Draft Memorandum for the Record
Regional Transportation Advisory Council Meeting
May 18, 2022, Meeting Minutes
2:30 PM–2:45 PM, Zoom Virtual Conferencing Platform
Lenard Diggins, Chair, representing the Advisory Council
Meeting Agenda
1. Introductions
Lenard Diggins called the meeting to order at 2:30 PM. Members and guests attending the meeting introduced themselves. For the attendance list, see page 3.
2. 3C Documents Committee’s TIP Comment Letter— Andy Reker, City of Cambridge
Andy Reker, City of Cambridge, introduced the 3C Documents Committee’s TIP Comment Letter and requested the Advisory Council vote to send the letter to the MPO board.
Discussion
David Montgomery, Town of Needham, suggested replacing “anticipate” with “anticipates” in the overall assessment section of the letter on the third line.
D. Montgomery asked why “complete” in “complete streets” was in quotations in the first paragraph, second to last line. A. Reker answered that “complete streets” is jargon and has an amorphous definition, so the letter should have quotations around the language to reflect its ambiguity. John McQueen, WalkBoston, suggested that using quotations for both words in “complete streets” would be appropriate because that is how the program is described in funding programs.
Lastly, D. Montgomery suggested the Advisory Council consider whether to use RTAC or Advisory Council to identify itself in the letter. L. Diggins agreed to switching RTAC to Advisory Council in the letter because it improves the clarity of the letter.
L. Diggins suggested changing the last sentence in the overall assessment section to reflect that this is the first time a cost-benefit analysis is being done through the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Further, he wanted to reflect that the Advisory Council is happy that the MPO started and will continue to do a cost-benefit analysis. L. Diggins further suggested the sign-off include members of the 3C Committee and not just the chair’s signature.
A. Reker suggested emphasizing the need for additional technical assistance looking forward into future years and stating that current funding does not reflect the need that the Advisory Council thinks is out there. A. Reker recommended changing the last paragraph to include that the MPO “provide additional technical assistance, resources, and staff” to support technical assistance efforts.
J. McQueen suggested the MPO should be staffing up for technical assistance now because it will give underserved municipalities a chance to better compete for available resources in the future.
Vote
A motion to send the 3C Documents Committee’s TIP Comment Letter to the MPO board for final approval was made by the Town of Needham (David Montgomery) and seconded by WalkBoston (John McQueen).
3. Adjourn
A motion to adjourn was made by WalkBoston (John McQueen) and seconded by the City of Cambridge (Andy Reker). The motion carried.
Attendees
|
Member
Municipalities |
Representatives
and Alternates |
|
Brookline |
Dan Martin |
|
Cambridge |
Andy Reker |
|
Needham |
David Montgomery |
|
Weymouth |
Owen MacDonald |
|
Citizen
Advocacy Groups |
Attendees |
|
American Council of Engineering Companies |
Fred Moseley |
|
Association for Public Transportation |
Barry M. Steinberg |
|
National Rural Transit Assistance Program |
Scott Zadakis |
|
WalkBoston |
John McQueen |
|
Agencies |
Attendees |
|
Division of Capital Asset Management |
Schuyler Larrabee |
|
Other
Attendees |
Affiliation |
|
Fayssal Husseini |
Husseini Design Group |
|
MPO Staff/Central
Transportation Planning Staff |
|
Jonathan Church Logan Casey |
|
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 By Telephone: 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. |