Good news – Westbrook has a budget surplus. The city’s more-than-healthy fund balance surely makes it the envy of communities around the state. Over the past five years the city has led the municipal way by consolidating of city services and making very difficult decisions about staffing levels on both the city and school sides of the budget equation. But really, Westbrook finds itself in an enviable budget situation for one reason – public investment in infrastructure.
Over the past decade the city has made substantial investments in infrastructure – public money invested that has lured new businesses to the city and leveraged tens of millions more dollars in private sector investment. From Idexx and Disability RMS to Maine Medical Center and Legacy Publishing, Westbrook has experienced business expansions, while surrounding communities have seen just the opposite.
The challenge now is that Westbrook needs to continue to invest to lay the (literal) groundwork for future growth. Here are three investments the city can make now that will pay dividends later:
• The city – either directly or through the Westbrook Environmental Improvement
Corporation (WEIC) – should partner with Westbrook Housing to purchase the Maine Rubber site on the west end of Main Street. The city has already obtained the grant money necessary to demolish the existing structure and make it suitable for a mixed-use commercial and residential facility. A new building at the western gateway to the city will set the tempo for additional private sector investment and capitalize on the beautiful new William Clarke Drive.
• Create pad sites at the Westbrook Heights business park. Ten years ago, Westbrook took the lead on developing a new business park off Saco Street. Soon after, two growing businesses moved in, Sigco and Cintas. Since then, interest in the park has lagged. The remaining lots sit on a significant slope – businesses interested in constructing a new facility want to see a build-ready lot. The city – through WEIC – should level the remaining lots and create proper industrial pad sites, complete with water, three-phase power and high-speed Internet.
• Create public parking in conjunction with St. Hyacinth Church. For several years the city has contemplated a partnership with the Archdiocese of Portland to improve existing parking at the church and create additional parking that could be used to support further business development at the Dana Warp Mill. One of the biggest impediments to luring additional large employers to the mill is a lack of parking. Communities like Lewiston have invested millions of dollars to build parking garages to support their business attraction efforts. Westbrook doesn’t need a new parking garage, but it does need a parking lot. As the economy slowly improves, the time to make that investment is now.
All of these investments promise real dividends for the city in the not-so-distant future. Westbrook has seen the value of investing in its infrastructure. Now is the time to recommit to economic development and make the city an attractive location for new business investment for years to come.
Keith Luke is the former director of economic and community development for both Westbrook and Windham. He lives in Cape Elizabeth.
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