Summer on Central
Jul 31, 2020 11:14AM ● By Kara Nicole
Early on in the summer, residents began to see changes to Norwood Center with sidewalks blocked off for outdoor dining, but the real change came when Central St. was blocked off from vehicle traffic and a cozy pedestrian zone was created. The Norwood community was clued in on the new landscape from a town announcement.
“We will be shutting down a portion of Central Street (between Cottage St. E. and Nahatan St.) for communal dining and pedestrian access. Summer on Central will provide residents a great, safe place to socialize, meet friends and enjoy summertime in downtown Norwood.”
General Manger Tony Mazzucco addressed this new addition to the Common in a Facebook live chat noting “it’s been over 100 days since all of this (quarantine) started in Norwood and I don’t think we ever would have thought Norwood Center would look this way.”
With Central street closed off and picnic tables spread out on an overlay of artificial grass, the set up looks as if it has been a part of the town for years. The area is equipped with portable toilets, hand sanitizer stations, and recycle and trash bins. In fact, the initial thought was to offer this setting on weekends throughout the summer, however, it was clearly a neighborhood favorite and has remained available all week long since it was created.
Patrons of all ages are now seen throughout the day holding meetings, enjoying outdoor family time, catching up with friends, and what a scene once the sun goes down as twinkling lights provide a soft illumination from the evening sky.
“It is my new favorite part of this town,” Norwood resident Amanda Springer said. “I truly enjoy being able to safely meet up with friends I haven’t seen in a while, and also be able to support local business in the process. We usually order take out from a restaurant around town and then find a picnic table to sit and chat.”
With the new restrictions regarding social distancing, and restaurants offering some outdoor dining and indoor seating at limited capacity, the new picnic tables at the Common have provided a great alternative to Norwood dining while still allowing members of the town to support local businesses. It is also a great option for those who
“I want Norwood to do this every Summer!” Andrew Millin exclaimed.
The town’s statement encouraged patrons to “grab a coffee and sit near the historic Norwood Theater on a weekend morning, a slice of pizza for lunch as families picnic and play on the Town Common, or an after dinner dessert in the warm summer air!”
The possibilities are endless when it comes to this new addition to the town, but creating the scene did not happen overnight.
Members from the Norwood Town Managers office, Department of Public Works, and Norwood Police worked together to create the atmosphere for all the members of the town to enjoy.
‘Summer on Central’ will continue on until September of this year, but with Norwood resident’s already buzzing about how much they have enjoyed it so far, it seems this may become a Norwood tradition for years to come. What I am already thinking about is when we get through this and next summer we get benches out at 10 different places in town. All the restaurants will have the outdoor dining, and we’ll have more music and it is going to be a beautiful thing. So think forward to where we are going to be” Mazzucco concluded.
