BRIEFING ON FRAMINGHAM- WORCESTER COMMUTER RAIL SCHEDULE CHANGES

On October 2, as part of the Partnership's Institute on Local Issues, our Transportation Committee held a forum for Charles Planck, Assistant General Manager of Policy Performance and Strategy, and Acting Chief of Staff at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

The discussion focused on the expansion of service on the Framingham/Worcester Commuter Rail Line.  The MBTA is currently accepting comments and recommendations on how the new schedule could best serve their customers and stakeholders.  For your convenience, we have provided links to the MBTA letter about scheduling changes and their  presentation from the Partnership's meeting.

We strongly encourage you to share your perspective on how the Framingham/Worcester Commuter Rail schedule can best serve the communities, residents, employers and employees in the 495/MetroWest region. Comments are still being accepted and can be sent to [email protected].

If you are interested in future meetings of the Partnership's Transportation Committee, please contact our Deputy Director, Jessica Strunkin at [email protected].

 Clean Energy Center to Address Water Committee

As part of the Partnership's Institute for Local Issues, our Water Resources Committee is hosting an October 3rd  forum with Michael Murphy, the Business Development Manager for Water Innovations at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC).  

Water Innovation Technologies is a relatively new program at MassCEC.  Michael will discuss his role to carry out a range of business development activities to build and grow the Program, in addition to other areas of focus including managing the water component of the Massachusetts Israel Innovation Partnership. 

We hope you can join us for this informative meeting on October 3rd at 8:30am in the second floor conference center at 200 Friberg Parkway in Westborough.  In line with all of our Institute for Local Issues forums, the event is free, but space is limited, so please register by emailing [email protected] .

MOBD Forum on Economic Development Incentive Program 

On October 8, in the Partnership's conference center at 200 Friberg Parkway, the Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD) is holding a forum to discuss changes to the Commonwealth’s Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP) and to announce a new tool for reviewing Annual Reports.  

This forum will provide an opportunity to clarify questions  about Tax Increment Funding (TIF), Special Tax Assessments (STAs), these incentives’ connection to EDIP, provide clarity regarding EDIP compliance and revocation and to reintroduce MOBD’s EDIP team and regional director, Rob Anderson.

This forum will also serve as the official roll-out of the new Web-Based Portal that will allow Municipalities to access annual reports for companies in their community that receive incentives which fall under MOBD’s oversight.  

Space is limited and RSVPs are accepted on a first come, first serve basis, so if interested in attending, please email to [email protected] by October 4th. 

Interested in the Creative

Economy?

On Sept. 24th, the Partnership hosted a briefing by  Helena Fruscio, the state’s Creative Economy Industry Director, on the state’s ongoing Creative Industries Initiative and the formation of a Creative Economy Network for 495/MetroWest.

As shown by the broad definition of creative industries below, they have a significant direct and indirect impact on the 495/MetroWest economy.  

Massachusetts defines the creative industries to include without limitation the many interlocking industry sectors that center on providing creative services such as advertising, architecture or creating and promoting intellectual property products such as arts, film, computer games, multimedia, or design. 

• Marketing: Advertising and marketing agencies and professionals

• Architecture: Architecture firms and architects

• Visual Arts + Craft:  Museums, galleries, curators, artists, artisans, and makers

• Design:   Product, interior, graphic, and fashion design firms and designers

• Film + Media:   Film, animation, TV, and radio businesses, organizations, and talent

• Digital Games:   Companies, programmers, and individuals producing games

• Music + Entertainment:  Venues, theatres, producers, and musicians and performers

• Publishing:  Print or electronic businesses and content creator, editors, and writers

Given the economic impact of the creative economy, it is vital to take advantage of this opportunity to establish a strong creative economy network in our region, in order to address issues such as business development, access to capital, visibility, talent, and space.  For further background, Ms. Fruscio's presentation on Creative Economy Networks is available online here.  

If you'd like to join the ongoing regional dialogue on establishing a creative economy network, please let us know by emailing [email protected] .

