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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-06-09-TAC-min Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) Minutes June 9, 2014 Members Present : Sara Arnold, Michael Boudett, Sally Castleman, Bill Levison, Francine Stieglitz Members Absent : Elaine Dratch, Peter Levy, Matt Zhang Staff Present : Jeanette Rebecchi, Transportation Manager; Charlotte Rodgers, Human Services Director; David Kucharsky, Transportation Planner Liaisons : Nancy Adler, COA Guests Hank Manz; Patrick Sullivan, 128 Business Council 1.Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes Minutes from the May 12, 2014 meeting were unanimously approved as written. 2.Hartwell-Alewife Shuttle Patrick Sullivan of the 128 Business Council described the history of the "Rev Bus" that provides shuttle service between Hartwell Avenue Businesses and the Alewife MBTA station. The initial operational year beginning September 2013 was funded 80% by a federal grant and 20% by four participating property owners. No federal grant is available for the second year beginning in September 2014. Discussions are underway for the businesses and the Town to each pay 50% of the total cost of $160K and to have the shuttle add service between Lexington Center and the Alewife station with two trips to Alewife in the morning and two trips to the Center in the afternoon at a cost of $1.00 per person. The Town Manager has expressed a desire to allocate $80 from the TDM/PT Stabilization fund to the operation of the Hartwell-Alewife Shuttle for Year 2. Moved, seconded, and passed by a vote of 4 affirmative and 1 abstention, that the Transportation Advisory Committee supports allocation of $80K from the TDM/PT Stabilization Fund to the operation of the Hartwell-Alewife Shuttle for one year beginning in September 2014, contingent on (1) agreement by the participating property owners to fund the remainder of the operational costs, (2) service between Lexington Center and the Alewife Station with at least two trips from the Center to Alewife in the morning and two trips from Alewife to the Center in the afternoon, and (3) efforts be made by the Town to secure other sources of funding, such as the Traffic Management Stabilization Fund, to reduce the allocation from the TDM/PT Stabilization fund. Patrick Sullivan anticipates more funding from businesses, including some in Bedford, for the Shuttle. David Kucharsky of the Planning Department said that there are no developments on Hartwell Ave at this time that have triggered a submission of funds to the Transportation Management Overlay District. Mr. Kucharsky noted that Traffic Management funds tend to be earmarked and may not be available for public transportation operating costs. Mr. Kucharsky also said that two contributions totaling $75K over the next few years are anticipated from the Manor House Property. Њ 3.Transportation Update Ms. Rebecchi reported that a new Lexpress map has been created and that route changes will be advertised. An objection was received by the Lexpress office concerning route changes in the Whipple area. Ms. Rebecchi reported that she explained in a telephone conversation that: (1) it is not possible to cover the entire town, (2) the route changes were extensively advertised, and (3) no one from the Whipple area provided any feedback regarding the proposed changes. It was the sense of the Committee that a letter from TAC be sent to the concerned individual, and that a letter be sent to the Minute Man reviewing the route selection procedure. 4.TAC membership Mr. Boudett announced that he had submitted his resignation from the Committee. Applications from Sayfollah Bijan Afshartous and Hank Manz for TAC membership were then considered by the Committee. After carefully reviewing the relative merits of the two candidates, the members unanimously voted to recommend that the Selectmen appoint Mr. Manz to the Committee. 5.Town Meeting Article 24 concerning public transportation Ms. Rebecchi reported that she had been asked to draft a letter for the Selectmen to send to the MBTA relevant to Town Meeting Article 24. Suggestions for content included thanking the MBTA for the Lexpress subsidy, offering the Town to participate in discussions of additional MBTA service, and suggesting a pilot program with other towns similar to the "Night Owl" service. 6.Visit to Diamond Middle School Mr. Levison reported on a visit to Diamond Middle School during which the students presented a list of suggestions for improving Lexpress ridership. The list revealed a lack of knowledge of how Lexpress operates and indicates the need for continuing publicity. 7.Committee Chair Training Mr. Levison attended the committee chair training session on May 16 and reported the following: The criteria for an open meeting to enter into executive session are such that it is highly unlikely that a TAC meeting would invoke that procedure. The Open Meeting Law (OML) allows for a member to participate remotely if physical presence is unreasonably difficult for any of the following reasons: (1) personal illness, (2) personal disability, (3) family or other personal emergency, (4) military service, (5) significant geographic distance. An individual participating remotely may vote but cannot be counted toward a quorum Other requirements and procedures for remote participation were reported. All communications regarding TAC business should be sent to or from the Committee email address (transportationcmte@lexingtonma.gov) or copied to that address. Ћ Should less than a quorum appear for a meeting, the meeting must be cancelled. Those in attendance may discuss TAC business, but minutes may not be taken. 8.Request from Munroe Center for the Arts A member of the Munroe Center for the Arts Committee sent a letter to TAC requesting that the Town provide transportation for the Center's evening events. Mr. Levison reported that he had responded to the letter saying that the Town could not provide transportation at Town expense for non-town-related activities. Other transportation options were discussed in the response. Materials Used at the Meeting: Agenda Minutes May 12, 2014 TAC Meeting Brochure on the Hartwell Area Shuttle "Rev Bus" Application for TAC membership from Hank Manz Application for TAC membership for Sayfollah Bijan Afshartous Letter relating to the FY15 Lexpress route changes Request from the Munroe Center for the Arts Ќ