Bay Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Ryan Tarrant issued the following statement following the Bay City Commission vote to direct the City Manager to work with United Bridge Partners on a development agreement for final approval.
“Over the past several years, it has become clear that the continued ownership and maintenance of two municipal, bascule bridges is untenable. The final agreement will free more than $700,000 annually from the city’s annual operations budget for other projects. By voting to begin the process to privatize Independence and Liberty Bridges, the City Commission has taken the first step to reinvest in our community’s infrastructure.”
“Investment in infrastructure is critical to a community’s ability to attract and retain businesses and talent. Communities that are growing invest in infrastructure and invest in long-term progress. For us to do anything different would be extremely detrimental to the growth of our community.”
“The business community commends the City Commission on its leadership in this open, transparent process, which has included numerous public information sessions and forums at city hall and throughout the community, and we look forward to the certainty that this agreement will provide high quality infrastructure to our area businesses and residents.”
The Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1882, is a private, non-profit business organization with nearly 800 members that provides programs to assist local businesses grow and prosper. The Bay Area Chamber of Commerce joins area businesses and the community for the economic growth and well-being of the entire Bay Area.