A couple of weeks ago, our editorial opined, “State and city officials must work closely together to assure this is not an opportunity missed.”

The opportunity at issue is a pending boom in offshore wind projects over the next decade. State Pier in New London has the geographical location to play a role in supplying some of these projects if the state and the city play it smart.

Well, that was fast.

On Tuesday, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy visited New London and flanked by politicians of both political stripes announced that the state will make a $15 million investment to improve its ability to deploy equipment and workers to offshore wind projects. The State Bond Commission is expected to authorize the bonding when it meets Friday.

Malloy won’t be in charge to see the investment carried out. He has about seven months left in office. But this kind of smart investment deserves support regardless of which party the next governor aligns with. This is how the state should use its authority to borrow — investing in infrastructure that can help create jobs, grow the economy, and generate tax revenues that more than cover the investment.

In the spirit of bipartisanship, attending the event with Malloy were state Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, whose senatorial district includes New London; state Rep. Chris Soto, D-New London; and New London Mayor Michael Passero, a Democrat.

Site plans include demolition work, improving storm water and drainage, providing more robust mooring pilings, and construction of a heavy lift pad, along with other upgrades to assure the pier property can handle massive wind turbine components.

Of note was the characterization by the governor’s office of this as a “first step” in revitalization. While it will be the next administration deciding on additional steps, the point is a correct one; Connecticut officials must remain willing to collaborate with the private sector in realizing the full potential of the New London port.

Which raises another issue, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s pending decision on who gets the winning bids to feed 200-megawatts into the state power grid from offshore wind farms, enough to power about 65,000 homes. Three companies are competing for the project that is expected to begin in the early 2020s and take two to three years to complete.

In making its selection, DEEP needs to look beyond just the lowest power price and consider the potential overall impact of the competing bids on the city, region and state economy.

For example, Deepwater Wind, the company that developed the first offshore wind farm in the United States — the five-turbine Block Island Wind Farm — has committed to make at least $15 million in structural investment in State Pier to prepare the property for helping supply its offshore wind construction. That, of course, would match and significantly augment the state investment announced by Malloy.

Deepwater would also open a downtown New London office; negotiate a Host Community Agreement with funding to support local economic development efforts; and build its crew vessel locally, said Matthew A. Morrissey, vice president of Deepwater Wind in a Tuesday meeting with the editorial board.

In any event, in making its choice DEEP needs to give due consideration to proposals assuring investment in and use of the New London port and investment in the state’s economy.

Connecticut must be proactive in assuring that State Pier can be utilized for multiple uses and is not left with an infrastructure only purposed to support wind-farm construction, which is a finite undertaking. At Tuesday’s news conference, Scott Bates, chairman of the Connecticut Port Authority, was cognizant of this in stating the authority will work to make sure the investments not only support offshore wind development, but also spur the revitalization of the shipping industry and other marine businesses.

This fall the port authority will make another critical decision when it selects who will operate the port. The authority will soon seek proposals and likely issue a decision in the fall, Bates said. Logistec has run operations for the last two decades.

The arrival of wind power could be a great break for New London and the region by enlarging and diversifying our local economy.

The Day editorial board meets with political, business and community leaders to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Timothy Dwyer, Executive Editor Izaskun E. Larraneta, Owen Poole, copy editor, and Lisa McGinley, retired deputy managing editor. The board operates independently from The Day newsroom.