Stories of 2011: Outlets Become a Reality

It's been a little more than six months since Patch launched in Merrimack and it's been an eventful half a year. With 10 days left in 2011, we decided to count down 10 stories we think are worth another look.

Some are uplifting, some are not. Some mean big things for the future of Merrimack, others are simply a slice of life. Some stories are not over, they'll continue well into 2012 and we will continue to bring you updates as we learn more about them.

Thank you for helping make our first six months better than we could have imagined. We are excited to see what is in store for 2012.

6. Outlet Mall No Longer Just a Vision

Merrimack is looking at less than half a year before the new Premium Outlets shopping center is completed and open for business, bringing a new chapter in a years-long project that has not always been a smooth process.

The planning stages of the mall were lengthy and arduous and the beginning of construction was riddled with complaints from neighbors who say their homes were damaged during blasting at the project site.

At the beginning of August, Scott Tranchemontagne, a project spokesman, and Mark Kroeger, assistant project manager for Premium Outlets led a media tour around the site, pointing out various aspects of progress. At the time, buildings four, five and six were the furthest along while building three was in progress and buildings one, two and seven were awaiting construction.

Though Simon/Premium Outlets, the owners of the mall, have been mum on the stores slated to open at the 450,000 square foot shopping center, less than a month after the tour, in Merrimack in 2012.

The shopping center will house high-end retailers akin to those found at the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets in Massachusetts, though specifics on what stores may be coming to the outlets remain a secret. Those businesses, however, are expected to create around 1,000 jobs, according to the website for the outlets project, OutletsYes.com.

Other stories that made our Top 10 list: