Murray, O'Brien were persistent
By Nick Kotsopoulos TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
WORCESTER - Moments after yesterday's CitySquare groundbreaking ceremony ended, City Manager Michael V. O'Brien stood alone on the podium looking out to the crowd that had begun to disperse toward Foster Street.
"It's still all sinking in," Mr. O'Brien said of the moment. "It's been a long time coming, but we have finally seen this day come. That smile on my face may be permanent for the next three or four months."
Meanwhile, not far from Mr. O'Brien and off to the side, a grinning Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray posed for photos, holding aloft in a somewhat victorious manner a commemorative silver-plated sledgehammer symbolizing the official start to CitySquare.
"It's taken seven years to get to this day — longer than we all had hoped — but given the scale and complexity of a redevelopment effort like this, not that usual," Mr. Murray said. "What begins today will re-shape Worcester for generations to come. For seven years, CitySquare was an idea; today, it's time to get to work."
Out of all those involved in the CitySquare groundbreaking, no one probably savored it more than Mr. Murray and Mr. O'Brien because of their longtime involvement and persistence with the project, which has been some seven years in the making.
It was Mr. Murray who actually laid the groundwork for CitySquare when, as mayor, he issued a white paper that called for the demolition of the former Worcester Common Outlets mall and the redevelopment of that 20-acre area.
His white paper was released as a follow up to an idea a local architect, Daniel R. Benoit, had broached in 1999 when he called for reconnecting Front Street to Washington Square by tearing down part of the mall.
Mr. Murray said he encountered some resistance to that idea from the then leadership at City Hall, but he felt it was something that was so important it simply could not be dismissed. He said while the former mall was built with good intentions, it was a flawed concept from the start.
"Over the years, as one attempt after another to breathe new life into the mall failed, it became too easy for people to ignore," he said. "Some would throw up their hands and say there wasn't much to be done. The problem was just too big. But as mayor of Worcester, I couldn't accept that argument. Too much was at stake for the city and this region.
"So in August 2003, I asked this community to believe that we could do better," he added. "By tearing down this old mall to make way for CitySquare, we begin to right an historic wrong."
Berkeley Investments Inc. purchased the mall property because it shared the same vision Mr. Murray had for the downtown in the form of CitySquare. But what followed after that was more than six years of false starts, frustration and even dashed hopes, as the project struggled to get off the ground.
The dormant project was then given a much-needed jumpstart a few months ago when a new developer (CitySquare II Development Co. LLC) entered the picture and put it back on track.
"I'd be the first to say that throughout the past six years there were a couple of moments I didn't believe this would happen because of the various forces at work," Mr. O'Brien said. "But the fact that we have a groundbreaking today speaks a lot about our city. That perseverance never wavered and that's why I'm approximately a foot shorter than I used to be.
"A lot of people rolled up their sleeves and worked together on this," he added. "We found ways to get the project off the ground when the rest of the world is curled up in the fetal position. It speaks to Worcester, it speaks to our community and speaks to getting things done. A lot of people understood that with the right push, the right momentum and a few strategic projects we can get this city more than on its feet and set up very well for the 21st century. I'm thrilled to say the least."
Mr. Murray, meanwhile, credits Mr. O'Brien for the job he did in keeping the project moving forward, despite the many setbacks along the way.
"Mike is the only pit bull in Worcester that I want running loose," the lieutenant governor jokingly said in reference to the city's new pit bull ordinance.