Wellesley is poised to join our west suburban bio-boom.
Beacon Capital Partners has applied to convert part of its office complex at 93 Worcester St. (intersection of Route 9 and I-95) into life sciences space, according to Greg Ryan at the BBJ.
About 40,000 of the 273,00 square-foot complex (the former HQ for Harvard Pilgrim Health Care) would become labs.
Beacon has already met with some residential neighbors. A public hearing is expected this spring.
But, wait, there's more: A second Wellesley lab facility could land just next door at 96 Worcester Street, site of the recently downsized Sun Life, with Nordblom the likely developer there.
The two projects would be part of a growing cluster of life science companies along our section of I-95.
And in the coming weeks we can expect to learn details about Bulfinch Company’s plans for the former Muzi site, also along I-95 in Needham, a site many observers also believe is ideal for biotech.
Bulfinch's portfolio already includes lab space in the Needham Crossing section of the N-Squared district along the same corridor. Taurus recently acquired Wells Park in Newton, home to biotech Karyopharm.
Report seeks greater investment in training, child care
Massachusetts needs to double the rate it is training skilled workers, according to a report released this week by the Legislature’s Future of Work Commission.
Investment in public transportation, child care, mental health support and housing are also required for retain our competitive edge, they concluded.
"We need to do this essentially right now," said Sen. Eric Lesser, who co-chaired the commission. "In fact, we’re already behind in terms of how much dislocation there has been."
An earlier report commissioned by the Baker administration estimated between 900,000 to 1.2 million workers could be displaced by automation by 2030. Those job losses will disproportionally affect women, Black and Hispanic workers, reports Yasmin Amer at WBUR.
That translates into the need to retrain 30,000 to 40,000 workers a year.
We'll follow that with a panel discussion about talent pipelines you may not have considered to find job candidates and ways to get new hires up to speed. Register.
Bill aims to expands uses for e-bikes
Not all motorized bikes are created equal.
But state law currently lumps all electric bicycles into the same category as their faster counterparts, mopeds, in which require a driver's license. That means electric bicycles that only do things like offer peddle assistance over hills, can't be used by younger people, on bike trails or included in bike share programs like Bluebike.
A proposed bill, co-sponsored by Watertown Rep. Steven Owen, would create different classes of e-bikes, giving municipalities the ability to set speed limits and location use regulations, notes Chris Van Buskirk at State House News.
"This legislation would allow municipalities to start feeling comfortable starting up e-bike sharing programs,” Owens said.
The change has Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller's support. Fuller joined officials from other municipalities asking lawmakers to allow cities and towns to regulate e-bike use.
They say the changes would expand mobility options for people looking to travel long distances, offer accessibility benefits for people with certain disabilities or the inability to cycle up hills, and encourage alternatives to automobile use.
Wellesley losing its Cachet
Wellesley’s luxury gift shop Cachet is closing after 46 years in business.
Owners Ginny and Bob Otto – who were trained as part of a Bloomindales’ executive training program -- are retiring. Their Church Street shop will close at the end of May.
GBH is continuing its State of Race live virtual forum series with “The State of Race: Equity in Business Ownership,” tonight (March 31) at 5:30 p.m. at the Boston Public Library. To attend in-person: RSVP here or RSVP here to attend online
Massachusetts’ annual Massachusetts Small Business Day 2022 event is happening April 12 at noon. Join business owners from across Massachusetts to learn about efforts to make health insurance more affordable for small businesses and workers and about other pending legislation that will impact your small business. Register.
Watertown’s City Manager Search Committee will interview 8 candidates for the position in executive session on April 4 and 5.
The Small Business Administration is looking for some to sing the National Anthem at the Massachusetts/National Small Business Week Meeting and Awards, May 5 at the Newton Marriot. Email me and I’ll pass your suggestions along.
Immigration actions could aid workforce void
The Biden administration is expected to lift a pandemic-related public health order this week that has restricted immigration for the past two years.
The change in late May should restore the right of migrants to request asylum once they are in the United States, just as they did before the pandemic.
Separately, a bill introduced in the U.S. House this week aims to help restaurants and other businesses struggling to attract workers.
The legislation would create non-immigrant three-year visas for up to 65,000 workers for non-agricultural jobs with lower education thresholds that have been unfilled for extended periods of time, according to Restaurant News.
Fire displaces local restaurant worker
Five of the 19 people displaced from a fire in East Boston this week have a relationship to Dunn-Gaherin’s, including Manuel Mancia who has worked at the Newton restaurant for 30 years.
Mancia, his wife and three children lost everything in the fire.
Dunn-Gaherin’s proprietor Seana Gaherin has started a Go-Fund me to help rebuild their lives and home.
Colleagues tip their hats to Dan Matthews
Finally, today, after 27 years of service, Dan Matthews is stepping down from Needham Select Board.
As Matthews prepared to retire from his position, past and present colleagues paid tribute last week at his final board meeting. Here's a video excerpt:
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