By David Pepose
Gov. Deval Patrick expressed optimism about the state’s economy at his tourism roundtable discussion Monday, but he added that state tourism and arts organizations such as the Massachusetts Cultural Council were unlikely to see an increase in funding this fiscal year.
“I get the point of the creative and cultural economy of Berkshire County, and its importance to the entire commonwealth,” Patrick said. “We have to think of different ways of doing things … to set aside things that might not be so effective, and pick up some new things that are.”
As he spoke to an audience of more than 70 cultural and tourism company owners at Hancock Shaker Village, Patrick explained that over the past two years, Massachusetts had seen a $12 billion deficit, and that the only increases in spending would go toward Chapter 70, or local aid, funds.
Any additional funds, he said, likely would go toward patching budget gaps in human services.
“There are some boring things we’ll have to invest in” that will have an impact on both tourism as well as small business as a whole, Patrick said. “We have to invest in infrastructure, like roads. We have to invest in broadband expansion.”
Patrick’s appearance at Hancock Shaker Village was one of three he made Monday in the Berkshires as he campaigns for re-election in November. He also spoke at the Massachusetts Teachers’ Association annual summer conference at Williams College, and he visited with local officials and residents at Forest Park Country Club in Adams. At Hancock Shaker, a theme that Patrick revisited several times was the idea of cross-marketing, and encouraging businesses to expand the spring and fall seasons with extended festivals combining the county’s arts, music and theater groups.
When one audience member talked about arts groups marketing to areas beyond the Berkshires for “when the funding comes back,” Patrick quickly responded: “It will. The economy is coming back; the commonwealth’s activity is coming back up.”
Nancy Fitzpatrick, owner of the Red Lion Inn, asked the governor what would happen with the state’s Creative Economy director position that was vacated by Jason Schubach this year.
“I want to fill the position, but we’ve been very slow with filling in positions, because we’ve already cut back 3,000 [government] positions,” Patrick said.
Praising the opportunities for the creative economy that Schubach cultivated, the governor said, “We’re trying to go there, we’re just trying to go slowly through the budget season.”
When Colonial Theatre Executive Director David Fleming expressed concern about the state’s ability to market the Berkshires aggressively to the surrounding regions, Patrick said the Office of Travel and Tourism would begin focusing on targeting eastern Canada for more tourism, as well as capitalizing on the fall foliage season.
Patrick also discussed a potential new tourist crop — China. With Boeing working on its 787 Dreamliner plane, direct flights from Boston to China soon could become a reality, and Patrick said the Chinatown Business Association already has begun training Massachusetts businesses in navigating the cultural gap to facilitate Chinese tourism.
Finally, Patrick revisited the idea of a local rail line, telling Berkshire Economic Development Corp. President David Rooney that “that’s a layup for me. I’m very keen on two things — one is high-speed rail, east to west, and community rail, from north to south.”
Patrick said the governors in New England and New York have begun plans to create a regional train line, with the federal government having supplied funds to start building a line from New Haven, Conn., to Vermont within a year.
Patrick said that although details were scarce on how long an east-west line would take, he said the state was working on both with federal officials as well as with private rail owners to try to expand local service.
“You’ve got to ask Amtrak why the only link [to New York] is the Chicago-to-Boston line,” Patrick said. “That’s got to change. This community used to have very good rail service. I want to see that restored.”
