Montachusett Regional Planning Commission

FITCHBURG CITY CLERK Sep 30 2022 9:57 am MONTACHUSETT REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION (MRPC) THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 7:00 PM REMOTE MEETING MINUTES 1. Open Meeting, Introductions, and Announcements Chairman G. Corbosiero called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. G. Corbosiero stated in accordance with Governor Baker’s Covid-19 Executive Order regarding the Open Meeting Law and remote participation, votes will be taken through Roll Call. R. Hoyt introduced R. Merrell, Ashburnham’s new Town Planner who was also in attendance for the meeting. 2. Approval of August 4, 2022, MRPC Minutes – Approval of Commissioners Requested Having no objections to the August 4, 2022 minutes, J. Telepciak moved to accept the minutes as written. The motion was seconded. Roll call vote followed. A. Butland- yes A. Reid- yes G. Corbosiero- yes J. Bennett- yes J. Telepciak- yes P. Cunningham- Abstain R. Swartz- yes R. Hoyt- yes 3. Cash Schedule – August 2022 – Acceptance of Commissioners Requested L. Quinlivan read the August 2022 cash schedule. The opening balance for August 2022 was $821,768.07, total receipts this month were $373,764.47, total cash on hand before this warrant was $1,195,532.54, less the amount of this warrant of $329,689.72, left a balance after the warrant of $865,842.82. A transfer of $215,000 was made from the checking account to the MMDT account giving us a balance of $361,748. 1  Having no objections to the cash schedule, J. Telepciak moved to accept the August 2022 cash schedule as presented, subject to audit. The motion was seconded. Roll call vote followed. A. Butland- yes A. Reid- yes G. Corbosiero- yes J. Bennett- yes J. Telepciak- yes P. Cunningham- yes R. Swartz- yes R. Hoyt- yes 4. Guest Announcements and Questions There were no announcements, questions, or comments. 5. Administrative Matters 5.1 “How Can Small Businesses Win the War on Talent” Webinar, Employers Association of the Northeast (EANE), August 23rd Approximately two decades ago, when advertising open positions at the MRPC, it was common to receive one to three dozen job applications for each job. Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that number was always in the single digits. Searching for employees during the pandemic has become increasingly difficult. MRPC received no interest in the ARPA Grants Director from late 2021 to early 2022. There are many talented people in the labor pool, but fewer of them. MRPC needs to find enough candidates to interview for planning positions when they are available at the MRPC. Mr. Eaton attended this free session to learn more about the changes that have taken place in the pool of available labor and how to retain and acquire talented professionals in the future. Significant changes occurred during the pandemic. The pandemic has not helped. During the resulting economic decline, we’ve witnessed the “great retirement,” “great resignation,” and the great reshuffle.” With the loss of the baby boomers due to the retirements of so many people, a brain drain has occurred in virtually every profession. According to the presenter in this webinar, there were about 90 million people born into the “Baby Boomers Generation.” These numbers declined in successive 2  generations.1 Some additional information shared by the EANA instructor at the webinar were, as follows: o This is “The Perfect Storm” o Average salaries have risen 5% since COVID (March 2020) o CPI has gone up by about 8% o Candidates are taking their time to find jobs and they have more bargaining power than in the past o Opioid crises still going strong, and the COVID-19 pandemic headlines have overshadowed the opioid matter (especially prevalent in males, 24- 54 in age) and alcohol abuse is still a problem o Baby boomers that retired are “boomeranging” back in (but more may be needed) o Exodus of inhabitants out of New England – moving south and west. People have been leaving the northeast, Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan due to the climate and the abundance of opportunities elsewhere. o Employees are now looking for a “total employee experience.” When advertising positions in the future, the MRPC must consider the perception of the potential worker while working for MRPC. Given all of the above, employers need to have a sharply defined “Employee Value Proposition!” when attracting new talent and retaining employees. MRPC needs to employ some of the tactics that are implemented by larger employers such as providing “great employee experiences, developing good managers, and enabling innovation,” according to a nationally recognized expert in human resources management (Source, McLean and Company). Information related to the above was distributed to subscribers of Statista.com on August 30th. Statista’s information has been provided, below. 1 Generation Names, according to https://caregiversofamerica.com/2022-generation-names-explained/, are Greatest Generation (b. 1901-1924), Silent Generation (b. 1925-1945), Baby Boomer Generation (b. 1946-1964), Generation X (b. 1965-1979), Millennials (b. 1980-1994), Generation Z (b. 1995-2012), and Gen Alpha (born 2013-2025). 3 From Great Resignation to Great Regret? LABOR MARKET by Felix Richter, Aug 30, 2022 Following the pandemic shock to the labor market that saw millions of Americans lose their jobs in a matter of weeks, the balance of power has shifted in favor of workers as companies struggled to fill open positions in the swift recovery following the Covid shutdown. In what has become known as “the Great Resignation” or “the Great Reshuffle”, almost 50 million Americans quit their jobs in 2021, hoping for higher pay, more benefits or better career options elsewhere. