Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | June 27, 2022 | Worcester Business Journal 25 300 years young E D I T O R I A L V I E W P O I N T BY LISA WIELAND Special to WBJ The above Editorial is the opinion of the WBJ Editorial Board. The Viewpoint column, the A Thousand Words cartoon, and the Word from the Web commentary represent the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of WBJ or its staff. WBJ welcomes letters to the editor and commentary submissions. Send them to bkane@wbjournal.com. A T H O U SA N D WO R D S B Y R A M Ó N L . S A N D O V A L Airport supports Worcester's growth W orcester's rise is a remarkable story. Today, the fastest growing city in New England isn't Boston, Portland or Providence. It's Worcester, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. Worcester's growth story is the result of strong part- nerships among civic, government, and business leaders. Polar Park, the Blackstone Heritage Visitor Center, Gate- way Park, as well as the redevelopments of Main Street and Kelley Square and a significant effort to expand available housing, were enabled by public-private cooperation and have paid real dividends. Combined with a pop- ulation now surged past 200,000, and on the heels of an incredible tercentennial weekend, Worcester is on an exceptional path. A part of that story has been Worcester Regional Airport. Since acquiring it in 2010, Massport has forged strong a partnership with the com- munity and made significant investments in the airport, resulting in it serving nearly 950,000 passengers annually. While COVID put the brakes on passenger growth, with travel now ramping back up, smart leadership, and con- tinued investment, momentum will follow. Worcester's location has always promised passengers in the central part of the commonwealth an alternative to Boston Logan International Airport, and a much-needed respite from Boston traffic. But without more than $100 million in capital and other investments, ensuring the airport infrastructure's safety, operational reliability, and modernization, it would not be possible to capitalize on its geographic advantage and deliver on that promise. At Massport, we view Worcester airport as a key part of the regional commercial airport system, and we are proud passengers can choose from five non-stop daily flights from Worcester to Fort Lauderdale and both main New York City airports. With services restored and additional investments on the way, including runway rehabilitation and new taxiways, Massport is dedicated to ensuring the airport and its infrastructure are ready for future growth. We recognize the increased demand in air travel, par- ticularly leisure trips, as we come out of the pandemic. As you're booking future trips, I urge Central Massachusetts residents to choose Worcester airport. To continue grow- ing the airport, we all need to use it. Worcester's nonstop destinations offer robust connecting opportunities, both domestically and internationally. Moving forward, we will focus on being part of the ecosystem supporting economic growth in Central Mas- sachusetts. e airport team now has expanded partner- ships with the Worcester Red Sox and looks to grow its collaborations with other business sectors. Without question, we've learned this pandemic and its impact on air travel have made for a rather bumpy ride. But even in these uncertain times, the partnership behind the airport gives us real reason for optimism and a road- map for continued growth. Lisa Wieland is CEO of the Massachusetts Port Authority. W Lisa Wieland W hile most of us make a big deal out of our kids' birthdays, many adults would just as soon look past the opportunity to register their annual odometer reading. However, when you hit a really big number, like 300 years, it's worth a pause and a celebration. e city of Worcester pulled out all the stops for its 300th anniversary as a town on June 14, 2022. Friday night fireworks at Polar Park, a road race and parade down Main Street the following day, and a Boston Pops concert at the DCU Center on Sunday brought out the local crowds and put the city in the spotlight. Another less public, but nonetheless important, celebration took place a few days prior: the inaugural Worcester Homecoming, a two-day event with doz- ens of high achievers from around the country with roots in Central Massachusetts. e event, which WBJ Publisher Peter Stanton and Events Manager Kris Prosser helped organize, is based on a model successfully executed in Detroit and Baltimore. e high achievers were invited to come back to the city where they grew up and/or went to school, to witness its progress and be invited to engage in its future. While Worcester has a rich history, its fortunes have not always been bright. Many of the city's industries and their workers took a hit during the post-industrial slowdown as the population dipped and housing barely increased in value. As one of the returning expats at Worcester Homecoming summed up, having moved away some 30 years ago aer col- lege, "Worcester was a great place to be from." It's taken the better part of the last couple decades, but today Worcester is getting its mojo back; and now it's not just a great place to be from, but a great place to be living. What will Worcester look like as it grows and evolves? Success can be a double-edged sword. e region's claim for a much lower cost of living than Greater Boston has taken a hit as housing is tight and home prices as well as rents have risen more rapidly than inflation. at's what can happen when you add more than 25,000 new residents over a 10-year period. e momentum that for so many years seemed to elude Worcester has taken root, and white hot areas like the city's Canal District are facing gentrification, a term most long-term residents would never have thought would be used in their city. Growth is a good thing, but it has to be balanced with what preserves Worcester's character and its bones and provides opportunities for the full diversity of its residents. Celebrating a major anniversary serves to highlight much of what Worcester has accomplished over the course of its three centuries and in the last decade. Engaging some of our most accomplished Central Massachusetts alumni from around the country helps extend that Worcester connection to help move the city forward. None of these means all the old and new problems impacting Worcester have suddenly disappeared, but much like a child's birthday party, this June's celebrations gave the community a chance to pause and reflect on what has been accomplished over the centuries and take pride in where we are today. Worcester is a diverse and culturally rich hub with plenty to brag about. W

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