Draft Memorandum for the Record
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
Unified Planning Work Program Committee Meeting Minutes
June 13, 2024, Meeting
1:00 PM–1:20 PM, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform
Derek Krevat, Chair, representing Monica Tibbits-Nutt, 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:
See attendance on page 5.
There were none.
A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of March 22, 2024, was made by the Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of Norwood) (Tom O’Rourke) and seconded by the City of Newton (David Koses). The motion carried.
D. Krevat gave an update on the FFY 2025 UPWP and stated that approximately $370,600 of de-obligated planning funds were added to the FFY 2025 UPWP. These funds would be included in the final version of the FFY 2025 UPWP.
Tegin Teich, Executive Director of the MPO staff, added that using de-obligated funds is a new process the MPO has been engaged in with MassDOT. MassDOT released guidance on how to utilize de-obligated planning funds. T. Teich stated that MPO staff have developed a proposal that outlines the initiatives the de-obligated funds would be used for and MassDOT will review the proposal. T. Teich stated that MPO staff are asking MassDOT to match 20 percent of the de-obligated planning funds.
Srilekha Murthy, MPO staff, presented an overview of the comments received during the 21-day public comment period for the FFY 2025 UPWP.
MPO staff received five comments:
Comments were generally supportive of the FFY 2025 UPWP and offered some suggestions for MPO staff to consider. S. Murthy stated that there was general support for the discrete study on roadway-pricing and the breadth of work that the MPO plans to undertake in FFY 2025. Comments also encouraged the study of bike and electric vehicle charging infrastructure and highlighted work in performance-based planning and programming.
Public comments were summarized in the following categories:
One public commenter disagreed broadly on the final selection of discrete studies chosen in the FFY 2025 UPWP.
MPO staff responded to all comments, the details of which can be found in Appendix B of the FFY 2025 UPWP.
MPO staff also made minor edits to text and graphics throughout the document, including the following:
T. Teich spoke more specifically about the de-obligated planning funds. The funds are direct planning funds, so they would be attributable to direct line items in the FFY 2025 UPWP. T. Teich stated that examples include consultant work and purchasing new equipment.
T. Teich stated that MPO staff focused on work that staff did not have the capacity to pursue in an ideal timeline. The proposal included a plan to hire consultants to help MPO staff advance that work. The initiatives where the de-obligated funds would be allocated to include the following:
Lenard Diggins, Advisory Council, responded to a public comment that expressed discontent with the amount of previous work mentioned in the FFY 2025 UPWP and stated that the updates on previous years’ work were extremely useful. L. Diggins stated that the section acted as a review of what was accomplished in the previous FFY and L. Diggins encouraged MPO staff to keep the section.
A motion to endorse the FFY 2025 UPWP was made by the SouthWest Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Wrentham) (Rachel Benson) and seconded by the Advisory Council (L. Diggins). The motion carried.
There were none.
To be announced.
A motion to adjourn was made by the Advisory Council (L. Diggins) and seconded by the Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of Norwood) (Tom O’Rourke). The motion carried.
| Members |
Representatives and Alternates |
|---|---|
At-Large City (City of Newton) |
David Koses |
City of Boston (Planning and Development Agency) |
Jim Fitzgerald |
Massachusetts Department of Transportation (Office of Transportation Planning) |
Derek Krevat |
Metropolitan Area Planning Council |
Julia Wallerce |
Regional Transportation Advisory Council |
Lenard Diggins |
SouthWest Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Wrentham) |
Rachel Benson |
Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of Norwood) |
Tom O'Rourke |
Steven Olanoff |
| MPO Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff |
|---|
Tegin Teich, Executive Director |
Annette Demchur |
Dave Hong |
Erin Maguire |
Ethan Lapointe |
Hiral Gandhi |
Lauren Magee |
Sam Taylor |
Srilekha Murthy |
CIVIL RIGHTS NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC
Welcome. Bem Vinda. Bienvenido. Akeyi. 欢迎. 歡迎
You are invited to participate in our transportation planning process, free from discrimination. The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is committed to nondiscrimination in all activities and complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency). Related federal and state nondiscrimination laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, disability, and additional protected characteristics.
For additional information or to file a civil rights complaint, visit www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination.
To request this information in a different language or format, please contact:
Boston Region MPO Title VI Specialist
10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 857.702.3700
Email: civilrights@ctps.org
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