Advisory Board Meeting - August 19, 2024

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Advisory Board Meeting Minutes of August 19, 2024

The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) Advisory Board met on Tuesday, August 19, 2024, at 10:00 AM at the call of Joseph Nolan, Advisory Board Chair/Wayland.

A roll call of members present was conducted; in attendance were: Ed Burman/Ashland-Vice Chair, Kevin McCabe/Dover, Michael Tusino/Framingham, Joseph Nolan/Chair, Sam Stivers/Southborough, Carole Mullen/Hopedale, Robert Wolff/Sherborn, Morgan Griffiths/Natick, and Ryan Egan/Marlborough.

Also participating: Jim Nee/Administrator, Eva Willens/Deputy Administrator, John Glynn/CFO, Patrick Moynihan/General Counsel, Daniel Fitch/IT Consultant, Linda Murtagh/Executive Assistant, HR Manager, Joy Glynn/Grants Manager, Emily Van Dewoestine/Director of Fixed Route, Intermodal and Marketing, Tyler Terrasi/Government Affairs Officer, Paula Doucette/ Financial Assistant, and Cameron Sullivan/Procurement Specialist.

Not participating: Linda Marshall/Holliston, Mary Jo Lafreniere/Hopkinton, Kristina Johnson/Hudson, Michael Walsh/Milford, Debra Galloway, Clerk/Sudbury, Collette Aufranc/Wellesley, and Jean MacQuiddy/Weston.

With a quorum declared present, the meeting was called to order at 10:02 AM with Mr. Nolan presiding.

Public Questions/Comments (2 minutes individual limit): No public comments were presented.

Discussion and Approval – FY2025 Fare Free Grant Program: Mr. Nolan stated that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts legislature has allocated $30 million to support fare free operations across regional transit authorities (RTAs) statewide. Mr. Nee also reported the following:

• This dollar amount will offset revenue from fares collected for the entire fiscal year.
• The RTAs will submit a joint grant application to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) for this program.
• The MWRTA hopes to maintain continuity of its fare free program which has been in place since the beginning of calendar year 2024.
• The MWRTA anticipates receiving between $700,000 and $800,000 in FY2025 for this program.

Discussion: in response to board member comments, Mr. Nee stated that this program would be adopted system-wide. The MWRTA anticipates that this program will represent the beginning of a long-term statewide fare-free initiative for the RTAs.

A motion was made by Mr. Tusino of Framingham: to approve the suspension of fares across the MWRTA system for the duration of FY2025. Second by Mr. Stivers of Southborough. The vote was unanimous. 

Board Member Comments:

There were no member comments, however, Mr. Nee stated that the MWRTA has experienced great success following the introduction of expanded service hours and frequency, noting that ridership returned to pre-COVID numbers across all modes in July 2024.

Adjourn: a motion was made by Mr. Stivers of Southborough: To adjourn the meeting at 10:22 AM. Second by Mr. McCabe of Dover. The vote was unanimous.

Certificate

The undersigned, being the duly qualified acting 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 August 19, 2024.

Ed Burman, of Ashland, Vice Chair

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