CMRPC Newsletter

February 2023

CMRPC would like to offer sincere thanks and appreciation to Shrewsbury Town Manager Kevin Mizikar for serving on our Legislative Affairs Committee for nearly 6 years. His perspective and contributions were of great value to the Committee. Thank you Kevin!

Two Municipalities in CMRPC Region Awarded USDOT Grant

On February 1st, 2023, the United States Department of Transportation (US DOT) announced its inaugural round of Safe Streets and Roads for All grant recipients, awarding a total of $800 million to over 500 different projects. CMRPC would like to congratulate the City of Worcester and the Town of Southbridge for being awarded funds to develop Safety Action Plans, along with fifteen other municipalities in Massachusetts that received funds for either action or implementation plans.  



This competitive grant program was established by President Biden’s Infrastructure Law and will provide $5 billion over the course of five years to local, regional and tribal initiatives with the goal of preventing deaths and serious injuries on our nation’s roadways.  



For more information, please visit the following link: https://www.transportation.gov/grants/ss4a/2022-awards.

Highlights from Long Range Transportation Plan Survey Results

As a part of the public engagement process for CMRPC’s Long Range Transportation Plan, 2050 Connections, CMRPC Transportation Staff conducted a public survey from August 2022 to December 2022. This 40-question survey asked respondents about their travel behaviors, but also the areas that they believe need improvement. 

The 2050 Connections survey was promoted using a variety of methods including tabling events, social media posts, press releases, and flyers at participating locations across the region. The survey was available in English and Spanish, and additional translation services as well as general assistance were available upon request. In the end, 284 people responded to this survey and left a combination of nearly 1,000 comments.  

The major question areas included asking respondents about their primary mode of transportation, their use of public transit, how often they bike or walk to their destinations, their satisfaction with transportation infrastructure and related accessibility, and if they have access to electric vehicles.  

A staggering 68.5% of respondents said that their primary mode of transportation is driving alone in a personal vehicle. Regarding transportation-related difficulties, 14.3% of respondents said that there is no transit service available where they live or that gas for their vehicle is too expensive. 53.6% of respondents said they do not have access to a bicycle, but 34.4% of respondents said that they would be interested in a bike-sharing service if it were available in their community. Relating to pedestrian infrastructure, 34.9% of people said that sidewalks where they live and work, mainly in the City of Worcester, are in bad condition.  

Moreover, respondents were asked about their transportation funding priorities by requesting that they rank project types from their lowest to top funding priorities. 31.2% of respondents said that improving pedestrian infrastructure, mainly in the City of Worcester, is their top priority. 20.7% of people said that improving transit services is their top priority and 14.5% of people said that reducing traffic congestion is their top priority. 



To learn more about 2050 Connections and follow along with the plan’s progress, please visit our Hubsite at http://www.cmrpc.org/2050Connections  

For more information about the 2050 Connections survey, please email Greer Jarvis at gjarvis@cmrpc.org  

The Health Foundation Announces 2023 

Synergy Initiative and Activation Fund

Grant Opportunities

The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts has announced the opening of its 2023 Synergy Initiative and Activation Fund grant opportunities. The deadlines for submission of initial application materials are April 12 for the Activation Fund and July 12 for the Synergy Initiative. Interested organizations are encouraged to sign up for an information session to learn more about the funding goals and guidelines for each program. An in-person session will be held in Worcester on Wednesday, March 8 at 3:00 p.m. at the YMCA of Central MA.

To view the full schedule of information sessions being offered and register to attend, please visit hfcm.org. 

Imagine 2050 Video Vision Statement!

After 15 months of surveys, interviews, workshops, & public meetings we are happy to share the Imagine 2050 Vision Statement.

Click the thumbnail below to see the Vision!

Learn more about our process & read the Goal Statements here:

2024 - 2028

Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

Staff continues working on the development of the 2024-2028 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). A federally-mandated requirement for all Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), the TIP is a prioritized listing of all federal-aid transportation investments in an MPO’s planning area for the next five (5) federal fiscal years.

At the January 18, 2023 CMMPO meeting, potential candidate projects for FFY 2028, located in the communities of East Brookfield, Oxford, and Spencer, were presented to the members. On February 7, 2023, staff attended TIP Readiness Day to discuss the status of currently programmed projects with various MassDOT officials. For each project, the design status, project readiness and other important details were discussed. At the upcoming March 15, 2023 CMMPO meeting, the annual TIP Workshop will be held to determine which projects are chosen to be programmed on the 2024-2028 TIP Highway project listing. The proponents of each currently programmed project and potential candidates will be invited to attend. Using information gathered on TIP Readiness Day, staff will present project options to the CMMPO for all five years of the TIP for them to decide which option they prefer to use for the 2024-2028 TIP highway project listing. For the fifth year (2028) of the project listing, staff will report the recommendations from the MPO Advisory Committee and the CMRPC Transportation Committee to suggest which new candidate projects should be programmed. Once the preferred option is chosen, staff will enter those projects into the eSTIP, as required by MassDOT guidance. The Draft 2024-2028 TIP will likely be released for a 21-day public review and comment period at the April CMMPO meeting.

