Previous Years’ Ideas

Domestic Violence Survivor Gallery of Hope

Idea:

Basics: How do we bring attention to a domestic violence survivor’s (who are POC/LGBTQ+/Immigrant/Refugee) journey towards healing and hopefulness? How do we get people to learn more about this widespread yet still private issue? How do we get the public to 1) learn 2) to feel empathy 3) to feel inspired enough to organize around [Read more…]

Benefit:

Survivors: POC Survivors get to share their story of hope. The community has a chance to learn about domestic violence as well as what resources are available. City/Neighborhood: Maybe in future years, we could have the project be a way to gather funds to revive these spaces in Lowell as [Read more…]

Location:

Don't Know, OldIdea.

Drop In Dog Training

Idea:

We want to keep pets in homes, sometimes they’re surrendered because they don’t have manners. Get some positive reinforcement dog trainers OR skilled dog handlers from area rescues together who are willing to offer a free hour once a week and teach basic manners. Drop in training at a park or other outdoor community space [Read more…]

Benefit:

More well behaved dogs in the community is better for everyone! Improves public safety and may limit dogs "at large" which cost the city money in holding fees while they try to find their owners. Offer a 4 class workshop and move on to a new neighborhood each month!
Location:

Citywide, OldIdea.

Drunk History Lowell Edition

Idea:

The passage of time often has a way of rewriting history. So does a few drinks. The half-hour series “Drunk History” — based on the award-winning web series — shows how by re-enacting famous events in history as told by inebriated storytellers. Each episode takes a tour of a U.S. city to explore stories and [Read more…]

Benefit:

Get folks interested in local history and different Lowell locations that wouldn't normally be interested. Draw attention to the stories that make Lowell and New England special.
Location:

Citywide, OldIdea.

Dutton St Do-Over

Idea:

Construct a weekend curb extension at the corner of Dutton and Market streets in front of the old Merrimack Rug/new Flower Mill. Allow on-street parking from the Club Diner to the curb extension and from Haffner’s to the corner of Dutton and Broadway Street.
Benefit:

This will slow down the speeds of cars and shorten the distance for pedestrians when crossing Dutton Street, making it more safe. Allowing on-street parking will be a boon for those businesses on Dutton St. Businesses on both sides of Dutton St will see that "bridging" the neighborhood is mutually [Read more…]

Location:

Downtown / JAM, OldIdea.

Water Fun Eco Fountain

Idea:

A decorative spray station/fountain set up downtown. We would work with health department to make sure it’s safe and fun. This would be like the stations set up during folk festival, but more aesthetically pleasing to be a focal point, and open to anyone who wants to cool off for certain weekends or weekdays while [Read more…]

Benefit:

Kids always want to play in fountains. This would create a central gathering point and celebrate the City in an eco-friendly way. Kids and adults can cool off on a very hot day. Lessons learned could be applied to a permanent splash pad in a downtown plaza or park.
Location:

Downtown / JAM, OldIdea.

Eco-totem bike-counter

Idea:

DIY electronic bike counters can be built cheaply and placed in locations and feed data to a public display. The display can be placed in a public location to show how many bicyclists there really are in Lowell. Maybe pay a young artist to paint a wooden display with a counter in the middle. Work [Read more…]

Benefit:

Anyone, whether they're driving a car, riding a bike or walking, can see the daily bike count. It's an invaluable tool for city planners, advocacy groups and others to track usage, cycling patterns/trending. Its symbolic presence would show commitment to bicycling and make more realize bicycling is a viable option [Read more…]

Location:

Don't Know, OldIdea.