Advisory Board Meeting - December 17, 2024

1. Home
2. About
3. Advisory Board
4. Meeting Minutes
5. Advisory Board Meeting - December 17, 2024

Advisory Board Meeting Minutes of December 17, 2024

The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) Advisory Board met on December 17, 2024, at 10:30 AM at the call of Joseph Nolan, Advisory Board Chair/Wayland.

A roll call of members present was conducted; in attendance were: Ed Burman, Vice Chair/Ashland, Kevin McCabe/Dover, Mike Tusino/Framingham, Carole Mullen/Hopedale, Mary Jo Lafrenier/ Hopkinton, Kristina Johnson/Hudson, Morgan Griffiths/Natick, Robert Wolff/Sherborn, Sam Stivers/ Southborough, Debra Galloway, Clerk/Sudbury, Joseph Nolan/Chair, Wayland, Collette Aufranc (arrived 10:47 AM/Wellesley, Sheila Paige/Wellesley.

Also participating: Jim Nee/Administrator, Eva Willens/Deputy Administrator, Patrick Moynihan/ General Counsel, John Glynn/CFO, Linda Murtagh/Executive Assistant, HR Manager, Joy Glynn/Grants Manager, Tyler Terrasi/Government Affairs Officer, Cameron Sullivan/Procurement Specialist, Ben Coulombe/Grants Assistant, Daniel Fitch/IT Consultant, Emily Van Dewoestine/ Director of Fixed Route, Intermodal and Marketing, Manuela Evans/Manager of Travel Training/Community Relations, Paula Doucette/Financial Assistant, Dave Correia/MetroWest Center for Independent Living (MWCIL).

Not participating: Ryan Egan/Marlborough, Michael Walsh/Milford, Jean MacQuiddy/Weston. The Holliston seat on the Board is currently vacant.

With a quorum declared present, the meeting was called to order at 10:30AM with Mr. Nolan, presiding.

Public Questions/Comments:  Mr. Correia, Advocacy Director at the MWCIL, announced that he has accepted the position of Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator for the City of Framingham. Sadie Simone, MWCIL Executive Director, will participate in future MWRTA Advisory Board meetings.  

Discussion and Approval – Meeting Minutes June 25, 2024:  A motion was made by Mr. Stivers of Southborough: for approval of minutes from the Advisory Board Meeting of June 25, 2024.  Second by Mr. Burman of Ashland. The motion carried by majority vote with Wellesley, Hudson, and Sudbury abstaining.

Discussion and Approval – Meeting Minutes August 19, 2024:  A motion was made by Mr. Stivers of Southborough: for approval of minutes from the Advisory Board Meeting of August 19, 2024.  Second by Mr. Burman of Ashland. The motion carried by majority vote with Hudson, Sudbury, and Wellesley abstaining.

Administrator’s Report:  Mr. Nee reported on the following items:

• Systemwide ridership growth with return to pre-COVID numbers.
• Successfully completed audits by MWRTA’s internal auditing firm, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), and the Federal Transit Administration.
• Submitting two applications to the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Transit Transformation Program. Funds will support the purchase of larger capacity compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, as well as construction activities associated with the Blandin Hub Redesign Initiative.
• Expansion of Catch Connect microtransit service in Wellesley for later evening hours.
• Enhancements to several fixed routes beginning January 5, 2025.
• MassDOT’s Transit Connectivity program will allow for the expansion of Catch Connect Hudson/Marlborough service to the community of Berlin, in partnership with the Worcester Regional Transit Authority.
• An additional grant received through this program will allow for the launch of the 495 Connector to improve intermodal connectivity in the region.
• MWRTA will likely receive three (3) larger capacity Gillig buses in mid-January. A ribbon-cutting event will be scheduled at the Blandin Hub facility in proximity to the date of delivery.
• Additional funds will allow for the continued future purchase of larger capacity vehicles.
• The Authority will continue to advocate for inclusion of CNG vehicles under upcoming new statewide regulations.
• Continue to align within MWRTA’s Public Transit Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) targets.

Report of the Chair of the Audit and Finance Subcommittee:  Ms. Aufranc of Wellesley, Audit and Finance Subcommittee Chair, summarized the December 5, 2024 subcommittee public meeting.

• Quorum not present; no votes could be taken.
• No significant findings during federal and state audits. MWRTA will work with the City of Framingham to ensure timely receipt of information from the retirement/pension plan.
• Wrote off close to $1 million in carry forward State Contract Assistance (SCA) funding this year, as the most recent SCA funding formula is now more favorable for the Authority.
• Performance metrics for the first quarter of FY2025 align with the budget. Adjustments made to reflect the receipt of funds from the Commonwealth’s fare free initiative for regional transit authorities (RTAs).
• The MWRTA Capital Plan authorizes the release of state and local match funds for eligible federal projects. Upon notification of federal authorization, the Authority immediately obligates all grant funds received.
• Commended team for continued efforts to secure state and federal grants.
• Chair of Advisory Board will meet at a later date with Audit and Finance Subcommittee Chair to discuss the future makeup of the subcommittee.

Discussion and Approval – Revised FY25 Budget:  Mr. Glynn stated that the proposed FY25 Budget revision reflects the Commonwealth’s fare free program recently authorized compensation to RTAs for increased service delivery costs. Funds for this program will now be available to MWRTA through the early part of FY2026.

A motion was made by Mr. Stivers of Southborough:  To authorize the Revised FY25 Budget as presented.  Seconded by Mr. Tusino of Framingham. The vote was unanimous.

Discussion and Approval – On-Call A&E Contracts:  Mr. Nee, reported that the MWRTA recently completed the RFP seeking additional firms to provide on-call architectural and engineering (A&E) services.  As a result of the process, two additional firms have been selected for approval by the Board: Weston & Sampson and STV, Inc. The current A&E firm, Gannett Fleming, will also remain available to the Authority for such services.

A motion was made by Mr. Stivers of Southborough:  To authorize the On-Call A&E Contracts as presented.  Seconded by Mr. Tusino of Framingham. The vote was unanimous.

Discussion and Approval – Purchase of 6 CNG Gilligs:  A motion was made by Mr. Wolff of Sherborn:  To authorize the purchase of six (6) CNG Gilligs and associated parts/equipment, utilizing the existing RTA consortium contract, in the amount of $4.4 million. Seconded by Ms. Galloway of Sudbury. The vote was unanimous.

Discussion and Approval – MWRTA PTASP (Federal Safety Plan):  A motion was made by Mr. Stivers of Southborough:  To approve the proposed MWRTA PTASP (Federal Safety Plan) as presented.  Seconded by Ms. Galloway of Sudbury. The vote was unanimous.

Board Member Comments:  No board member comments were presented.

Scheduling of Next Meeting: The next meeting will possibly take place in late January 2025.

Adjourn: The meeting adjourned at 11:27 AM.

Certificate

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 December 17, 2024.

____

________________________

Ed Burman, Vice Chair

Quick Links