Any TIP-related questions or concerns should be addressed to Kevin Krasnecky: kkrasnecky@cmrpc.org.

What Makes Trails Accessible?

CMRPC is in the beginning stages of developing an Accessibility and Inclusion Toolkit to improve trail access and inclusion for underserved communities.

Please join us for an accessible trail dialogue on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 from 9 AM to 12 PM via Zoom to share your thoughts about access and limits to trails. CMRPC is planning to create a draft of a trail accessibility and inclusion grading system with the results from this upcoming workshop.

We want to hear from you!

What limits have you or others faced when trying to utilize trails?

What makes accessing trails difficult?

Which obstacles prevent usage?

What encourages or enables trail usage?

If you or others are interested in attending this dialogue to share thoughts, experiences and ideas, please pre-register for this event before February 28 using the button below. Anyone and everyone is welcome!

For more information, please direct any questions to Dani Marini at dmarini@cmrpc.org.

Walk Audit Academy Community Report-Out

CMRPC Transportation Staff members participated in the Walk Audit Academy pilot program conducted by WalkBikeWorcester and WalkBoston. This program teaches organizations and community members how to perform safe and productive walk audits as a means of determining the safety, comfortability and accessibility of specific corridors.  

CMRPC Livability Team lead a community walk audit on Belmont Street in Worcester, specifically the corridor between Bell Hill Park and Edward Street. Prior to audit, the CMRPC team led a virtual information session to review safe practices, crash data and terms related to accessibility. Seven community members attended the audit on Sunday, November 20th, including City of Worcester Transportation Commissioner Steve Rolle, Green Hill Neighborhood Association’s Deb Bolz, and Visually Impaired People (VIP) advocate Liz Myska. Four certified guides accompanied Myska, allowing the CMRPC team to focus on accessibility and ADA compliance throughout their audit. Moreover, both Commissioner Rolle and CMRPC’s Jarvis were blindfolded for the entirety of the walk audit, relying on a white cane and the help of the wonderful guides.  

Following the walk audit, the CMRPC team reported back to the program coordinators and other participating teams to review their findings. Additionally, the coordinators organized an in-person Community Report-Out at the Worcester Senior Center, where all the Walk Audit Academy teams were invited to present their findings to all participants as well as elected officials and community members. More than 40 people attended the report-out on January 26, 2023, including the teams from Main South Community Development Corporation, Green Hill Neighborhood Association, and the Latino Education Institute (LEI). Participants were able to pinpoint definitive issues that needed to be addressed on their corridors, demonstrating their knowledge gained from Walk Audit Academy related to safety and accessibility that will last a lifetime.

For more information, please email Greer Jarvis at gjarvis@cmrpc.org

Regional Solutions for Municipal Accounting Services

As the municipal workforce continues to tighten, we recognize the need for towns to have professional financial management services for the prudent and proper supervision of their financial affairs. In 2020, CMRPC undertook a competitive procurement process to establish a regional contract for Municipal Accounting Services, available for towns interested in participating. That contract term is coming to an end, and we are going back out to bid! Accordingly, the CMRPC will conduct a Request for Proposals process to select a consultant, for a term of up to three years, who is experienced, competent and knowledgeable in public sector financial and legal matters, and well-qualified to advise and assist the Towns in the provision of Town accountant and financial management services. 



If your town is interested in participating in this RFP, please reach out to Connor Robichaud, crobichaud@cmrpc.org. 

CMMPO Advisory Committee 

Attention Readers! 

Are you interested in knowing more about transportation in the region? The Central Massachusetts Metropolitan Planning Organization (CMMPO) Advisory Committee is looking for new members!  

Every month, the CMMPO Advisory Committee meets to discuss a wide array of topics that are interrelated with transportation, and then provides recommendations to the CMMPO on which transportation projects should be programmed to receive federal funds in the region. From an overview of the region’s population projections by 2050, discussion about methodologies to measure regional equity, the work around climate change, resiliency and much more, the Advisory Committee members can shape the initiatives and future transportation projects needed in the region. 

Take a seat at the table and help shape the future of transportation in Central Mass. Please email Greer Jarvis at gjarvis@cmrpc.org for more information. 