Partnership's Support of Regional MassWorks Grant Applications

Following the Partnership's August 8th Forum on the MassWorks Infrastructure Program, staff submitted support letters for two of our communities applying for MassWorks grants, namely Marlborough and Ashland.   The Forum included a presentation by Victoria Maguire, State Permit Ombudsman/Director at the Massachusetts Permit Regulatory Office for the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED). Attendees also heard the perspectives of successful municipal applicants to the MassWorks program, through comments by Keith Bergman, Town Administrator in Littleton, and Patrick Reffett, Community Development Director in Natick.

While submissions for this year's program are closed, please visit the MassWorks site for more information on the program.

Moving forward, if your community is applying for a state grant from MassWorks or any other program and you would like the Partnership to consider writing a letter of support please email [email protected].

Interested in the Partnership?

If you are interested in the Partnership's work on behalf of the 495/MetroWest region and would like to be considered for our program committees or Board of Directors, just submit a completed statement of interest form to [email protected] 

Draft I-495 / Route 9 Interchange Improvement Study Released for Comment

includes potential improvements to I-495 / I-90 interchange (below)

On September 4th, as part of the Partnership's Institute for Local Issues, our Transportation Committee hosted a briefing on the recently released draft I-495/Route 9 Interchange Improvement Study.  Paul Nelson, MassDOT Manager of Corridor Planning, provided a detailed overview of the Study's process and recommendations.

Along with the Partnership's role on the Study Advisory Group, this was the fifth meeting hosted by the Partnership on this Study, including a meeting in February when Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey identified some of the recommendations for improvements to Route 9 as priorities for MassDOT and the Patrick Administration in, The Way Forward: A 21st Century Transportation Plan.  Given that the resulting Transportation Financing Legislation did not include the full funding request, questions arose about the commitment to funding Route 9 improvements.  Meeting participants were encouraged to be project proponents, to ensure continued state attention to the Study's recommendations and the region's transportation infrastructure needs.

Based on ongoing dialogue with stakeholders throughout the study's process, the Partnership submitted commentary on the draft recommendations, focusing on the need for state leadership relative to carrying out these findings.

More information on this study and its recommendations can be found on the project website, and the Partnership is going to continue our work supporting the funding of improvements to the I-495/ Route 9 and I-495 / I-90 interchanges, as well as the affected stretch of Route 9.

Feel free to contact Partnership staff with any questions on the Draft Study, how to participate in the Partnership's Transportation Committee, or support the Partnership's work to advance the project recommendations.

Regional Employer Survey

featured in Economic Forum

Over the last year, the Partnership worked with Framingham State University and MetroWest/495 BIZ to develop a regional employer survey on economic conditions and their plans for expansion.

This survey was released this summer to employers throughout the region, with the support of the Corridor Nine, Marlborough Regional, MetroWest, Milford Area, and United Chambers of Commerce.  The findings provided some real insights on employers' reasons for locating in the region, any plans for expansion, and their perspective on the economy.  Full survey results are available in the most recent edition of MetroWest/495 BIZ, and a guest column from Partnership Executve Director Paul Matthews summarizes the results.

The survey results were the subject of a September 11th forum, held by MetroWest/495 BIZ and cosponsored by the Partnership and Framingham State University.  Attendees heard from a panel of experts, including:

• An overview of the survey results by Dr. Michael Harrison from Framingham State University;
• An economist keynote by Dr. Barry Bluestone, the Director of the Kitty & Michael Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University;
• An employer's perspective from Kevin Lorenc, the Director of Corporate Communications at MathWorks in Natick;
• A commercial real estate perspective from Chris Tosti, Executive Vice President / Partner for CB Richard Ellis - N.E. Partners LP

Copies of the presentations and other meeting materials are availble online.

Special thanks to all who participated in the survey and helped provide perspective on our regional economy!

'Tech Tax' Repealed:  The Governor has signed into law the repeal of the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax on a range of computer and software services, which was expected to generate $160 Million as part of the transportation finance law .  This step came after the state’s employers raised concerns about its economic impact; the 2013 GOP Technology Tax Business Roundtables were held in Westborough and around the state; an organized campaign arose to place a repeal question on the ballot; a bill was proposed by Senator Spilka to repeal the tax; and the Department of Revenue put the tax on hold. 

