Category Archives: Transportation

MMA asks for long term bond bill for roads

Posted on October 22, 2013 | Comments Off on MMA asks for long term bond bill for roads

This Alert this afternoon from the Massachusetts Municipal Association –

October 22, 2013

PLEASE CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS TODAY AND ASK THEM TO PASS A LONG-TERM CHAPTER 90 BOND BILL BY NOV. 20

Cities And Towns Need A Multi-Year Ch. 90 Bill Now; Without a Long-Term Bill in Place, Next Year’s Authorization Could be Delayed Again

Even as the MMA and local officials across the state call on the Governor to release the full $300 million in Chapter 90 funds that the Legislature has authorized for fiscal year 2014, it is important to push for swift action to approve a multi-year bond bill to guarantee that Chapter 90 funds will flow on time for fiscal year 2015 and beyond.

Local officials across the state applaud the Legislature’s action to authorize $300 million for Chapter 90 during the current fiscal year.  We are extremely disappointed in the Administration’s unwise decision to withhold $100 million from cities and towns – the Legislature voted to fund Chapter 90 by a unanimous vote, and provided a broad tax and revenue package to significantly increase transportation investments, and communities are dismayed that the Administration is unilaterally deciding to deny Chapter 90 even one penny of the additional revenues, let alone the full amount embraced by local officials and every lawmaker in the state.

The MMA and local officials will continue to call on the Governor to release the full amount of Chapter 90 funding that is due cities and towns.  The good news is that the Legislature’s authorization will remain on the books, which means that this Administration, or any future Administration, can decide to release the $100 million at any point.

In the meantime, we are also looking beyond the fiscal 2014 authorization, to the passage of a multi-year Chapter 90 bond bill to enable cities and towns to plan for the future.  The passage of a bond bill (and the companion “terms” bill) requires a long journey along a very time-consuming pathway.  This lengthy process, coupled with the debate over the transportation finance bill, resulted in the Governor delaying release of final Chapter 90 allocation letters until July 30, rather than the customary and statutory date of April 1.  Provisional and contingent letters were sent in April and May, but these did not provide cities and towns with legal authorization to enter into road construction contracts or to start work.  Missing the April 1 deadline shortens the construction season and delays important projects in every part of the state.

In order to avoid another frustrating and costly delay in the start of local road projects for fiscal 2015 and beyond, please call your Representatives and Senators today and ask them to enact a multi-year, $300 million-a-year Chapter 90 bond bill as soon as possible before the end of the 2013 session on November 20.  It is important for the Legislature to enact a new Chapter 90 authorization before the end of formal legislative sessions on November 20.  Otherwise, using history as a guide, the fiscal 2015 authorization would likely be delayed again, and miss the April 1 notification date.  Please ask your legislators to commit to passing a 5-year Chapter 90 bond bill that provides $300 million annually, indexed for inflation.

We need the Legislature to pass a long-term Chapter 90 bond bill today so that funds will flow to cities and towns without delay next spring!

 

Please click here to download a copy of the MMA’s letter to the Legislature calling for passage of a $300-million-a-year, multi-year Chapter 90 bond bill before the Legislature adjourns on November 20.

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATORS TODAY AND ASK THEM TO PASS A MULTI-YEAR CHAPTER 90 BOND BILL BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE ADJOURNS ON NOV. 20

Thank You Very Much.

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Posted in Budgets, DPW, Massachusetts Municipal Association, Transportation

MMA on Gov’s transportation plan

Posted on January 14, 2013 | Comments Off on MMA on Gov’s transportation plan

Alert from the Massachusetts Municipal Association just now –

===============

-January 14, 2013

Gov. Patrick Proposes $13B Transportation Investment Plan

Chapter 90 Would Grow to $300M a Year, a 50% Increase

Other Major Investments Would Benefit Cities and Towns

Governor Deval Patrick and Transportation Secretary Richard Davey today provided the details of the Patrick-Murray Administration’s long-awaited comprehensive transportation investment plan for Massachusetts.  Speaking before a large crowd at a special event at UMass Boston, the Governor called for $13 billion in transportation investments over the next 10 years as an essential strategy to spur economic growth and create a “21st Century Transportation Plan” for the Commonwealth.

