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April 2, 2008 GAC Update
As promised this week, the Update includes a brief write-up on Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Suzanne Bump speech to the Chamber last Wednesday
Street cleaning in Cambridge began on Tuesday, April 1. Check signs on streets before you park to avoid a ticket and tow.
The Council met on Monday and thanked Jim Conry who is retiring from the position of Chief Financial Officer for the Cambridge School Committee. The Council received a report on plans for the Middlesex County Court House.
Cambridge License Commissioner Richard Scali will be our guest at the April GAC on Tuesday April 29. Commissioner Scali will discuss the work of the license Commission including changes to the alcohol licensing regulations and introduction of hybrid taxis to the cab fleet.
Learn about the planned Urban Ring at a meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. at the Cambridge Marriott. This event is sponsored by the Chamber, the City of Cambridge Community Development Department, the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority, MIT and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation. A light breakfast will be served. More information on this important meeting is provided below.
Chamber members are invited to Massachusetts Biz/Bio: Economic Prosperity Through Scientific Discovery on Wednesday, April 30 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Hynes Convention Center. The keynote speaker will be Dr. John C. Lechleiter, President and CEO of Eli Lilly Co. The Chamber is joining with local and national organizations to sponsor this event
Upcoming GAC Events
The 2008 Government Affairs program is sponsored by Genzyme. Special Business Briefing on the Urban Ring Project
Tuesday April 15, 2009
Learn about the Urban Ring project and have your questions answered about this project which will provide additional transportation services to Cambridge.
8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Cambridge Marriott, 3rd Floor, Kendall Square, Cambridge
If you plan to attend please contact Jeff Rosenblum with the City of Cambridge by email at jrosenblum@cambridgema.gov or by phone at (617) 349-4615. If you cannot attend but would like to be kept informed about the Urban Ring Project please e-mail Jeff with your contact information.
April GAC Meeting and Luncheon
Tuesday April 29, 2008
Richard Scali, Cambridge License Commission
Commissioner Scali will discuss the work of the license Commission including changes to the alcohol licensing regulations and introduction of hybrid taxis to the cab fleet.
Noon, Chamber Board Room
If you plan to attend please RSVP to Terrence Smith, Director of Government Affairs at tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or by phone at 617-876-4213.
(Note the date is the fifth Tuesday of April)May GAC Meeting and Luncheon
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Noon, Chamber Board Room
James Scafide, Chief of the Business Technology and Economic Development Division of the Office of Massachusetts Attorney General, will be our guest at the May GAC meeting and luncheon. He will discuss Attorney General Martha Coakley’s initiatives around job creation and economic development and is interested in learning what issues are of importance to the Cambridge business community.
If you plan to attend please RSVP to Terrence Smith, Director of Government Affairs at tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or by phone at 617-876-4213.
Note change of date for the guest and that the meeting is scheduled for Wednesday)
June GAC Meeting and Luncheon
June 24, 2008
Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas will address the June GAC Meeting and Luncheon
Noon, Chamber Board Room
If you plan to attend please RSVP to Terrence Smith, Director of Government Affairs at tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or by phone at 617-876-4213
Secretary Suzanne Bump Addresses Chamber Luncheon
Suzanne M. Bump, Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts addressed a packed house of Chamber members at the Cambridge Hyatt on Wednesday March 26. Secretary Bump discussed the Governor’s Economic Development agenda and the work her office is doing to both further that agenda and ensure that Massachusetts employers today and in the future have the workforce they need to compete.
Secretary Bump discussed the Governor’s Economic Development Cabinet, a group within the Governor’s Cabinet that she is part of with the Secretaries of Housing and Economic Development, Transportation and Construction, Administration and Finance, and Energy and Environment. The Governor chairs this group and the leadership of these agencies work with him to coordinate initiatives that impact economic growth and development in the Commonwealth. An example of this collective work is the Governor’s Life Science bill which addresses a variety of issues including workforce needs as well as research and development work, infrastructure and other economic development items necessary to ensure that Massachusetts continues to be a dominant force in this vital and growing sector.
The Economic Development Cabinet is also working with the legislature to pass energy legislation that will include assistance to develop “Green Collar” jobs. Massachusetts has more than 14,000 people employed in the energy efficiency industry making it the second largest cluster for this industry in the nation. She noted that skills required for employment in both the Life Science and Energy Efficiency sectors range from post-secondary technical training to advanced academic degrees.
The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development was created through legislation proposed by Governor Patrick with the goal of making a more efficient, more accountable and effective system of delivering workforce training and worker rights and protection programs. One major area is the network of 16 regional employment boards that manage more than 30 career services offices around the State. Her office is working to identify ways to better connect the boards and employment offices with Massachusetts employers and job-seekers. The Commonwealth has also dedicated funds from several sources to assist employers in providing incumbent employees with workplace training in new technologies and techniques to keep pace with today’s economy.
