Athol Selectboard weighs pros and cons of renaming Lord Pond Plaza

ATHOL – As work continues on Lord Pond Plaza, officials are mulling a renaming of the six-acre site as part of a rebranding effort.

At its meeting on May 5, the Selectboard discussed the possible renaming, and while some supported the idea, others were skeptical of the need for it, as well as the expense involved.

Town Manager Shaun Suhoski said potential rebranding ideas from the Downtown Vitality Committee and Parking Benefits District Committee would be brought to the board. The Selectboard would ultimately decide whether or not to proceed with the renaming.

“I’ve been here 23 years….and it’s always been Lord Pond Plaza or Ocean State. I don’t think renaming it Mill Brook Crossing is going to do much other than make it a little bit fancier, maybe,” said Selectboard Chair Marc Maxwell. “I think Lord Pond Plaza is fine; I don’t think anybody in town is going to call it (Mill Brook Crossing). And I think you’ll have some pushback from the Historical Commission – you might want to check with them.”

“I think a survey would be a good idea,” said board member Russell Raymond.

Board member Mitch Grosky felt that rebranding was an important thing to consider. He cited the North Quabbin Commons, though many call it the Market Basket Plaza.

“Whether everybody understands it or not, Athol is moving forward, and we want to attract people who are going to benefit the town and community, and I think branding is an important part of that,” Grosky said.

“We need to know what people want,” added Maxwell.

The redevelopment of the site, which is slated to be done by this June, includes daylighting the Mill Brook, creating wetlands, green space and pollinator gardens. The finished site will also include space for community events, increase the safety of traffic moving through the plaza and reduce the heat island created by the dark asphalt covering the nearly six-acre parking lot.

The project is being funded by a $3 million Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant from the state. J. Bates & Son of Clinton is the general contractor for the project.

Town Planner Eric Smith said he’d work with the Downtown Vitality Commission and others interested in the potential renaming and put together a community survey within the next couple of weeks. The survey will be online and physical copies will be available at Town Hall, Athol Public Library and the Senior Center.

“I really struggled with it (the renaming), because of the history of Lord Pond and the Lord family in town,” Downtown Vitality Committee member Mary Holtorf said. “But I really like Mill Brook Crossing because there’s a huge history to Mill Brook. We’re hoping down the road that we’ll be able to have some kind of historical monument regarding the brook’s connections to the history of the town in the plaza area.”