Governor Deval Patrick's Five Year Capital Investment Plan FY2014 - FY2018

Governor's Capital Investment Plan FY2014

Capital Investments in Gateway Cities

The FY14-18 Capital Investment Plan carries out the Patrick Administration’s commitment to create growth and opportunity for the Commonwealth’s citizens and businesses today and into the future.  Strategic investments in education, innovation and infrastructure drive economic growth and position Massachusetts to succeed in the 21st century.  Creating a competitive business environment is dependent on investing in the roads, rails and other public infrastructure that serve businesses, their employees and their clients.  Constructing state-of-the-art facilities on the Commonwealth’s public college and university campuses invests in our most important resource and reinforces our position as a hub of education and the knowledge economy.  Targeted capital investments have enabled the Commonwealth to emerge from the recession faster than most states and will continue to allow the Commonwealth to grow at a faster pace than the national growth rate.

Investment in our Gateway Cities is critical to the Commonwealth’s overall economic growth.  These cities are defined as municipalities with populations between 35,000 and 250,000, median household incomes below the state average, and rates of educational attainment of a bachelor’s degree or above that are below the state average.  Launched in 2008 with a total of 11 communities, there are now 26 municipalities across Massachusetts that meet this definition.  These cities often have storied histories as regional industrial and manufacturing centers; however, more recently they have endured economic hardships. 

Map of Massachusetts showing the locations of the original cities and the additional cities.

Original Gateway Cities
Brockton Fall River Fitchburg Haverhill Holyoke
Lawrence Lowell New Bedford Pittsfield Springfield
Worcester        

 

Additional Gateway Cities
Attleboro Barnstable Chelsea Chicopee Everett
Leominster Lynn Malden Methuen Peabody
Quincy Revere Salem Taunton Westfield

 

Capital investments in the Gateway Cities have come in a variety of forms, including: municipal grant awards to modernize public infrastructure and attract new businesses and industries; expansion of community college campuses in downtown, high-accessibility areas; and the redevelopment of parks and shared spaces in environmental justice neighborhoods.  For residents of environmental justice neighborhoods, or neighborhoods where lower-income and minority populations are faced with a disproportionately high share of environmental burdens, these parks and shared spaces are often the first step towards social and economic equality. 

Accomplishments to Date

  • The Patrick Administration has invested over $2.5 B in capital funding in Gateway Cities since 2008.  These investments include:
    • More than $1.05 B in capital funding on new, expanded or renovated Commonwealth facility construction in the Gateway Cities;
    • Over $1.17 B in energy and environmental-related capital funding, including projects related to drinking water protection, urban parks, smart growth and wetland restoration;
    • More than $176 M in MassWorks grants that directly impacted Gateway Cities; and
    • Approximately $27 M in Urban Revitalization Development Grants.
  • These investments have resulted in thousands of temporary or permanent jobs in Gateway Cities.  The MassWorks program, in particular, has been at the forefront of job creation, supporting the creation of over 1,600 jobs in Gateway Cities from fiscal years 2008 through 2013.
  • Higher education investments have also increased the economic vitality of Gateway Cities across the Commonwealth.  In the Gateway Cities, funding for state university and community college projects totals $283.1 M, and spending for the University of Massachusetts System is $56.6 M through FY13.  Highlighted investments include:
    • The $74 M Library and Learning Commons at Salem State University, which strengthens the academic heart of the campus by providing space where students come together to learn in an innovative and interdisciplinary manner supported by state-of-the-art technology and traditional library services;
    • The $40 M Health and Social Sciences Building on UMass Lowell’s South Campus, which is the first new academic building constructed from the ground up on the South Campus in over 30 years; and
    • Renovations to Worcester State University’s Administration Building in June 2009.  This $21.2 M project was the first comprehensive renovation of the building since it was constructed in 1931. 
  • Innovation and infrastructure projects have also been a central pillar of the Administration’s strategy to spread growth and opportunity to Gateway Cities.  Select highlights include:
    • The Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital (WRCH), a 320 bed state-of-the-art facility, which exemplifies the new model of mental health care that encourages recovery rather than prolonged hospitalization. In addition, the WRCH was designed to meet LEED Gold certification for its “green” design and construction.  The innovative design provides an environment of care that maximizes the effectiveness of clinical and rehabilitation staff, allowing the facility to operate at an optimum ratio of staff to patients;
    • The Commonwealth continues its record of investment in the Worcester Line commuter rail service.  The 2012 purchase of the line by the Commonwealth has enabled control of dispatching and the expansion of service.  Service to Worcester will be increased to 20 round trips, improving train frequency and travel options for residents on the corridor;
    • A $26.4 M MassWorks grant to the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center for the construction of the $160 M Mass Green High Performance Computing Center.

FY14 Highlights

  • The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) is launching a pilot program in FY14 to “Green the Gateway Cities”.  This program will provide additional urban tree cover to several environmental justice neighborhoods across the Commonwealth.  This initiative will provide social, and economic benefits, such as the reduction of residential energy costs, the reduction of stormwater treatment costs and the reduction of the “Urban Heat Island” effects that are aggravated by climate change and pose a serious health threat to residents in environmental justice neighborhoods.  EEA is working with other Commonwealth agencies as well as private entities to leverage this investment into an enhanced and expanded program in the future. 
  • The Commonwealth is funding $96 M in Gateway Cities state facility projects through DCAMM in FY14.
  • More than 286 jobs will be created in FY14 through DCAMM capital projects and MassWorks infrastructure grants. 
  • The South Coast Rail project will re-establish transit connections from the cities of Fall River, New Bedford and Taunton to Boston, while maximizing the economic benefits of the project by realizing the vision articulated in the South Coast Rail Economic Development and Land Use Corridor Plan, issued in June of 2009.  Fall River, New Bedford and Taunton are the Commonwealth’s only cities within 50 miles of Boston that are not connected to Boston by passenger rail service. 
  • Community college campuses located within the Gateway Cities will receive significant investment in FY14, allowing these Gateway communities to thrive by offering state-of-the-art facilities and equipment that will assist in workforce training as well as creating an academic environment to prepare community college students interested in continuing their education into baccalaureate programs. Through renovation, addition, and brand new construction, the FY14-18 Capital Investment Plan invests heavily in the sciences in every region of the Commonwealth, including the following Gateway Cities: Lawrence, Lynn, Brockton, Barnstable, Worcester, Holyoke, and Pittsfield.  The FY14-18 Capital Plan also provides capital investments to the Springfield, Lowell, Haverhill, and Fall River Gateway Communities.
  • The state universities and University of Massachusetts campuses promote economic growth within Gateway Cities by attracting businesses that wish to hire the top talent produced by the Commonwealth’s public education system.  Investing in the campuses that are located within the Gateway Cities increases opportunity and accessibility by removing the barriers often faced by residents of Gateway Cities who strive to receive a top-quality education using state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.  FY14 investments at Salem State University and UMass Lowell will provide the campuses and the Gateway Cities that support them with facilities that will attract top science, engineering, and business students as well as firms that wish to locate to the Gateway Cities in order to establish a pipeline of recruiting talent.
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