April 22, 2010
Editorial/The Daily Item
It's common, even stereotypical perhaps, for groundbreaking ceremonies for government-funded projects to include speeches by elected officials quick to shower praise on one another.
What might not always be the case, however, is that every word of thanks given and received at Wednesday morning's celebration of Lynn's waterfront, marking the start of the South Harbor power corridor relocation, was deserved.
The groundbreaking ceremony capped six years of intense negotiations involving current and former city and state officials, National Grid, General Electric and many private industrial and commercial property owners along the Lynnway. It was a monumental task to make the dream of moving the high-tension power corridor away from a 50-acre swath of undeveloped coastline possible, to set the stage for potential new development.
Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, who was committed to the project as a City Councilor and the past few months as mayor, showed class by commending her predecessor, former Mayor Edward "Chip" Clancy, Jr. who did not attend, for having the vision "to get the ball rolling and move this project forward."
Kennedy also thanked Community Development Director James Marsh, who formerly served as Clancy's chief of staff.
The Lynn Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (EDIC) led by James Cowdell and the Lynn City Council worked tirelessly on the local level, while the city's legislative delegation - State Rep. Steve Walsh perhaps standing out among them - knocked on all the right doors and bent the right ears on Beacon Hill to secure a $2.5 million state grant toward the project.
"Within 48 hours of being elected I got calls from Representative Walsh, (state Sen.) Tom McGee (state Rep.) Bob Fennell and others wanting to let me know about this project and how it would require state assistance," Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray said.
Walsh made sure to commend others who worked diligently on the early planning, including former Community Development Director Hal McGaughey, former EDIC director Peter DeVeau and former state undersecretary of economic development Robert Coughlin. He also singled out Joseph Newman of National Grid for his efforts.
"My first call after taking office Jan. 2, 2003 was to Joe...and I asked what it would take to make this happen. I remember it wasn't a very nice conversation that day and I understood because he didn't know me. He said we've been trying for years, not sure it's going to happen.
Six years later, Walsh said Newman was there last Memorial Day weekend when the contract for the project between National Grid and the city was signed.
City Council President Timothy Phelan wisely tempered the celebration with a reminder there is plenty of work ahead to bring new development to the waterfront.
"If we move the power lines and have no development, then what we've done really is no benefit to the city," he said.
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