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side, however, and a sizeable chunk of those who left their previous jobs are now feeling quitter’s remorse. According to a recent survey from job search portal Joblist, one in four workers who quit their previous job say that they regret the decision, citing a variety of reasons for their second thoughts. The most common reason for workers’ regrets is that they quit without having a new job lined up and are now finding it harder than expected to find one. This comes as a surprise given the current labor market where open positions far exceed the number of unemployed workers. Other reasons for regretting the decision to quit include missing the people at their old company, disappointment in the new job and the realization that the old one wasn’t half bad after all. According to Joblist, 42 percent of those who quit their job say that their new job hasn’t lived up to expectations but returning to their old job is not really an option for most. When asked about a possible return to their old employer, 59 percent ruled out that option, while 17 percent said “yes” and 24 percent were at least open to the idea. Education and healthcare workers were apparently most fed up with their old jobs, with 67 percent of workers in the field saying they had no intentions of returning to their previous position. Please see a related graphic on the following page. 4 Source, https://www.statista.com/chart/28120/why-americans-regret-quitting-their-jobs/ 5 5.2 “Sexual Harassment & Discrimination Prevention Training” Webinar held by Employers Association of the Northeast (EANE) held on August 30, 2022, attended by Holly Ford, Administrative Manager and Mr. Eaton Topics covered included the following: • Sexual Harassment Laws. • Types of Sexual Harassment. • Prevention. • Responsibilities. The biggest “take-aways” were: • People are still uncomfortable reporting harassment. • Sexual harassment defined as an unwelcomed, unwanted, unsolicited sexual advances, requests for favors, verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, when made as a term or condition of employment or has the purpose of effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating and intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. • 60% of workplace misconduct goes unreported. • As an organization, we can set the standard of behavior in our Policy & Procedures Handbook. • Behaviors are open to perception and what is acceptable to one is not always welcomed or accepted by another. • All complaints MUST be taken seriously. • If possible, provide both male and female harassment complaint officers. o In MRPC’s case we’ll officially designate the Executive Director (male) and Administrative Manager (female) and notify all employees via email-memo within a few business days of this webinar. • The employer, manager, and/or supervisor must ensure that the alleged behavior stops even if the complainant says that s/he/they do not want any disciplinary action against the offender. • Employers, managers, and supervisors may not retaliate against anyone that raises an informal concern, files a formal complaint and/or services or is a witness to an alleged action or behavior. • An employer is liable for sexual harassment if the firm “knew or should have known” about the harassment and failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action. • Supervisors can be held personally liable for engaging in harassing acts. • Supervisors can be held individually liable if they are aware of or should be aware of other conduct of others that is found to be harassing. • No one of is above the law. 6  The total cost for both attendees was $152.00. 5.3 Amendment to Budget – Line Item Entitled “56200 Conferences, Meetings, Training” REPORT The MRPC recognizes the need to train its employees in a variety of areas not the least of which are procurement, human resources, and apps such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and possibly other areas. • Procurement o Existing employees have had very little procurement training. The Executive Director recommends that many employees, especially our managers and newer hires, need training in this area. Bluntly, this type of training is not provided to college students. Also, we’ve identified at least one employee who will receive a significant amount of formal training from the MA Office of the Inspector General (IG) so that he may obtain his Procurement Certificate (or, MCPPO). • Human resources o Mr. Eaton and Ms. Ford have been attending HR training webinars offered by the Employers Association of the Northeast (EANE). MRPC will require department heads to take HR trainings this fiscal. • Microsoft Office Apps o Recently, Mr. Eaton and Ms. Kayla Kress, GIS & IT Analyst attended a Microsoft Excel Level 2 training session. Both are planning on attending Level 3 training (possibly in December). Additional employees may take training voluntarily or will be required to do so by management. The original balance of the “Conferences, meetings, Trainings” line item (#56200) was $2,000 (as of July 1, 2022) while the current balance is $1,204.00. Boosting this line item will give management the flexibility to provide online, or in person, educational sessions. RESOLUTION BE IT RESOLVED that the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission hereby approves of the proposed amendment to reduce the “Equipment/Furniture Purchase” line item (#57002) from its original budget of $11,000 to $6,000 and move $5,000 into the “Conferences, meetings, Trainings” line item (#56200) which will increase the “Conferences, meetings, Trainings” line item from its 7  original budget of $2,000 to a new budget of $7,000 (not including expenditures made since the beginning of FY23) to pay for a variety of employee training sessions as identified in the above report. P. Cunningham move to accept the resolution