THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
June 2007
Dear Fellow Citizens of Springfield,
A new day is dawning in the City of Springfield. It is a genesis that has been three years in the making; a joint venture that has required a level of energy, talent and experience unlike any other time in the history of this fine city. I stand proud and privileged to hold the title of Mayor of the City of Springfield and I am particularly pleased with the enormous progress the city has achieved during my three years in office.
The transformation of the city’s legacy from one of corruption and collapse to that of integrity and expansion has been so extraordinary that The New York Times spent time here early this Spring chronicling our success to date. In a May 9, 2007, article The New York Times pointed to the city’s recently balanced budgets and ambitious development projects as evidence of Springfield’s burgeoning turnaround.
The milestones are numerous. Our bond ratings, which had disintegrated to junk status, have been restored. We have collected $25 million in back taxes. By this fall, we will have restored 300 streets and 19 miles of sidewalks.
The act of getting back on our feet and ordering our government systems has resulted in renewed private sector investment interest in our city. A $14 million project is underway to breathe new life into the former Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, a 45,000-square-foot building that has sat vacant since 2002. The project, an integrated sports, health and entertainment complex, will make Springfield home to the region’s only LA Fitness, a world-class facility.
Performance Food Group is on schedule to relocate to a new $30 million, 236,000-square-foot building this fall. The expansion is expected to generate more than 200 new jobs. Baystate Medical Center is prepared to erect a $259 million, 600,000-square-foot building with operating and imaging rooms that will increase its in-patient care by 50 percent and pump more than 500 new jobs into the area’s economy. Miramar Real Estate Management out of San Juan, Puerto Rico will spend more than $24 million converting the former Chestnut Street Junior High School to market-rate housing.
There is also a renewed spirit of partnership in the city, as evidenced in the 40-plus member strong State Street Alliance.
Our neighborhoods, some of them neglected for far too long, are finally getting the concentration they deserve. Derelict buildings throughout the city have been torn down at an unprecedented rate. By the end of this fiscal year, we will have taken down almost 2,000 dangerous trees and planted up to 1,400 new ones. A comprehensive revitalization effort has given the Old Hill neighborhood a new face and the North End is targeted next for renewal.
As we approach the third anniversary of the legislature’s creation of the Springfield Finance Control Board, I wish to pay special tribute to the four men appointed by the Governor who have served as board members with me during that time. They are Chairman Alan L. LeBovidge, Michael Jake Jacobson, Thomas H. Trimarco and Thomas F. Gloster III.
Words inadequately express not only my appreciation for their efforts and the results they have attained but also my admiration for the energy, talent and integrity with which they carried out their responsibilities. The efforts of these gentlemen, each of whom responded to a call for public service in a beleaguered city a hundred miles away from their homes, has set a new standard of selflessness in striving for the common good. I have been uniquely privileged to be their colleague since the very first day of the Control Board experience. Though their terms in office are now ending, their contributions will never be forgotten.
Gov. Deval Patrick stated on May 20, 2007: “In those dark days (the summer of 2004) of growing structural deficits, lack of confidence in city government, downgraded bond ratings and general gloom, many expected the Finance Control Board to fail and the city to be placed in receivership. Instead, a city on the brink has undergone deep, fundamental changes that have brought the return of balanced budgets and financial stability.”
The Finance Control Board is now turning the page with the appointment of three new and distinguished members. Together, we will build on the accomplishments to date with an increased focus on economic development, public safety and stronger schools. This FY 2008 budget, along with recent bond issues and an expected focus on ambitious economic development, support the goals set forth above.
I wish to express ongoing thanks to Executive Director Philip Puccia for the continued excellence of his performance. I salute the entire Control Board staff along with all of the talented department heads who lead the operations of this city on a daily basis. The combination I refer to has given Springfield the best management team this government has had at any time in the last fifty years.
Finally, I wish to acknowledge my respect and appreciation to the thousands of men and women who are employed by the city and who care for the city and its people in a hundred different ways. I believe that we are working as a team. We are producing strong results. The current improvements and progress of the city are tangible. The fact that we have achieved this makes our collective stewardship so rewarding and worthwhile.
Sincerely,
