Senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren, along with state representatives Bill Strauss, Paul Schmid, Christopher Markey, Robert Koczera and Antonio Cabral, last week visited New Bedford, MA, to discuss how to improve the Port of New Bedford.
Mayor of New Bedford, Jon Mitchell, City Council President, Joe Lopes, and Ward 4 Council, Dana Rebeiro, hosted the officials at Seatrade International, where they discussed policies affecting the port, the South Coast Today informs.
According to Ed Anthes-Washburn, the executive director of the Harbor Development Commission, about two-thirds of the discussion revolved around dredging.
“We heard example after example of what it will mean if we could get proper dredging for new businesses, expanded businesses, more opportunities,” Senator Warren said. “That’s what we want to see in New Bedford. That’s what we want to see here in Massachusetts.”
The New Bedford Harbor Development Commission predicts that the dredging would create 898 permanent jobs, $65.1 million in wages and $11.5 million in state and local taxes.
Documents from the meeting show that the dredging would encompass 25-30 commercial properties in New Bedford and Fairhaven and cost $19.25 million over five years, according to the South Coast Today.
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