Hotel Worthy on Worthington Street.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
SPRINGFIELD — A recent tour through several Springfield business corridors has sparked City Councilor Sean Curran’s desire for sign and façade improvements across the city.
In a letter sent to Mayor Domenic Sarno, Curran suggested that the city consider reenergizing and expanding its sign and façade efforts through possible increases in funding, visibility, access and city staff.
“You go around some of these business corridors, and they’re somewhat shabby with poor lighting, poor signage and we can do better than that,” Curran said in an interview. “There’s corners and intersections with a lot of small business owners throughout the city that could really use our help,”
In his email to the press, Curran noted that there are some “definite bright spots” in the city when it comes to signage. He noted that places like 10-12 Orange St. — which features a nail salon and restaurant — “have taken a lot of pride in presenting a vibrant, colorful, clean signage and façade.”
“That was done, I believe 20 years ago, and it still looks good today,” Curran said.
Sometimes, though, creating aesthetically pleasing signage is understandably not at the top of every business owner’s mind when they have a million other things to do, Curran said.
As a result, the at-large councilor wants the city to create a “Re-Store Springfield” department under the city’s Economic Development division to help achieve what places like 10-12 Orange St. have been able to accomplish aesthetically.
He said the department could use a boots-on-the-ground approach to informing small businesses about the grant programs that exist, including the Community Development Block Grant program.
Curran shared that the department could also spearhead assistance webinars, streamline application processes and provide professional support by supplying small businesses with architects and signage professionals who can help improve their facades.
“I think if we were to elevate this to perhaps a director position with some staff and some outreach, the city really should be going around to these corners and these business owners to try to help them with getting them in contact with an architect … try to replicate that success that we had on Orange Street years ago,” Curran said.
In his email, Curran said every Springfield neighborhood has a business district, neighborhood corner or small plaza that could use some help in boosting the aesthetic of their signage or façade. He specifically pointed out how convenience stores on Newbury and Carew streets could use some more help from the city, along with the historic Hotel Worthy, which currently has a copper awning that needs restoration, according to Curran.
He said aside from assisting with grant programs and design assistance, the Re-Store Springfield department could also create a citywide digital database of signs and facades in need improvement as well as a webpage that small business owners could easily access.
Because Springfield is such a big city, Curran believes such a database would achieve a centralization of sorts. That effort could be one of many that reenergizes signage and facades throughout Springfield, according to the councilor.
“It’s always better to have a bright, more uniform signage and a more inviting look on the city streetscape,” Curran said. “I think that absolutely would benefit Springfield.”
In a statement, Sarno said that he has sent Curran’s request to Chief Development Officer Tim Sheehan for review and “any plausible considerations on this federally funded CDBG program.” He added that it is always a pleasure working with Curran.
“My administration has been very aggressive in assisting our businesses, especially our small businesses,” Sarno said. “As a matter of fact, I was just out in our Indian Orchard neighborhood’s Main Street business district on awarding these types of grants with $50,000 to Raw Talent Boxing & Fitness to build out their storefront.”
