Gardner Magazine spoke with Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson on July 17, 2025 about Downtown Revitalization. Text of Interview is below.
Appeal of Downtown Gardner MA
Community Block Grant Awards 2023.
From Gardner Magazine: Improvements in Downtown Gardner
In an earlier interview in 2023, we spoke to Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson about Aesthetic Improvements in Gardner and Downtown.
Text of Downtown Revitalization Interview July 17 2025:
Q by Werner Poegel: Today, we have the honor of speaking to Gardner Mayor Nicholson about downtown revitalization. Downtown Gardner in 2020 versus downtown Gardner in 2025 looks a little different. What do you think, Mayor Nicholson?
A by Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson: I think there’s been a lot of work that’s happened in downtown that I’m really proud of. If you drive through downtown and look at like a street view picture on an online map from 2019, and you look at it now, it’s night and day. The new siding on the Central Park building, going from that dirty white and black to the blue right now. Seeing the new businesses that have opened in there, seeing the new businesses that are soon to come, the work that’s being done on the Bullnose building with Brea Coffee set to open this fall. The work being done over the old Buffer Zone building over in Lafayette Square. The apartment buildings that opened up at the old Temptations and Ryan Block building. There’s really a lot that’s happened downtown, and I’m really proud of the amount of work that’s been done. Empire Management doing a full three-sided facade replacement of their building. It’s really great.
Q by Werner Poegel: Now, why are people doing this?
A by Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson: I think it’s because they’re seeing what Gardner has to offer. I think they’re seeing that we’re open for business, that we’re a place that’s going to be willing to work with people, and we’re willing to invest in our community, so why shouldn’t they invest in us as well? I think we’ve set that example for people, and that’s exactly what our goal was. If you look at the programs that we launched from the facade grants to the sign grants and everything in between, there was really a lot that we did to help plant the seed, but then other people have really fertilized that seed and let it grow. There’s a lot that we should be proud of.
Q by Werner Poegel: Downtowns are important. In fact, Downtown Gardner is featured prominently on postcards from Gardner’s past, days of horse and buggy, days of much older-looking vehicles. There was a time when all downtowns were bustling centers of commerce before malls and shopping plazas became common. Since becoming mayor in 2020, what do you think has been the driving force behind the change in downtown Gardner?
A by Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson: I think we’ve invested a lot. I think there was a lot that we were able to use with the American Rescue Plan funds that we got at the city, and that’s really what we did with the facade grants, that I credit that work in helping to attract more businesses to the area, because it made it so that you took an area that looked run-down and looked just … It didn’t have life in it, and it breathed that life into it. It made it so that when people see a storefront that’s inviting to them, even if it’s … That’s where you can see your business in there. If you see this run-down building that really just doesn’t have much to it, is that really one where you want to invest your time and your money and hope that you can have a business that’s successful, versus one that actually looks like the building’s been invested in? Not only have we done that, but we’ve also reached out to various different developers to work to get one of our absentee landlords out of the city, and we’ve done a lot right now. When I started in 2020, that absentee landlord owned eight buildings in downtown, now he’s down to one. There’s a lot of progress and promise that’s been made, and I’m excited to see where that takes us in the future.
Q by Werner Poegel: What specific local efforts did you take, along with others, to do something about absentee landlords who let their properties go?
A by Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson: Back in … I want to say it was in the 2022 timeframe, but I have to check the date to be sure. Now, Council President George Tyros, before he was Council President, and I co-sponsored an ordinance before the City Council to revamp the city’s vacant, abandoned, blighted, and nuisance properties ordinance. What that does is it sets a minimum standard that properties have to be upkept, not just in the downtown, but around the city, to make sure we don’t look like a run-down community. It’s something that we really take to heart. I’ve made an effort, or tried to make a concerted effort, to make sure that we hold our own standards for ourselves, in the city, in our city-owned properties, to that same standard. It’s really something that we are doing to make sure that the city looks the way it’s supposed to be looking, and we have a place that looks like a lively community.
Q by Werner Poegel: Gardner, the model city for America, has done some interesting and unusual things downtown with state and federal grants. In fact, wasn’t there a specific grant that helped with 42-52 Parker Street?
A by Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson: Yes, the state had a grant called the Underutilized Properties Grant Program. The former Executive Director of Mass Development used to call it the Ugly Properties Program. What it is, is it took these run-down buildings that were either historic or were in the heart of a business district or a residential area, and just took these properties that you knew you had more potential with, and gives them that seed funding to try to help developers with those properties get to the financial benchmark that they need. It’s really something that Gardner helped set the model for with the early versions of the Underutilized Properties Grant Program, and we’ve been very successful with that still, too. The Ryan Block and Temptations Building utilized funding from that to help build the new apartments that were there. The Underutilized Properties Grant Program actually funded the new HVAC system in the 25 Main Street Building, in the Flatiron Building, for the apartments that are going to be going above Bria Coffee. There’s a lot of… We’ve done everything we can to make sure we’re bringing back every penny we can in grant funding from both the state and federal government into Gardner. And the reason being for that is if we don’t get that money here in Gardner, Chattanooga, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, all these other places around the United States are going to get that money anyway. So if our tax dollars are going to benefit someone somewhere else, why not try to bring our tax dollars back to Gardner, as well as their tax dollars here, if they’re going to take ours like that. So we’ve done a lot to bring every grant possible into the city, and we’ve been very successful with that.
