MPO Meeting Minutes

Draft Memorandum for the Record

Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Meeting

January 16, 2025, Meeting

10:00 AM–11:35 AM, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform

Steve Woelfel, Chair, representing Monica Tibbits-Nutt, 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:

• Approve the minutes of the meeting of November 21, 2024
• Approve updates to the Disparate Impact and Disproportionate Burden (DI/DB) Policy
• Endorse Federal Fiscal Years (FFY) 2025–29 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Amendment Five
• Endorse FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Seven and vote to waive the 21-day public comment period
• Release FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Eight for a 21-day public comment period
• Endorse the Boston Region Project Submissions for inclusion in MassDOT’s Resilience Improvement Plan (RIP)

Meeting Agenda

1.    Introductions

See attendance beginning on page 17.

2.    Chair’s Report—David Mohler, MassDOT

Derek Krevat, MassDOT, stated that Project 607981: Somerville-McGrath Boulevard Construction was awarded $43 million through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant program, and expressed appreciation for MassDOT’s federal partners, MassDOT Highway Division, the City of Somerville, and the City of Boston, for their partnership on the effort. In addition, D. Krevat stated that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) was awarded a $14.4 million Charging and Refueling Infrastructure grant for more than 400 new level two electric vehicle charging stations that will be installed at MBTA Commuter Rail stations and Park and Ride lots across Massachusetts. D. Krevat stated that there would be additional projects that will need to be amended onto the FFYs 2025–29 TIP in upcoming MPO board meetings due to the requirement for funding obligation.

In addition, D. Krevat announced that he has taken on a new grant activity coordination position at MassDOT and stated that Chris Klem, MassDOT, will be the new liaison between the MPO and MassDOT and would be chairing the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Committee.

Eric Bourassa, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), expressed appreciation for all of D. Krevat’s work and stated that the significant amount of grant activity in the Boston region and Massachusetts is a testament to the great work that regional agencies are doing. In addition, E. Bourassa announced that the MAPC was awarded approximately $800,000 in grant funding from the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, which will allow the MAPC to complete activities related to electrifying the bike share system.

3.    Executive Director’s Report—Tegin Teich, Executive Director, Central Transportation Planning Staff

Tegin Teich, Executive Director, stated that Dorcas Okaidjah, Senior Transportation Planner in the Multimodal Planning and Design Group, and Olivia Saccocia, Regional Planner focused on the UPWP in the MPO Activities Group, have joined the agency. In addition, Kyle Casiglio, MPO staff, was promoted to Senior Transportation Planner in the Multimodal Planning and Design Group.

T. Teich shared the agenda, which included five action items and one presentation.

T. Teich stated that the next two MPO board meetings would be on February 6 and February 20, 2025, at 10:00 AM.

Steve Woelfel, MassDOT, welcomed D. Okaidjah and O. Saccocia, and congratulated K. Casiglio on his promotion.

4.    Public Comments  

There were none.

5.    Committee Chairs’ Reports

Jen Rowe, City of Boston, stated that the TIP Process, Engagement, and Readiness Committee met on December 19, 2024, and discussed the TIP universe of projects. In addition, MPO staff presented a quarterly project readiness update, which is a new practice that provides regular updates on the status of regional target funded projects. J. Rowe stated that the Committee also reviewed how the current TIP criteria treat compliance with the MBTA Communities law and discussed alternative approaches that the committee may consider as more municipalities reach their deadlines. J. Rowe stated that the next Committee meeting will likely take place in mid-February, and the agenda is expected to include a preview of project readiness updates and a list of applications for the FFY 2026–30 TIP.

D. Krevat stated that the UPWP Committee would be meeting in the next few weeks, and MPO staff would be sending out additional information. D. Krevat stated that the meeting would kickstart the development of the FFY 2026 UPWP.

6.    Action Item: Approval of November 21, 2024, MPO Meeting Minutes

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    November 21, 2024, Meeting Minutes (pdf) (html)

Vote

A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of November 21, 2024, was made by the MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the City of Boston (J. Rowe). The motion carried.

Action Item: DI/DB Policy Update—Betsy Harvey Herzfeld, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    DI/DB Policy Update (pdf) (html)

2.    DI/DB Policy Update Public Comment (pdf) (html)

Betsy Harvey Herzfeld, MPO Staff, presented an overview of updates to the DI/DB policy, which describes how the MPO identifies potential disparate impacts and disproportionate burdens that may result from implementation of the projects in the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). DIs and DBs analyzed include air quality, travel time, and access to destinations.

