MPO Meeting Minutes
Draft Memorandum for the Record
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Meeting
September 1, 2022, Meeting
10:00 AM–10:22 AM, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform
David Mohler, Chair, representing Jamey Tesler, Secretary of Transportation and Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) agreed to the following:
See attendance on page 5.
There was none.
T. Teich announced that the MPO staff
has brought on four new
data analysts to the Data Analysis and Applications team. They are Tanner
Bonner, Joseph Delorto, Sophie Fox, and Seth Strumwasser. She said that she is very
excited to have them on staff.
T. Teich also announced two new
engagement highlights. The first highlight was that on August 19 and 25, the Federal
Highway Administration’s Transportation Performance Management (TPM),
Transportation Asset Management (TAM), and Freight and Analytics (TAFA) teams and
MassDOT hosted the Advancing Freight Virtual Seminar for Massachusetts.
This MPO-focused event covered freight basics, critical freight issues for
states and MPOs, freight data, and effective practices from other states. Sandy
Johnston, the MPO staff’s freight planner, was a panelist and gave a
presentation about MPO freight planning on the first day of the webinar. The second
highlight was that the U.S. Department of Transportation has asked the MPO to
participate in a survey on equity and public involvement in the transportation
planning process. The MPO’s equity and engagement staff are working together to
respond and will be submitting the completed survey later in the month.
T. Teich also announced two engagement reminders. The first being
that the Transit Working Group quarterly meeting will
be held on Tuesday, September 20, at 3:00 PM. The guest speakers will be a team
from TransitOps, a nonprofit that works on open-source transit technology, and
Marco Chitti, a transit scholar who will speak about Montreal’s recent fare
integration project. The second reminder is that the 45-day public
comment period is underway for the amendment to the Public Engagement Plan. One
of the notable changes in the plan is to allow the board to waive the 21-day
comment period for Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) amendments. The public
comment period ends in a few days on September 4 at 5:00 PM.
T. Teich also highlighted upcoming
agenda items at the next MPO meeting on September 15. Two agenda items include
a vote to endorse the amendment to the Public Engagement Plan following the
closure of its public comment period and a presentation from Sandy Johnston on a
transportation demand management (TDM) study on peer MPO practices and whether
the Boston Region MPO should engage in those practices.
There were none.
There were none.
L. Diggins stated that the Advisory Council had not met since its last meeting in early August. The next meeting on September 14 will be dedicated to the Boston Region MPO’s Certification Review public meeting with the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration to obtain public feedback on the MPO’s engagement and outreach processes.
1. July
21, 2022, MPO Meeting Minutes (pdf)
2. July
21, 2022, MPO Meeting Minutes (html)
A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of July 21, 2022, was made by the At-Large Town (Town of Arlington) (Daniel Amstutz) and seconded by the Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of Norwood/Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce) (Tom O’Rourke). The motion carried.
1. FFY 2022-26 TIP Amendment Eight (pdf)
The 21-day public review period ended on August 25, 2022, at 5:00 PM, and no public comments were received on the proposed amendment.
Bill Conroy (City of Boston) asked when the project would be back out to bid and included in the TIP. John Bechard (MassDOT Highway Division) stated that this project would likely go back out to bid in three years due to three other projects happening in the same area over the next two or more years. J. Bechard mentioned that the Interstate 93 moveable barrier project was advanced in design and advertising using Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRSSAA) funds due to the higher safety concerns related to that project.
A motion to approve Amendment Eight to the FFYs 2022–26 TIP, was made by the Regional Transportation Advisory Council (Lenard Diggins) and seconded by the City of Boston (Boston Transportation Department) (Bill Conroy). The motion carried.
Brad Rawson (Inner Core Committee) spoke about the public safety and mobility emergency of the MBTA Orange Line and Green Line shutdowns. B. Rawson highlighted the “incredible light speed interagency effort” to keep people safe and stressed that if anyone has discretionary, non-essential travel next week to please stay off the roads while this emergency situation is occurring. B. Rawson thanked the MassDOT Highway Division for its progressive approach in deploying resources for safe streets and transit priorities in high-congestion, high-demand, and high-stress areas. He further highlighted the Cities of Boston’s and Somerville’s efforts to deploy their own resources for on-street bus lanes, accessibility upgrades, and emergency bicycle facilities in partnership with advocacy stakeholders in a joint team effort.
