Sen. Moore breaks ground on $2.2 million Oxford MassWorks infrastructure project

Job creation expected, further economic development anticipated

BOSTON – Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, joined Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray and fellow state and local officials in Oxford this week to break ground on the Oxford-Dudley-Webster Sewer Extension Project, which was supported by $2.2 million in MassWorks funding and is part of the area’s plan to spur economic development, including the expansion of IPG Photonics Corporation.

MassWorks is a state-sponsored grant program that supports infrastructure projects by targeting local economic development initiatives and creating jobs.

"This is a textbook example of public-private partnership that will put more people to work, increase manufacturing in Massachusetts and add to local tax and fee revenues while making all three communities more attractive to economic development and protection of the environment," said Sen. Moore. "IPG has a proven track record in keeping the promise of creating jobs and economic development, so I am proud to have helped, along with Lt. Gov. Murray, to bring this from concept to reality.”

In January, Lt. Gov. Murray announced a $2.2 million MassWorks Infrastructure grant to the Town of Oxford for the Oxford-Dudley-Webster Sewer Extension Project. This project is expected to create new economic development opportunities along the sewer extension line in both the near and long term. Businesses in the area also expressed a need for the new sewer line in order to locate and expand in this area. The businesses in the vicinity of the project collectively pledged $100,000 to advance the design of the sewer project and to advance the project to a state of “shovel readiness,” which is required by the MassWorks program.

“As our Administration continues to invest in cities and towns, the MassWorks Infrastructure Program is an effective tool to improve local infrastructure, create jobs, and support business development,” said Lt. Gov. Murray. “We’re ready to break ground on the sewer extension project in Oxford, Dudley and Webster and there are great companies also ready to expand in these communities. In working with the communities and state legislative delegation, we will continue to support business expansion to facilitate regional economic growth.”

The most immediate private development project to advance will be an expansion by IPG Photonics Corporation for which the company received state assistance.

In December 2011, Sen. Moore joined officials from the Town of Oxford and IPG Photonics in testifying before the Economic Assistance Coordinating Council (EACC) to support IPG’s application for $1.7 million in state investment tax credits and an a seven year Tax Increment Financing extension. The EACC subsequently approved the package.

Overall, the project is expected to create 175 new jobs and retain 600 jobs. IPG has grown from 40 employees in 1990 to currently over 600 employees. Construction on IPG’s expansion project began in December of 2011 and is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2012.

In addition to the current expansion project, IPG has indicated that the sewer extension provides the ability for them to build up to four new 50,000 square-foot buildings with up to 400 new employees in the future as a result of the increased sewer capacity. No future expansion plans beyond the current project have been announced to date.

The sewer expansion project will also allow for more than 50 acres of land currently zoned for light industrial to become buildable. Developers interested in the undeveloped parcels have indicated a strong need for sewer to support the water intensive use that they have identified.

The MassWorks Infrastructure Program, which is overseen by the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED), held its first competitive grant round in September 2011, consolidating six capital budget programs to give communities a single entry point and one set of requirements for state public infrastructure grants. The consolidation aimed to improve efficiencies and streamline the decision-making process, increase access for municipalities of all sizes and enhance state-regional-local partnerships around economic development and housing production.

During the first grant round, 158 applications requesting more than $400 million in infrastructure grants were received from cities and towns of all sizes and representing every region of the state. In total, EOHED awarded $63.5 million in grants to 42 communities throughout Massachusetts for public infrastructure projects that will begin this spring and summer.

To learn more about the MassWorks Infrastructure Program and how it is supporting job growth and long term, sustainable economic development, visit www.mass.gov/eohed/infrastructure.

For more information about Sen. Moore’s economic development and job creation efforts visit www.senatormoore.com or follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/senatormoore.

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