Local officials are meeting in Waltham this morning to discuss the possibility of drawing biotechnology industries to towns on the Rte. 128 belt between Westwood and Waltham.
Prior to the meeting, Dedham and Westwood officials said they were interested in attracting growing biotech industries to their towns.
The seminar is being hosted by the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council in conjunction with the Waltham West Suburban Chamber of Commerce, the Massachusetts Alliance for Economic Development and AstraZeneca - a pharmaceutical company headquartered in England and Sweden.
It will be held at the AstraZeneca Research Center at 7:30 a.m.
The workshop has a two-pronged goal, said Sarah MacDonald, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council: answering questions that towns have about biotech industry and evaluating towns' readiness to host a biotech firm.
MacDonald, a Dedham selectman, will be at the meeting representing the state biotech council, not her hometown.
She said biotech firms - industry that works on cellular and molecular levels - are looking to expand from Cambridge and Boston throughout the state.
Since 2001, 27 biotech firms have filled 1.7 million square feet of space outside of the traditional Boston/Cambridge area, according to MacDonald.
She said, this is the fifth such meeting the Mass Biotech Council has held.
Invited to this session were officials from Arlington, Belmont, Brookline, Concord, Dedham, Lexington, Needham, Newton, Waltham, Watertown, Wellesley, Weston and Westwood.
Dedham Economic Development Director Karen O'Connell said she is very interested in attempting to attract biotech firms to Dedham - especially manufacturing branches that are increasingly moving out of the city.
Biotech facilities, she said, are one of the few industries that offer growth opportunities in this economy, and she believes Dedham could have a front-row seat in bringing such firms to town.
"We feel like we're in a great position to attract companies," she said.
With close access to several major highways, public transportation, and a regional and international airport, Dedham Town Administrator William Keegan, believes Dedham has a lot to offer.
In addition, O'Connell said, with improving infrastructure, the future Legacy Place and the historical Dedham Square, Dedham would be able to provide an environment Biotech employees are comfortable with.
Both O'Connell and Keegan plan to attend this morning's meeting.
Keegan said he sees attracting biotech firms as "another tool in the economic development tool chest."
There would be room in Dedham, O'Connell said, for a biotech firm on Rustcraft Road or Allied Drive.
Local officials are meeting in Waltham this morning to discuss the possibility of drawing biotechnology industries to towns on the Rte. 128 belt between Westwood and Waltham.
Prior to the meeting, Dedham and Westwood officials said they were interested in attracting growing biotech industries to their towns.
The seminar is being hosted by the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council in conjunction with the Waltham West Suburban Chamber of Commerce, the Massachusetts Alliance for Economic Development and AstraZeneca - a pharmaceutical company headquartered in England and Sweden.
It will be held at the AstraZeneca Research Center at 7:30 a.m.
The workshop has a two-pronged goal, said Sarah MacDonald, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council: answering questions that towns have about biotech industry and evaluating towns' readiness to host a biotech firm.
MacDonald, a Dedham selectman, will be at the meeting representing the state biotech council, not her hometown.
She said biotech firms - industry that works on cellular and molecular levels - are looking to expand from Cambridge and Boston throughout the state.
Since 2001, 27 biotech firms have filled 1.7 million square feet of space outside of the traditional Boston/Cambridge area, according to MacDonald.
She said, this is the fifth such meeting the Mass Biotech Council has held.
Invited to this session were officials from Arlington, Belmont, Brookline, Concord, Dedham, Lexington, Needham, Newton, Waltham, Watertown, Wellesley, Weston and Westwood.
Dedham Economic Development Director Karen O'Connell said she is very interested in attempting to attract biotech firms to Dedham - especially manufacturing branches that are increasingly moving out of the city.
Biotech facilities, she said, are one of the few industries that offer growth opportunities in this economy, and she believes Dedham could have a front-row seat in bringing such firms to town.
"We feel like we're in a great position to attract companies," she said.
With close access to several major highways, public transportation, and a regional and international airport, Dedham Town Administrator William Keegan, believes Dedham has a lot to offer.
In addition, O'Connell said, with improving infrastructure, the future Legacy Place and the historical Dedham Square, Dedham would be able to provide an environment Biotech employees are comfortable with.
Both O'Connell and Keegan plan to attend this morning's meeting.
Keegan said he sees attracting biotech firms as "another tool in the economic development tool chest."
There would be room in Dedham, O'Connell said, for a biotech firm on Rustcraft Road or Allied Drive.
Dedham would evaluate proposals as they came through the door, said Keegan, but attempt to attract the "right kind of industry."
Biotech firms, he said, would offer high-paying, sustainable jobs and little impact on the environment and neighborhoods, and they contribute to the towns commercial tax base. Keegan said he would be wary if a firm was too big, however.
Westwood Economic Development Officer Chris McKeown will not be attending the meeting due to scheduling conflicts, but he said Westwood is very interested in biotech opportunities.
Westwood Town Administrator Michael Jaillet said he would be open to the possibility of a biotech facility using some of the available 8 million square feet in the future Westwood Station.
McKeown said the town would look further into biotech opportunities "once we get to a logical place with Westwood Station."
Communities at the meeting will be asked to submit a "BioReady Survey," said MacDonald.
The survey will ask officials various questions about their town's zoning and infrastructure. The state biotech council will then gage how ready a community is to host a biotech firm - classifying them as bronze, silver, gold or platinum.
"That sort of lets companies know how well or how prepared a city or town is," MacDonald said, adding biotech firms looking to expand are often unaware of their options throughout the state.
One aspect of the meeting that appeals to O'Connell is she will be able to "see who else is in the room."
She explained there is a level of competition between neighboring communities when it comes to attracting biotech industry.
Meetings like today's and relative surveys, she said, let her know how Dedham stacks up.
Communities have begun to compare themselves, Keegan said. "This is a worldwide competition now."
