There’s new life for historic town center

Lakeville’s business district has struggled to develop a balance between maintaining its history and providing an accessible and vibrant environment to attract and welcome visitors. There is now a good variety of shops and eateries in Lakeville, and its location between Millerton and Salisbury should mean it is ideally suited to being a destination for those who live in the area full time, part time, or are just taking in the sights of the Tri-state region.

But ease of use matters, and the center of Lakeville has suffered from the difficulty of crossing Route 44 either on foot or while driving. And vehicles coming down the hill into Lakeville on Route 44 from Millerton often travel at higher speeds than they should, making it less likely their drivers would spot the row of shops on the right-hand side heading into town in time to park. Once in the town center, crossing Main Street/Route 44 is only practical at the crosswalk at the post office, and even then one has to be very sure vehicles are stopping before venturing out into the fray.

So the proposed plans at the Salisbury Town Hall now to make changes to the intersection of routes 44 and 41, described by Patrick Sullivan in last week’s Lakeville Journal, should be of great importance to all who live and do business in Lakeville and in the wider area. This not-so-little business district, which is also, of course, a historic district, goes back to before the turn of the last century. The Lake-ville Journal, for instance, begun in 1897, had its first location where Argazzi Art is now, before moving to the Holley building and finally to Bissell Street. But the needs of both business owners and consumers have changed dramatically in that time, haven’t they? It’s time for Lakeville businesses to be able to benefit from an upgrade to their center that is long overdue.

The proposed bump outs are meant to slow traffic and should give motorists time to see the shops that are well worth taking a bit of time to stop and peruse. Fine gift and vintage shops, a health food store, an interior design firm with a children’s shop, a pet shop, galleries, hair salon, spa, seamstress, cleaner, wine shop, several restaurants and computer and tech businesses and more are grouped with the Realtors, attorneys, banks, newspaper, churches, convenience store/gas station, auto shop and post office. 

There is new life in Lakeville to complement the longtime businesses and the history, with a contracting company renovating its Main Street building and other businesses recently moving and starting up there.

It is time to use the money and the plans of the state Department of Transportation and give Lakeville the redesign it needs to be more navigable and visitor-friendly. With plans for the former firehouse hopefully coming together, and of course the attraction of the lake itself, in addition to the business and historical district, Lakeville has a lot going for it. Let’s make it easier for those unfamiliar with it to find and explore all it has to offer.