MPO Meeting Minutes

Memorandum for the Record

Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Meeting

June 1, 2023, Meeting

10:00 AM–10:50 AM, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform

David Mohler, Chair, representing Gina Fiandaca, Secretary of Transportation and Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)

Decisions

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) agreed to the following:

Meeting Agenda

1.    Introductions

See attendance on page 8.

2.    Chair’s Report—David Mohler, MassDOT

D. Mohler stated that the CTPS SFY 2024 Operating Budget agenda item will be moved to the end of the meeting agenda.

3.    Executive Director’s Report—Tegin Teich, Executive Director, CTPS

T. Teich stated that there are three open positions with CTPS: Principal Analyst/Travel Demand Modeler, Manager of Multimodal Planning and Design, and a Senior Transportation Planner in Multimodal Planning and Design with a freight focus.

T. Teich stated that on May 30, 2023, the MPO and MassDOT held a joint public meeting for the state’s draft 2024–28 Capital Investment Plan.

T. Teich stated that the next board meeting, on June 15, 2023, will be held as an in-person and hybrid meeting in the State Transportation Building Board Room at 10 Park Plaza in Boston, MA.

4.    Public Comments  

There were none.

5.    Committee Chairs’ Reports

Derek Krevat, MassDOT, stated that the next Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Committee meeting will be on June 8, 2023, at 1:00 PM to discuss the draft FFY 2024 UPWP.

6.    Regional Transportation Advisory Council Report—Lenard Diggins, Chair, Regional Transportation Advisory Council

L. Diggins stated that the next Advisory Council meeting will discuss the development of the Coordinated Public Transit Human Services Transportation Plan.

7.     Action Item: Approval of April 20, 2023, MPO Meeting Minutes

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    April 20, 2023, meeting minutes (pdf)

2.    April 20, 2023, meeting minutes (html)

Vote

A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of April 20, 2023, was made by the MBTA Advisory Board (Amira Patterson) and seconded by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) (Eric Bourassa). The motion carried.

8.     Action Item: FFYs 202327 TIP Amendment Five—Ethan Lapointe, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    FFYs 2023–27 TIP Amendment Five (pdf)

2.    FFYs 2023–27 TIP Amendment Five (html)

E. Lapointe stated that the FFYs 2023–27 TIP Amendment Five proposed the following changes:

·       Cost increase to the Wilmington—Bridge Replacement, Butters Row over MBTA project

·       New design earmarks for Border to Boston Trail segments in Peabody and Salem

·       New design earmark for Wakefield—Broadway Commuter Rail Crossing project

·       Funding adjustments for three MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) projects

No public comments were received during the 21-day public review period.

Discussion

Amira Patterson, MBTA Advisory Board, asked what adjustments would be made to accommodate the Wilmington project’s cost increase. E. Lapointe stated that the State Highway Program, which facilitates the project implementation, has funding reserved for contingency, so the $30,000 cost increase does not trigger further cost or scope changes.

Vote

A motion to endorse the FFYs 2023–27 TIP Amendment Five was made by the MetroWest Regional Collaborative (Dennis Giombetti, City of Framingham) and seconded by the MAPC (E. Bourassa). The motion carried.

9.     Action Item: FFYs 202327 TIP Amendment Eight—Ethan Lapointe, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    FFYs 2023–27 TIP Amendment Eight (pdf)

2.    FFYs 2023–27 TIP Amendment Eight (html)

E. Lapointe stated that the FFYs 2023–27 TIP Amendment Eight proposes a cost increase and delay for project #607342, Milton—Intersection Improvements at Route 28 (Randolph Avenue) and Chickatawbut Road, due to design delays from right-of-way issues. The current budget is $7,062,751 and the proposed new budget is $9,112,736.

Vote

A motion to release the FFYs 2023–27 TIP Amendment Eight for its 21-day public review period was made by the MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the MetroWest Regional Collaborative (D. Giombetti). The motion carried.

