LYNN – Thirty housing, energy, school and infrastructure projects in Lynn are currently tagged as “shovel ready,” based on information presented at the U.S. Conference of Mayors and released as part of a new statewide report.
The total cost of all projects listed in the MainStreet Economic Recovery Report, as submitted by municipal officials in Massachusetts, is $1,072,920,450.
Lynn’s share of the spending proposals amounts to more than $50 million. The local wish list of projects includes several individually valued at more than $1 million, including $20 million for reconstruction at Classical High School, $5.5 million for a new roof at Thurgood Marshall Middle School, $5.4 million for the relocation of electrical transmission lines along the city’s waterfront, and $3.5 million to purchase GE’s former Factory of the Future by the Lynn Economic Development and Industrial Corp.
Other projects on the wish list include $1.9 million for the rehabilitation and reuse of the O’Keefe School; an assortment of public safety upgrades related to the dispatch of emergency medical and fire apparatus; $1 million for general street repaving; $618,000 for repaving Lynnfield Street, Millard Avenue, Den Quarry Road, and Parker Hill; $1.8 million for the rehabilitation of Breed and Birch Pond Dam; $1 million for the rehabilitation of Seaport Landing Marina; $350,000 for the restoration of Flax Pond and implementation of water-related activities; $250,000 for a commuter ferry; $2 million to renovate the main public library; $1.5 million to purchase 21 Central Ave. for use as a life science center; $1 million to restore Lynn Common; and $1 million for rehabilitation of the former Whyte’s Laundry site.
“We were told to quickly put together a wish list and we did that,” said Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. “Am I holding my breath, waiting for these dollars to pour in? No. But at least we put everything out there.”
The funding request for reconstruction at Classical High will likely be impacted by ongoing litigation with the original construction company’s insurer, and that’s a separate issue, Clancy said.
As for moving the waterfront electrical transmission lines, the local bond has been voted but additional state and federal money must be secured, the mayor said.
Another $1 million is listed on the shovel-ready projects list for acquisition of land adjacent to North Shore Community College for a book store and cafeteria. The project would open up classroom space for a dental hygienist program and connect the campus to the city’s downtown.
Public safety projects on the list include $3,750,000 for 50 new resource officers, $500,000 for street-use police cameras, and $125,000 for a fire station alerting system.
Energy projects include $3 million to install 20 16.4-foot wind turbines, $2.5 million for school boiler conversions, and $1.5 million for restoration of the heating and air-conditioning system in the city’s Memorial Auditorium.
Miscellaneous projects include $745,000 for restoration of High Rock Park, $500,000 for expansion of the LynnCAM studios, $450,000 for capital improvements to the Multi-Service Center, and $100,000 for restoration of the GAR building.
The list of projects is compiled by a non-profit organization, StimulusWatch.org, which attempts to ascertain whether municipal spending dovetails with President Barack Obama’s national stimulus initiatives and the overall economic recovery mission.
As Obama put it in his Inaugural Address, “The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works ? whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account ? to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day ? because only then can we restore the vital tru
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