Wings Court in the heart of downtown New Bedford (surrounded by Union St, Purchase St, William St and Acushnet Ave) is a few weeks away from the start of a complete makeover. The public has had the opportunity to voice their opinions on the design in public meetings. Yesterday, there was a small press conference held by the New Bedford Planning Office in Wings Court. Anne Louro represented the Planning Office by showcasing a final design of Wings Court that is expected to be complete this winter. Wings Court 2.0 will add several new improvements that will provide a great place to relax with a book or for organizers to hold special events.
Here is a list of the major changes you can expect:
- Brick resurfacing: the entire walk-through will be transformed to brick.
- A 12 x 16 ft stage that will be available for event organizers to use for live music and other forms of entertainment.
- A third entrance that will connect Acushnet Avenue with Purchase Street.
- A second deck situated near the existing deck.
- Additional benches situated under Green Hawthorn and/or Crimson Cloud Hawthorn trees.
- Water source for event organizers to use.
- Monument/Statue area for local artist to rotate their work on an annual/semi-annual basis.
The entire cost of materials (brick, stage, etc) costs $125,000 and has already been funded by the state of Massachusetts through the Gateway City Parks Initiative. Gateway City Parks Program Manager Kurt Gaertner was on hand to answer questions. The labor for the makeover will be funded by the city of New Bedford.
The businesses that surround Wings Court are leased 15 feet of space for seating. This is good news for Brick Pizzeria and On a Roll who already use Wings Court to provide outdoor seating for their customers. This 15-foot area should also be an attractive incentive for developers to consider taking over the empty buildings and quickly establishing an outdoor presence. If all goes as planned, the new Wings Court will bring in a steady flow of foot-traffic as people travel between Acushnet Ave and Purchase Street. Currently, two empty buildings (Does anyone remember Crickets?) are located in the spots to reap the most reward of this new foot-traffic.
Wings Court 2.0 looks to be a worthy project that should improve the look of the court, boost foot-traffic and provide a valuable spot for residents to spend some leisurely time. Musicians, theaters and other organizers will love the new stage, as well as the available water source. New Bedford owes a big thanks to the state government for providing $125,000 in funding and to the city workers like Anne Louro in the Planning Office for seeing this project from beginning to end.
Don’t miss the New Bedford/Wings Court Farmers Market every Thursday from 2:00-6:00 PM!
Yippee! We have a great city! I love seeing all the positive changes! This will help our citizens to have pride in our city and hopefully change some pervasive negativity! Makes me sad when I walk and see so much trash thrown about-
more pride= less littering I hope!