Transportation Committee Discusses Commuter Rail and MPO Planning
In April, the Partnership's Transportation Committee welcomed back Gerald Francis, General Manager of Keolis Commuter Services. Gerald presented to the Partnership's Committee last year to hear from our communities, employers and riders what the region's needs were for our Commuter Rail Lines. This year, an update on the state of Commuter Rail service was provided to the Partnership's stakeholders, many of whom rely upon the three lines in our region (Fitchburg, Franklin, and Franingham/Worcester) for transporting their employees to work and for providing transit options and connectivity to residents in our 35 communities. The presentation and a summary are available on the Partnership's Transportation Committee webpage, but even more valuable was the frank discussion and question & answer session with the General Manager, who welcomed input, advice,and a continued dialogue with the Partnership's communities, employers and delegation. We look forward to welcoming Keolis back next year for what has now become an annual Commuter Rail update.
The Committee's next meeting is on May 28th with presentations by the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council on the respective Long Range Transportation Plans (LRTP) for the Boston and Central Massachusetts Metropolitan Planning Organizations. The Partnership has a consistent record of providing unput and feedback on the two LRTPs that cover our region. This meeting will provide an opportunity for our stakeholders to hear an overview of the Draft Plans which, soon after, will be open to public comment.
If you are intersted in attending the May 28th or future meetings of the Partnership's Transportation Committee, please contact the Partnership's Deputy Director, Jessica Strunkin.
Partnership Bringing Boston 2024 to 495/MetroWest
While the Partnership has not taken a formal position on Boston’s Olympics bid, we have been working to bring a Boston 2024 forum to 495/MetroWest as part of their “20 in 20 Regional Meetings”.
Boston 2024 has scheduled this regional forum on June 10th in the Ashland High School cafeteria at 65 East Union Street from 6:30-8:30pm, so we hope everyone interested in learning more about the Olympics' bid potential impacts for 495/MetroWest will attend.
Similiarly to the Partnership, other host organizations have not taken positions on the Olympics bid, but are hosting this event to encourage strong regional participation and turnout to learn more about the implications for our region. Currently, the event hosts also include the Corridor Nine Area Chamber of Commerce, Marlborough Economic Development Corporation, Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce, MetroWest Chamber of Commerce, MetroWest Regional Collaborative, MetroWest Regional Tourism and Visitors Bureau, MetroWest Regional Transit Authority, and Milford Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as State Senator Karen Spilka.
Boston 2024 has launched this series of 20 statewide community meetings over 20 weeks to give the public across Massachusetts an opportunity to ask questions, offer ideas, and help shape the bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. To learn more, go online to https://www.2024boston.org/.
State Budget Deliberations
Following Governor Baker's submission of the Baker/Polito Adminstration's proposed state budget for FY2016, the Legislature has been engaged in their budget deliberations.
During the development of the House and Senate budget proposals, there have been two primary concerns of the Partnership:
The Regional Economic Development Organization (REDO) program was established by Senator Karen Spilka and our legislative delegation as part of the 2010 economic development reform statute in order to foster stronger collaboration between the state and regions on economic development initiatives. There are fourteen organizations participating in this competitive grant program statewide; in this region, that includes the Partnership and the MetroWest Chamber as an allied application. As a result, we would like to thank our House members who fought for continued funding in the House budget by filing a floor amendment - the lead sponsor was Representative John Fernandes, and he was joined by sixty one co-sponsors, including Representatives Jennifer Benson, Shawn Dooley, Carolyn Dykema, Carmine Gentile, Danielle Gregoire, Kate Hogan, Hannah Kane, Peter Kuros, David Linsky, David Muradian, Harold Naughton, Jr., Alice Peisch, Jeff Roy, Tom Sannicandro, and Chris Walsh. In the Senate, their Ways and Means Committe's proposed budget included $750,000 for the REDO program, so we would like to thank Chairwoman Spilka, Senate President Rosenberg, and the 495/MetroWest Senators for their continued commitment of state funding for this important economic development initiative.
Last year's state budget included the creation of the 495/MetroWest Suburban Edge Community Commission, from a House floor amendment authored by State Representative Kate Hogan and championed by Senator Karen Spilka and our region's legislative delegation. This Commission is intended to establish a dialogue between small
suburban communities and state agencies on development challenges being experienced by suburban edge communities, and develop policy responses and recommendations to ensure that those communities can participate in state development initiatives and benefit from state resources. While this commission was included in last year's budget and a number of municipal officials from the region applied for appointment, it did not come to fruition and related state funding was included in Governor Patrick's mid year budget cuts. As a result, the Partnership would like to thank Representative Kate Hogan and her cosponsors - Representatives James Arciero, Jay Barrows, Jennifer Benson, Shawn Dooley, Carolyn Dykema, John Fernandes, Denise Garlick, Carmine Gentile, Hannah Kane, David Linsky, David Muradian, Jeff Roy, and Tom Sannicandro for sponsoring a budgetary amendment on the Commission and ultimately successfully restoring state funding for the initiative. In the Senate, we would like to thank Senators Jamie Eldridge, Jennifer Flanagan, Mike Moore, and Richard Ross for sponsoring a similiar amendment on the Commission's behalf, as well as Chairwoman Spilka for her support, since the amendment was ultimately adopted during the floor debate.
Now that the Senate deliberations are completed, the Legislature will appoint a conference committee to resolve differences and develop a consensus budget proposal which will then go to Governor Baker for his review and enactment.
State Developments
The Baker/Polito Administration has a number of new initiatives underway, including...
State slogan contest: The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (or MOTT) is conducting a contest to select a new state slogan, rather than the current "Masschusetts: It's All Here". MOTT's Executive Director Rich Doucette said "we want to invite the public to share their ideas about a new Massachusetts slogan via our website." To submit any ideas or suggestions, go to http://www.massvacation.com/slogan/
Employer Survey on the state's workforce system: The state Task Force on Economic Opportunity for Persons facing Chronically High Rates of Unemployment is conducting this survey to develop strategies to better serve state employers. To participate and share your perspective, go online to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NBRGYGG
DEP Workshop for Concord River Basin communities: On Thursday, May 28 from 10am to noon at the Hudson Fire Department, 296 Cox Street, MassDEP will be introducing the WMA permitting process and new regulatory requirements, while the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation will review the process of developing a water needs forecast.
Thanks to our Supporters:
AECOM
Atlantic Management
Avidia Bank
Bett Solutions, LLC
BJ's Wholesale Club
Capaccio Environmental Engineering
Capital Group Properties
Clarke Distribution Corp.
Commerce Bank
Crossroads Redevelopment
Cumberland Farms Inc.
Customers Bank
DACON
GateHouse Media
Green International Affiliates, Inc.
GZA GeoEnvironmental
The Gutierrez Company
Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare
HNTB
J.M. Coull Inc.
Marlborough Hospital
MassBay Community College
MetroWest Regional Transit Authority
Middlesex Savings Bank
Milford Regional Medical Ctr.
National Development
Oxbow Partners
Patridge Snow & Hahn, LLP
People's United Bank
Quest Diagnostics
R.W. Holmes Realty Co, Inc.
Red Hat
Riemer & Braustein LLP
Riverbridge Mixed Use Development
St. Mary's Credit Union
Tata & Howard
Tetra Tech, Inc.
Transwestern | RBJ
Verizon
Weston & Sampson
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