Q by Werner Poegel: Now, there’s a big future in future projects in downtown Gardner. Can you tell us about what’s happening with Rear Main Street, the impact that will have on downtown Gardner, and if, and I say if because it’s only a plan, your huge parking garage?
A by Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson: The work on Rear Main Street is up and running right now. That is a new 100-spot parking lot, event plaza, water feature, food truck court, and some green areas as well there, too. That’s phase two of the project that’s there, and phase three is the eventual construction of a multi-story housing building in Rear Main’s area. And I’ve got to say, that’s going to be game-changing for the downtown area. People have always talked about the need for parking in the downtown, especially when we are looking at places like the Gardner News Building, or places like the Empire Building, or 210 Parker, or 25 Main, where we’re also going to see new apartments being constructed. Because where are these people going to park? So by building this parking lot, we’re already leaving that concern. Adding the new residential housing area to Rear Main Street also helps us combat our housing crisis that we’re seeing, not just in Gardner, but across Massachusetts, because we know we need housing. We know there’s people who are looking to come to Gardner, and the demand for housing in the city has gone up significantly, but our housing stock has stayed pretty stagnant, or in some cases, even declined. So that’ll help us deal with those issues. But when we’re looking at things like the Rear Main Street project, with the parking lot that’s there, or the study that we’re currently undergoing, that we’re getting paid for by a federal grant called the RAISE grant, over at the West Street parking lot, we’re looking to see, yes, we know where we are now, but what is our growth potential? And how can we plan for that growth now, so we’re not playing catch-up later? It’s weird to think that, in some cases, being proactive is almost viewed as a shock to some people, but if you’re not proactive, you set yourself up for failure. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail, so work the plan, and you set yourself up for a stronger tomorrow. And that’s exactly what we’re doing with all of this right now. So I will say the idea of the four-story parking garage at the West Street parking lot is conceptual in nature. Just because we’re doing the engineering study for it right now does not mean we have the funds to actually build the garage itself. That would have to be us going out for a different grant funding mechanism for that, so there’s steps that have to take place, and there’s years before that’ll happen. But we are at least looking into what the possibilities are.
Q by Werner Poegel: Now, the West Street parking lot is going to become famous for somewhat of another reason. In July 2025, the West Street parking lot was featured in a movie.
A by Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson: It was.
Q by Werner Poegel: Now, can you tell us about that and how that came to pass?
A by Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson: So working with the Mass Film Office, and we actually have a…as part of his job description, our city purchasing agent, Josh Cormier, is our film liaison for the city. So the Mass Film Office reached out. The producers of Bolio, Spirit of the Mustang, which is a buddy comedy film that’s being filmed in Gardner in the summer of 2025 at several different locations, actually found Gardner through Zillow. They wanted to find an old house that looked like it was set in the 1980s. And when they saw this house on Zillow, they were like, that’s it. And so when they reached out to the city through Josh, you know, Josh came down, let my office know that they were interested. We brainstormed some ideas and some other places we could show them around the city, and they fell in love with us. And you look at where they filmed so far in the city, they’ve at that house up on Bickford Hill Road, in the West Street parking lot, and on Connors Street, over at the American Legion Post. There’s a lot of different places that they’ve been active in the city, and some, too, that are coming up at the rest of the summer, too, that are all in Gardner. And it’s been really exciting, and to me, one of the cool things about it, too, is the movie ends with a soapbox, Cart Race, and they’re doing it right by the West Street parking lot, which is the home of the starting line for our Gardner chairluge that we have every October. So when you really watch this film, you can really, not only are you seeing Gardner in the film from where they’re filming it, but you can feel Gardner in the film through the activities that are part of the script, too. So it’s really neat to be able to see that, and be able to see the West Street parking lot, the Maki Park, the Gardner Ale House, Laking’s Fine Children’s Apparel, and all the other places that they’re going to be filming in the city right there in the background.
Q by Werner Poegel: How would you like to see downtown Gardner marketed in the future?
A by Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson: That’s something that we’re putting a really strong, strong concerted effort into. We did a wayfinding study last year that’s been completed that we’re currently reviewing the results of to see how we can improve signage in the area to make sure people can get to where they’re going and know what’s around them there, too. We’re currently working right now on beginning a marketing and branding plan for the downtown area and the city as a whole, so we can see how we can market ourselves not only to new businesses coming in, but to people who are looking to call Gardner their home, and really make it so that we build that community from the ground up by working in every sector that we can, rather than just what we used to do before. So there’s a lot of work that we’re currently got on going with that.
