Main Street, Hyannis
HYANNIS – Barnstable Town Manager Thomas Lynch is talking with Hyannis business leaders about town funds being spent on improvements at the east end of Main Street.
“The east end merchants, Bradford’s [Hardware Store] and that area of town, have asked us to do designs, lighting, different sidewalks, and improve the streetscape in that area. We have set aside money and we’re beginning to work on that,” he said.
Lynch met with Hyannis Business Improvement District Executive Director Elizabeth Wurfbain last week and, he said, improving the east end of Main Street was part of the discussion.
The Business Improvement District collects dues from its members and those dues are used for improvement projects.
But Lynch said the BID has asked to town to help with funding some street improvements.
“They’re asking us to pitch in, so we’ll look at that to see whether there’s a way within our capital improvement plan or other operating budget monies that we have. Sometimes it’s not just the capital improvement that happens, it’s in the ongoing expense for the lighting and would that be borne by individual merchants or how would you work that out,” he said.
The town’s department of public works is in charge of the project.
“DPW has that on their agenda,” he said.
Lynch said there has been a big effort to improve the street in recent years.
“We’ve also looked at things like up-lighting, lights along the trees on Main Street, just to give it a different ambiance for visitors and residents who come down onto the street,” he said. “We talked a little about parking issues, which are an ongoing concern.”
He said there was also discussion of facade improvements and whether there is a way the town can help with funding for that.
“The street keeps evolving. The merchants and the property owners have put a lot of money into their various storefronts and reports from the BID are it’s been a very successful season,” Lynch said.
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