Areas to be discussed include Emmons Street between Main Street and Hillside Road, Dean Avenue between Main and Ray streets, Ray Street, Depot Street and the town's Depot Street parking lot.
Town officials hope the work, which will be paid for through a $1 million state public works grant, will fix deteriorated roads and sidewalks, improve drainage and stormwater systems and stimulate private investment downtown, Taberner said.
"This is a section we wouldn't have been able to afford if we didn't get that (grant)," Taberner said.
The construction is part of a $7.25 million downtown revitalization project to eliminate one-way traffic, install decorative streetlights, improve sidewalks and curbs and resurface streets. Work on main streets will be covered by a $5 million federal grant, which will be matched by about $1.25 million in state and local funds.
Reconfirming a strong link between education and economic success, the report notes that Bay State hourly wages and household incomes leapt from near the national average 30 years ago to among the top in the nation today.
Yet those with less education are struggling to find jobs at higher rates than past downturns. People with only high school degrees are unemployed at nearly twice the rate of those with a bachelor's degrees or higher, the report says.
While the report points to Massachusetts' strengths, it also highlights the need for better training for less educated workers to gain middle-level skills, said Robert Tannenwald, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities.
Such skills are important to the state's economy in growing sectors such as niche manufacturing and the medical technician field, he said.
"The high school diploma doesn't cut it anymore, but you don't quite need the college degree either," said Tannenwald, whose organization is affiliated with the report's authors. "You need specialized skill."You can read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.
