495/WaterMarks
What does Science Tell Us About Water Supply, Wastewater, & Stormwater?
Click here for a preview of hydrologic studies of the Charles and SuAsCo watersheds by the U.S. Geological Survey
Planning for Water Supply at the Local Level
The results of a water suplly planning project for 3 towns in the Assabet Watershed: Acton, Westborough, & Hudson
Release of Water Marks 495
Water Marks 495 summarizes the progress made and the remaining challenges for sustainable water resources management in the region
An update from Commissioner O'Donnell from MA DEP on their reclaimed water initiatives
Talk to the Next Governor
An opportunity to share your perspective as a regional leader and demonstrate the economic and political importance of the Arc of Innovation region to the Gubernatorial Candidates. Mihos, Monday October 16th; Deval Patrick, Monday October 23rd; Lt. Governor Kerry Healy, Monday October, 30th 2006
Massachusetts Highway Design for Planners
The Partnership, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB), and the Massachusetts Chapter of American Planning Association co-sponsored the workshop "Highway Design for Planners" on Tuesday, June 20, 2006 in Westborough. Staff from VHB introduced municipal officials/employees, particularly planners, to the newly revised Massachusetts Highway Department Project Development and Design Guidebook, provided an overview of the process and variable approaches in the guidebook, detailed some of the tools that are available within the document to address projects that have traditionally been ignored due to prior policy, and reviewed the process of plan preparation within the new guidebook. The program featured two municipal case studies on highway design projects in Southborough and Framingham spotlighting what was not possible with the old guidebook and what is possible under the guidelines in the new guidebook.
The new Guidebook is a direct product of Governor Romney's Communities First Policy, which directs MassHighway and other state transportation agencies to take a more flexible and accommodating approach to municipalities when designing and construing roadways. This new edition replaces the 1997 Massachusetts Highway Design Manual. The workshop featured comments from Massachusetts highway Commissioner Luisa Paiewonsky; she dubbed the guidebook "the most mulitmodal guide in the country," which has an "outside-in sequence of design," meaning it considers the needs of the most vulnerable travelers, such as pedestrians, first.
For a copy of VHB's presentation on the new Guidebook and the Framingham case study click here. For a copy of the Southborough case study click here.
Partnership's Third Annual Meeting - Crossing Boundaries: Collaborating to Compete in the 21st Century - The Partnership held its third annual meeting, Crossing Boundaries: Collaborating to Compete in the 21st Century, on Friday, June 9, 2006 in Hudson.
The Partnership held its third annual meeting, Crossing Boundaries: Collaborating to Compete in the 21st Century, on Friday, June 9, 2006 in Hudson. A report on the Partnership's activities and accomplishments over the first three years of operation was distributed and Don Wheeler, the Chairman of the Boxborough Board of Selectmen, and Chuck Goodrich, Senior Vice President for Community Newspapers Company, were installed as Partnership Co-Chairs for 2006 to 2007.
Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation John Cogliano spoke on the transportation issues impacting the 495/MetroWest region. Secretary Cogliano announced that permitting for the I-495/I-290 interchange project was moving forward. We applaud the Secretary's leadership in advocating for needed changes at the I-495/I-290 interchange. This interchange was ranked second in the Partnership's "Top Ten Transportation Nightmares" for the 495/MetroWest region, and is a major regional intersection that regularly experiences congestion and safety issues.
Neal Peirce, the nation's leading writer, among American Journalists, on metropolitan regions-- their political and economic dynamics and their emerging national and global roles presented the meeting's keynote address.
Peirce's speech focused on the power of public private collaborations - like the Partnership - to affect regional change. Click here for a transcript of Peirce's address.
