Average asking office rents in Greater Boston plunged by more than 12 percent during the 12-month period ending June 30th, according to a recent report from the Boston office of real estate firm Lincoln Property Co.

Suffolk Education recently broke ground and began renovations and construction of a new $39.6 million facility to house the Boston Renaissance Charter Public School, a project the company hopes will create jobs for the local community.

The Providence Group LLC, a Duxbury-based hospitality management company, has launched a distressed hotel management program to help financial institutions, lenders and owners address their troubled hotel assets.

Danvers-based construction firm William A. Berry & Son Inc. and officials from Heywood Hospital in Gardner recently broke ground on a 72,000-square-foot addition to the hospital campus.

Boston-based project management firm RF Walsh Project Management has changed its name to RF Walsh Collaborative Partners.

It would be great if all the government geniuses down in Washington and over on Beacon Hill could find a way to pull us out of the economic doldrums. But after watching a series of grand plans to turn around the foreclosure crisis quietly unravel over the past two years, I can’t say I am too hopeful on that score.

Forget that $70 million MBTA station. When it comes to building out Cambridge’s troubled NorthPoint project, relocating Lechmere Station won’t be the half of any developer’s worries. That’s because new internal documents show the public infrastructure tab on the project is a staggering $257 million.

As evidence mounts that the $787 billion stimulus package passed by Congress last February is doing little to improve the economy, federal and state lawmakers are considering further action to avert a prolonged job and wage slump. White House economists have floated the idea of a second round of stimulus spending. That’s an obvious approach from Washington where they have the luxury of printing money. But Massachusetts doesn’t have that option, and given that revenues keep plunging, spending money from the state budget to stimulate jobs and business investment seems unlikely.

Real estate deals are made on paper, but the assets that lie at the heart of those deals aren’t just tangible; they’re central to both the economy and the lives of the people who live, work and shop in them. Jessica Sawyer works on both ends of that spectrum. At Colliers Meredith & Grew, she helps clients weigh their real estate needs, floor by floor, building by building.

The building renovations are complete for luxury carmaker Bentley Motors’ relocation to Boston’s Copley Square – and the office interior aims to impress as much as the automobile’s engineers do.

RFWalsh Collaborative Partners took advantage of the Tall Ships’ arrival in Boston recently to show off its new space. To see exclusive photos from the party, including appearances by Mayor Menino and an American Idol, click here.

Ground was recently broken for a major construction project at the Cambridge Rindge & Latin School on Broadway in Cambridge, consisting of an $84 million renovation of the existing school.

The 35,200-square-foot property at 239 Newburyport Turnpike in Topsfield has been sold for $2.8 million, according to data obtained from The Warren Group, Banker & Tradesman’s parent company.

The 630-foot long Broad Canal Walkway, which runs along the edge of the Broad Canal, has opened, according to Twining Properties and Mirant Kendall.

Financial services firm The Kessler Group recently renewed their lease for headquarters office space at 855 Boylston St. in Boston.

Biotechnology company Genzyme has leased 17,596 square feet of office space at 10 California Ave. in Framingham.

Medical technology company PharmaVigilant has signed a 3,500-square-foot lease at the Westborough Mill complex in Westborough.