B. Harvey Herzfeld stated that the original DI/DB Policy was adopted in November 2020. On December 5, 2024, the MPO board voted to release the updated DI/DB Policy for a 21-day public comment period.

B. Harvey Herzfeld stated that updates to the policy include the following:

·         Description of mitigation approach

·         Revisions for clarity and to improve organization

·         Added people with limited English proficiency

Vote

A motion to endorse the DI/DB Policy Update was made by the Regional Transportation Advisory Council (Lenard Diggins) and seconded by the City of Boston (J. Rowe). The motion carried.

7.    Action Item: FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Five—Ethan Lapointe, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Five (pdf) (html)

Prior to the presentation on Amendment Five, Ethan Lapointe, MPO staff, stated that MPO, MassDOT, and MBTA staff are working on an administrative adjustment, which does not require MPO board approval. E. Lapointe stated that the adjustment is related to the Core Capacity grant that the MBTA applied for, which was originally presented as part of FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Four. E. Lapointe stated that the federal funding source that is listed on that grant is being changed to a different kind of federal funding source. E. Lapointe stated that there is another project included in the administrative adjustment that is currently listed on the e-STIP, an electronic submission, processing, and approval software tool that supports the State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP), which is inconsistent with the programming scenario that the MPO board had endorsed on June 6, 2024. The administrative adjustment would include correcting the funding source for the MBTA project and eliminating the inconsistent project from e-STIP.

E. Lapointe presented FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Five, which reallocates MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) transit funding from an infrastructure purchase line item towards new revenue vehicle acquisitions.

E. Lapointe stated that the public comment period for Amendment Five began on December 6, 2024, and ended on December 27, 2024. MPO staff did not receive any public comments during this period.

Vote

A motion to endorse FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Five was made by the MWRTA (Tyler Terrasi) and seconded by the MAPC (E. Bourassa). The motion carried.

8.    Action Item: FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Seven—Ethan Lapointe, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Seven (pdf) (html)

E. Lapointe presented FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Seven, which programs three discretionary grant awards through the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) FFY 2024 Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant program for school districts within the Boston region, including Boston Public Schools, Hamilton-Wenham School District, and Hingham Public Schools. Details of the grant programs and projects can be found in Table 1.

Table 1

Amendment Seven Project Changes—FFY 2025 Earmark Discretionary Program

Project ID and Name	Change Type	Funding Source	New Budget
S13161: FFY 2024 EPA Clean-Heavy Duty Vehicles (CHDV) Grant: Achieving Annual Replacement/Deployment Parity: 125 Heavy-Duty Electric School Buses for Boston	New Project	CHDV	$50,900,688
S13162: FFY 2024 EPA Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles (CHDV) Grant: Hamilton-Wenham School District (17 School Buses)	New Project	CHDV	$7,058,856
S13163: FFY 2024 EPA Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles (CHDV) Grant: Hingham Public Schools/Town of Hingham (10 School Buses)	New Project	CHDV	$4,172,056

CHDV = Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles. FFY = Federal Fiscal Year.

E. Lapointe stated that both Amendment Seven and Eight have a 21-day public comment period. In addition, E. Lapointe stated that the projects in Amendment Seven were not consolidated into Amendment Eight because MPO staff had previously considered an accelerated public comment period for these grants, which ultimately was not necessary.

The public comment period for Amendment Seven would begin on January 17, 2025, and end on February 7, 2025.

Discussion

Tom Bent, Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville), asked if the grant awards included infrastructure and charging stations for the electric buses.

E. Lapointe responded that he did not know, and that the primary purpose of the funding is for the procurement of the vehicles themselves.

J. Rowe stated that the grant awarded to Boston Public Schools includes some of the infrastructure in addition to the buses.

T. Bent stated that he had asked because the infrastructure to support electric school buses is expensive and wanted to know if the municipality was responsible for funding the infrastructure.

Lenard Diggins, Regional Transportation Advisory Council, asked for additional detail on the grant, including details on what the funding would be used for.

E. Lapointe stated that he would connect with project proponents to gather that information for the next MPO board meeting.

Vote

A motion to endorse FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Seven and waive the 21-day public comment period was made by the Advisory Council (L. Diggins) and seconded by the Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville) (T. Bent). The motion carried.

