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This story appeared on Page A5 of The
Standard-Times on July 29, 2005
Economy plan could boost area industry
By DAVID KIBBE, Standard-Times staff writer
BOSTON -- House leaders yesterday unveiled a $296
million economic development plan that would offer
grant money to the marine science industry,
eliminate the waiting list for adult basic education
and provide $20 million a year in matching grants to
cultural and historical institutions across the
state.
The legislation was written after three House
committee chairs embarked on a statewide "listening
tour" that took them from Fall River to Pittsfield.
"We believe this legislation will create new jobs
and create the atmosphere for businesses here in
Massachusetts to grow, as well as to induce other
companies from out of state to come here and
establish their businesses," House Speaker Salvatore
DiMasi said yesterday.
Local projects would be funded through a grant
process administered by the state, not through
legislative "earmarks" written by politically
connected legislators. The bill must be approved by
the Senate.
Gov. Mitt Romney also has proposed an economic
stimulus bill. Both plans would invest $200 in
million in capital projects to spur economic
development, but only the House has a specific fund
for cultural and historical attractions.
Rep. Michael Rodrigues, a Westport Democrat who
co-chairs the Labor and Workforce Development
Committee, was one of the three committee chairs who
wrote the plan.
He said a number of local projects -- from the
Marine Museum in Fall River to the Zeiterion Theatre
in New Bedford -- would be ideal applicants for the
cultural fund. The money for cultural and historic
attractions would come from a combination of bond
money and the hotel room tax.
"All of it helps the area," Rodrigues said. "The
most important component for Southeastern
Massachusetts, the SouthCoast, is the particular
language for marine science and technology, the
cultural facility funds. … Adult basic education and
English as a second language are very important to
our immigrant community in Fall River and New
Bedford."
Local leaders said including the marine science and
technology industry in the state's current financial
incentive plan for the biotechnology industry would
create jobs in SouthCoast.
Rodrigues worked on the marine science language with
Rep. John Quinn, D-Dartmouth. They were greatly
influenced by a UMass report on the economic impact
of the marine science and technology industry, which
generated $1.5 billion in sales last year for
everything from ship building to ocean research.
The designation would allow businesses and research
centers to get matching federal grants.
"Putting marine science and technology on the same
footing as biotech is great," Quinn said in an
interview. "There's a lot of small cluster
development, one- to three- to five-person
companies, and they need all the help they can get.
This will put them in a good position to get
additional money."
New Bedford Mayor Frederick M. Kalisz Jr., who had
heard about the rough outlines of the bill, said the
city was poised to be a marine science leader.
Between the city and the UMass Dartmouth School for
Marine Science and Technology, leaders are planning
a marine science curriculum that would stretch from
kindergarten to graduate school.
"We are the geographic center of the cluster for the
marine science industry, between Woods Hole and
Kingston, R.I.," Kalisz said. "This stimulus package
... could bring a tremendous impact on a short
term."
Other highlights of the bill include: $30 million
for the redevelopment of polluted industrial sites;
$2 million in technical assistance for small
businesses; a tax credit for medical device
manufacturers; an $11 million boost in workforce
training; exploring ways to expand broadband
Internet service to the entire state; and incentives
for agriculture, including zoning changes and a
preference for state government programs to buy
locally.
The legislation would also pump an additional $6.5
million in adult basic education, over the current
year's $1.5 million, to eliminate the 25,000-person
waiting list. The money would cut the list by 80
percent in five years.
Rick Lord, the president of Associated Industries of
Massachusetts, said tapping into the immigrant labor
force is crucial for the state's success, especially
with the state's population dropping.
"Our workforce isn't growing, and we are
increasingly relying upon immigrants who come into
Massachusetts to become productive members of the
workforce," he said. "We need to give every citizen
of the commonwealth the skills they need to become
productive members of the workforce."
The stimulus bill got warm reviews yesterday from
political, business, cultural and job training
officials.
Kalisz said the shuttered Orpheum Theatre in New
Bedford's South End, which has been mothballed since
1954 but is the subject of development interest,
could use the cultural funds.
"People are looking to develop regional arts
collaborations," Kalisz said. "This is the type of
project that certainly would benefit."
This story appeared on Page A5 of The
Standard-Times on July 29, 2005 |
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