WORK PROGRAM

Further Development of the MPO’s Community Transportation Program

November 7, 2019

Proposed Motion

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) votes to approve this work program.

Project Identification

Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Classification

Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analyses

Project Number 13297

Client  

Boston Region MPO

Project Supervisors

Principal: Katie Pincus Stetner
Manager: Sandy Johnston

Funding Source

MPO Planning and §5303 Contract #108217

Schedule and Budget

Schedule: 12 months after work commences

Budget: $20,000

Schedule and budget details are shown in Exhibits 1 and 2, respectively.

Relationship to MPO Goals

The Boston Region MPO elected to fund this work program with its federally allocated metropolitan planning funds during federal fiscal year (FFY) 2020. The work completed through this program will address the following goal area(s) established in the MPO’s Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP): capacity management and mobility, clean air and clean communities, and economic vitality.

Background

The MPO first included the Community Transportation, Clean Air, and Mobility Investment Program in the LRTP approved in 2015, Charting Progress to 2040. This program, intended to provide first-and-last-mile options for commuters and other travelers, derived from several previous MPO funding programs with similar intentions. The MPO funded a study in the FFY 2018 UPWP entitled, “Community Transportation Program Development” to define the direction of the program. The MPO included this program as one of several investment programs defined in Destination 2040, the MPO’s new LRTP adopted in August 2019,and has programmed $2 million per year for it in the FFYs 2020–24 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), beginning in FFY 2021.

To distinguish it from the Community Transportation Technical Assistance Program and programs run by other agencies, this program is now known as the Community Connections (CC) Program. Over the past year and a half, MPO staff have continued to develop the framework under which the program would operate, including development of an application form, process and scoring rubric.

Objective(s)

This project would continue the development and refinement of the CC Program during and after its pilot round in FFY 2020. The following objectives of this work scope are to

1. Successfully administer the CC Program pilot round;
2. Review pilot round and make changes to the CC Program framework as necessary; and
3. Continue outreach to stakeholders to publicize the CC Program and facilitate dialogue on first-and-last-mile issues.  

Work Description

Work to support the CC Program will be ongoing throughout FFY 2020.

Task 1  Administer application period and evaluate projects for CC Program pilot round

The CC Program application was released to proponents of candidate projects identified in the CC Program Universe in October 2019. MPO staff will evaluate the applications according to the scoring rubric presented to the MPO in December 2018, and present the scored list of projects to the MPO with the intent of gaining the MPO’s approval to include them in the FFYs 2021–25 TIP.

Products of Task 1

• List of CC Program projects to be funded in FFYs 2021–25 TIP

Task 2  Review CC Program pilot round

After the FFYs 2021–25 TIP is finalized, including the CC Program projects, staff will undertake an effort to review how the pilot round functioned and determine what, if any, changes should be made to the CC Program for future rounds. Topics of inquiry will include the mix of project applications and which projects were funded; how the scoring framework functioned, and how it relates (and will relate) to the newly updated TIP criteria; and how to generate a strong set of candidate projects. Staff will present findings to the MPO and request the MPO’s feedback on the findings and the future framework of the program. Staff will then prepare a revised memorandum guiding implementation of any changes to the CC Program for future rounds, and to make any necessary administrative preparations.

Products of Task 2

• Memorandum describing any changes to the CC Program as a result of the review process

Task 3  Conduct outreach about CC Program and first-and-last-mile needs

Staff will publicize the CC Program in outreach meetings throughout FFY 2020. During the course of the pilot round, staff will develop a strategy for advertising the availability of funding for future CC Program rounds. Staff will then pursue this strategy for the rest of FFY 2020 in advance of a full public request for projects in FFY 2021 (for funding in FFY 2022 and onward).

Products of Task 3

• Materials advertising the CC Program and funding availability

Attachment 1: FFY 2020 CC Program Universe

As presented to the MPO in December 2018.

Exhibit 1
ESTIMATED SCHEDULE
Further Development of the MPO's Community Transportation Program