Business View Civil and Municipal | September 2022

123 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 DRACUT , MASSACHUSETTS Dracut,” says Ann Vandal, Dracut’s Town Manager. “With COVID and the advent of remote working, I think it’s lent itself to opportunities for the community to build off of and to offer certain businesses for those customers. More people are staying home and they want to go to the theater or they want to go to a coffee house or something like that to get out of the house. I think that is a key component to our success going forward, along with other entertainment areas.” Those other entertainment areas include teen and child-focused options. Plans are currently in place to expand the library’s teen space, and the town is working with developers to come up with a plan for a gaming facility. Vandal emphasizes, “We want to keep the kids here. We want a place for the kids to call home when they don’t want to be home, and hopefully keep them out of trouble. We are starting with the library to see what the response is, and then we will build from there.” Another project Phelps has on the go is establishing a comprehensive business directory that residents can access whenever they’re in need of a business or service. With new businesses opening all the time, and many operating out of their homes since the pandemic, it’s not always easy to know what resources are available in town. “I want to include all of the businesses in town. So that when someone’s on Facebook saying ‘hey, does anybody know of a good housecleaner?’ we can just add a link to the directory on there as a resource,” he says. The directory will allow for businesses to have equal opportunity to shine, with no one business getting an unfair advantage. “The one thing I don’t want to do is tell someone to try this plumber when there’s probably 35 plumbers in Dracut,” Phelps says. “That’s why I want to have a complete and comprehensive list of places. Here are the plumbers, here are their phone numbers, here is their website and you do your plumber 250 Pawtucket Blvd. Tyngsborough,MA 01879 Learn more at: gltech.org At Greater Lowell Technical High School , we strive to R espect • E ffort • A cccountability • C ommittment • H onesty R.E.A.C.H. Empowering Students to Exceed Their Greatest Expectations