Seeing treasures beyond the blight

The campaign to revive Lawrence's Gateway district has begun to focus on the flotsam-filled waters of the area's canals and the weed-infested alleys nearby.

For years, no one was able to unravel the tangle of facts and legal questions associated with the canals and alleyways in this historic mill district. But the Reviviendo Gateway Initiative -- a coalition of local residents, officials, businesses, and nonprofits trying to stimulate economic development in the area -- took up the challenge.

After getting a zoning proposal approved last October allowing for mixed-use development in a section of the district, Reviviendo turned its attention to the canals and alleys.

"When we were wrapping up the zoning campaign, we started thinking about what the next big effort needed to be," said Maggie Super, a member of Reviviendo's steering committee and associate director of Groundwork Lawrence, a nonprofit community organization. "The canals and alleys, which have an effect on everybody in the area on some level, kept percolating up."

The canals -- one on each side of the Merrimack River -- once provided water power to the mills along their banks and represent a unique piece of American industrial history. These days, however, they are known mainly for their crumbling mortar, rusted-out bridges, and polluted water.

The alleyways, originally used for such utilitarian functions as delivering coal and food, now provide a fertile ground for illegal dumping and drug dealing.

Area residents, business owners, and developers would like to see these sites cleaned up and made presentable, their historical integrity restored. Though planning is in the early stages, the visions include such attractions as clean waterways, restored bridges and walkways, signs or kiosks noting the history of the area, play areas, and gardens. The area could offer a park for patrons of nearby businesses or could become a destination in its own right.

Reviviendo is looking to conduct a restoration and feasibility study of North Canal and then explore funding options that would make the endeavor more attractive to the canal's owner. "There's an opportunity here for everybody to win," said Super.

The road to renewal has been long and complicated. The ownership and oversight of these lands is the subject of debate stretching back to the founding of the city. The canals and alleyways in the mill district are linked to Essex Co., the textile manufacturer that planned and built much of Lawrence in the 1840s.

Today, the canals are privately owned by one of the Essex Co.'s successors, Enel North America Inc., and neither it nor previous owners have been in any hurry to throw money at maintenance and restoration. The alleyways, meanwhile, have been in a state of legal limbo since Essex Co. tried to transfer its ownership to the city in the late 1960s, only to have the offer declined.

But few dispute that the canals -- particularly the North Canal, which runs for just over a mile through the heart of the mill district and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places -- are a huge asset to the city.

"The canal is key to the history of the city," said John Faro, director of the Lawrence Heritage State Park, which maintains the city-owned paths and greenways along the north side of North Canal. "We need to dress it up and add some historical interpretation on how it was once used."

Nancy Bonugli, longtime owner of Lawton's Famous Hotdogs, a Lawrence institution since 1929 that is perched over the canal, speaks reverently about the ribbon of water. "I love it and can't imagine Lawrence without it," she said.

Bonugli said her customers enjoy watching the large carp and other fish swimming below her shop, but notes that she also has seen shopping carts, car engines, and other debris in the water.

"The canal as public resource is one issue," said Super. "Another is water power rights."

Essex Co. once deeded a measure of water power to the mill properties it sold along the canal. As part of this agreement, it was Essex Co.'s obligation to maintain the canals. The question today is, could an original mill owner interested in hydropower press the canal's current owner to make it functional again?

According to Super, two companies along the South Canal that hold water power licenses through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are drawing power from the canal for their own use. Another mill owner is exploring the possibility of reintroducing hydropower to its facility on North Canal.

Enel North America operates a hydroelectric plant at the southern end of the Great Stone Dam with 17 megawatts of capacity. Company officials said they are open to discussion regarding the canals.

"Our general view is that we want to talk to all the stakeholders and achieve mutually acceptable outcomes," said Chris Hocker, senior vice president, corporate affairs, for Enel North America, based in Stamford, Conn. "We are well aware of the historic significance of the Great Stone Dam and the canals and waterways of Lawrence, but it's just too preliminary to comment on possible outcomes. We don't know what ideas [Reviviendo] has in mind."

A subsidiary of the electric utility Enel S.p.A. of Rome, Italy, Enel North America is involved with a number of "green" power sources, including hydro, wind power, and biomass.

As for the 15-plus alleyways that fall into the Reviviendo target area, Super said there are a number of possible outcomes. Several models remove both the city and Enel from the equation entirely, giving ownership to a land trust or co-op run by property owners.

To get the ball rolling, Reviviendo recently applied for a $12,000 grant from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management to create a green landscaping demonstration site in an alleyway in the Mechanics Block Historic District. The group is discussing with residents of the neighborhood what they might envision for the alley.

"The fact that we were able to bring zoning all the way through to a successful vote says a lot about [Reviviendo] in terms of political savvy and tenaciousness," said Super, indicating that this should serve them well in the canals and alleys campaign. "We proved we are able to keep things moving and deal with really complicated issues."