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5. Advisory Board Meeting - January 27, 2020

Advisory Board Meeting Minutes of January 27, 2020

The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) Advisory Board met on Monday, January 27, 2020, 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, Kathleen Bartolini/Southborough, Ed Burman/Ashland – Vice Chair, Debra Galloway/Sudbury, Brian Herr/Hopkinton, Jack Hunter/Hudson – Clerk, Larry Jacobs/Holliston, Carole Mullen/Hopedale, Joseph Nolan/Wayland – Chair, Thatcher Kezer/Framingham, Will Kingkade/Milford, Jean MacQuiddy/Weston, John K. Higley/Sherborn.

Also in attendance: Eva Willens/Deputy Administrator, John Glynn/CFO, Patrick Moynihan/General Counsel, Joy Glynn, Linda Murtagh, Gerry Hartwell, Ieshia Price, Emily VanDewoestine, Dave Correira/MetroWest Center for Independent Living, Chuck Curran/Kiessling Transit General Manager

Not in attendance: Ed Carr/Administrator, Jack Morgan/Wellesley, Trish Pope/Marlborough, Craig Hughes/Dover, Susan Stocker/Disabled Community.

Chair Joe Nolan, presiding, began the meeting with member introductions, then declared a quorum present and the meeting was called to order at 11:03 am.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting:

A motion was made by Ed Burman: Approval of minutes from the Advisory Board Meeting of October 7, 2019. Second by Jack Hunter. The vote was unanimous.

Public Questions/Comments:

A request was made by Mr. Nolan for any public comments from the audience. No public comments were presented.

Administrator’s Report:

Eva Willens, Deputy Administrator, presented the Administrator’s Report. MWRTA received two FY20 Discretionary Grant awards from MassDOT. The first award is in the amount of $375,000. Of that amount,

$75,000 will be allocated to the Sunday Fixed Route Service Feasibility Study and $300,000 will be used for a pilot service program to expand frequency on the Route 4 North, servicing our Environmental Justice neighborhoods. Headways will be reduced from one hour to every 30 minutes, which is essentially doubling the service. If the ridership response is good, MWRTA will find a way to bridge the funding gap and continue to operate the route. The second award in the amount of $220,830 includes two pilots. One is for extended evening service on Routes 2, 7, and 11. This pilot will allow for the extension of service to approximatley10:30 pm, providing access to passengers who may work later hours and need a return trip home in the evening. The additional pilot is to create a hybrid route on Saturdays that would combine current

Routes 1 and 9 to give passengers the option of accessing the Woodland Green Line. MWRTA will be posting the new schedules within the next few weeks.

Ms. Willens reported that FY19 ridership numbers will be available at the end of June and the MWRTA Annual Report is posted on the website. Ms. Willens also reported on the following:

• The MBTA is promoting weekend ridership for $10. The Authority is also preparing to host a Council on Aging Summit in the Spring.
• Southborough is promoting the Sudbury Route 20, which originates at the Target in Marlborough, as an affordable transportation option.
• Natick is performing a transportation study and was encouraged to meet with and provide the study to the Administrator to ensure data is not duplicated. The Administrator will review, then involve the staff accordingly.
• Funding from FY19 Discretionary funds for creation of a phone application is close to complete and we are waiting on approval from Apple in order to launch the application. Once approved, it will be available online and via Apple retail outlets. This commuter app will allow our dispatchers to identify the location of the trains and buses. Also, live CHAT will funnel through our dispatch team.
• Former Fixed Route Manager, Sara Scully, recently took a new position at TJMax. Emily VanDewoestine has moved into the role.
• When the MWRTA preliminary budget is presented to the Board in April, it is expected that there will also be a discussion regarding the free fare movement. Some RTAs in the Commonwealth are initiating Free Fare Pilot Programs.

Ms. Willens provided an update on the status of bidding for the Fixed Route/Shuttle Services (FR/SS) and Demand Response Services (DRS). The Request for Proposal (RFP) documents are now available. The DRS contract expires on June 30, 2020, with no further extension options.. The current contract term for FR/SS also expires on June 30, 2020, but there is an additional one year option that could be exercised at the discretion of the Authority. In an effort to realize potential cost savings, the Administrator has decided to put out for RFP both services at the same time. If it appears from the responses that, due to the “economies of scale”, savings could be realized by awarding both services to the same contractor, then that will likely be the recommendation. Otherwise, the Authority could decide to award the contracts separately to two contractors or only award the DRS contract and exercise the remaining one year option for FR/SS. Pricing of the proposals is based on cost per vehicle service hour. The Administrator will appoint an evaluation committee. Any board members interested in getting involved are welcome to do so. The Administrator will present a recommendation of award for Board approval at the next meeting, anticipated in April.

