Civil Municipal - April 2024

while preserving its heritage. “We have this very robust and vibrant city center with period architecture, really great mill buildings that have been repurposed for incubator spaces and small businesses, artists, creative entrepreneurs. We have wide brick sidewalks, and period lamp posts, and we’re a walkable community, but we’re surrounded by farmlands, which makes us unique,” describes Mayor Kassandra Gove. Open space is valued in the community, which is located on two rivers and has several lakes within its boundaries. “We have a lot of recreational opportunities here too. We have a predominantly residential community, a great school system, and we are just a great place for people to live and raise a family,” Gove continues. PRESERVING HISTORY, EMBRACING CHANGE A few years ago,Amesbury embarked on a rebranding effort, which included the design of a new logo. This bright and contemporary city emblem was designed with intention, as William Donohue, Communications Director explains,“It is a nod to our history, in both our economics and the history of automobile production, factories, and fabric production, which is still evident in Amesbury today. But it is also looking towards the future of the development of Amesbury and where we can go from here.” In addition to the logo, the city has adopted a slogan, ‘Make History Here’.“It’s sort of like an invitation.We want you to be here and be part of what we’re doing. Start a business, raise a family, whatever that might look like for you to leave your fingerprint on our community and be part of what’s happening,”Mayor Gove expands, “We have a lot of young people who want to live here and there’s a lot of activity. It’s an exciting place to be. It’s not a sleepy historical town.” REVITALIZING DOWNTOWN As Amesbury continues its rebranding efforts, the focus is on revitalization, especially in the downtown area. Nicholas Cracknel, Director of the Office of Community Development, highlights, “This is an old mill town, with strong New England character. Amesbury has a fantastic and well-preserved environment from the late 18th to early 19th century. 27 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 5, ISSUE 04 AMESBURY, MASSACHUSETTS