By Katie Farrell Lovett
NEWBURYPORT — When Byron Matthews was the mayor of this city in the 1970s, he oversaw the vast majority of the massive urban renewal project that transformed the downtown from a series of dilapidated buildings into the downtown of today.
Now, he and others want to make sure the hard work and effort of the past is maintained.
Matthews is one of the key members of the Downtown Group, a recently formed private organization with a goal to maintain, improve and restore the many elements of the downtown's expensive 1970s rehab - everything from corroded underground electrical lines to broken brick pavers, failed electrical lighting and damaged trees.
They will focus on the Inn Street Mall and Market Square, State Street to the library, and Pleasant Street to Green Street.
The group, which consists of former mayors and city officials, as well as prominent downtown figures, has been working quietly with the support of Mayor John Moak's office, the Sheriff's Department, and the Department of Public Services to get some projects underway.
Now group members say they are ready to proceed with some major repairs, and they are hoping to gain public support.
They have a lengthy list.
"We saw a lot of problems," Matthews said. "It doesn't take much to start deterioration."
That work includes restoring the Inn Street fountain and getting it running again, Matthews said. The fountain, which was a major part of the redevelopment of the Inn Street mall, has not functioned for about five years.
A company from southern New Hampshire will re-design the fountain with a retaining basin to re-circulate the water — a function that is now missing, Matthews said. Though expensive, a number of local businesses and contractors have stepped forward with offers of help. Matthews said the fountain repairs will cost an estimated $40,000. About $20.000 has been raised.
The huge stones that surround the water fountain - stones that originally came from the city's waterfront - will remain.
The group hopes to complete the work this spring with the aid of John Hartnett, a local contractor who has agreed to assist. "We're getting a lot of support from everybody," Matthews said.
The group also was concerned about the deteriorating concrete columns supporting the second level walkway on Inn Street, Matthews said. The walking surface was cracking and chunks of concrete were falling off, leaving the reinforcing steel exposed. The group contacted Wayne Capolupo, of Salisbury-based SPS New England, who volunteered his company to do the work before there was more serious deterioration, Matthews said.
The circa 1970s lighting on Inn Street also needs to be replaced, Matthews said. The lighting is housed in stubby granite posts, and though it was state-of-the-art when it was installed, it has long since stopped working and needs to be totally replaced.
At night, the unlit street can be a deterrent to shoppers, noted local architect and Inn Street re-developer Jonathan Woodman. Woodman also hopes to update the brick stairs, which are starting to crack and separate. By opening them up, it will be more inviting to people, he said.
And the brickwork needs to be looked at, as its currently in "poor condition" in some places, Matthews said. Some of the brick are broken, others have sunk or risen due to treeroots and frost heaves.
Likewise, trees that were part of the original landscape plan have died and need to be replaced. others have grown too large and are damaging the surrounding brickwork.
For Matthews and his group, a larger challenge is to develop a maintenance program that will ensure that the downtown continues to be cared for. For now, the group is using the non-profit City Improvement Society of Newburyport as a vehicle for donations, but in the future that might change.
Matthews emphasized the importance of spending money to maintain the city's downtown, which was rebuilt with millions of dollars in federal money in the 1970s.
If maintenance is kept up, Matthews said, the overall costs can be kept down. "It is significantly less expensive to maintain infrastructure than to let it totally deteriorate and then rebuild it or lose it."
John Leary, a financial consultant and the son of the late Jack Leary, will work with Water Street resident and NRA member John Morris to expand the group's membership to the next generation. Leary said its important for younger Newburyporters to take responsibility for what was accomplished a generation ago.
They plan to visit the City Council early next year to update them on the group and its plans.
"Everyone loves the downtown," Leary said. "It needs to be maintained."
Donations to the Downtown Group can be made payable to the City Improvement Society of Newburyport and sent to: John Leary, P.O. Box 523, Newburyport, MA 01950.
