On my morning stroll to get a bit of air and some coffee I headed down Tower Rd, just off Needham St.  I spotted a demolition crew that looks like it had just begun to puts its claw into one of the abandoned buildings in the back of the industrial site back there.

It looks like this may be the start of the massive construction project for the first phase of the Northland project.  I believe the whole project is scheduled to take about three years so there will be a lot more heavy equipment in our neighborhood’s future for a long time to come.

Aside from all of the other well discussed neighborhood concerns about the project there’s a lesser know loss that the start of construction will bring.

At the start of last summer, when Covid cabin fever had became unbearable, Northland volunteered the use of the empty Marshalls Plaza parking lot to all takers who asked.  Over the course of the summer, the Newton Nomadic Theater, Newton Community Pride, the New City Church, the Schecter School used the parking lot for a series of drive-in concerts, drive-in movies and drive-in rallies.  We’ll be sorry to lose that option this year but remain grateful to Northland for helping us get through last summer with some regular drive-in entertainments.

Closer to home, about 30′ from where I’m sitting, there’s a derelict house right across the street.  The house has been recently sold and the new owner is putting together his plans and working to get construction approval from the local Historic Commission.  Once he clears those hurdles we’ll have a very big construction project to look forward to, up close and personal.

I’m not looking forward to either of these projects though I’m hoping for the best for both when they’re finished.  In the meantime, I think I’ll have to take a leaf out of my friends the O’Hara’s playbook and try to reorient my mental perspective for the duration.  The O’Haras were a big family, with lots of kids who grew up on Long Island.  Their dad ran a company that sold concrete pipe for large civil engineering projects.  From the youngest age he taught all their kids a ritual for when the family drove anywhere.   If any kid spotted heavy equipment they all screamed “YAY CONSTRUCTION”.

Now I know that’s not a particularly popular ethos in 2021 Newton, but its for my mental health.   I’ll try to keep my voice down.