Oct 15, 2009 7:10 pm US/Eastern
Lawrence Smokestacks Imploded
LAWRENCE (WBZ) ―
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The 100-year-old smokestacks came down in just a few seconds Thursday.
WBZ
You could feel the concussion of the implosion in your chest as if the heart of Lawrence was being shocked back to life. The mid-morning blasts brought down twin smokestacks, pillars of the industrial revolution, that have served as landmarks on the Merrimack River for more than a century.
"Oh, it was amazing...We used to work in the mills down here years ago," said Marie Timpf of North Andover.
Watch:
SkyEye View Of The Implosion
The mill in which Marie worked, the Wood Mill, was once the nation's largest. As the stacks from the boiler plant that powered the mill were imploded, 102-year-old dust rose from its bricks and mortar to clear space for Phase II of the Riverwalk project, an office complex, retail mall, park and parking garage, a $50 million public/private partnership.
"But what's really exciting for us isn't the building that's coming down, it's all the old mill buildings around it that are being redeveloped and re-used, said Gregory Bialecki, Secretary of Housing and Economic Development.
Like Phase I of the Riverwalk project, most of the funding for Phase II comes from
restaurant owner and developer Salvatore Lupoli.
"We see new job creation, we see a true partnership with the state and the city and private development and we're excited about it," said the familiar figure from his Sal's Pizza commercials.
Neighbors and former mill workers who came to watch the implosion are excited too.
Laura Motta of Methuen grew up across Merrimack Street from the mill and her family's restaurant served its workers.
"It's going to do a lot for Lawrence. It really is. And they need this, they really do," she said.
92-year-old Tina Scalese raised her son Nick across the street from the Wood Mill. The stacks were fixtures in her life.
"Oh, it's going to be sad after being here all these years and looking at them...but that's progress," she said.
"You have a private sector person, Sal Lupoli and his team that sort of refuse to participate in this recession," said Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan who expects the development to create about 3,000 jobs on top of the 2,000 created by Phase I of Riverwalk.
By sundown, demolition workers had managed to collapse the rest of the boiler plant to make way for better days in Lawrence.
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