Draft Memorandum for the Record
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
Unified Planning Work Program Committee Meeting Summary
September 15, 2022, Meeting
9:00 AM–9:20 AM, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform
Derek Shooster, representing Derek Krevat, Chair, representing Jamey Tesler, Secretary of Transportation and Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Committee agreed to the following:
Materials for this meeting included the following:
1. FFY 2022 UPWP Adjustment One Memo
See attendance list on page 4.
There were none.
Jonathan Church (MPO Staff) presented FFY 2022 UPWP Adjustment One. The reason for the adjustment is because certain projects and line item needs have evolved since the approval of Amendment Two in August of 2022. One notable increase is to the Support to the MPO and its Committees line item in order to support staff time to prepare for the in-person federal Certification Review, occurring at the end of September. Other line-item increases include the UPWP, to support the completion of the FFY 2023 document, as well as the Intersection Improvement Program, in order to complete work for ongoing intersection improvements, and to the Congestion Management Process, to complete calculations for ongoing work.
Certain line items also saw decreases, primarily because staff time initially budgeted for those tasks had been reallocated to other projects. Thus, this adjustment has a net zero impact on the UPWP’s budget.
Steven Olanoff (Three Rivers Interlocal Council/Town of Westwood) asked why the budget for Freight Planning Support has been reduced by $5,000. Sandy Johnston (MPO Staff) responded that he has had to prioritize other MPO work, such as the UPWP and the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) recently, thus he is unable to complete a significant amount of freight planning work through the end of the fiscal year.
David Koses (At-Large Town/Town of Newton) asked whether these adjustments for individual projects would delay work until the next fiscal year. J. Church responded that there will be no changes in the work itself, but existing programs will be allocated enough funds to complete work within this fiscal year.
Lenard Diggins (Regional Transportation Advisory Council) asked whether the projects with reduced budgets will have less staff time allocated to them. J. Church responded that work will still be done on those projects and programs, but other line items need increased support and staff time; thus, some budgets were reduced.
Annette Demchur (MPO Staff) clarified that the decreased funding for Future of The Curb Phase Three is due to the need for data collection for evaluating strategies proposed through the project. L. Diggins asked whether this project will be finished within the current fiscal or whether it will impact next year’s spending. A. Demchur stated that it will impact next year’s spending, as once the data collection is completed staff will need funds to do the analysis.
A motion to endorse FFY 2022 UPWP Adjustment One was made by the Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville) (Tom Bent) and seconded by the Regional Transportation Advisory Council (Lenard Diggins). The motion passed unanimously.
There were none.
The next meeting date will be announced.
A motion to adjourn was made by the Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville) (Tom Bent) and seconded by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (Eric Bourassa). The motion carried.
|
Members |
Representatives
and
Alternates |
|
Massachusetts Department of Transportation (Office of Transportation
Planning) |
Derek Shooster |
|
Metropolitan Area Planning Council |
Eric Bourassa |
|
Regional Transportation Advisory Council |
Lenard Diggins |
|
At-Large City (City of Newton) |
David Koses |
|
At-Large Town (Town of Arlington) |
Daniel Amstutz |
|
City of Boston (Boston Transportation
Department) |
|
|
Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville) |
Tom Bent |
|
Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of Norwood/Neponset
Valley Chamber of Commerce) |
Tom O’Rourke |
|
Three Rivers Interlocal Council alternate
(Town of Westwood) |
Steve Olanoff |
|
City of Framingham (Metrowest Regional Collaborative) |
|
|
Other
Attendees |
Affiliation |
|
Joy Glynn |
MetroWest Regional Transportation Authority |
|
Tyler Terrasi |
MetroWest Regional Transportation Authority |
|
Jon Seward |
|
|
Renee Kiley |
|
|
Amira Patterson |
MBTA Advisory Board |
|
Brian B. |
|
|
MPO
Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff |
|
Tegin Teich, Executive Director |
|
Annette Demchur, Director of Policy and
Planning |
|
Hiral Gandhi, Director of Finance and Operations |
|
Rebecca Morgan, Director of Projects and
Partnerships |
|
Jonathan Church, Manager of MPO Activities |
|
Sandy Johnston, MPO Staff |
|
Srilekha Murthy, MPO Staff |
|
Judy Taylor, MPO Staff |
|
Logan Casey, MPO Staff |
|
Silva Ayvazyan,
MPO Staff |
|
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. |