Southgate Place, Canterbury Street and Armory Street, and would provide new jobs and tax revenue for the city. But the project would do much more than that, especially for the South Worcester neighborhood.
"My grandfather worked in one of the industrial mills and he'd come home covered in soot and grime," Charette said. "We asked him why he would want to work there. He could walk to work. He felt a sense of pride and ownership in what he was doing. We lost that for a while."
Others are looking to benefit from the site's redevelopment, as well, including Deborah Barlow and Gerry Horne of Mechanics Guild LLC who plan to begin construction nearby of a 25-unit, residential building this fall.
"They're sisters," Horne said of his residential project and the light industrial development at Southgate Place. "We'll be providing housing and they'll be providing jobs. All of these things tie together."
Of course, the neighborhood and the industrial work has changed since the area mills closed in the early 1970s, but Charette is looking forward to the return of the community pride that he once saw in his grandfather.
"That's what the neighborhood once was and that's what it can be again," he said.
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