Dear Mr. Whitney,
 

Thank you for your letter on the DOD Executive Management Training Facility in Southbridge. I share your strong support for this facility, and I apologize for the delay in my response.

As you know, for many years, I have worked closely with Congressman Neal, Florence Chandler, Mike Coughlin, the Southbridge Chamber of Commerce, the University of Massachusetts, and Chip Norton of Franklin Reality/American Optical. I congratulate everyone involved for all of their skillful work and leadership that led to the current success.

I was delighted to see that your web site chronicles the events which led to the development of the Executive Management Training Facility. This center will be a foundation on which advanced technology education can grow and thrive in South Central Massachusetts, and it was made possible through the dedication and commitment of all of the residents of Southbridge.

I'm enclosing a copy of my remarks at the Southbridge Lease-Signing Ceremony last March. I commend you for your initiative, and I would welcome your including them on your web site.
 

Again, thank for your letter.

STATEMENT OF SENATOR KENNEDY AT SOUTHBRIDGE LEASE SIGNING

Thank you Mike, for that warm introduction, and congratulations your appointment as the new Town Manager of Southbridge.
 

It's a great day for Southbridge, and a great day for all of Massachusetts.
 

I'm honored to be here today to announce at long last that Southbridge is the new home of the Department of Defense Executive Management Training Center. It's been a long, hard fight, but it's been well worth it.
 

Each of you here deserves great credit for what we've been able to accomplish in brining this Center to Southbridge.
 

The most important thing is what all of you did to make this victory possible. The community worked together. You persevered against the odds. And, as a result, you've laid impressive groundwork for the economic renewal of the entire region.
 

Florence Chandler first contacted me several years ago about this possibility. She explained that Southbridge wanted to enter the competition for a DFAS Center from the Department of Defense. As we all have come to know, what Florence wants, Florence gets. So we went to work.
 

I came to Southbridge to see first-hand what Florence was talking about. The town was hard hit by defense downsizing. So naturally, when the DFAS competition began, a new opportunity was on the horizon. The American Optical building offered a perfect site for the type of facility the Defense Department needed.
 

But, as you all know, the odds were against Southbridge. The competition required applicants to contribute incentives as part of their proposals. Southbridge was at a disadvantage compared to wealthier communities.
 

But, you pulled together. Your teamwork made the difference. When the DFAS inspectors came to town, the community did everything right. They saluted you. The type of cooperation and enterprising spirit they saw here made the difference, and that's what gave Southbridge this well-deserved victory.
 

We fought for this project in Washington, and took it to the highest levels of government, including the Oval Office. Florence Chandler talked to President Clinton on this project, not once, but twice. And what an impression she made! She was speaking on behalf of a committed and deserving town, and that message came through loud and clear.
 

Now, it's settled. The lease is complete and the Southbridge Training Center is a reality.
 

As you know, the new Center will train personnel from all across the country who will carry out the finance and accounting missions of the Pentagon. Some of this training has already begun. One aspect of the program will bring the most senior civil servants here from throughout the Defense Department - to give them the kind of advanced management training that America's best corporations provide for their senior executives.
 

This will be a state of the art center. It will provide training in basic financial management skills. It will teach DFAS personnel how to use advanced telecommunications and computer techniques.
 

It will bring large numbers of trainees here. It will use advanced teleconferencing to train Department of Defense employees at military bases in all parts of the country.
 

These programs have already begun on a temporary basis in Sturbridge. Since 1997, over 120 classes have been held and over 1,800 Defense Department employees have been trained. But, they needed a permanent home, and now they have one.
 

The Center itself will bring hundreds of new jobs to Southbridge. The funds spent by the Center itself, and the additional funds spent by the students who come here to be trained, will generate major economic benefits for Southbridge and the surrounding towns.
 

There's an even broader operation, which is already underway, which I call "Phase II." Phase I was establishing the Executive Management Training Center. Phase II builds on that accomplishment, and it involves the Center for Advanced Fiber-Optics Applications, which is located in the same complex as the training center. A group of fiber optics firms has banded together to develop new applications for both defense and commercial customers.
 

In addition, we've been working to bring more investment by NASA to the region, and adapt it to new commercial projects. Massachusetts can do more in space and aeronautics. Our advanced research and development base gives us a natural advantage for this aspect of new technology.
 

All of these steps involve using the same teamwork you displayed so well in winning the battle for the Training Center, and in promoting the general economic development of the region.
 

Teamwork works, and I congratulate the whole team of people who made these achievements possible. Mike Coughlin and Florence Chandler were superb. Mike has been there from the beginning. With Mike in the Town Manager's Office, we know the Center will thrive. And Florence was there every critical step of the way too. They were always calling and coming to Washington to plead the case of this community. The Chamber of Commerce made outstanding contributions as well to bringing the Pentagon to Southbridge. We couldn't have done it without them.
 

Finally, I want to thank Richie Neal. He was absolutely tireless in his determination for Southbridge to succeed. Whether he was talking to the Pentagon or the White House, Richie got the message across. He is always effective in meeting the needs of his constituents, and I'm honored to stand with him today. Plain and simple, Richie delivers.
 

The battle for this extraordinary Training Center was never easy. But, you fought hard and well, and you've earned this well-deserved victory. You never let the dream die, and I congratulate you all for a job very well done.
 

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