Draft Memorandum for the Record
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Unified Planning Work Program Committee Meeting Summary
July 16, 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 June 25, 2020, meeting
2. Draft FFY 2021 UPWP
B. Muller read the accessibility statement and Matt Archer (MPO staff) called the roll.
Jeremy Thompson, Manager of Policy and Planning at the 495/MetroWest Partnership, thanked the MPO for its leadership in these challenging times. He advocated on behalf of the Framingham Mobility Study, which had previously been included in the UPWP Universe but has been removed this cycle, noting the regional significance of Framingham as a transportation and employment center. He also noted that Framingham has seen significant transit-oriented development.
A motion to approve the summary was made by Tom O’Rourke (Town of Norwood/Three Rivers Interlocal Council) and seconded by Tom Bent (City of Somerville/Inner Core Committee). The motion carried unanimously.
S. Johnston introduced the final draft FFY 2021 UPWP. The MPO had voted on May 28 to release the document for public comment, with the public comment period running concurrently with the month of June. The committee will vote to forward the document to the MPO for final endorsement. S. Johnston briefed the committee on some minor tweaks made to the document to reflect changes in project budgets, mostly due to impacts to MPO work from the COVID-19 emergency. He also reviewed the six comment letters received during the public comment period, all of which are documented in Appendix B of the UPWP. The comments are summarized below as follows:
S. Johnston explained that he has written responses to each of the commenters; the committee can write formal responses of its own if it would like, but that has not been the practice in the past.
B. Muller commented that it is good to see so many stakeholders watching carefully and reaching out, and that is one of the great things about the Boston Region MPO.
Lenard Diggins (Regional Transportation Advisory Council) made a motion to approve the UPWP and forward it to the MPO for endorsement. The motion was seconded by T. O’Rourke. The motion passed unanimously.
There were none.
The next meeting is planned for August 6, 2020. It will likely include approval of Amendment Two to the FFY 2020 UPWP, and a vote to send Amendment Three of the FFY 2020 UPWP to the MPO to release for public comment.
A motion to adjourn was made by T. O’Rourke and seconded by T. Bent. Without objection, the meeting adjourned.
|
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 |
|
MetroWest Regional Collaborative (City of Framingham) |
Erika Jerram |
|
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 |
|
Other
Attendees |
Affiliation |
|
Jeremy Thompson |
495/MetroWest Partnership |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MPO
Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff |
|
Tegin Teich, Executive Director |
|
Annette Demchur, Director of Policy and Planning |
|
Jonathan Church, Manager of MPO Activities |
|
Sandy Johnston, UPWP Manager |
|
Kate White, Public Outreach Coordinator |
|
Matt Archer, 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 |