MARBLEHEAD — Top officials from Lynn, Nahant and Swampscott delivered State of the Region addresses aimed at providing fiscal and business updates in their respective communities during a Greater Lynn Chamber of Commerce event Wednesday morning at Tedesco Country Club.
Lynn Mayor Thomas M. McGee, Lynn Economic Development & Industrial Corporation (EDIC/Lynn) Executive Director James Cowdell, and town administrators from Nahant and Swampscott, Antonio Barletta and Sean Fitzgerald, all participated in the panel discussion.
All three communities have seen an increase in their budgets for fiscal year 2022; have recently allocated funds toward senior citizens, schools and infrastructure projects; and have made investments in equity initiatives.
In Lynn and Swampscott, those investments have included the hire of each community’s first diversity, equity and inclusion officer.
Fitzgerald began the panel discussion by stressing the importance of thinking about the community. As each municipality continues to reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic, he said Swampscott wants to see more development and economic investments, particularly in Vinnin Square.
“Swampscott is in the position to make good, solid investments,” said Fitzgerald.
Cowdell said he has never seen the Lynn business community as negatively impacted by a single event as it was by the pandemic.
To lessen the economic strain, Cowdell said EDIC/Lynn has distributed $318,000 in state and federal grants during the pandemic. Approximately 600 Lynn businesses have received $8.8 million in grants. Of those businesses, 82 percent of them were female- or minority-owned, he said.
Cowdell said developers have begun to invest in the city, notably with the $110 million high-rise housing development on Munroe Street and the new units being built on the waterfront — including the $100 million redevelopment of the long-vacant former Beacon Chevrolet site and the $350 million mixed-use project planned for the land behind the former flea market on the Lynnway.
In addition, the site of the former Union Hospital is being developed into affordable senior housing by David Solimine Jr. and the former landfill will be transformed into a waterfront park, said Cowdell, who credited Mayor Thomas M. McGee and his administration for the park, which he said will draw people in from all over the area.
Cowdell also touted the revenue coming from a planned $20 million marijuana growth facility, which he said is the largest of its kind in this part of the state and will create about 80 jobs in the city.
In his remarks, McGee highlighted the city’s $407 million budget for FY22, which was approved Tuesday night by the City Council.
He praised the hard work of community members during the pandemic, and recognized the city for adjusting to remote learning, outdoor dining, COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites and minimal in-person interactions.
McGee acknowledged some positive additions to the community, including bike lanes downtown, the planned “Lynnstallation” public art project, the advancement of rail electrification, infrastructure investments and improvements in equity and inclusion.
In his final State of the Region address to the Greater Lynn Chamber of Commerce, McGee — who is not seeking reelection — received a standing ovation following his remarks.
“The city is in good shape,” McGee said. “It has been the honor of a lifetime to have served as the mayor.”
Barletta brought the event to a close with an update on Nahant’s FY22 budget, saying that the town is doing “extremely well.”
Barletta said the budget emphasizes public health, citing the town’s recent establishment of its health department and a successful vaccination effort resulting in 75 percent of its residents becoming fully vaccinated.
The budget also focuses on energy-efficient programs and allocates $8.7 million to replace the town’s sewer main in the fall, Barletta said.
The town will continue to invest $200,000 annually in roadway improvements and has already converted fully to LED street lighting — an effort that is focused on combating climate change, Barletta said.
For the first time in years, Barletta said the town will be developing new residential properties in the form of 12 lots to be sold through a public bid. The town bought this property, which currently consists of one lot, a few years ago; Barletta said selling this property will allow the town to pay off some debt.
Nahant will also see a handful of retirements, including the town accountant, the police and fire chiefs, and the council on aging director, Barletta said.
In spite of all the changes the pandemic brought to each community, speakers at the Chamber event expressed optimism about things to come.
There is “a light at the end of the tunnel,” said McGee.