December 23, 2008
By Robin Kaminski/The Daily Item

The city received an early Christmas present Tuesday in the form of a $2.5 million dollar check from the state to help relocate power lines on the Lynnway.

The much anticipated funds were presented by Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, who joined state and local officials to announce the creation of the Gov. Deval Patrick/Murray Administration’s Growth District grant funding to move power lines and remediate a landfill and to allow mixed-use and commercial development and the development of public green space along the 57 acres of Lynn waterfront.

“Growth districts are hubs of economic growth and housing development across the Commonwealth,” he said. “By identifying these districts and focusing our collective resources on making each one development-ready, we are creating the conditions for business growth and community vitalization for years to come.”

Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. said without the funding, the city could not have proceeded with efforts to relocate the power lines.

ITEM PHOTO/Owen O'Rourke
Mayor Chip Clancy and Lt. Governor Tim Murray shake hands during the ceremony Tuesday awarding $2.5 million to Lynn for its waterfront project.

“Clearly, the administration recognizes the importance of removing the major impediment to waterfront development in the city of Lynn,” he said.

State Rep. Steven Walsh said he is indebted to Secretary Daniel O’Connell and Undersecretary Gregory Bialecki for their help and said the city is “blessed to have them as partners.”

“When I was three years old, I got a red fire engine from Santa, but this is by far the best present I have ever got,” Walsh quipped. “This is the biggest project in this city in the last century.”

The city’s waterfront district is a 300 acre area that when fully developed will include 1,061,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, as well as 4,177,000 square feet of mixed residential and 228,730 square feet of light industrial space.

The mixed-use area is located south of the Lynnway and runs from the Lynn city line at the General Edwards Bridge to the Nahant town line at the Nahant rotary. It also runs just north of the Lynn harbor limits and runs along the Saugus River at Revere to the Lynn border.

The proposed relocation would place the power lines on the west side of the Lynnway by General Electric, then crossing over the Lynnway up the road by Harding Street and continue near Commercial Street.

James Cowdell, executive director of the Economic Development & Industrial Corporation, who has been working on the project with Clancy since 2002, said the funds equate to a “home run” for the city.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be nearly $7 million.

Although the state’s grant funding eliminates a chunk of the money needed, City Council president Timothy Phelan said city councilors would be faced with tough decisions in the new year to allocate remaining funds.

“Now we have to figure out where the rest of the money will be coming from and figure out whether a bond would be appropriate,” Phelan said. “This is a once in a generation opportunity to fix the problems that our forefathers created by putting the power lines down there. But we can’t have taxpayers picking up 100 percent of the tab for private developers.”

Murray said the Lynn site is the first site to receive funding during the second round of Growth Districts.

“Lynn has a tremendous past and an even brighter future,” he said. “This project will create jobs, growth and will be a win for the community and a win for the commonwealth.”