There is good news to celebrate in Haverhill this week.
The Demoulas family put smiles on the faces of people all over the city with the news that it will move its Westgate Plaza store into the empty Kmart space at the other end of the plaza.
Mayor James Fiorentini said the move also means the family aggressively will market the rest of the plaza.
The plaza serves not only residents of the western corner of the city, but draws residents from Methuen as well. A more enticing shopping experience can only benefit all the businesses in the area, including restaurants, pharmacies, banks, gas stations and other retail outlets.
The empty Kmart store has become an eyesore with graffiti covering the side of the building facing Lowell Avenue. More tenants in the plaza will reduce the opportunity for vandals to deface the place.
Team Haverhill's inaugural River Ruckus on Saturday was a rousing success.
Not only did it draw folks downtown, but it was yet one more example of Haverhill's changing image.
More and more, visitors are seeing Haverhill as a destination for sightseeing, dining and niche shops.
Local residents, too, are praising their hometown. They are looking for reasons to visit downtown and to participate in community life.
School cuts come home to roost
When city students return to school next month, the effects of budget cuts will be quite obvious.
Art, physical education and music will be whittled to just one period every five days for elementary and middle school students, or roughly 21 hours of instruction for the entire school year.
Five art teachers will provide instruction to more than 5,300 students, which seemingly doesn't leave much opportunity for one-on-one time.
A fledgling middle school band program, so crucial to keeping the hopes of a high school band afloat, has been stalled with the layoff of its tutor.
As Assistant Superintendent Kara Kosmes told staff writer Tim McCarthy, it is most important to keep teachers in the classroom. We certainly agree.
The financial perfect storm that struck school districts all over the state has created a situation in which Haverhill students are not alone, but that doesn't make the bare-bones programming any easier to take.
