Melrose, Massachusetts

8 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 10 basic TLC. Work is about to break ground on the $20 million library renovation, which will include removing a 1960s addition and replacing it with a modern two-storey addition in its place. “It really is a community space and we desperately want to preserve it,” Brodeur exclaims. “This will allow us to do tech upgrades, meeting upgrades, ADA upgrades, and provide an exceptional building to go along with the exceptional service the library has always provided.” The renovation is being completed thanks to a state program that provides capital matching funds to do renovation work on public libraries. The city thrives on state, federal and public- private partnerships to help with development and improvements throughout Melrose. Brodeur attests, “We absolutely live and die by public- private partnerships and local state and federal government cooperation.” Looking to the future, Brodeur hopes to continue those partnerships and encourage more investment in public transportation at the state and federal level. He notes, “We really thrive as a community over time by that ease of commute and it kind of stirs everything else. That drives so much of what we have been able to accomplish here in Melrose.” He also plans to continue to build on the successes the city has already achieved. “By that I mean that we have really been focused on multi-family development, good schools, good quality of life,” he explains. “So we will continue encouraging that transit-oriented development, continue to reinvest in our schools, continue to pay attention to a vibrant downtown to make sure that we are continuing to offer opportunities both for the business community and for our residents and the greater region. That’s where we want to be. We want to lead our area in terms of economic growth, economic redevelopment, and quality of life.” MELROSE , MASSACHUSETTS Courtesy of Raj Das, ED Photography