Draft Memorandum for the Record
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
Unified Planning Work Program Committee Meeting Summary
May 28, 2020 Meeting
9:00 AM–9:45 AM, Zoom videoconferencing platform
Benjamin Muller, Chair, representing Stephanie Pollack, Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, 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. Meeting Summary of the March 26, 2020 UPWP Committee meeting
2. MPO Review Draft of the FFY 2021 UPWP
B. Muller, Chair, introduced the meeting, read the accessibility statement, and called the attendance roll.
There were none.
A motion to approve the summary was made by Lenard Diggins (Regional Transportation Advisory Council [Advisory Council]) and seconded by Tom Bent (Inner Core Committee/City of Somerville). The motion carried.
Sandy Johnston (UPWP Manager) explained that unfortunately the Zoom recording of the April 2 meeting had been lost or deleted. Staff will attempt to reconstruct a basic narrative of the meeting, but not the details that likely cannot be accurately reconstructed. The summary will be presented at the upcoming UPWP Committee meeting. The UPWP Committee is only required to produce a meeting summary, not full minutes, so this should be sufficient. S. Johnston also asked the Chair to call the role so that members could tell him whether they were present at the April 2 meeting.
S. Johnston asked the committee to vote to forward the draft FFY 2021 UPWP to the MPO for a vote to release for public comment. He stated that committee members are all familiar with the process, but gave a brief overview of the process for gaining MPO endorsement of the draft document. S. Johnston also gave a brief overview of the top-line budget numbers for the document, which programs about $4.8 million in federal 3C planning funding for Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) and another almost $1.1 million for Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC). In addition, the UPWP includes work that CTPS executes on contract to other state agencies and other entities, a total of about $1.5 million, yielding a total UPWP budget number of around $7.5 million, with details subject to change before final endorsement of the document.
S. Johnston also explained a some of the changes in this year’s document from previous years:
B. Muller thanked S. Johnston for his work on the document and promised that MassDOT would help fill in some missing details. He asked for a motion to approve the document and forward it to the MPO for a vote to release it for public comment. E. Bourassa made the motion and Tom O’Rourke (Three Rivers Interlocal Council [TRIC]) seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
A. Demchur reminded the committee that at the previous MPO meeting staff had discussed the need to remove the programmed Transit Mitigation for Major Developments study from the current UPWP (FFY 2020), since MassDOT is doing similar work. The budget for that study is $60,000; the MPO board approved using $30,000 to research trip generation rates, but there is a need to find a use for the other $30,000. Staff had proposed an examination of international Vision Zero policies and what might be applicable to the Boston region, and now request that the UPWP Committee provide some feedback on that concept and any other potentially interesting topics.
B. Muller stated that the Vision Zero concept seemed useful, as Boston bears some resemblance to Northern European cities in structure and built environment. There might be more questions on the policy side, but knowing that would require doing the research first. Daniel Amstutz (Town of Arlington) asked for more details on the proposal and wondered how the report might touch on the existing Massachusetts Vision Zero coalitions. A. Demchur explained that the study would mostly be a literature review; there is little statewide activity and most policies tackling this issue are done at the municipal level. Andrew Clark (CTPS Transit Analysis and Planning group) said that the study would look at which strategies at the municipal level have provided the best outcomes. There has not been a comprehensive review of all of these strategies and policies relative to outcomes. Tom Kadzis expressed support for the study concept. D. Amstutz thanked staff for the additional information and expressed his support. B. Muller asked who would be the lead on this study, given that A. Clark is moving on from CTPS. A. Clark responded that his final day at CTPS would be tomorrow, May 29, but that someone else would pick up responsibility for this task. B. Muller summarized that comments had been favorable, and the committee supports the Vision Zero proposal.
B. Muller noted that S. Johnston had sent the quarterly updates and Schedule of Operations to the committee by email.
B. Muller said the next meeting is scheduled for July 16 to endorse the final UPWP. S. Johnston added that if members have anything they want to discuss in the interim they can be in touch with the chair to request a meeting.
A motion to adjourn was made by L. Diggins (Advisory Council) and seconded by T. O’Rourke (TRIC/Town of Norwood). The motion carried.
|
Members |
Representatives
and
Alternates |
|
Massachusetts Department of Transportation (Office of Transportation
Planning) |
Ben Muller |
|
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) |
Tom Kadzis |
|
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) |
Erika Jerram |
|
MPO
Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff |
|
Tegin Teich, Executive Director |
|
Annette Demchur, Director of Policy and Planning |
|
Scott Peterson, Director of Technical Services |
|
Hiral Gandhi, Director of Operations and Finance |
|
Mark Abbott, Traffic Analysis and Design Group Manager |
|
Sandy Johnston, UPWP Manager |
|
Kate White, Public Outreach Coordinator |
|
Róisín Foley,
Administrative and Communications Assistant |
|
Andrew Clark, Transportation Planner |
|
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 |