as presented. The motion was seconded. Roll call vote followed. A. Butland- yes A. Reid- yes G. Corbosiero- yes J. Bennett- yes J. Telepciak- yes P. Cunningham- yes R. Swartz- yes R. Hoyt- yes 5.4 “Lunch and Learn?” One of the MRPC’s sibling agencies, the Central MA Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC), provides a free “Lunch & Learn” virtual workshop series on Wednesdays at Noon. Experts are brought into the “virtual room” to discuss topics of importance to local officials. Recently, several planners and local officials in the Montachusett Region have asked the MRPC to consider replicating this program. A very brief survey to a variety of local officials will be created, issued, and the results will be analyzed prior to the MRPC’s implementation of this service (results will be shared with Commissioners no later than the next meeting to be held at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, October 7th). Draft survey questions have been drafted and will be as follows: 1. If the MRPC offered a “Lunch and Learn” series, on which days of the month, from Noon through 1:00 p.m. would you be able to attend (check off as many as you wish): • First Tuesday of the month • First Wednesday of the month • First Thursday of the month • First Thursday of the month • Second Tuesday of the month • Second Wednesday of the month • Second Thursday of the month 8  • Second Thursday of the month • Third Tuesday of the month • Third Wednesday of the month • Third Thursday of the month • Third Thursday of the month • Fourth Tuesday of the month • Fourth Wednesday of the month • Fourth Thursday of the month • Fourth Thursday of the month 2. What topics would draw you and/or your fellow local officials into the virtual meeting room? (Check off as many as you wish.) • Updates on recently passed state and federal legislation. • How to move a local road or bridge project through the regional Transportation Improvements Process (“TIP”). • The importance of pavement management. • Geographic information system (GIS) use and benefits to communities • State or local zoning issues. • Sharing of national, state, and regional economic indicators and their meaning to Montachusett communities. • Collaborative workspaces and makerspaces and their importance in worker training, retraining, and economic development. • Updates to the MBTA communities program. • Comprehensive planning process. • Open space and recreation planning process. • All hazards mitigation planning process. • Government grants for communities and regional organizations. • Other topics as identified by Commissioners, local officials, and staff. 3. Would you be able to act as an expert on a topic? • Yes • No • Unsure • Other __________ 4. If you answered “Yes” to question #3, what topic(s) would you like to present to your peers? • ____________________ • ____________________ • ____________________ 9  Additional questions may be asked. However, the survey is intended to be very short to maximize the number of responses received. 5.5 U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Congressmen James McGovern Event Concerning Hunger, Health, and Nutrition Held at MRPC on Friday, September 2nd In a prelude to the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health later in September, local organizations met with federal officials Friday to discuss an end to food insecurity and the continued effort to improve the health and wellbeing of the U.S. This closed and secure event included guests of the U.S. Secretary, Congressman McGovern, and MRPC’s partner, Growing Places, Inc. MRPC’s atrium served as the venue for this historic event. Please see the accompanying news article from the Sentinel and Enterprise for additional information. More information about the National event can be found, here: https://health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/white-house-conference-hunger- nutrition-and-health/conference-details. Jim McGovern, Xavier Becerra praise local food organizations, signal hope for future 10 11 12 By SHANE RHODES | srhodes@lowellsun.com | Sentinel & Enterprise September 5, 2022 at 5:00 a.m. LEOMINSTER — In a prelude to the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health later in September, local organizations met with federal officials Friday to discuss an end to food insecurity and the continued effort to improve the health and wellbeing of the U.S. Representatives of UMass Memorial Health, Making Opportunity Count, HEAL Winchendon and other community-based aid programs joined U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, and federal Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at Growing Places, a nonprofit designed to address food insecurity. There, McGovern and Becerra celebrated those programs and discussed the work that must be done to address hunger, nutrition and food insecurity across the country. “We’re here today with an incredible, great group of people with firsthand experience with a number of innovated, forward- thinking programs,” McGovern said. “I hope that we can learn from them, consider how me might scale up some of the work that they’ve done and that HHS can be the wind at their backs as we move forward.” “We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, the wheel has already been invented — and Massachusetts is doing incredible things in terms of linking nutrition and health,” he said. “We have to partner with states, to partner with local authority to make sure we can reach communities that are suffering from food insecurity,” Becerra said. “We have to be able to partner with Congressman McGovern and his colleagues to make sure we’re doing the right things with the dollars they give us that we are actually executing to improve health for Americans and food security for Americans.” First, the roundtable highlighted UMass Memorial Health’s Food “Farmacy.” UMH President and CEO Eric Dickson described the program, in which patients deemed at risk of food insecurity are provided a food “prescription” and, after nutritional counseling with a dietician, are provided with or directed toward foods that fit their unique nutritional or dietary needs. “It would be very easy for us to say ‘in healthcare, it’s not our responsibility to ensure the citizens of this country have access to healthy food,’” Dickson said. “But we have not taken that approach, we believe it is our responsibility to make sure our patients get the right nutritional therapy — for us, food is medicine.” 