9.     Action Item: FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Eight—Ethan Lapointe, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Eight (pdf) (html)

E. Lapointe presented FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Eight, which includes changes to both the Earmark Discretionary and Statewide Highway Programs in FFY 2025, which are shown in Table 2.

 

Table 2

Amendment Eight Project Changes—FFY 2025 Earmark Discretionary Program

Project ID and Name	Change Type	Funding Source	New Budget
S13169: Quincy SS4A - Pedestrian Crossing Safety Improvements in Senior and School Zones Demonstration Program	New Project	SS4A	$158,000
S13170: Watertown- SS4A - Watertown Safe Streets Initiative	New Project	SS4A	$1,007,740
S13174: Needham SS4A - Great Plain Avenue Multimodal Corridor Demonstration Project	New Project	SS4A	$400,000
S13175: PPPP - Prioritization Improvement Program for the Greater Boston Region	New Project	PPPP	$1,488,000

FFY = Federal Fiscal Year. PPPP = Prioritization Process Pilot Program. SS4A = Safe Streets and Roads for All.

E. Lapointe stated that Project S13174: Needham SS4A-Great Plain Avenue Multimodal Corridor Demonstration is close to a capital construction project that the Town of Needham is seeking funding for in the FFYs 2026–30 TIP.

E. Lapointe presented changes to the FFY 2025 Statewide Highway Program, which are shown in Table 3.

Table 3

Amendment Eight Project Changes—FFY 2025 Statewide Highway Program

Project ID and Name	Change Type	Funding Source	Current Budget	New Budget	Difference
610719: Burlington to Tyngsborough- Pavement Preservation and Related Work on Route 3	Cost Increase	HIP-BR	$15,640,011	$25,022,724	$9,382,713

FFY = Federal Fiscal Year. HIP-BR = Highway Investment Program, Bridge.

E. Lapointe stated that Project 610719: Burlington to Tyngsborough- Pavement Preservation and Related Work on Route 3 has a cost increase, which is a result of unit cost changes and a change in scope to include bridge preservation work along the corridor and guard rail upgrades.

Discussion

L. Diggins expressed enthusiasm for Amendment Eight, particularly the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grants. L. Diggins stated that he hopes to see the results of these studies and initiatives. In addition, L. Diggins asked for more information regarding the Prioritization Process Pilot Program (PPPP) grant and Project 610719: Burlington to Tyngsborough-Pavement Preservation and Related Work on Route 3’s cost increase, particularly to learn about what contributed to the cost increase for future TIP projects.

Sandy Johnston, MBTA, congratulated the recipients of the grants and asked for additional details of the MPO’s PPPP grant.

Vote

A motion to release FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Eight for a 21-day public comment period was made by the Advisory Council (L. Diggins) and seconded by the MAPC (E. Bourassa). The motion carried.

10. Action Item: MassDOT Resilience Improvement Plan, Boston Region Project Submissions—Lauren Magee, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    Boston Region MPO Project Submissions (pdf) (html)

2.    Boston Region MPO Project Submissions Memo (pdf) (html)

D. Krevat presented information related to the MassDOT RIP and regional resilience project solicitation process.

D. Krevat overviewed resiliency initiatives at MassDOT, including ResilientMass, the Statewide Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan, which is the umbrella initiative for Massachusetts’ climate resilience initiatives that coordinates strategies across state agencies and is led by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. ResilientMass aligns with Massachusetts’ vision to ensure that the Commonwealth is prepared to withstand, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all types of emergencies and disasters.

D. Krevat reviewed a list of resiliency initiatives that MassDOT and the MBTA are responsible for, including the following:

·         Conducting climate vulnerability assessments

·         Climate change adaptation training and guidance

·         Enhancing resiliency in screening project development

·         Design standards update

·         Resilience improvement prioritization

·         Tunnel flood mitigation program

·         Emergency response plan updates

In addition, D. Krevat stated that the MassDOT RIP is an appendix to MassDOT’s Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan, Beyond Mobility. In Beyond Mobility, resilience is one of the six overarching priorities, and there are 17 resiliency actions for the MBTA and MassDOT. D. Krevat stated that the MassDOT RIP largely mirrors the ResilientMass Plan and has implications for Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT) program grant funding.

