May 7, 2013 — Officials celebrated the formal ground-breaking of a new, $100 million, heavy-load port terminal in the city Monday, saying the project, which is tailor-made to support the offshore wind industry, represents "promises made and promises kept" to residents.
They also used the occasion to make a few more.
"For a corner of the state that has had its hopes dashed so many times in the past wanting transformative economic development and not quite getting there, now it's real," said Mayor Jon Mitchell, who said the terminal holds the potential for "a generation of jobs."
"Other governors have left us behind. Governor, you have not left us behind," he said, addressing Deval Patrick, who was among those present.
Construction on the roughly 28-acre New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, which will sit just north of the hurricane barrier, started three weeks ago. Officials are hoping the state-financed facility, also known as South Terminal, will act as a magnet for future projects, luring private investment and jobs to the region.
"For those of my colleagues in Washington who question the wisdom of public investment and innovative infrastructure, I invite them to New Bedford to see how public dollars yield private investment and help our economy grow and stay strong," said Sen. William "Mo" Cowan.
The project is supposed to be finished by the end of 2014, in time to play a role in Cape Wind's development of its 130-turbine park in Nantucket Sound. Previous estimates have suggested it will help create about 150 short-term construction jobs, about 600-800 jobs during Cape Wind's staging and assembly, and more than 1,000 in future associated industries.
Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times