A motion to adjourn was made by the At-Large Town (Town of Arlington) (Daniel Amstutz) and seconded by the Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of Norwood/Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce) (Tom O’Rourke). The motion carried.
|
Members |
Representatives
and
Alternates |
|
At-Large City (City of Everett) |
Jay Monty |
|
At-Large City (City of Newton) |
David Koses |
|
At-Large Town (Town of Arlington) |
Daniel Amstutz |
|
At-Large Town (Town of Brookline) |
Todd Kirrane |
|
City of Boston (Boston Planning &
Development Agency) |
Joe Blankenship |
|
City of Boston (Boston Transportation
Department) |
Bill Conroy |
|
Federal Highway Administration |
Ken Miller |
|
Federal Transit Administration |
|
|
Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville) |
Brad Rawson |
|
Massachusetts Department of Transportation |
David Mohler |
|
MassDOT Highway Division |
John Bechard John Romano |
|
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
(MBTA) |
Jillian Linnell |
|
Massachusetts Port Authority |
|
|
MBTA Advisory Board |
Amira Patterson |
|
Metropolitan Area Planning Council |
|
|
MetroWest Regional Collaborative (City of
Framingham) |
|
|
Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal
Coordination (Town of Acton) |
|
|
North Shore Task Force (City of Beverly) |
Darlene Wynne |
|
North Suburban Planning Council (Town of
Burlington) |
Melisa Tintocalis |
|
Regional Transportation Advisory Council |
Lenard Diggins |
|
South Shore Coalition (Town of Rockland) |
Jennifer Constable |
|
SouthWest Advisory Planning Committee
(Town of Medway) |
|
|
Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of
Norwood/Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce) |
Tom O’Rourke |
|
Other
Attendees |
Affiliation |
|
|
Lydia Bird |
Nitsch Engineering |
|
|
JR Frey |
Town of Hingham |
|
|
Joy Glynn |
MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) |
|
|
Victoria Healey |
City of Beverly |
|
|
Michelle Ho |
MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning (OTP) |
|
|
Derek Krevat |
MassDOT OTP |
|
|
Benjamin Muller |
MassDOT District 6 |
|
|
Jeanette Rebecchi |
|
|
|
C Senior |
MassDOT District 5 |
|
|
Tyler Terrasi |
MWRTA |
|
|
Frank Tramontozzi |
|
|
|
Andrew Wang |
MassDOT Planning |
|
|
Bryan Zimolka |
Nitsch Engineering |
|
|
Dan |
|
|
|
MPO
Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff |
|
Tegin Teich, Executive Director |
|
Silva Ayvazyan |
|
Jonathan Church |
|
Betsy Harvey |
|
Sandy Johnston |
|
Stella Jordan |
|
Heyne Kim |
|
Rebecca Morgan |
|
Srilekha Murthy |
|
Meghan O'Connor |
|
Gina Perille |
|
Sean Rourke |
|
Michelle Scott |
|
Judy Taylor |
|
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning
Organization (MPO) operates its programs, services, and activities in
compliance with federal nondiscrimination laws including Title VI of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), the Civil Rights Restoration Act of
1987, and related statutes and regulations. Title VI prohibits discrimination
in federally assisted programs and requires that no person in the United
States of America shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin
(including limited English proficiency), be excluded from participation in,
denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any
program or activity that receives federal assistance. Related federal
nondiscrimination laws administered by the Federal Highway Administration,
Federal Transit Administration, or both, prohibit discrimination on the basis
of age, sex, and disability. The Boston Region MPO considers these protected
populations in its Title VI Programs, consistent with federal interpretation
and administration. In addition, the Boston Region MPO provides meaningful
access to its programs, services, and activities to individuals with limited
English proficiency, in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation
policy and guidance on federal Executive Order 13166. The Boston Region MPO also complies with the
Massachusetts Public Accommodation Law, M.G.L. c 272 sections 92a, 98, 98a,
which prohibits making any distinction, discrimination, or restriction in
admission to, or treatment in a place of public accommodation based on race,
color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability,
or ancestry. Likewise, the Boston Region MPO complies with the Governor's
Executive Order 526, section 4, which requires that all programs, activities,
and services provided, performed, licensed, chartered, funded, regulated, or
contracted for by the state shall be conducted without unlawful
discrimination based on race, color, age, gender, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, creed, ancestry,
national origin, disability, veteran's status (including Vietnam-era
veterans), or background. A complaint form and additional information
can be obtained by contacting the MPO or at http://www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination. To request this
information in a different language or in an accessible format, please
contact Title VI Specialist By Telephone: For people with hearing or speaking difficulties, connect through the
state MassRelay service: ·
Relay Using
TTY or Hearing Carry-over:
800.439.2370 ·
Relay Using
Voice Carry-over: 866.887.6619 ·
Relay Using
Text to Speech: 866.645.9870 For more information, including numbers for Spanish
speakers, visit https://www.mass.gov/massrelay. |