Governor Deval Patrick joined state and local officials to celebrate the groundbreaking for the reconstruction of City Hall Plaza. The reconstructed plaza will serve as a vibrant public space in downtown capable of hosting large outdoor events, while also providing a green space for residents and workers. "Growth requires investment, and creating and upgrading urban parks will create growth and opportunity in Brockton and beyond," said governor Patrick. "This investment will support efforts to bring new housing and economic development to the city and help to make downtown Brockton a more inviting place to live and work." This project is being funded with $4 million in state funds and $320,000 in city funding. The project will include a redesigned amphitheater, pathways, lighting and benches, as well as landscaping to create more green space. The improvements will also make the plaza accessible to people with disabilities. The project is scheduled to be mostly completed by the end of 2014. "The Patrick Administration has made historic investments in open space, making Massachusetts a better place for our children and grandchildren," said Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) secretary Rick Sullivan. "This project will reconnect Brockton's historic City Hall to the rest of downtown, while making City Hall Plaza a greener, more welcoming and accessible site for residents and downtown workers." Brockton is one of seven cities across the Commonwealth receiving funding through the Patrick Administration's Signature Urban Parks program. Through these projects, the Patrick Administration seeks to revitalize urban communities by opening up or upgrading green spaces for outdoor recreation and improving access to natural resources such as waterways and historic neighborhood landmarks. The revitalization of City Hall Plaza will complement several Patrick Administration housing and economic development projects in downtown Brockton. The Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (HED) has invested $15 million in the redevelopment of the Enterprise Block. The Station Lofts housing development, which began renting units in December, received $1.5 million in housing subsidies from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), and W.B. Mason is using $300,000 in tax credits from the Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP) to help expand its corporate headquarters in downtown Brockton. "I commend Governor Patrick for his efforts to revitalize the downtown area of Brockton," said congressman Stephen Lynch. "City plazas serve as centers of social gathering, cultural expression and discourse. This critical project will connect important government resources with the creation of a government center complex and will provide the City of Brockton with a welcoming public space for residents and future generations to enjoy." "The reconstruction of City Hall Plaza will make City Hall a safer, more accessible place," said representative Claire Cronin. "By adding open space, the City of Champions will be able to host more public events and provide our citizens with a dynamic urban park." The Patrick Administration has made a historic investment of more than $300 million in land conservation focused on three goals: investing in urban parks, preserving working farms and forests and protecting large natural landscapes for habitat. This investment has resulted in the protection of more than 110,000 acres and the renovation or creation of over 170 parks since 2007, including projects in 310 of 351 communities and 50 of 54 cities. The land conserved and parks created are within a 10 minute walk of 1.5 million residents - about 25% of the state's residents. For the 26 Gateway Cities, the new conservation land and parks are within a 10 minute walk of over 500,000 residents - about 33% of all residents. According to a report by The Trust for Public Land, outdoor recreation generates $10 billion in consumer spending, $739 million in state and local tax revenue and $3.5 billion in wages and salaries each year in Massachusetts. This report also found that the state's Gateway City Parks investments will create nearly 500 jobs and $26.5 million in local wages and salaries.