Click here to download a summary of the Governor’s plan

Click here to download the Governor’s plan

Click here to view the Governor’s press release

A key element of the Governor’s transportation investment plan is adoption of the MMA’s call to increase Chapter 90 funding for cities and towns by $100 million a year for the next 10 years, adding $1 billion for local roads over the coming decade.  The current $200 million allotted to Chapter 90 would increase to $300 million beginning in fiscal year 2014, with the Administration suggesting that a portion of the first-year increase be targeted for a new asset management system at the local level.  The MMA is gathering information on the asset management aspect of the proposal, and will report on that when details are available.

In addition to the annual $100 million increase for Chapter 90, the Governor’s plan also calls for impressive increases for other transportation programs and projects for cities and towns over the next 10 years, including: $1.1 billion more for regional transit authorities; $1.175 billion for a new bridge repair program modeled after the nearly complete $3 billion accelerated bridge program initiated several years ago; $1.25 billion for a “multi-modal highway program” targeted for hundreds of local and regional projects to decrease congestion; $430 million for bicycle and pedestrian projects; and hundreds of millions for system and facility improvements.

Today’s announcement was designed to establish the Governor’s transportation vision for Massachusetts.  The comprehensive “21st Century Transportation Plan” unveiled by the Governor articulates the current funding shortfall to meet today’s programs, and the additional investment that is necessary to modernize and enhance our highway, transit and multi-model transportation system over the next 10 years.  The plan did not embrace any revenue options or propose any specific tax initiatives.  The Governor said that he would outline his tax proposals in his State of the Commonwealth address on Wednesday, January 16, and in his fiscal 2014 budget plan when he submits it to the Legislature on Wednesday, January 23.

The Governor’s transportation plan would require new tax revenues of $1.02 billion a year to fund the investments he is calling for.

Governor Patrick will be at the opening session of the MMA’s Annual Meeting and Trade Show on Friday, Jan. 25th, and he is expected to discuss his transportation and budget plans at that time.  Secretary Davey will appear at the Annual Meeting on Saturday, Jan. 26 at a special forum on transportation investment and funding.  If you have not yet registered for the MMA Annual Meeting, you can do so by visiting the MMA website at www.mma.org.

Increasing Chapter 90 to $300 million a year is a top MMA priority, and would represent a 50% increase for cities and towns across the state.  Please contact your legislators today and tell them that the Chapter 90 increase is essential, and please let them know that you recognize that a revenue increase will be necessary in order to adequately maintain and enhance the local and state transportation system.

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Posted in Budgets, Transportation

Road stories

Posted on January 3, 2013 | Comments Off on Road stories

Interesting and long discussion with Mike Sullivan yesterday afternoon, when I called to see what the Board of Selectmen was going to do about having missed our meeting on the first Tuesday of January – we will probably add a meeting on at the end of the month, given our need to review budgets.

I also suggested that we have department heads plan to give the Board of Selectmen and the town seminars and/or reports on topics of interest, such as (1) proper staffing levels for town departments, and (2) how to maintain the roads for the longest time at the least cost.  The Massachusetts Municipal Association recently prodded the legislature to spend more on Chap. 90 highway maintenance by pointing out that something like each dollar spent on maintenance postpones five dollars of repairs and/or replacements of roads.  I thought the town would like to know why we grind down and patch sections of roads and use stone seal, versus just re-paving.

That lead to discussions of Rte. 109 and 27 being state numbered roads, but not actually state highways.  The distinction is that we own the cost to repair them.  Rte. 27 is the super wide drag strip that it is on the North side of town because of former highway superintendent, Billy McCarthy, who liked wide roads and convinced the state to pay to build it that way.  Mike thought it may have been an early iteration (before I-495) of plans for an outer circumferential highway.

North Street by the Memorial School is as wide as it is because Billy McCarthy liked to have wide rights of ways.  Up further, the North Street right of way goes behind the houses on the railroad side of North Street up where Farm Street takes off, because years ago a property owner in the area named Cheney objected to the Norfolk Hunt Club riding over his land.  Next thing he knew, a right of way for North Street was taken by the state across the Cheney (and all of his neighbors’) land, and the Norfolk Hunt Club was then connected to its fields at what is called the racecourse.  The racecourse land is the old Medfield Golf Course.

