State Pier proposal: Train New Bedford kids for a future in offshore wind industry.

NEW BEDFORD — There are New Bedford kids in middle school today who will be retiring from the offshore wind industry decades from now.

That's the prediction of Andrew B. Saunders, president of New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal LLC .

The 61-year-old New Bedford native, who jokes he's a recovering attorney, made the remark during a meeting in May hosted by MassDevelopment to air redevelopment proposals for the eight-acre New Bedford State Pier.

Foss Marine Terminal's proposal to expand its warehouse operation and develop a training center is one of seven under consideration by MassDevelopment.

The proposals could be approved together, separately or denied altogether. A decision deadline has not been announced.

Servedwell: Could a restaurant on New Bedford State Pier bring 200,000 people downtown? What to know.

MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency and land bank, manages the state-owned property.

Supplement nearby New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal

The nearby 29-acre New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal is being developed to provide a shore base to support offshore wind construction, then operation and maintenance of the completed projects for decades to come.

The terminal property is located at the former Cannon Street-power-station-Sprague-Eversource site.

"We purchased a 29-acre facility with a private-public partnership with the city of New Bedford, basically knocked everything down. We're turning it in to an offshore wind staging base," Saunders said.

BASE: New Bedford State Pier proposal makes fishing a destination attraction. What to know.

Saunders said Foss Marine's proposal for State Pier will supplement its warehouse operations.

That entails acquiring control of building 1 on State Pier — Saunders stresses that building 1 is not the cold storage warehouse building.

He said the 28,000-square-foot first floor includes 6,000 square feet occupied by Seastreak ferries.

Training center would occupy entire second floor

The Foss proposal takes that into consideration. They would want only 22,000 square feet for the warehouse operation.

The building's 28,000-square-foot second floor would be developed into a basic technical training facility where people can learn how to work in the offshore wind business, he said.

Cuttyhunk: New Bedford State Pier's Cuttyhunk Ferry is a 'lifeline' to tiny Cuttyhunk Island

That's where PACE — People Acting in Community Endeavors — comes in.

Pam Keuchler, PACE executive director, said the anti-poverty action agency serving Greater New Bedford will work in coordination with Foss to provide the training center.

Workforce development provided by PACE

One of the service's offered by PACE is workforce development, she said.

The training provided will give people an opportunity for careers in offshore wind, including people who otherwise wouldn't get the chance at "viable, longstanding careers."

Keuchler added, "We've developed a pre-employment program that is connected to several of the industry representatives that allows folks to then be prepared to go into a variety of training programs."

Saunders said Foss had put PACE in touch with contacts providing similar training in the United Kingdom.

'Tremendous opportunity' for local residents

He added, "There is a tremendous opportunity for the citizens of this area to become trained in this industry. No one is trained currently."

Cruise Lines: New Bedford State Pier park facility proposed by American Cruise Lines

That requires the kind of capacity that would be provided under the Foss proposal, he said.

Those trained in the industry must be recertified every two years.

"Every time someone gets trained you need capacity to train them two years later," he said.

Extensive New Bedford waterfront background

While he jokes about no longer practicing law, his background includes having been general counsel for the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission.

"So I know extremely well about the ideas that people have used to develop the Port," Saunders said.

He also has the practical background, having been involved in the New Bedford waterfront community throughout his life.

Seastreak: Seastreak ferry business thrives at New Bedford's pier. It's making its case to the state

He's worked on fishing boats and on tugboats, he said.

Proposal calls for 270 linear feet of dockage

The Foss proposal includes 270 linear feet of dockage on the east face.

Saunders said they've agreed not to have any garbage or noxious cargos go across that particular dock.

They have also committed to allowing transient dockage of fishing vessels on that east face to allow gear change, "which is very, very critical."

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: State Pier proposal: Train New Bedford kids for a future in offshore wind industry.