Draft Memorandum for the Record
Community Advisory Council Meeting
October 6, 2025, Meeting Minutes
2:00 PM–3:30 PM, Zoom
Karl Alexander, Vice Chair, representing Mystic River Watershed Association
Meeting Agenda
1. Introductions
Members attending the meeting introduced themselves. (See attendance list beginning page 4.)
Stella Jordan, MPO staff, shared that her last day at the MPO is October 10. She expressed pride in her work in leading the establishment of the Advisory Council and wished MPO staff and members well.
2. Chair’s Report—Karl Alexander, Mystic River Watershed Association
Karl Alexander, Mystic River Watershed Association, discussed the onboarding process for the Chair and Vice Chair. K. Alexander shared that the Chair and Vice Chair will attend future MPO board and committee meetings and develop a process for reporting back to the Community Advisory Council.
3. Public Comment
There were no public comments.
4. Long-Range Transportation Plan Development—Erin Maguire, MPO Staff
Erin Maguire, MPO staff, provided a presentation on the development of the MPO’s next Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). E. Maguire discussed the elements of the LRTP, including
· vision, goals, and objectives,
· regional transportation system,
· investment programs,
· available funding, and
· recommended plan.
E. Maguire stated the priorities of the next LRTP development include
· providing ongoing engagement updates,
· developing accessible document formats,
· refining processes based on feedback and best practices, and
· identifying vision and goals.
E. Maguire stated future topics include performance measures to track progress, strategies, investment programs and projects, and travel demand modeling outputs.
Discussion
Will Palmer, TransitMatters, and E. Maguire discussed the Needs Assessment as a way to document the state of the transportation system through the lens of the MPO’s goal areas.
Greg Federspiel, TownGreen, and E. Maguire discussed data sources such as the Massachusetts Coast Flood Risk Model to identify transportation infrastructure that are vulnerable to flooding.
Paulina Muratore, Conservation Law Foundation, E. Maguire, and S. Jordan, discussed the Advisory Council’s role in the development of the next LRTP.
5. Capital Plan Development—Ethan Lapointe, MPO Staff
Ethan Lapointe, MPO staff, provided a presentation on the development of the MPO’s capital plan, the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). E. Lapointe discussed the various transportation funding programs in Massachusetts.
E. Lapointe provided an overview of the annual TIP development process including engagement, applications, evaluation criteria, and final scenario voting. E. Lapointe discussed project readiness as the likelihood and capability of a project to start construction in the year that it is funded and noted it is the defining challenge for recent TIPs.
E. Lapointe discussed the role of the Advisory Council’s role in TIP development, which includes advising, engaging, and ensuring accountability.
Discussion
G. Federspiel and E. Lapointe discussed that funding availability depends on the program the project fits into, scale of a project, and number of applications.
Galen Mook, MassBike, E. Lapointe, E. Maguire, and Tegin Teich, Executive Director, MPO staff, discussed how the MPO responds to changing demands on transportation to support areas such as housing and resiliency.
Scott Mullen, A Better City, and E. Lapointe discussed funding breakdowns by investment programs such as Transit Transportation and Community Connections.
W. Palmer, E. Lapointe, and T. Teich discussed the responsibility of MPOs to act as a steward of federal funding.
6. Annual Work Program Development and Planning Priorities—Olivia Saccocia, MPO Staff
Olivia Saccocia, MPO staff, provided a presentation on the development of the MPO’s annual work plan development, the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). O. Saccocia stated MPOs are required to create annual work plans to use Federal Planning Funds.
O. Saccocia discussed various work areas in the Federal Fiscal Year 2026 UPWP budget. The purpose of the UPWP is to demonstrate how MPOs work to make progress in achieving the goals and objectives set in the LRTP.
O. Saccocia provided an overview of the UPWP development cycle that includes stakeholder engagement, development, and endorsement.
S. Jordan facilitated an activity to better understand members’ priorities and areas of work the MPO should focus on.
Discussion
K. Alexander, P. Muratore, S. Jordan, and Sean Rourke, MPO staff, discussed the MPO’s role in regional freight planning. Steve Olanoff, Town of Westwood, emphasized the importance of freight planning to consider transportation impacts to areas such as congestion and air quality. Sara Han, City of Chelsea, and S. Jordan, discussed the impact of freight in Chelsea and the role of the MPO’s freight planning at the local scale.
7. Members’ Items
Alexis Hosea-Abbott (MassBike) shared that the World Day of Remembrance is in November and MassBike will host related events along with its Vision Zero partners. More information will be shared in its newsletter.
8. Adjourn
A motion to adjourn was made by an unidentified member (name inaudible on Zoom recording) and seconded by the Bike to the Sea (Jonah Chiarenza). The motion carried.
Attendees
|
Member Municipalities |
Representatives and Alternates |
|
Chelsea |
Sara Han |
|
Natick |
Morgan Griffiths |
|
Community-Based Organizations |
Attendees |
|
495/MetroWest Partnership |
Jason Palitsch |
|
A Better City |
Scott Mullen |
|
Abundant Housing MA |
Jesse Kanson-Benanav |
|
Bike to the Sea |
Jonah Chiarenza |
|
Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation (CSNDC) |
Jacynda Epenshade |
|
Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) |
Paulina Muratore |
|
LivableStreets Alliance |
Maha Aslam |
|
MassBike |
Galen Mook Alexis Hosea-Abbott |
|
Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) |
Karl Alexander Nasser Brahim |
|
Mystic Valley Elder Services |
Sheila Buckland |
|
Prevention Research Center (PRC) on Nutrition and Physical Activity, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health |
Angie Cradock |
|
Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA) |
Reggie Ramos |
|
TownGreen |
Greg Federspiel |
|
Transit Matters |
Will Palmer |
|
Watertown TMA |
Sophia Galimore |
|
Other Attendees |
Affiliation |
|
Regina Aris |
Baltimore Metropolitan Council |
|
Maria Foster |
MassDOT |
|
Nora Nagle |
|
|
Steve Olanoff |
Town of Westwood, Three Rivers Interlocal Council (TRIC) |
|
Sanja Stegich |
MBTA |
|
Robert Warren |
|
|
MPO Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff |
|
Annette Demchur |
|
David Hong |
|
Jia Huang |
|
Elena Ion |
|
Adriana Jacobsen |
|
Stella Jordan |
|
Ethan Lapointe |
|
Erin Maguire |
|
Meghan O’ Connor |
|
Gina Perille |
|
Sean Rourke |
|
Olivia Saccocia |
|
Tegin Teich |
|
CIVIL RIGHTS NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC Welcome. Bem Vinda. Bienvenido. Akeyi. 欢迎. 歡迎.
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