Mayor Jon Mitchell announces initiative to make New Bedford cleaner, more attractive

NEW BEDFORD - Mayor Jon Mitchell said New Bedford has come a long way in the last decade, culminating in great strides this year that include offshore wind and South Coast Rail poised to usher in a new era.

"So," he asked the crowd that packed the New Bedford High gym during his annual State of the City address Wednesday, "now what?"

His answer, "We should keep doing what we are doing."

Mitchell, along with touching on accomplishments and future goals, also announced a "Standard of Appearance for the Public Realm."

That is a set of policies to make New Bedford "the cleanest center city in New England" in cooperation with residents.

City upkeep goals are described in a 19-page publication released Wednesday.

Toward that end, Mitchell added that a 311 system will be up and running by this time next year. Residents will be able to dial 311 and request non-emergency realm services to address potholes, fallen tree branches, graffiti, and the like.

Residents will be asked to do their part "to sustain an appearance about which we can all be proud."

Rising pension, healthcare costs are a challenge

One of the sterner challenges facing the city going forward, Mitchell said, is rising healthcare and pension costs.

They are "crowding out our ability to pay for core city services and they have imposed too much on taxpayers."

Together, they're rising more than $4 million over last year, and those increases are projected to continue over the next several years.

"It's unsustainable," Mitchell said.

He said he's committed to working with the City Council to manage these obligations, "but we can't avoid tough choices."

The city will continue to meet the challenge of developing the Advanced Manufacturing Campus business park at the municipal golf course. Progress has been slowed, in part, by rising interest rates. Mitchell said the city was reconfiguring the layout and reviewing potential zoning changes. "Despite its many hurdles along the way, we are going to make that project happen."

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More housing needed in city, plan is in motion

Mitchell also discussed the city's need for more housing, adding that 250 new units are in the pipeline.

However, more units are needed to stabilize pricing, "and that's what the housing plan we announced last month is all about."

Measures will include speeding up the permitting process, getting vacant properties back on the market, and expanding incentives for new housing construction.

While the housing crunch is national in scope, the New Bedford version is regional, he said, and the "suburbs need to do their part."

He wants to work with area towns on a more broad-based approach to housing attainability since at present "virtually all of the rental housing in the region is situated in the city."

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Where New Bedford is today vs. 10 years ago

On the city's state a decade ago, Mitchell said there was "double-digit unemployment, precarious city finances, a school department under state monitoring, and a general sense that the city was unsafe."

He added, "And here we are today with neighborhoods that are safe and cleaner, schools that are running the way they should, a higher and more stable bonding rating, thousands more people with steady jobs, and a population back over 100,000."

Those city goals coming to fruition or poised to this year include offshore wind, where components for America's first commercial scale offshore wind project will arrive at the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal this month.The former Eversource site's ultimate use has also been determined with the development of the Foss Marine Terminal to service the offshore wind industry.

The Port of New Bedford is the primary economic driver of the region, and offshore wind will augment commercial fishing, recreational boating, ferry service, and certain lines of international cargo.

The addition of offshore wind will help New Bedford establish itself "as the top blue economy city on the East Coast, and we will do that by outhustling everybody else," Mitchell said.

South Coast Rail is also preparing to open two new platform train stations in the city by the end of the year.

The finishing touches are also being applied to the 40-year cleanup of New Bedford Harbor, Mitchell said.

And the State Pier, "allowed to languish" by the state, is now the focus of a local development team's plan for a mix-use development "that will establish a fish offloading site that the public can see, continue ferry service, and create restaurant and retail uses facing across from downtown."

The city has also secured a funding commitment to replace the state's oldest airport terminal, which should help attract and retain more regular commercial air service.

And a "for-real" state planning process to replace the New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge has begun, Mitchell said.The city has continued to invest in the arts and artists, and the storefront improvement program is starting to bear fruit, he said, with 75 stores in line to receive funding.

On public safety, the city is spending $1 million for police and fire equipment, facilities and training; and a $5,000 new recruit bonus has been created to help attract new police officers to address staffing shortfalls.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Mayor's state of the city describes a New Bedford making strides