January 13, 2009
By Peter Legasey/The Lynn Journal
For decades, Lynn officials have lamented the poor placement of the South Harbor power lines, which has prevented any kind of development from taking place on the waterfront. Now, the city's leadership is working harder than ever to finally have the lines moved, but the current economic downturn has made it nearly impossible to secure the funds needed for the massive project.
The efforts to raise money, however harrowing, haven't been in vain. In December, the city received a $2.5 million grant for the project from the state's Growth Districts Initiative. Last week, Mayor Edward J. "Chip" Clancy Jr. sent a letter of request to the City Council for a $4 million bond.
"It's a difficult decision," Mayor Clancy granted. "The timing couldn't be worse. We're in a recession, which impacts everyone across the community ...Nothing has ever been easy about this whole thing from Moment One."
City officials hope to move the power lines from the harbor on the east side of the Lynnway to the west side, beginning near General Electric Co. and continuing near Harding Street. The proposed move would free up approximately 250 acres of land on the waterfront, opening the door for the development of valuable new commercial and residential properties.
Some residents will undoubtedly be averse to the idea of the city borrowing a major sum of money in the middle of a recession, particularly for a project whose full benefits won't be realized for years. But Clancy said National Grid is under a strict time constraint from a state agency to upgrade the power lines by 2010, and that a contract with the city must be finalized by January 15 for a relocation to be part of the upgrade.
"Like the old song goes, it's now or never," Clancy said.
Complicating the issue is the fact that the city doesn't own the land where the power lines are currently located, nor the power lines themselves. And even though any development that was to occur on the waterfront would create new tax revenue for the city, it would be only after the real estate market recovers to the point that investors are willing and eager to develop properties there.
A public hearing will be held tonight at 7 p.m. in Room LE 303 of the Thomas M. McGee building at North Shore Community College to allow members of the community to voice their concerns and comments on the bond request and the project as a whole.
"It's an important project," Mayor Clancy said. "Those power lines have intersected with the Lynn waterfront since they were put up 50 years ago, prohibiting any development. Everyone has always said that we should move them, but to do it is very complicated and very expensive, and none of this has been easy - and it's still not a done deal." |
