In addition to the long time advantages of our region in reasonably priced and available property and buildings, lower cost utilities, a productive workforce, and business receptive communities, life science companies are finding many of their support services and suppliers are already operating in southeastern Massachusetts. Long time precision machine shops have broadened their skills and upgraded their equipment to service our growing number of medical device and biotech companies. Clean room manufacturers, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing contractors are growing as well. Packaging and distribution companies are also providing expanded services to accommodate these new and expanding companies as well as onshore requirements of many companies who are bringing product lines back from the far east especially due to increased costs, better quality control management, and lean manufacturing philosophies.
Many of our communities including the City of Taunton have updated their board of health regulations, industrial zoning, and streamlined their permitting practices to attract new and expanded investment. The Town of Mansfield held a Life Science Symposium this past spring and this summer Senator Marc Pacheco hosted Governor Patrick and Secretary O'Connell as guests at his Business and Economic Advisory Council meeting in Taunton and briefed them on the region's readiness to support life science companies and the proposed Life Science Center for Training and Education at the former Dever State Hospital property adjacent to the Myles Standish Industrial Park.
Area educational resources are expanding their life sciences curriculums and facilities to provide knowledgeable high school and college graduates in the future as well. Bridgewater State College has begun its multi-million dollar renovation of its science building, and Bristol Plymouth Regional Technical High School and Bristol County Agricultural Regional High School have included medical device and biotechnology training and co-op opportunities. Taunton High School's popular annual science fair has seen an increase in life science related projects as its science curriculum has expanded. Massasoit and Bristol Community Colleges and UMass/Dartmouth also are working with area life science companies to provide classroom training and co-ops.
Greater Taunton industries are also expanding their onsite training and support services. Depuy, a Johnson & Johnson company in Raynham, is completing a new training and education center building. CBM Industries, a global supply chain management company in the Myles Standish Industrial Park has begun an expansion project to more than double its facility to provide space for its growth in contract manufacturing for original equipment manufacturers. Medical Scientific, also in MSIP, has purchased a lot on Myles Standish Blvd. for a new 11,000 s/f facility. Biodirect, a re-manufacturer and distributor of biotech equipment is in its third building in MSIP as it continues to expand to meet the demand of its customers. Bioline, a British DNA reagent distributor, has found MSIP to be a great location for servicing its laboratory and testing facility customers. Waters Corporation, one of our charter companies in MSIP since 1978, has recently completed an expansion of its chemical instrumentation manufacturing plant.
The public/private partnership of the City of Taunton and the Taunton Development Corporation continue to work together to acquire and redevelop 142 unused acres of the former Paul A. Dever School for industrial purposes which will allow for a future Phase IV MSIP expansion. The new expansion area will support additional distribution companies as well as biotech, research and development, light manufacturing including medical devices, and services in 1.3 million s/f of new buildings. An additional 74 acres of the core campus of the Dever School is to be redeveloped as the Phase V MSIP Life Science Center Campus and will provide 625,000 s/f of renovated and new buildings for the Life Science Center for Education and Training, flex and incubator space, R&D office, and technology facilities. The 809 acre Myles Standish Industrial Park currently has over 5.8 million s/f of building with 100 companies and 7,400 employees providing $5.4 million in property tax revenue to the City of Taunton.
TDC continues the development of the 350 acre Liberty and Union Industrial Park at the junction of limited access Rtes. 24 and 140. The park offers a variety of fully serviced industrial lots for manufacturing, distribution, and service companies including several large lots with CSX freight rail access.
Greater Taunton and the emerging I-495 South/Rte. 24 North Collaborative of communities continue to work together to provide life science and other companies new opportunities in this highly diversified industrial, commercial, and retail region at the crossroads of southern New England.
Richard Shafer is the economic development director for the City of Taunton's Office of Economic and Community Development.