Hung Pham, MassDOT Highway Division, expanded on the Highway Division’s resiliency plans and programs. H. Pham stated that resiliency is the ability to anticipate, prepare for, withstand, and respond to ongoing impacts of hazards related to climate change, such as inland flooding, hurricanes, and severe winter storms. H. Pham stated that MassDOT’s RIP was developed with several guiding documents, including ResilientMass, Beyond Mobility, and additional guiding internal assessments and data collection. H. Pham provided additional detail about MassDOT’s RIP, which included the following five-phase approach:

·         Plan: Prepare for changing conditions and extreme events through vulnerability assessments and identify criteria to evaluate transportation asset vulnerabilities.

·         Improve: Incorporate resilience measures into projects and initiate resiliency-focused projects.

·         Maintain: Reduce disruption from extreme weather and changing conditions to existing assets over their service life through maintenance planning and coordination.

·         Respond: Build and maintain capabilities to respond and quickly recover from disruptions from extreme weather and changing conditions.

·         Inform: Coordinate resilience approach and actions with ResilientMass, municipalities, municipal planning organizations, and the public.

H. Pham stated that the Highway Division would integrate climate resilience into its work through the following strategies:

·         Planning/Scoping

o   MassDOT Highway Division's Project Scoresheet includes resiliency considerations.

o   Massachusetts Project Intake Tool (MaPIT) automatically screens proposed project locations against environmental, system condition, equity, and safety layers.

o   Environmental Review Checklist includes questions related to resiliency and stormwater control measures at scoping.

·         Design/Construction

o   Projects going through Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act review climate exposure and risk information, and recommended design standards from the Statewide Climate Resilience Design Standards Tool.

o   Adding a “Climate Change Indicator” subsection as part of the updates to the Bridge Design Manual.

o   Regularly use resilience reference manuals available through the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Climate Center.

·         Operations/Maintenance

o   Developing a Programmatic Operations and Maintenance Plan for drainage system maintenance given more frequent and severe storm events.

o   Updated MassDOT standards to align with resiliency best practices relating to pavement mixture, preservation projects, and existing and new bridges.

D. Krevat stated that MassDOT’s RIP functions as a policy document that describes how MassDOT is incorporating climate resilience into its project planning. D. Krevat stated that MassDOT’s RIP includes an appendix with a list of priority resilience projects that can gain the benefit of the PROTECT program grant. These benefits include the following:

·         Reduced Non-Federal Match Share: If projects are included in a State or MPO RIP, the required non-federal matching share may be reduced by

o   Seven percentage points if it is just included in the RIP

o   An additional three percentage points if the RIP is included in a Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan or Regional Transportation Plan

·         No Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) Required: If infrastructure/construction projects are in a state or regional RIP, they do not require a BCA if submitted for a PROTECT discretionary grant.

D. Krevat stated that the current list of projects on MassDOT’s RIP only includes resiliency projects on state-owned and maintained roadways, and MassDOT wanted to add an additional list that will be considered regionally endorsed so additional projects can gain the benefits listed.

Nayeli Rodriguez, City of Boston, expressed appreciation for MassDOT and MPO staff working on this list, and stated that there is a City of Boston project on the list that would allow for construction of green infrastructure and the City is preparing to apply for the PROTECT discretionary grant program for funding the project. N. Rodriguez stated that the project on Blue Hill Avenue is anticipated to improve resilience to flooding and heat exposure.

L. Diggins stated that eliminating the BCA requirement results in the loss of valuable information, even if it is costly. L. Diggins asked to what extent BCA results are considered in the project selection process, and if there is a way to still incorporate the BCA. In addition, L. Diggins asked what the expense of a BCA is proportional to a project’s cost.

D. Krevat responded that eliminating the BCA requirement is valuable for project proponents because it can cost up to $50,000 for a smaller project and requires a consultant team to complete. D. Krevat stated that some project proponents will not apply for grant funding due to this cost, and eliminating the barrier allows for more applications. D. Krevat stated he agrees that a BCA provides very valuable information if a community has the support for it.

Lauren Magee, MPO Staff, presented additional information on the project solicitation process and MPO staff’s project list.

L. Magee stated that after the USDOT solicited applications for funding under the PROTECT discretionary grant program in October 2024, MassDOT sent communications asking MPOs to solicit transportation resilience projects to include in the Statewide RIP on November 21, 2024. In this request, MassDOT recommended that the list of resilience projects be endorsed by the appropriate MPO board.

