Our Wish List For 2013

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As we draw closer to the end of 2012, we take a break from our usual opining on issues of great weight to the Central Massachusetts business community to offer a holiday “wish list”:

For our entertainment and hospitality industries: May it become increasingly likely that no resort casinos will land within 50 miles of downtown Worcester, avoiding the large sucking sound and preserving business for our vital cultural and entertainment assets.

For Worcester CitySquare planners: A deal with developers to bring in a four- to five-star signature hotel and luxury apartments or condominiums that can serve as a crowning achievement for the city's downtown renewal project.

For the environment and overcrowded roads: More trains, and more commuters taking trains to Boston and other points along the Worcester-Framingham line.

For health care providers and insurers: A smooth-as-possible transition toward new models of care delivery and payment. The state remains on the cutting edge of health care innovation, and we hope it leads the way in cutting costs and delivering better value to consumers.

For the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center and other defense-related organizations in the state: A fiscal-cliff solution that doesn't blow up local contracts with area companies.

For Milford Regional Medical Center: Strong philanthropic support from the community for its $40-million expansion of its emergency department and intensive care unit.

For the Central Mass regional job market: Continued employment gains, with the percentage of jobless workers moving down toward 6 percent.

For the old Worcester Courthouse: A buyer who will enhance the neighborhood and bring new life to the long-vacant building at Highland and Main streets.

For the future of professional baseball in Worcester: An ownership group that can generate adequate capital to get Central Massachusetts back in the game in 2014 following this year's demise of the Worcester Tornadoes.

For the renewable energy industry: Continued progressive incentives from the state for businesses and individuals to further invest in renewable sources.

For the University of Massachusetts Medical School and its new Sherman Building: May the knife cut shallow, if at all, but not deep on NIH funding, a critical source of revenue for the school and our region.

For Shrewsbury: A major developer for the 66-acre CenTech North project that will spur interest in the site the town purchased in 2001. The 11-year wait has been painful.

For the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce: A suitable successor to President and CEO Dick Kennedy, who will retire at the end of 2013. Kennedy has led the chamber through unstable economic times and helped immensely in the push for fairer taxation for Worcester businesses.

For Southbridge, Fitchburg, Gardner and other communities suffering high unemployment rates: Success in business expansion and growth, which will generate some of the added jobs they need.

For area hospitals and union employees: Labor contract agreements that fit within hospital budget needs while maintaining quality of life for health care professionals and their patients.

For Marlborough and Quest Diagnostics: A settled tax increment financing deal that solidifies Quest as a new tenant of Marlborough's Hewlett-Packard campus.

For the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences: Continued success in populating Worcester's downtown with students and attractively renovated buildings in the heart of the city. A new acquisition of condominiums on Salisbury Street for student housing is another sign of the school's vitality.