Yesterday afternoon, along with Governor Patrick and other elected officials, I celebrated the groundbreaking of the new North American headquarters of EF Education First. The event was an absolute blast, featuring food trucks from around Cambridge and Somerville, speeches by Mayor Henrietta Davis, the Governor and others, and a performance by Cambridge’s own Passion Pit.

For me, this was a fun day that was a long time in the making. My colleagues, neighbors, and I have worked tirelessly to shepherd EF through this process, and along the way, we gained commitments from the company to beautify North Point and to use union labor during the construction of the new building.

The single best way to learn more about the ongoing redevelopment of North Point is to visit for yourself. The new park on the Charles is absolutely beautiful and a perfect place to enjoy a final picnic or two before winter arrives. If you can’t make it to the park, here are some numbers to let you know what’s been accomplished and what is planned going forward:

• EF will add 400 new, permanent jobs to their workforce
• The project will put hundreds of union construction workers back on the job
  
• The new building will include a new restaurant open to the public
• EF will provide $300,000 to the DCR to help maintain the park
• EF will provide $1 million to the City of Cambridge
• The project also calls for the creation of a multi-use bike path and the largest skate park in New England

I want to say thank you to EF for allowing me the opportunity to say a few words, which you can read here. The company has generated outstanding growth numbers for more than a decade, and I’m happy they’ve chosen to remain in Cambridge for the long haul. We need vibrant, innovative companies like EF as we continue to strengthen our regional economy, and I want to thank the Governor, the Mayor, and all my colleagues for helping to get this job done.

Now that the ceremonial shovels have been put away, the real work of creating a new building can begin.