L. Magee stated that in December of 2024, MPO staff sent out communications to its municipalities to solicit resilience projects from Boston Region proponents for MassDOT to consider for the RIP. Between December 5, 2024, and January 13, 2025, MPO staff compiled a list of all resilience projects submitted to MPO staff that align with the PROTECT Discretionary Program guidelines.

L. Magee stated that the project list template shared with MPO staff by MassDOT categorizes each resilience project into a primary and secondary climate hazard that the project addresses. Each project has at least one primary hazard listed that that project addresses, but many projects address two hazards.

In the primary hazard category, there were

·         one project that addresses average and extreme temperatures,

·         one project that addresses changes in groundwater and/or groundwater rise,

·         20 projects that address coastal flooding and sea level rise, and

·         six projects that address flooding from precipitation.

In the secondary hazard category, there were

·         two projects that address average and extreme temperatures,

·         three projects that address changes in groundwater and/or groundwater rise,

·         six projects that address coastal erosion,

·         four projects that address flooding from precipitation, and

·         10 projects that address resiliency to severe winter storms or Nor’easters.

L. Magee stated that the first list of 26 projects includes local, regional, and state projects. L. Magee stated it is not a final list of projects, and there may be future opportunities to incorporate more projects into the RIP with MPO member involvement.

L. Magee stated that projects added to MassDOT's RIP will appear as a “regionally endorsed” list separate from MassDOT’s statewide list of projects on state-owned roadways. In addition, L. Magee stated that having projects included in MassDOT’s list does not imply any MPO or MassDOT commitment to advance or fund the project. Inclusion on the MassDOT RIP list as a regionally endorsed project is an indication that the project meets the PROTECT program criteria and is eligible for the program’s benefits.

Discussion

L. Diggins stated that he appreciates the geographic distribution of the projects throughout the Boston region.

Vote

A motion to endorse the Boston Region Project Submissions for inclusion in MassDOT’s RIP was made by the Advisory Council (L. Diggins) and seconded by the MAPC (E. Bourassa). The motion carried.

11. Quarterly Engagement Update—Stella Jordan and Erin Maguire, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    Link to StoryMap

Stella Jordan, MPO Staff, stated that MPO staff prepared an interactive StoryMap to accompany the presentation, and highlighted that the interactive StoryMap allows users to review each specific public comment that was included in MPO staff’s analysis.

S. Jordan stated that the purposes of these engagement updates are to increase the visibility of public engagement data and build stronger connections between public priorities and MPO decisions, particularly during the development of the next LRTP. In addition, these updates highlight ongoing and new topics of public interest and build transparency in decision-making.

S. Jordan stated that the analysis includes comments that MPO staff received during in-person and virtual meetings and events between August 1 and December 5, 2024, including 14 virtual and eight in-person meetings and events. Comments were received through a combination of interactive engagement activities, discussion prompts, open-ended discussion, emails, and online comment forms. S. Jordan stated that comments were received from members of the public, advocacy and community-based organizations, and municipal staff.

S. Jordan stated that there are four key themes that emerged from the analysis: safety, transit, sustainability, and public engagement.

Erin Maguire, MPO Staff, described how the themes had shifted between this analysis and the previous analysis. E. Maguire stated that transit, safety, and bicycle and pedestrian topics were the most common themes MPO staff identified throughout both analyses. During the August 1–December 5, 2024, timeframe, public engagement emerged as a new topic. E. Maguire stated that the StoryMap allows users to compare common themes from each municipality in the region.

E. Maguire stated that in the Safety theme, comments discussed bicycle and pedestrian conditions, reducing conflict points between vulnerable roadway users and vehicles, and public education about bicycle and pedestrian safety.

In the Transit theme, comments discussed bus service expansion in frequency and routes, concerns about overcrowding, availability of accessible seating, bus headways, investment to match increased transit usage, and lowering the cost of transit to benefit transportation equity.

In the Sustainability theme, comments discussed the impacts of congestion on neighboring communities and encouraged MPO to continue pursuing strategies to reduce the effects of congestion. Additional comments in the Sustainability theme discussed increasing use of green infrastructure and improving access to parks and open spaces.

In the Public Engagement theme, comments discussed the importance of transparency in planning processes, especially for underserved communities, and improved quality of engagement and communications around planning and implementation of infrastructure changes. E. Maguire stated that the limitations on this theme include staffing levels for municipalities.

E. Maguire asked MPO board members the following discussion questions:

·         Do any of the trends surprise you?

