Video: Congressman David Cicilline Tours Businesses Surrounding Navy Surplus Land

Rhode Island Congressman David Cicilline was given an inside look at several of Portsmouth's marine trade businesses Monday in the Melville area.

The focus of the tour was to show Cicilline how these businesses could benefit from the transfer of Navy surplus land surrounding the properties. The town has expressed an interest, through a public conveyance, of obtaining four acres of Navy land for free in the Melville area.

The Congressman spoke with both David MacBain and Tom Rich of , who discussed employment growth. MacBain explained how construction on the new PUMA race sailboat, just alone, has resulted in more than 50,000 man hours since August.

"I see great potential here," said Cicilline after hearing about employment at New England Boatworks.

For more on this discussion, see the video at right.

The tour on Monday also included visits to , and .

Also attending the visit were Portsmouth Town Councilors Keith Hamilton and James Seveney, and Bill Clark of the Portsmouth Economic Development Committee, who organized the tour.

The Congressman was invited specifically to visit with businesses surrounding "The Backyard." In 2003, the federal government authorized the transfer of 32 acres of waterfront land in the center of Melville to support the expansion of marine trade businesses.

The original plans called for new investments of $9.7 million and adding up to 177 jobs. According to town officials, current conditions have tempered these projections.

Members of the partnership are now anxious to complete the land transfer and use the land for expansion. Members of the Portsmouth Marine Partners are The Hinckley Co., New England Boatworks and the Melville Marine Center.

To hear more from business owners and members of the Portsmouth Marine Partners, view the video at right.

The state has identified the marine trades as one of the key industry sectors for economic growth, according to a town report. Statewide, the marine industry is comprised of more than 1,350 companies and more than 6,000 skilled employees at an average salary of $39,400 with benefits.