Community Workshop Held for the Tanner-Hiller Airport Site in New Braintree

In the spring of 2022, the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC) learned that the 100-acre Tanner-Hiller Airport property in New Braintree was for sale. The site is located along the Ware River to the east of the Village of Wheelwright. It once included a portion of the Central Massachusetts Railroad and later became an airport. In its heyday, it included a restaurant that people traveled far and wide to dine at, but the restaurant has long been closed. Today the airport is used mostly by hang gliding and ultralight enthusiasts, and the runway and remaining buildings are in need of repair. Given that there is core habitat on the site, and it is hoped that a section of the Massachusetts Central Rail Trail (MCRT) will traverse the property, CMRPC was asked to assist with planning for potential future uses and to consider the zoning needs of the property. Both the East Quabbin Land Trust (EQLT) and the Mass Trails Division of MassDOT have identified the airport property as a priority and a missing link in the MCRT. For more history of the airport site, visit the MACRIS website at https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=NBR.C. 

With District Local Technical Assistance (DLTA) funding, CMRPC staff worked with the New Braintree Planning Board, residents, and others interested in the airport to consider potential uses and design options for the site. On October 3, 2022, CMRPC staff facilitated a community workshop. Using site maps that included topography, core habitat areas, and historic features, participants worked with the plans writing notes and sketching in use areas to show their preferences as well as concerns about potential conflict between uses. The general consensus at the workshop was that the airport should remain open, habitat preserved, and an easement obtained to allow development of a section of the MCRT on the site. Participants expressed support for other uses including a restaurant, small-scale lodging, and senior housing provided that it can be done while retaining the small-town character. 

Given site limitations and the feedback provided, CMRPC developed a conceptual site plan that concentrated potential future development closer to the entrance of the site and outside of sensitive habitat areas. As shown on the site plan (below), the trail alignment brings the trail closer to the proposed development and away from the runway. The conceptual site design incorporates 7,200 square feet of senior residential use, a 2,496-square-foot community building that can serve as a senior center. Other proposed uses include 4,000 square feet of restaurant space, a 7,200-square-foot lodge and welcome center, 14,400 square feet of lodging consisting of rustic cabins and earthen hobbit houses, and a 2,100-square-foot airport office building with a classroom for a flight school. Accessory uses include parking, gardens and a rest area with restrooms and picnic tables for individuals at the airport and for those who are traveling along the trail.



A second community meeting was held in December 2022 to present the site plan, a diagram of the proposed uses, and rendering of what the site could look like with these uses. Due to current zoning limitations, zoning amendments would be needed should the Town of New Braintree want to proceed. CMRPC recommends development of an overlay district bylaw. This site presents an opportunity for several entities to come together for conservation, trail development, housing and economic development.

For additional info about this project, Land Use, Zoning or Design Workshops, please email Jane Wyrick at jwyrick@cmrpc.org

Click the images above and below for larger versions

CY 2023

Safety Performance Measure Targets (PM1)

Regional safety targets are updated on a yearly basis in a coordinated effort with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), and the Central Massachusetts Metropolitan Planning Organization (CMMPO). Safety performance targets were required under MAP-21 and continued with the Bipartisan infrastructure Law (BIL). MPOs need to establish their own set of quantifiable performance targets every year or adopt the State’s performance targets and then incorporate them into the required certification documents. The deadline for the MPOs to set their own targets or adopt the State’s targets is February 28, 2023.

The MassDOT CY 2023 safety targets were presented to the CMMPO at their January 18, 2023 meeting. For comparison purposes, safety targets for the CMMPO region were also shown. The statewide safety targets are:

• Total Fatalities: 355
• Fatalities rate per 100 million VMT: 0.59
• Total Serious Injuries: 2,569
• Serious Injury rate per 100 million VMT: 4.25
• Total Combined Non-Motorist Injuries + Fatalities: 437

The safety targets are calculated using 5-year averages. Due to higher rates of speeding caused by decreased vehicle miles traveled (VMT) amid pandemic shutdowns in 2020 and the lingering impacts in 2021, 2020 and 2021 fatalities and serious injuries increased relative to previous years. However, the BIL requires “performance targets to demonstrate constant or improved performance”. Since fatalities and serious injuries were increasing in 2020 and 2021, and safety targets had to show a constant or improved performance, MassDOT adjusted their methodology for developing the CY 2023 safety targets. With recommendations from the CMMO Advisory Committee and CMRPC’s Transportation Committee, the CMMPO decided to adopt the State’s safety performance targets for CY 2023 at their February 15, 2023 meeting.

For more information, please email Kevin Krasnecky at kkrasnecky@cmrpc.org