Fall River, turn this ship around

Fall River, turn this ship around

It's time for Fall River to make the right choice and embrace a UMass biotechnology facility at the location originally proposed.

Mayor Will Flanagan is reconsidering endorsing the plan, thwarted earlier this year when the Fall River Redevelopment Authority, with Flanagan's support, agreed in principle to sell the land to the Mashpee Wampanoag for a casino.

Major developments the week before Christmas should finally turn the tide of opinion among city officials.

On Dec. 21, a state appeals court judge upheld an injunction blocking the Redevelopment Authority from selling the land to the Wampanoag. The Herald News reported that in response to the decision, Flanagan was considering other options for the land, including the biotechnology park for which UMD would be the anchor tenant.

The following day, UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Jean MacCormack warned the university might drop its plans altogether rather than choose an alternative site. Alternatives in New Bedford, Fall River and Dartmouth have "constraints," she said.

Even before the appeals court decision, far too many obstacles stood before the casino plan: State law designates the land for industrial development and specifically prohibits a casino; casino gambling remains illegal in Massachusetts; and a 2009 Supreme Court decision effectively prevents the Mashpee Wampanoag from taking the land into trust.

A casino would bring jobs to Fall River, but gambling would also siphon money from city residents who can ill afford it.

The city has long expressed a desire to expand residents' skill base, but casino jobs don't truly do that; they maintain the illusion that not getting a college degree is a viable strategy for the next generation. If a casino goes bust, then what? Wait for another big employer of low-skilled workers to come along?

Fall River needs to get with the program and recognize that even if the biopark brings fewer jobs, those jobs will do much more for the long-term economic health of the city. Those jobs will help bring the Fall River economy into the 21st century — and not a moment too soon.In addition, the entire region, of course, would benefit from a growing biotech industry.

If Flanagan and the Redevelopment Authority are looking to save face, how about this: Welcome the biopark with open arms, and make the commitments UMD will now require in writing (since the university got burned on the handshake last time around). Circumstances have changed. The prospects for a casino look more doubtful than ever. So who could blame city officials for changing their minds to accommodate a new economic reality?

Flanagan and the authority can take credit for being nimble enough to respond to changing circumstances — whatever it takes, as long as they do the right thing.