10. Walk-On Action Item: FFYs 202327 TIP Amendment Nine—Ethan Lapointe, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    FFYs 2023–27 TIP Amendment Nine (pdf)

2.    FFYs 2023–27 TIP Amendment Nine (html)

E. Lapointe stated that the FFYs 2023–27 TIP Amendment Nine proposes project S12847, Cambridge—Neighborhood Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure for Cambridge Residents. This project programs $1 million in federal Community Project Funding, matched with $250,000, to expand the publicly accessible electric vehicle charging network in Cambridge.

Vote

A motion to release the FFYs 2023–27 TIP Amendment Nine for its 21-day public review period was made by the Regional Transportation Advisory Council (L. Diggins) and seconded by the MAPC (E. Bourassa). The motion carried.

11.  Action Item: FFYs 202428 TIP—Ethan Lapointe, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    FFYs 2024–28 TIP (pdf)

2.    FFYs 2024–28 TIP (html)

3.    FFYs 2024–28 TIP Appendices (html)

4.    Compiled Public Comments (pdf)

5.    Compiled Public Comments (html)

6.    Town of Natick Public Comment (pdf)

E. Lapointe reviewed the FFYs 2024–28 TIP development timeline and key dates when decisions were made by the board. The FFYs 2024–28 TIP contains $697 million of the MPO’s Regional Target funding. Of that amount, $150 million in funding was allocated to 21 new projects, including three new Transit Modernization projects, the introduction of a FFY 2025 Project Design Pilot, and the introduction of a Bikeshare Support Program. Eight projects were delayed. The FFYs 2024–28 TIP includes continued investment in major regional projects, including  project #606226: Boston—Reconstruction of Rutherford Avenue; #607981: Somerville—McGrath Boulevard Construction; and #609246: Lynn—Rehabilitation of Western Avenue. Investments sorted by MPO Investment Program can be found in Table 1. A summary of the Regional Target funding is in Table 2.


 

Table 1
FFYs 2024–28 TIP Target Funding by MPO Investment Program

MPO Investment Program

Number of Projects

Regional Target Dollars Programmed

Bicycle Network and Pedestrian Connections

6 (2 new)

$66,140,116

Community Connections (allocated to projects)

17 (10 new)

$11,529,796

Community Connections (not yet allocated to projects)

N/A

$8,334,827

Complete Streets

22 (4 new)

$328,884,130

Intersection Improvements

5 (2 new)

$44,424,588

Major Infrastructure—Roadway

3

$125,094,890

Transit Modernization (allocated to projects)

4 (3 new)

$65,600,000

Transit Modernization (not yet allocated to projects)

N/A

$21,500,000

Unprogrammed

N/A

$26,036,440

Total

57 (21 new)

$697,544,788

 

Table 2
Regional Target Program Funding Summary

Federal Fiscal Year

Regional Target Funding Available

Regional Target Funding Programmed

Remaining Unprogrammed Funds

2024

$130,647,095

$126,991,048

$3,656,047

2025

$128,427,689

$125,975,489

$2,452,200

2026

$125,285,687

$124,667,241

$618,446

2027

$155,132,142

$144,006,044

$11,126,098

2028

$158,052,175

$149,868,526

$8.183,649

Total

$697,544,788

$671,508,348

$26,036,440

 


 

E. Lapointe stated that the public review period for the TIP lasted from April 26 to May 17, 2023. Staff held two virtual open houses, posted on social media, and conducted direct stakeholder outreach. Eight comment letters were received during the public review period, specifically mentioning the following projects:

·       Belmont—Community Path (#609204)

·       Norwood—Intersection Improvements at Route 1 and University Avenue/Everett Street (#605857)

·       Swampscott—Swampscott Rail Trail Construction (#610666)

·       Weston—Reconstruction on Route 30 (#608954)

A petition was submitted in opposition of the Reconstruction on Route 30 project in Weston (#608954) with 111 signatures. There were also 119 other comments, a letter from the Regional Transportation Advisory Council, and letters of support from advocacy groups. Topics in the comments included the following:

·       TIP document

·       Expanding transportation equity investments

·       Greenhouse gas emissions and protecting air quality

·       MBTA expansion projects

·       MBTA bus facilities

·       MPO, MassDOT, and MBTA project selection methods

·       MBTA commuter rail electrification

·       Project selection and scoring process

E. Lapointe requested that the board to vote to endorse the TIP document and stated that final updates before posting will include the addition of endorsement pages and certification statements, updates to Appendix G and Table G-2, and minor adjustments throughout the document.