·         How can community input be effectively incorporated into planning processes to strengthen community relationships?

·         What information is valuable when considering regional priorities?

Discussion

L. Diggins requested time to think about these questions and meet with MPO staff later to discuss them.

S. Jordan stated that MPO staff would be happy to meet with L. Diggins.

J. Rowe stated that the analysis is particularly helpful at the municipal level to understand others’ perspectives outside of the context of a specific project.

Dennis Giombetti, MetroWest Regional Collaborative (City of Framingham), asked for additional detail on the characteristics of the sample and if there were regional differences in responses.

E. Maguire stated that in the Inner Core subregion, Transit was the most common comment theme. In the MetroWest region, Safety was the most common comment theme. E. Maguire encouraged D. Giombetti to use the interactive StoryMap to compare themes across subregions.

12. Members’ Items

J. Rowe stated that USDOT partially funded the City of Boston’s application for the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant program for the Mattapan Square portion of the Blue Hill Avenue project. J. Rowe stated that the City of Boston plans to use the additional $2 million of federal funding to reconstruct section of Cummins Highway approaching Mattapan Square to connect the multimodal improvements the City of Boston is making on Cummins Highway to those planned for Blue Hill Avenue. J. Rowe stated that members should expect a TIP amendment for this in the next few months.

S. Johnston stated that the MBTA received $4 million for the High-Risk Grade Crossing Elimination Plan, which will evaluate improvements for high priority and high-risk grade crossings across the MBTA network. S. Johnston stated that the MBTA also received $2 million for design and planning improvements for the JFK/UMass station project.

S. Woelfel stated that MassDOT is anticipating closing registration for an innovation conference due to attendance increasing to almost 1,000 people.

13. Adjourn

A motion to adjourn was made by the City of Boston (J. Rowe) and seconded by the Advisory Council (L. Diggins). The motion carried.

 

Attendance

Members	Representatives and Alternates
At-Large City (City of Everett)	Jay Monty Eric Molinari
At-Large City (City of Newton)	David Koses
At-Large Town (Town of Arlington)	John Alessi
At-Large Town (Town of Brookline)	Amy Ingles
City of Boston	Jen Rowe
	Nayeli Rodriguez
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)	Ken Miller
Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville)	Tom Bent
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)	Sandy Johnston
Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)	Stephen Woelfel
	Derek Krevat
	John Bechard
MassDOT Highway Division	John Romano
Massachusetts Port Authority	Sarah Lee
MBTA Advisory Board	Hanna Switlekowski
	Isabella MacKinnon
	Frank Tramontozzi
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)	Eric Bourassa
	Julia Wallerce
MetroWest Regional Collaborative (City of Framingham)	Dennis Giombetti
MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA)	Tyler Terrasi
Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination (Town of Acton)	Kristen Guichard
	Kaila Sauer
North Shore Task Force (City of Beverly)	Darlene Wynne
Regional Transportation Advisory Council	Lenard Diggins
South Shore Coalition (Town of Hull)	Christopher Diiorio
Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of Norwood)	Tom O'Rourke
	Steven Olanoff

 

 

Other Attendees	Affiliation
Cian Fields	Boston Public Schools Department of Transportation
Alexandra Dwyer	Environmental Protection Agency
Timothy Timmermann	Environmental Protection Agency
Samira Saad	FHWA
Jarrod Goentzel	Friends of the Belmont Community Path
Andrew Wang	MassDOT
Anil Gurcan	MassDOT
Cheryll-Ann Senior	MassDOT
Chris Klem	MassDOT
Derek Shooster	MassDOT
Hung Pham	MassDOT
Miranda Briseño	MassDOT
Sarah Bradbury	MassDOT
Stephanie Abundo	MassDOT
Cam Sullivan	MWRTA
Joy Glynn	MWRTA
Andrea Duarte	Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District
Meghan McNamara	Town of Lexington
Brian Le
John Strauss

 

MPO Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff
Tegin Teich, Executive Director
Abby Cutrumbes Heerema
Adriana Jacobsen
Ali Kleyman
Annette Demchur
Betsy Harvey Herzfeld
Dave Hong
Dorcas Okaidjah
Erin Maguire
Ethan Lapointe
Gina Perille
Jia Huang
Lauren Magee
Olivia Saccocia
Rebecca Morgan
Rose McCarron
Sam Taylor
Sean Rourke
Stella Jordan