Secretary Bump said that when she became Secretary she expected to work with her colleagues in the States business development agencies. She has found that she spends significant time with her colleagues in the department of Education and the Board of Higher Education in an effort to better coordinate the Massachusetts’s education programs to meet current and future workforce needs.
Secretary Bump was introduced by Joan Wood Senior Vice President for Leadership & Organization Development at Genzyme. Genzyme is sponsoring the GAC this year. The Chamber thanks Genzyme for this support, the Cambridge Hyatt for hosting the luncheon and all who attended.
March 31, 2008 City Council Meeting
The Council met on Monday and passed a resolution thanking James Conry for his years of service to the Cambridge School Department. He is retiring as the Department’s Chief Financial Officer.
The Council received a report from the City Manager on the traffic impacts and other logistics of the planned construction at the Middlesex County Court House.
City Manager Report on Middlesex County Court House
City Manager Agenda Item 6 is a responds to an order regarding traffic impact and other logistics of the planned construction of the Middlesex County Court House. The Manager reports that the state agency, the Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) responsible for this project has not yet made any decision regarding future plans for the facility. State Representative and City Councillor Timothy Toomey reported that he and other members of the legislature recently met with DCAM to discuss this matter.
The building has been identified as having problems that need to be addressed and many of the functions that had been housed in that building have been moved to space outside of Cambridge. It has been reported that the building needs extensive work for it to function again as it has in the past as part of the State court system or for any other potential use. Mr. Toomey noted that there will be opportunities for the City and others to comment before a final decision is made on the future of this building.
REMINDER April 15 Meeting on the Urban Ring
Chamber members and others in the business community are invited to a special business breakfast briefing for the business community on the Urban Ring Transit Project on Tuesday, April 15 from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. at the Marriot Hotel, 3rd floor, Kendall Square, Cambridge. This meeting is sponsored jointly by the Chamber, the City of Cambridge, the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority, MIT and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Construction.
Topics covered in the briefing will include:
What is the Urban Ring?
The Urban Ring project is a phased set of transit improvements in a corridor around the downtown core (see map). The corridor encompasses some of the our area’s fastest growing districts, including Kendall Square and East Cambridge areas, Longwood Medical and Academic Area (LMA), and the South Boston Waterfront.
Why get involved now?
While the Urban Ring project has been in planning for many years, renewed planning efforts over the past year have advanced this project significantly. A proposal will be submitted for state and federal review in spring 2008, to be followed by an application for federal funding.
Why is transit investment critical for business?
Economic development in our region is being constrained by traffic congestion and inadequate transit access. The existing rapid transit subway system is over capacity.
Auto emissions contribute significantly to climate change.
Across the US, properties within a short walk to a transit stop are selling for 20-25% more than comparable properties further away.
$100 million invested in public transit creates and supports roughly 4,000 jobs. Businesses often realize a gain in sales three times the public sector investment in transit capital.
Urban Ring components
The Urban Ring project will provide new transit services connecting to existing radial transit lines (subway, commuter rail, and bus), creating shorter transit trips and fewer transfers. The current planning effort includes frequent bus rapid transit service that will operate partly in exclusive bus lanes and tunnels and partly in mixed-use traffic.
Is there a demand?
An estimated 13,000 daily riders are expected to board the Urban Ring system at the Kendall Square station! The Sullivan – Kendall – LMA route has the largest potential ridership for a new transit system in the region. The EZ-Ride shuttle service (North Station to Cambridgeport via Kendall Square) demonstrates that there is growing demand. EZ-ride surpassed 1000 daily ridership in January 2008, up from about 500 when the service first started in 2002.
The agenda for the program is:
8:00 Light breakfast
8:15 Welcoming remarks
Robert W. Healy, Cambridge City Manager
Kelly Thompson Clark, Cambridge Chamber of Commerce
8:30 Importance for Cambridge
Susanne Rasmussen, City of Cambridge Community Development Department
8:45 Project details
Ned Codd, Project Manager for the Urban Ring, Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation
9:15 Q & A
If you plan to attend please contact Jeff Rosenblum with the City of Cambridge by email at jrosenblum@cambridgema.gov or by phone at (617) 349-4615. If you cannot attend but would like to be kept informed about the Urban Ring Project please e-mail Jeff with your contact information.
More information on the Urban Ring is available at http://theurbanring.com (Look under Reference Materials – Citizen Advisory Committee Documents – 3/25/08 Presentation)
For a listing of public meetings, visit the Public Meetings link or the Public Meeting Notices area of the City of Cambridge Web site.
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