Page 10 - BusinessWest November 14, 2022

Editorial
BA a k e r W i l l B e M i s s e d i n t h e 4 1 3
s Charlie Baker winds down his time as governor high-speed rail project that has been proposed, in large of the Commonwealth, it should be clear to all part, to help level the playing field between east and west those in Western Mass. that he will be missed in and create more opportunities for those in this part of the
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this part of the state.
Since he was first elected eight years ago, and even
before he took office a few months later, he made it clear that the 413 would be a priority for him and his administra- tion. And he has followed through on that pledge.
We bring this up because all governors say they are going to represent the entire state and take a keen interest in every community from Fall River to North Adams. But most don’t actually deliver on those promises. Baker has.
And he’s done it by doing more than showing up at the Big E for a creampuff or coming out to distrubute checks and get his picture taken while doing so — although he done that, too. He has actually taken a real interest in what happens out here, and he became visible, and influential, in ways most governors haven’t.
Whether it was listening to a group of entrepreneurs at Valley Venture Mentors — and asking them probing ques- tions about how to take their ventures to the next level
— or taking the lead in efforts to make projects like the Court Square Hotel and a new parking garage in downtown Springfield a reality, Baker didn’t just show in up this region, he became a strong advocate for it.
Before we go any further, we do need to note Baker was late, as in very late, in officially signing on to plans for a
Opinion
state. This hesitancy to fully support the initiative, for what- ever reason, certainly slowed the process.
Meanwhile, his administration’s response to the pan- demic was more draconian than was necessary, and this deepened the challenge facing businesses of all sizes, but especially smaller ventures and those in the hospitality and tourism industry, one of the foundations of the Western Mass. economy.
That said, Baker made his presence felt in this part of the state, and in many ways made it a full partner in many ini- tiatives here, not just in Springfield, but across the region.
It has been said by some that we have an inferiority com- plex in this state and that we spend too much time thinking we are slighted, ignored, or both. While there is some truth to that, it has been easy for some governors to talk a good game, but, in the end, pay lip service to the broad region west of Worcester.
Baker succeeded in getting his name on a menu item at the Student Prince restaurant — a bun-less hamburger, to be specific. But far more importantly, he let people in this region know that they not only had a voice, but that their voice was being heard.
We can only hope the state’s next governor can continue that pattern of involvement. v
Raising the Bar Downtown
They cut the ribbon at the new Marriott Springfield Downtown last week.
It was a lavish ceremony that was more than three years in the mak-
ing. That’s how long it has taken serial entrepreneurs Vid Mitta and Dinesh Patel, owners of Springfield Hospital- ity, to transform the property in Tower Square, which lost the Marriott flag several years ago amid serious decline, into one of the state’s best hotels west of Boston.
A host of local, state, and national elected officials, area business lead- ers, and representatives of the Mar- riott chain turned out to celebrate the transformation of the property and the return of the Marriott flag to Spring- field. There were speeches, tours, music from the Springfield Sci-Tech band, and more.
The ceremony marked more than the official ribbon-cutting for the hotel, though. It commemorated a triumph over extreme challenge — this renova- tion, or re-imagination, of the property was undertaken during the pandemic and thus had to overcome a series of
stern challenges — and a raising of the bar, if you will, in Springfield and its downtown.
Indeed, like MGM Springfield before it, the new Marriott sets a new standard for imagination and qual-
ity in the city, and it is our hope that
it will inspire others to reach higher and think bigger as they contemplate what can be done in Springfield and its downtown.
From the beginning, not just with the hotel but with the larger Tower Square property, Patel and Mitta have thought outside the box — relocating the Greater Springfield YMCA to the property is perhaps the best example — and never settled for ‘good enough’ as they have remade the landmark that opened in the late ’60s and set the tone for a period of building higher and bet- ter in the city’s downtown.
It is our hope that, more than 50 years later, the renovated Marriott and Tower Square complex can have a sim- ilar impact.
Indeed, while there has been some real progress in downtown Springfield over the past several years with MGM
Springfield, the renovation of the for- mer Court Square Hotel (still ongo- ing), the construction of a new parking garage (set to begin), and other initia- tives, many other properties remain vacant or very much underutilized.
This is especially true farther south on Main Street in the area across from the MGM complex. But there are other properties as well that are awaiting new life.
The Marriott project, and the larger Tower Square initiative, have shown what can be done. They’ve shown what’s possible when people are will- ing to commit to Springfield and, as we said, think big. It is our hope, and expectation, that it will be a big success from a business perspective as well.
It is also our hope that this project, and some of the others now taking shape, like Court Square, will inspire other developers to look at Springfield as a city worth investing in.
All this, in addition to a grand new hotel, is what people were celebrating at that ribbon cutting. u
10 NOVEMBER 14, 2022
OPINION
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