Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker came to Brockton on Thursday morning for a groundbreaking on a downtown parking garage that will feature more than 400 parking spaces. Baker also reacted to news of an estimated $5 million shortfall now facing the project, after the state already chipped in a $10 million grant.
BROCKTON – Despite a $5 million budget shortfall now facing the project, Gov. Charlie Baker came to Brockton on Thursday touting his administration's partnership with the city to construct a 400-space parking garage, in an effort to help revitalize the economically depressed downtown area.
Gov. Baker joined Mayor Bill Carpenter, members of city's delegation of state legislators, City Council members and other local officials for a groundbreaking Thursday morning in a parking lot on Petronelli Way that will be transformed into a multi-level municipal parking garage with more than 400 parking spaces. The project was made possible by a $10 million grant from the Baker administration.
While the city received the crucial $10 million grant in fall 2016 to fund the garage project, which is being overseen by the Brockton Redevelopment Authority, and City Council approved an additional $2 million from city funds, the project is now more than $5 million in the red. It was revealed last week that the costs of construction have increased since the parking garage project was originally announced in fall 2016, with a total estimated price tag now placed at $17,254,196, according to the BRA.
Baker told The Enterprise that he spoke with Carpenter about the budget shortfall, but declined to say at this point whether the state would contribute more funds to the project in order to make up the difference.
"I guess I want to see what comes out of the conversations the mayor has with the BRA and the City Council, but obviously $10 million is a big check from us. And I think it speaks to the fact that we think that there's really an opportunity here, not just for the city, but for the commonwealth," said Baker, taking a few questions after the groundbreaking.
Carpenter and the head of the BRA previously told The Enterprise that they hope to close the funding gap by plugging in revenues from the Brockton Parking Authority, which would operate the city parking garage, and by using a District Improvement Financing program.
"We’ll have to find a way of mitigating it. Like any developer, you have to figure out what are the other revenue sources," said BRA Executive Director Robert Jenkins, speaking last week to The Enterprise.
Baker said he and city officials in Brockton are committed to bringing the project to fruition, and the governor said he believes the project will help unlock other development in the city, especially because of the garage's close proximity to the downtown MBTA Commuter Rail station.
"We believe and they believe that this is a project that's going to make a big difference in this community, which is why we put in $10 million, and we'll work with them to make sure that it happens," Baker said. "We think one of the best things about this initiative is the leverage that would come from it, in terms of other development."
Carpenter called the parking garage project a "catalytic project" that will create more than 400 "critically needed" parking spaces on the north end of the downtown area, which will also free up spots at the existing Adams Parking Garage on the southern side of the business district. Carpenter said he studied redevelopment efforts in similar cities and that "every single" successful downtown turnaround included at least one parking structure.
"You've got to build parking up and then develop around it," said Carpenter, who was one of 22 mayor who have endorsed Baker for re-election.
After pointing out neighboring properties that would be redeveloped as a result of the garage project, Carpenter said downtown Brockton is poised for revitalization, calling it the best deal around for Massachusetts residents traveling to Boston, using the downtown MBTA Commuter Rail station.
"It's exactly 30 minutes to South Station," said Carpenter, speaking at the groundbreaking, attended by about 50 people. "There is no place less expensive to live in Massachusetts today where you can get to South Station in 30 minutes. That's creating the opportunity for us for market rate and workforce housing here in the downtown, bringing people with good jobs, paychecks and disposable income to come choose to live here in downtown Brockton."
Baker, a Republican, now battling for re-election to a second four-year term, also took a question about his Democrat gubernatorial opponent, who is criticizing the governor for his endorsement of Republican Geoff Diehl for U.S. Senate against Democrat incumbent Elizabeth Warren. Diehl, a state representative from Whitman, is a loyal supporter of President Trump, as the only state lawmaker to endorse Trump's presidential campaign. According to a Morning Consult survey done in August, 61 percent of Massachusetts residents disapprove of President Trump, making the state second to only Vermont in its distaste for Diehl's man in the White House.
While the governor has endorsed Diehl and all Republicans on the ticket in Massachusetts for the Nov. 6 midterm elections, Baker said he has clearly pushed back against Trump. Baker said he has worked hard to fight the repeal of Obamacare by working with Democrats and Republicans, preserving $1 billion that Massachusetts receives through the federal healthcare program otherwise known as the Affordable Care Act.
"First of all, I didn't support President Trump and I didn't vote for him," Baker said. "I think in many ways, we've made pretty clear where we stand on the Trump team and the Trump administration."
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