National Manufacturing Day:  October 4 is National Manufacturing Day, which is gives manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors and address their skilled labor shortage, connect with future generations, take charge of the public image of manufacturing, and ensure the ongoing prosperity of the whole industry. In Massachusetts, this effort is being led by MassDevelopment's AMP it up! initiative; to learn more and participate in Massachusetts activities, go here.

New Director for the MA Office of International Trade and Investment:  Richard Elam, a founder and Director of an international business law firm and consultancy, is the new Executive Director of MOITI, which is the state's primary international business development agency charged with promoting trade and investment with global partners in Massachusetts and around the world.  

MA Downtown Initiative Technical Assistance Grants:  Applications are being accepted until November 15th for this program, which provides consultant services to assist non-entitlement communities with downtown revitalization efforts. 

Study Released on Value of Open Space Preservation:  A recent report, The Return on Investment in Parks and Open Space in Massachusetts, by the Trust for Public Land, found that every dollar spent on conservation generates $4 in return while supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs. 

Regional Developments...

TechSandBox Expands:  After launching in May at Becker College’s Southborough facility, TechSandBox is moving to expanded facilities in Hopkinton to meet expanded demand for their entrepreneurial programs.  As an innovation center/ incubator, this non-profit has the mission of accelerating the success of science and technology entrepreneurs based in the 30+ cities and towns located in and around the I-495 and I-90 corridors.

Westborough's Title from Google:  Westborough has been named as the Google eCity for Massachusetts.  These awards recognize the digital capitals of each state, where businesses are using the web to find new customers, connect with existing customers and fuel their local economies.

Shrewsbury's Title from Money Magazine:  Shrewsbury was ranked 15th in Money Magazine's fifty best small towns in America.

Coldwell Banker Names Regional Communities:  Coldwell Banker has ranked suburbs nation-wide with more than 22,000 residents, and identified Marlborough as the most booming suburb in Central Massachusetts, finishing as #24 overall, with Shrewsbury at #53 and Milford at #60.

Thanks to our Bronze Investors:

Atlantic Management

Avidia Bank

Beals+Thomas

Building Initiatives LLC

Capaccio Environmental Engineering

Capital Group Properties

Clarke Distribution Corp.

Commonwealth Creative Associates

Dean College

GateHouse Media

Green International Affiliates, Inc.

GZA GeoEnvironmental

The Gutierrez Company

Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare

HNTB

J.M. Coull Inc.

Marlborough Hospital

MassBay Community College

MetroWest Regional Transit Authority

Middlesex Savings Bank

Milford Regional Medical Ctr.

Mirick O'Connell

National Development

Patridge Snow & Hahn, LLP

Richards Barry Joyce & Partners, LLC

St. Mary's Credit Union

Serlin Haley LLP

Small Water Systems Services, LLC

Woodard & Curran

Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.

Verizon

Special Thanks to Our Platinum Investors:

Bowditch & Dewey LLP

Carruth Capital LLC              EMC²              IBM

Special Thanks to Our Gold Investors:

Alexander, Aronson, Finning & Co. PC

Bose Corporation      Cisco Systems      

Day Pitney LLP              Genzyme Corp.

NSTAR, a Northeast Utilities Company

Special Thanks to Our Silver Investors:  

Framingham State University 

NAIOP Massachusetts              Patriot Place

Sam Park & Co. Ltd. 

Staples                  Sunovion

   TJX Companies         TransAction Associates

495/MetroWest Partnership

Private Sector CoChair                             Scott Weiss, The Gutierrez Company

Public Sector CoChair                              Glenn Trindade, Town of Medway

Private Sector ViceChair                          Kathleen Freeman, Northeast Utilities

Public Sector ViceChair                           Joseph Nolan, Town of Wayland

Treasurer                                                  Marc Verreault, Carruth Capital

Clerk                                                         Peter Martin, Bowditch & Dewey

Paul Matthews, Executive Director

Jessica Strunkin, Deputy Director