Vote

A motion to endorse the FFYs 2024–28 TIP was made by the MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the Regional Transportation Advisory Council (L. Diggins). The motion carried.


 

12. Action Item: CTPS SFY 2024 Operating Budget—Eric Bourassa, MAPC and Hiral Gandhi, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    SFY 2024 Operating Budget Memo (pdf)

2.    SFY 2024 Operating Budget Memo (html)

3.    Proposed SFY 2024 Operating Budget (pdf)

4.    Proposed SFY 2024 Operating Budget (html)

5.    SFY 2024 Revenue Projections (pdf)

6.    SFY 2024 Revenue Projections (html)

E. Bourassa stated that the MPO’s Administration and Finance Committee met prior to this meeting to discuss the proposed CTPS SFY 2024 Operating Budget and voted unanimously to send it to the full MPO board for approval.

The expected revenue for SFY 2024 is $7,850,000, a 13 percent increase from SFY 2023. This increase can be attributed to the addition of the federal discretionary Safe Streets and Roads for All grant. The revenue supports 61 positions; seven are administrative positions and eleven positions are currently vacant. The expected overhead rate for SFY 2024 is 120.3 percent.

Vote

A motion to approve the CTPS SFY 2024 Operating Budget was made by the MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the Inner Core Committee (Tom Bent, City of Somerville). The motion carried.

13. Members’ Items

D. Giombetti spoke in support of the upcoming in-person and hybrid board meeting on June 15, 2023.

14. Adjourn

A motion to adjourn was made by the MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the Regional Transportation Advisory Council (L. Diggins). The motion carried.


 

Attendance

Members

Representatives

and Alternates

At-Large City (City of Everett)

Eric Molinari

At-Large City (City of Newton)

David Koses

At-Large Town (Town of Arlington)

John Alessi

At-Large Town (Town of Brookline)

Robert King

City of Boston (Boston Planning & Development Agency)

Jim Fitzgerald

City of Boston (Boston Transportation Department)

Matthew Moran

Federal Highway Administration

Joshua Barber

Federal Transit Administration

 

Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville)

Tom Bent

Brad Rawson

Massachusetts Department of Transportation

David Mohler

John Bechard

MassDOT Highway Division

John Romano

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)

Jillian Linnell

Massachusetts Port Authority

MBTA Advisory Board

Amira Patterson

Metropolitan Area Planning Council

Eric Bourassa

MetroWest Regional Collaborative (City of Framingham)

Dennis Giombetti

Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination (Town of Acton)

Kristen Guichard

North Shore Task Force (City of Beverly)

Darlene Wynne

North Suburban Planning Council (Town of Burlington)

Regional Transportation Advisory Council

Lenard Diggins

South Shore Coalition (Town of Hull)

South West Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Medway)

 

Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of Norwood/Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce)

Tom O’Rourke

Steve Olanoff

 


 

 

Other Attendees

Affiliation

Sarah Bradbury

MassDOT District 3

Miranda Briseño

MassDOT

Joy Glynn

MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA)

Michelle Ho

MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning (OTP)

Chris Klem

MassDOT

Josh Klingenstein

MBTA

Raissah Kouame

MassDOT

Jackie Laflam

Cape Ann Transportation Authority

Derek Krevat

MassDOT OTP

Lou Mercuri

 

Jim Nee

MWRTA

Jane Obbagy

 

Jon Rockwell

TEC, Inc

Michelle Scott

MassDOT OTP

Cheryll-Ann Senior

MassDOT District 5

Jon Seward

 

Tyler Terrasi

MWRTA

Jeremy Thompson

 

Andrew Wang

MassDOT

 

MPO Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff

Tegin Teich, Executive Director

Logan Casey

Ethan Lapointe

Silva Ayvazyan

Annette Demchur

Hiral Gandhi

Stella Jordan

Erin Maguire

Marty Milkovits

Srilekha Murthy

Bradley Putnam

Judy Taylor

Sam 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
Boston Region MPO
10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150
Boston, MA 02116
civilrights@ctps.org

By Telephone:
857.702.3700 (voice)

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.