Q by Werner Poegel: Gardner Mayor Nicholson, thank you for talking to us about downtown Gardner.
On July 1, 2025, Gardner Mayor Nicholson also spoke about the Aesthetics and Appeal of Downtown Gardner:
The sidewalks and paving were all done as part of a water infrastructure project to help make it so that we had opportunities for more businesses to come in, but it did help us in the long term, too, in making sure that we had a walkable downtown. We had places for people to go. So, for instance, the Orpheum Park, which is going to have some sprucing up this summer, but now, you know, it went from the grass lot than just where the movie theater used to be to now where the fountain is with the flowers and some benches. The Maki Park, you know, while that still has some work that has to be done for it, is better than just a plain grass lot that we just had to mow and do nothing with over the course of the years it had been since the Maki block got torn down. Monument Park has had a lot of upgrades there. We’re partnering with Gateway Fiber to provide free Internet for Monument Park in terms of for Wi-Fi for people who just like to get out and get some work done in the sun or sit down and watch the band concerts or increase the opportunities that we have there moving forward. There’s a lot that’s happened in the downtown, even just the sprucing up with the flowers. Now, the flower pots came from a lot of people came to us saying that they liked the way the downtown Leominster looked. So we took a drive down downtown Leominster and saw those flower pots. Mayor Mazzarella and I talk very regularly, so we talked about where he bought those plastic flower pots. So we went, we talked to them, we used some grant funding that we got for beautification services, got the flower pots, and the intent was to really put them out for the parade that we had for our centennial celebration. And it really has taken off from there, too. And I really can’t thank our volunteer flower pot committee, who has now really just become the flower committee because it’s not just the flower pots but the boxes that we have at, you know, Bullnose Park, the different large planters that we have around the city. So our city councilor, Judy Mack, Amy Levasseur from our purchasing office, Megan Grace from the human resources office, and Katie Jablonski from my office, who really took that program and ran with it. And they look beautiful, and I’m, you know, very proud about how that looks, just to improve the curb appeal so people want to get out and walk around.
From the Accomplished interview in 2023:
Q Werner Poegel: Mayor Nicholson, what can you tell us about what people can see with their own eyes when they look around Gardner?
A Gardner Mayor Nicholson: If you’re looking around the downtown, you’ll start to be seeing a lot of improvements that are in that area already. Between the new lights that have been strung between the Victorian light posts, the fountain that’s been installed in Bullnose Park, the new fountain that’s being installed as we speak over in Orpheum Park on top of a new raised flower bed with new plantings along the fence that’s out there too to give it more of that hometown feel. Pretty soon we’ll see work being done over in the Maki Park area. We’ll have a three-terraced location over there with a new outdoor stage, a permanent concrete cornhole facility, and some outdoor seating opportunities as well. And that’s just in the downtown alone. As you go over to South Gardner, you start to see some things spruce up for the summer times. We’ll have the American flag hanging on the Victorian light post as you go through, similar to what we see on Nichols Street around Memorial Day. The planter boxes and flower pots have been placed out around the city, so you’ll start to see a lot of those going out there too. And the aesthetic improvements that we have going on in the city, those are the small things that make a big difference when you add them all up together. And that’s been one of our main goals here that we have.
Q Werner Poegel: Now, one of the things that you’ve done is you’ve had some issues with respect to storefronts and improving those. What can you say about that?
A Gardner Mayor Nicholson: So we are working right now with the Commonwealth Vacant Storefront Program. Last year was the first year that the city was designated a vacant storefront revitalization district for both the downtown and the Timpani Boulevard corridor. What this does is it allows us to attract more businesses in, and we let them know that if they are filling a storefront that was vacant for more than 12 months, they qualify for a $10,000 grant from the city and then a $10,000 tax rebate from the state as well. So that does help bring people in. We’ve got two businesses right now that fit this mold that are going to be submitting applications to the state for this designation. Alexa Fashion over on Main Street immediately next to the Blue Moon Diner, and Perry Swimming Pools which will soon to be open over in the Timpany Crossroads area next to Clearview Dermatology and Verizon Wireless.
Q Werner Poegel: What challenges does a small city like Gardner face in terms of making aesthetic improvements that you’d like to do?
A Gardner Mayor Nicholson: I think the biggest challenge, believe it or not Werner, is getting out of our own way. It’s showing that Gardner is capable and has the potential to be a great city that really stands out and you don’t have to go to these cities or towns along the coast for this hometown feel. You can get that right here in your backyard. But it’s getting out of the mindset of this isn’t how things were done before, that’s just not Gardner and showing that it may not be Gardner today but that doesn’t mean it can’t be Gardner tomorrow.