Advisory Board Meeting - June 24, 2019

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APPROVED Advisory Board Meeting Minutes

Monday, June 24, 2019

The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) Advisory Board met on Monday, June 24, 2019 at 11:00 am, at 15 Blandin Avenue, Framingham, MA, at the call of Joe Nolan, Advisory Board Chair/Wayland.

A roll call of members present was conducted. In attendance were: Karen Adelman-Foster/Natick, Ed Burman/Ashland - Clerk, Debra Galloway/Sudbury, Ellen Gibbs/Wellesley, Carole Mullen/ Hopedale,
Trish Pope/Marlborough, Joseph Nolan/Wayland – Chair, Cheryl Tully Stoll/Framingham, Jean MacQuiddy/Weston.

Not in attendance: Kathleen Bartolini/Southborough, James Gorman/ Sherborn, Brian Herr/Hopkinton,
Craig Hughes/Dover, Jack Hunter/Hudson, William Kingkade/Milford, Holliston Representative, Susan Stocker/Disabled Community.

Also in attendance: Ed Carr/Administrator, Eva Willens/Deputy Administrator, Sara Scully/Asst. Deputy Administrator, John Glynn/CFO, Patrick Moynihan/ General Counsel, Joy Glynn/Grants Management, Daniel Fitch/IT Consultant, Ieshia Price/Director Travel Training, Emily Van DeWoestine/Admin Assistant-Operations.

Kiessling Transit, Inc.: Chuck Curran/General Manager

Public Attendee: Dave Correia/Advocacy Director MetroWest Center for Independent Living (MWCIL), Framingham.

Chairman Joe Nolan, presiding, declared a quorum was present, the meeting was called to order at 11:02 am.

Minutes of the previous meeting:

A motion was made by Ed Burman: Approval of minutes from the previous Advisory Board Meeting of April 22, 2019. Second by Cheryl Tully Stoll. The vote was unanimous. Natick Abstained.

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:

The Administrator welcomed new members Karen Adelman-Foster of Natick and Trish Pope to the meeting, and acknowledged Mr. Dave Correia from MetroWest Center for Independent Living (MWCIL). As voted by the Advisory Board at its last meeting, MWCIL will serve as an ad-hoc non-voting disability community advisory member on the board.

Mr. Carr advised the Board that MetroWest Daily News recently printed an article on MWRTA Call Center employee, Tyler Terrasi. Tyler helps members of the senior and disabled communities schedule rides through the call center. Tyler is sight impaired, however is able to perform his job duties with modifications made to his work station. He previously worked as an intern with Senator Karen Spilka’s office and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public administration.

Mr. Carr stated that pending the Governor’s sign off on the state budget, the Regional Transportation Area Task Force has requested an increase in State Contract Assistance for the RTA’s. He also noted that the Transportation Working Group, formed at the request of Senator Karen Spilka, has 25 members (of which the Administrator is one) who will provide input and suggestions on addressing the many statewide transportation challenges.

Mr. Carr reported that the MWRTA Sudbury Route 20 Shuttle kick-off ceremony was held this morning. This shuttle will travel from Target in Marlborough, through Sudbury, Wayland and Weston, with a stop at the Riverside T Station. He also noted that a local grant was awarded to the Sudbury COA, providing service from Marlborough into Wayland on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Mr. Carr advised the Board that the new Commuter App is in development, with completion expected in September of this year. The app will track MWRTA shuttles, MBTA commuter rail train schedules, and include a chat room. We want to ensure Natick, Framingham, Boston Scientific, Department of Public Health, MassBay, and any other current and potential shuttle services are working at optimal levels for our commuters.

Lastly, Mr. Carr stated that in October, MWRTA will finalize Request for Proposals documents for both Fixed Route and Demand Response contracts as defined by Chapter 161B. Currently, Kiessling Transit Inc. (KTI), who recently sold their contract to National Express Transit (NEXT), operates both services. The present thinking is that MWRTA will not exercise the remaining option year for fixed route with KTI and seek proposals for both Demand Response and Fixed Route at the same time. A challenge related to the Request for Proposal of services is predicted with consideration of the future state mandated minimum wage increase.

MWRTA Revised Budget FY 2019 / Proposed Budget FY2020:

CFO John Glynn, presented work papers with a revision of the budget from last June for the revised final budget of FY2019 and the proposed FY2020 budget. Total budgeted expenditures for the final 2019 budget are $10,942,334. Total budgeted revenue for FY2019 consists of Transportation Revenue $1,458,437; Federal Assistance and Training Initiatives $1,863,294; State Contract Assistance $3,542,005 and Local Assessments $4,078,598.

Total budgeted expenditures for FY2020 are $11,443,166. Total budgeted revenue for FY2020 consists of Transportation Revenue $1,474,581; Federal Assistance and Training Initiatives $2,157,467; State Contract Assistance $3,630,555 and Local Assessments $4,180,563. All as set forth in schedule attached hereto.

A motion was made by Ed Burman: To approve the FY 2019 revised operating budget as presented . Second by Cheryl Tully Stoll. The vote was unanimous.

A motion was made by Cheryl Tully Stoll: To accept the FY 2020 proposed operating budget as presented. Second by Ed Burman. The vote was unanimous.

Approval of General Counsel Contract:

Eva Willens, Deputy Administrator, presented an overview of the general counsel services procurement. After advertising for requests for proposals (RFP) there were four requests received for RFP documents. One sealed proposal was submitted by Patrick Moynihan & Associates in conformance with the RFP procedures. Attempts were made to contact those who asked for RFP documents, but did not return a proposal. Only one contact was successful, and the requester stated that his firm was working on litigation for the City of Boston and due to time constraints, was not able to submit a proposal. Ms. Willens stated that MWRTA is pleased with the current General Counsel’s past performance during the previous contract term. The procurement justification confirms General Counsel is well respected, has submitted a reasonable price proposal, and determined this was clearly the right choice for the position. As former General Manager of the MBTA and Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation, with vast government knowledge, Patrick Moynihan has demonstrated that he is an asset to the MWRTA. The previous General Counsel five year contract term price proposal was $3,500/month based on an average of 20 hours/month. The current contract price proposal submitted is $4,500/month. A price analysis estimated that the average rate for General Counsel services is at $400-$700/hour. General Counsel is a three year contract with two, one year options.

A motion was made by Ed Burman: To approve General Counsel’s Contract as presented. Second by Cheryl Tully Stoll. The vote was unanimous.

Board Member Comments:

The Chairman formally welcomed Karen Adelman-Foster of Natick and Trish Pope of Marlborough to the MWRTA Advisory Board and extended best wishes to Cheryl Tully Stoll of Framingham for her years of service on the board.

The next Advisory Board meeting will be held in October (date to be determined).

A motion was made by Mr. Nolan: To adjourn the meeting. Second Deb Galloway: The vote was unanimous.

The meeting adjourned at 11:45 am.

Southborough member, Kathleen Bartolini, arrived at 11:47 am and expressed for the record, her approval of the budget.

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 June 24, 2019.

Ed Burman, Clerk

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