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5. Advisory Board Meeting - January 29, 2018

APPROVED Advisory Board Meeting Minutes

Monday, January 29, 2018

The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) Advisory Board met on Monday, January 29, 2018 at 10:30 am, at 15 Blandin Avenue, Framingham, MA, at the call of Joseph Nolan, Advisory Board Chair/Wayland.

A roll call of members present was conducted. In attendance were: Joseph Nolan/Wayland - Chair, Jay Marsden/Holliston – Vice Chair, Ed Burman/Ashland - Clerk, Kathleen Bartolini/Southborough, Jack Hunter/Hudson, James Errickson/Natick, William Kingkade/Milford, Jean MacQuiddy/Weston, Carole Mullen/Hopedale, and Cheryl Tully Stoll/Framingham.

Not in attendance: Ed Carr/Administrator, John Glynn/CFO, Debra Galloway/Sudbury, Craig Hughes/Dover, Brian Herr/Hopkinton, Ellen Gibbs/Wellesley, Nick Milano/Marlborough, James Gorman/Sherborn and Susan Stocker/Disabled Community.

Also in attendance: Eva Willens/Deputy Administrator, Patrick Moynihan/General Counsel.

MWRTA Staff: Carl Damigella/Outreach Coordinator, Daniel Fitch/Information Technology Contractor, Joy Glynn/Admin Assistant, Gerry Hartwell/Facilities Director, Ieshia Price/Staff Assistant, Sara White/Director of Marking/Communications & Intermodal Ops.

Kiessling Transit, Inc.: Chuck Curran.

Chairman Joe Nolan, presiding, declared a quorum was present, and the meeting was called to order at 10:42 am.

Mr. Nolan stated that Mr. Carr will be absent from the meeting due to a death in the family and is attending funeral services today.

Minutes of the previous meeting:

A motion was made by Joe Nolan: Approval of minutes from the last Advisory Board Meeting of November 13, 2017.

Second. The vote was unanimous with one (1) abstention (Kathy Bartolini did not attend the November meeting).

Public Questions/Comments:

A request was made by Mr. Nolan for any public comments from the audience. With no comments being expressed, the meeting continued.

Administrator’s Report:

Ms. Willens, Deputy Administrator, presented the Administrator’s Report:

The primary purpose of today’s meeting will be to vote on the reorganization of the board.

MWRTA will schedule the next Advisory Board Meeting on the 23rd or 30th of April to vote on the FY19 Preliminary Budget, we will send the budget for your review in advance of this meeting.

Greyhound Bus began serving the Framingham Commuter Rail Station (FCRS) at the intermodal facility on January 8th. Ridership is building as well as transfers between Greyhound and MWRTA buses. Greyhound services from FCRS will be to Hartford and Albany with designated stops along the route. On Friday, February 9th there is an afternoon event planned by MassDOT at the FCRS intermodal facility to recognize this public/private transportation partnership. The Lieutenant Governor has been invited and plans to attend. MWRTA will send out a reminder to all board members in hopes you have availability to attend.

The Solar PV Canopy Project has been slightly delayed due to the RFP process, but is back on track and it is anticipated that a contract will be presented to the board for approval at the April meeting.

MassDOT, Senator Spilka’s staff and MWRTA held a meeting to review the possibility of MWRTA managing the Ashland Commuter Rail Station (ACRS) similar to FCRS. Although Ashland is very interested in this potential opportunity, MassDOT has not been very enthusiastic or responsive.

Sgt. Burman asked whether we could get the Lieutenant Governor interested in management of the ACRS by the MWRTA. Mr. Nolan noted that the Lieutenant Governor will be coming to the Greyhound event at the FCRS. He encouraged Board Members to approach the Lieutenant Governor for assistance with the ACRS opportunity.

AVSG, the CNG fueling station operator has had difficulty in getting Eversource and Verizon on the same page regarding completion of their respective tasks that will allow for the start-up of the station. Gerry Hartwell/MWRTA Facilities Director stated that AVSG hopes to have all the issues resolved so that the facility can have its final inspections and testing by March 1, 2018. Grant funding hinges on the first GGE (Gallon Gas Equivalent) being pumped. MWRTA fleet will begin transitioning to CNG. There are six CNG buses being delivered this May/June.

Board Reorganization Vote:

The annual reorganization of the MWRTA Advisory Board Officers was presented, with the proposed slate of Joe Nolan, Chair; Jay Marsden, Vice Chair; Ed Burman, Clerk.

Mr. Nolan noted that all board members were asked whether they would consider running for a position, with only the current officers expressing ineterst in serving. While he is happy to continue to serve as Chair, he encouraged other members to make themselves available for his and the other offices at the next scheduled reorganization.

A motion was made by Kathy Bartolini: To approve the proposed slate of officers.

Second. The vote was unanimous.

Board members thanked the Chair and the other officers for their willingness to continue to serve.

Board Member Comments:

Mr. Moynihan, Legal Counsel, provided further information regarding the bidding delay with the Solar Project. He stated that publicly bid horizontal construction (e.g. buildings) is typically conducted under MGL c. 149 and that vertical construction (e.g. public works) bidding is conducted under MGL c. 30, s. 39M. The distinction is that buidling projects (c. 149) have a DCAMM certification requirement for contractors interested in bidding. In response to a complaint received from a non-DCAMM certified contractor, the Attorney General’s Office determined that the solar panel structure is not a building, and therefore the project is required to be bid under c. 30 s. 39M. It is anticipated that MWRTA will have gone through the bid process by the April meeting and a contract will be presented for a vote by the board at that time.

Ms. Tully Stoll of Framingham mentioned that this could possibly be her last meeting. The transition team and staff for the newly elected Mayor of Framingham has made the recommendation that a town employee (e.g. transit relevant department head or designee) represent the city on the MWRTA Advisory Board.

Mr. Nolan replied that this is disappointing news and that the Advisory Board and the MWRTA as a whole appreciated her services. He noted that the MWRTA could not have done the FCRS project without Ms. Tully Stoll’s active participation and support.

A motion was made by Mr. Nolan: To adjourn the meeting.

Second: The vote was unanimous.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:55 am.

The undersigned being the duly qualified clerk of the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority Advisory Board, acknowledges that the foregoing minutes accurately reflect the actions taken at a legally convened meeting of the Advisory Board held on January 29, 2018.

________________

Ed Burman, Clerk

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