BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The Waterbury community gathered at the Stowe Street Alley for a monumental moment on Monday afternoon.
Local organization Revitalizing Waterbury is sprucing up the alleyway next to the Stowe Street Emporium.
“This is a day that has taken a long time to get to and we can’t even be more excited,” said Karen Nevin from Revitalizing Waterbury.
The eagerly awaited revitalization of Waterbury’s Stowe Street Alley began with a ceremonial groundbreaking Monday afternoon.
“We’re putting a shovel in the ground to tear up the surface and pave it with beautiful bricks and create it, turn it into a place where people can spend their time,” said Nevin.
The alley is between Stowe Street Emporium and La Strada Bakery in downtown Waterbury. The goal is to turn it into a fun, safe place for people to look at art, listen to live music, and engage with others in the community.
The ceremony marks a step towards transforming this space into a vibrant and welcoming downtown destination.
“As a business owner and community member, I’m just over the moon happy about it,” said Stowe Street Emporium owner Kathy Murphy.
Murphy says Waterbury is growing as a new hot spot for visitors, residents, and other businesses to enjoy.
“To me, since 2020, our town has grown in population, but I’m seeing it from my business perspective, many young families moving into the town and I think I can see parents coming in here with their children,” said Murphy.
It’s been years in the making, but the project is set to be done by October of this year.