Is Moody Street a thriving business area or a slumping one? If so, what can be done to make it more successful?
That is what 14 Bentley College students are going to try to find out as they attempt to take the pulse of Moody Street starting this fall.
Bentley College professor Charles Hadlock said honors students from an interdisciplinary course will be performing a study that will involve talking to restaurant owners, retailers, developers, customers, property owners and a host of others heavily involved with Moody Street.
Hadlock said he will meet next month with the students at the start of the semester to further hash out the details of the study and then get to work.
"The general idea that we have right now is to look at the retail sector on Moody Street and how that may best compliment the restaurant sector," he said. Hadlock said the study will also strive to better define just who is eating and shopping on Moody Street and the rest of the downtown area.
"Is it mostly Waltham people?" Hadlock said. "Is it people from surrounding towns?"
Hadlock said the study is not being performed under the premise that business on Moody Street isn't healthy. While some may hold that opinion, Hadlock said that others believe business on Moody is better than ever.
Hadlock said students in his honors class come from different areas of study, including political science, business, marketing and finance. He said students were given the choice of writing an individual senior thesis or joining the group study.
Hadlock said his previous honor students have worked on studies involving state issues and presented their results at the State House.
"This year we decided to work on a local project that's really near and dear to hearts of Bentley College students," Hadlock said.
The students hope to have the study completed by the end of the year, Hadlock said.
"We'll make a formal presentation to all of the interested parties," Hadlock said, adding that the presentation would likely be made at City Hall. Even though classes haven't started up yet, Hadlock said students have already expressed excitement for the project.
"They are very enthusiastic," Hadlock said. "I've already gotten e-mails from some of them asking, 'When can we get started?"'
Richard Conn can be contacted at 781-398-8004 or rconn@cnc.com.
