Because there were few environmental regulations at the time, the production processes often released toxic industrial chemicals into the air, waterways and ground.īy the mid-1900s, the manufacturing sector around New England collapsed as companies moved operations to the South and overseas where labor was cheaper. The mills used rivers and canals for energy to produce everything from textiles to paper. Cities like Lawrence, Lowell and Holyoke were established for the sole purpose of becoming manufacturing centers. In the 18th and 19th centuries, merchants built thousands of mills across New England, making the region a center of the American Industrial Revolution. Housing advocates say in order for Massachusetts to combat its affordability crisis, developers should prioritize converting more mills into apartments for lower-income people. With the assistance of state and federal funding, developers have renovated and converted more than a hundred mills around the commonwealth into housing complexes in recent decades - projects that both provide much-needed homes and help revitalize post-industrial areas.īut the conversion process can be expensive and slow, often involving the cleanup of pollutants from past industrial operations on the properties.Īnd even when mills are redeveloped, some cater solely to people who can pay higher rents. But now, they look brand new and have thousands of families living inside them.Īs Massachusetts continues to suffer from a shortage of affordable housing, former mills like those in Lawrence are a bright spot. Many of those same mill buildings with their towering smokestacks still make up Lawrence’s skyline. “When you went outside Lawrence and people, ‘Oh, you’re from Lawrence?’ as a kid, that was not a really good thing.” “You think about pictures of war-torn areas, and you see buildings kind of their bricks falling apart and windows not existing,” Melendez said. All around her, the red-brick mills that once made Lawrence a global leader in textile production were vacant and “bombed out,” with pigeons and rats often the only inhabitants. While he is no longer with us, we know Beau’s spirit will live on in Sober Grid’s mission to help those in need.Lesly Melendez grew up in Lawrence when many of the city’s massive manufacturing buildings had begun to decay. “His bright smile and endless energy and compassion will be missed. “We hope you will take a moment to think about Beau today,” Sober Grid said in its statement. Mann created Sober Grid in 2015 to provide a platform connecting people recovering from addiction after battling his own addiction to drugs “in his early years,” the company said. “We’re looking at pretty much any option at this point to make sure it’s thorough,” she added.Īnyone with more information can contact Santa Monica Police Det. ![]() Investigators are planning to speak to the Uber driver, who hasn’t been deemed a suspect in the case, Aklufi said. Trammell Evans, 25, was reported missing in Joshua Tree National Park after he didn’t show up for a ride following a five-night solo backpacking trip. California Crews search for missing backpacker in Joshua Tree National Park
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