Governor Sargent, a Dover resident, had a main Dover street coming in from Chestnut Street in Needham declared a state roadway, thus making the state liable for all the repairs.  However, Mike says that it was eventually de-listed by the state, and now Dover is again responsible.

Mike is giving his annual seminar on municipal budgeting to the Warrant Committee this coming Saturday morning, starting at 8 AM.

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Posted in Budgets, Transportation

Water & DPW issues

Posted on July 31, 2012 | Comments Off on Water & DPW issues

Water Tower Issues

I had a long talk this afternoon with Mike Sullivan and Ken Feeney about several issues, including the coliform bacteria in the water tower at the former Medfield State Hospital site.  The water tower at the MSH site is lower than the Mt. Nebo water tower by about 16′, and per Ken as a result the water at the MSH site just does not circulate enough and sat it the water tower and baked during the hot weather this summer.

This elevation difference causes such problems that when I asked about doing maintenance on the MSH water tower at a recent meeting of the Water & Sewer Board, I was told that it is not worth spending the money on it, as it really needs to be replaced with one that is at the proper height.

Ken related that earlier this summer they had shocked the MSH water tower by dumping a lot of chlorine into it from the top, but where that had not solved the problem, they have now decided to drain the tank and clean it.  The water tower has been disconnected from the Town of Medfield’s water supply.  The water in the tank will be sold to the contractor who is tearing down the Clark Building at the Medfield State Hospital, as they will need water to wet down the Clark Building during its demolition.

Once the MSH water tower has been cleaned, Ken was not sure if he would re-connect it back onto the Medfield water system or not.  He said he may just keep water in it for fire suppression reasons, but keep it disconnected.

North Street Pavement Repairs

Ken has asked the contractor for the Columbia Gas company to repair the trenching they did on North Street, before they start new trenching work in town.  That contractor opined to Ken that the ruts in Rte 109 may have been caused by Mass Highway using the wrong mix in the top surface paving coat when that road was redone several years ago.  The cement trucks cause lots of wear, and the ruts are almost a tripping hazard now.

North Street Water Main Replacement

The old cast iron water mains under North Street will be replaced next summer, as a prelude to the redoing of North and Green Streets the following year.  Mass Highway warned the town to do that replacement ahead to avoid them breaking, and to allow time for the ground to conpact before the final work is done.

Stone Seal on North Side

Ken says tehre will be lots of stone sealing done on the North side of town done in August.  Harding street is currently getting grinding and rematching repairs done, which Ken opined wear much better than other forms of repairs.

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Posted in Town Services, Transportation, Utilities

Casino bill regs seem to point to RR proposed through town

Posted on January 4, 2012 | Comments Off on Casino bill regs seem to point to RR proposed through town

This email came from Representative Daniel Winslow’s aide –

1/04/2012 10:41AM
Casino Bill – Access to Multi Modal Means of Transportation
“Muti, Joanne (HOU)”
===========================================================
Good Morning,

Please take a look at the following language included in the casino bill H3807:
Section 5. (a) The commission shall promulgate regulations for the implementation, administration and enforcement of this chapter including, without limitation, regulations that:
(1) prescribe the method and form of application which an applicant for licensure shall follow and complete before consideration by the commission;
(2) prescribe the information to be furnished by an applicant or licensee concerning an applicant or licensee’s antecedents, habits, character, associates, criminal record, business activities and financial affairs, past or present;
(3) prescribe the criteria for evaluation of the application for a gaming license including, with regard to the proposed gaming establishment, an evaluation of architectural design and concept excellence, integration of the establishment into its surroundings, potential access to multi-modal means of transportation, tourism appeal, level of capital investment committed, financial strength of the applicant and the applicant’s financial plan;

http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2011/Chapter194

Joanne Muti
Legislative Aide
Office of Representative Dan Winslow
Phone: 617-722-2060
Fax:     617-722-2849

State House
Room 33
Boston, MA 02133

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Posted in Development, Information, Planning, Political, Transportation

RR Worcester to Foxboro

Posted on November 18, 2011 | 2 comments

Rep. Dan Winslow’s office sent me material on a proposed passenger rail connection through Medfield, for service from Worcester to Foxborough.  It is being promoted by a law firm –

Click to access Presentation_I-495-20110928.pdf

2 Comments

Posted in Transportation