SHELBURNE FALLS — What would make the uphill parking area behind the Salmon Falls Gallery more inviting?
The Shelburne Falls Area Partnership, along with the towns of Buckland, Shelburne and the Greater Shelburne Falls Area Business Association, invite artists and residents to a “place making” workshop on Saturday at the McCusker’s Market community room from 1 to 4 p.m.
“We want to know what we could do to make it more beautiful,” said Carmela Lanza-Weil, executive director of the Business Association. She said some suggestions have been beautiful plantings, a fitness path, and art sculptures “to pull the eye up there.” Lanza-Weil led a workshop to brain storm ideas last week, and this will be the second one. Until now, the area between the train tracks, the Salmon Falls building and the Trolley Museum has been a partially paved, undefined parking area where gravel and Buckland Highway Department equipment has often been parked.
Place-making, said Lanza-Weil, is a “people-centered approach to planning, design and management of public spaces” that involves listening to and asking questions of those who live, work and use the space. “What may feel like a crazy idea is welcome. This is a dreaming step.”
The parking area, off Ashfield Street, has long provided free parking, but is underused. Both Shelburne and Buckland are trying to avoid parking shortages by encouraging people to park in off-street parking lots. In case of bad weather, the snow date is Sunday, Jan. 5.