It was reported that the recently released transportation bond bill by the Baker Administration contains additional funding for RTAs. The bill is now before the legislature for action. The Governor plans to invest more in operations, and there appears to be an appetite among legislators to boost funds for the RTAs.

Advisory Board members are encouraged to contact their local legislative delegations to let them know the RTAs need more funds. One very important member of the MetroWest delegation, Senate President Spilka is pushing for more RTA funding to alleviate the traffic congestion and we look forward to working with her on this effort.

MWRTA has applied for a Workforce Development Grant entitled PACT – Public And Commerce Transit – for which the MWRTA will hire a Transportation Management Association (TMA) related person to perform outreach with retail, corporate and multi family housing facilities including, but not limited to, along routes 9 and 20. MWRTA feels TMA services are lacking within the region, and expects this grant to be beneficial in connecting employers with existing public transit options and also to discuss possible pilots based on need that could potentially lead to public/private partnerships. Current transit relationships with MathWorks, MassBay Community College and Boston Scientific have proven to be successful, and will continue to be fostered through this new MWRTA staff person.

MWRTA Advisory Board Disability Seat:

Discussion ensued concerning the statutory requirement for a disability member to serve on the MWRTA Advisory Board. The MetroWest Center for Independent Living (MWCIL) has come to our meetings ad hoc but without a vote. Under the statute, the Advisory Board is required to have a voting member representing the disability commuter population for a term of one year. Appointments are to be made from one MWRTA member community annually on a rotating basis. To date, with few exceptions, no member community has been able to identify an individual meeting the statutory criteria for disability commuter membership. As a result, the Administrator has recommended that those communities which are unable to identify such a member appoint a representative of MWCIL to serve on the Board in this capacity. A member community next in line to provide a disability commuter member, could either appoint someone on its own meeting the criteria or designate the representative from the MWCIL. MWRTA Legal Counsel will assess the need to amend MWRTA by-laws for purposes of establishing a process by which this alternative appointment method can be implemented. There is also a similar statutory requirement for representation on the Advisory Board from the rider community population. Such representatives from MWRTA member communities must be appointed from a list of no less than five candidates nominated by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and its regional councils. To date, and since the inception of this statutory requirement, the AFL-CIO has not provided any nominees from which MWRTA communities can select its members. Accordingly there is no representation on the Advisory Board from the rider community population.

Administrator’s Expenses:

The Advisory Board discussed a recent article that appeared in Commonwealth Magazine, regarding the Administrator’s expenses for meals. While the Advisory Board did not question the appropriateness of the expenses outlined in the article, members expressed that having more understanding of the budget and its oversight process, would be beneficial to them. Discussion ensued on the inclusion of a separate line item for such expenses. As an aside, it was noted that there exists a rigorous process for reviewing MWRTA expenses that includes an annual audit from an outside accountant, Federal and State Audits, and the opportunity for review by the Advisory Board’s Audit Committee.

Board Member Comments:

Ed Burman stated that the manager of Market Basket in Ashland appreciated the relocation of a bus stop coordinated by himself and the MWRTA. He also mentioned that it would be helpful for DPW or safety officials from member communities to contact the MWRTA with major construction alerts in the area.

Larry Jacobs expressed concern over what he felt was a lack of signage and assistance at the Framingham Commuter Rail Station for riders. MWRTA will review signage for route connections at the station. The MWRTA has security and maintenance personnel at the Framingham Intermodal Commuter Rail Station.

Ms. Willens offered that the MWRTA currently holds office hours monthly on the 3rd Wednesday of each month to address any transit-related issues and customers are always encouraged to either email the website’s info line or call customer service with any concerns or suggestions.

Next Meeting:

The next Advisory Board meeting will be held at the end of April, the final date to be determined.

A motion was made by Ed Burman: To adjourn the meeting. Second Jack Hunter: The vote was unanimous.

The meeting adjourned at 12:13 pm.

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 January 27, 2020.

Jack Hunter, Clerk

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