13 Dickson was followed by Priscilla Espinosa of SproutChange, a grassroots organization designed to empower locals to grow their own food and “use food as medicine.” Later, Community Health Connections and Making Opportunity Count, in partnership with the Spanish America Center, described their “culturally competent” initiatives. CHC provide “high quality, affordable care” to the community through nutritional consultations and education, according to CHC’s Denise Foresman. MOC and the Spanish America Center, meanwhile, partner to ensure homebound meals feed as many families and individuals in need as possible. “It truly can take a village to do this and keep it going,” MOC’s Alex Welch said. Lastly, Miranda Jennings, Angelina Dellasanta and Molly Velasco of HEAL (Hold, Empower, Access, Live) Winchendon, a “community movement” working with Heywood Hospital to facilitate healthy food access and promote economic empowerment and social inclusion, stressed the significance of these issues in low-income communities. “We focus on root causes within policies, systems and environments to prevent disease, impact population health and enact lasting change,” Jennings said. “This approach recognizes that 80% of a person’s health is determined by their living conditions and social contexts, where they live, work, go to school — we have to address complex issues like poverty, power and racial equity.” Velasco and Dellasanta discussed HEAL’s “Youth Changemaker” program, which Velasco said “raises civic involvement and helps shape the next generation of policymakers.” Through the program, Dellasanta said HEAL has promoted skills such as “grant writing, requesting permits and advocating for others” as well as “emphasizing why a sense of belonging is so important to the health of a community.” In closing, McGovern and Becerra stressed the importance of the Sept. 28 conference, the first of its kind in more than 50 years, and praised those in attendance for the work they have put in to address food insecurity in their local communities. McGovern went on to describe food as a “human right,” while Becerra said the conference was their opportunity to “change the world.” “(The White House Conference) is a great opportunity,” Becerra said. “What many Americans don’t realize is that we can stop (food insecurity), we produce more food than anybody else in the world — we don’t distribute it very well and it’s not always the best for us, but we could. So we have to think big, go in having that attitude that we’re going to make a difference.” “Any private sector operation is probably envious of what they’ve been able to achieve here. And, to see fresh fruit and vegetables, to see those foodstuffs go to a family that may have very little money to buy them in a store, those are important things that these organizations make possible — and it’s amazing,” he said. “We need to hear directly from people with lived experience, those who have faced hunger and nutrition insecurity or have worked on the ground in community organizations,” McGovern said. “We need to hear what works and what doesn’t work, challenges faced and where the gaps are in well-meaning policy that sometimes, quite frankly, just misses the mark.” “It’s inspiring, the work everyone here today is doing — and we need to be the wind at their back. As I said, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel, we just need to make sure we’re attaching the wheel to the right vehicle as we move forward and, these people, they’ve figured out what needs to be done and we need to build on that,” he said. 6. Department Updates 6.1 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) No new information at this time 14 6.2 Planning & Development 6.2.1 Brownfields Update You can find the summary of the Brownfields conference on the handout. Our current Brownfields grant ends at the end of this month. We will be applying for a new grant in the amount of $500,000 to do more assessments and hopefully clean up planning as well. The application will come out in mid-September and will be due right before Thanksgiving. We received a Technical Assistance grant from U-Conn to help with our application. Please let us know if you are aware of any properties that we could include on our application. 6.2.2 MBTA Communities Update An email went out to notify everyone of the final guidelines that came out on August 10th. There was a webinar sponsored by the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development on the topic of the final guidelines. Positive changes include exceptions for small and rural communities. DHCD is coming out with a compliance tool by the end of fall. Mass Housing Partnership has asked MRPC if we would like to be on their consultant list. If so, they would provide technical assistance to communities who apply and as a consultant, we would be paired with a community for a 3–4-month contract to assist the community and we would be paid $20,000 to $25,000 per applicant. We did say that we would like to be on that list. Mass Housing Partnership will train us on the compliance model including Kayla and Jason in October. 6.2.3 Community Compact Program Update G. Eaton and K. Chapman went through the list of best practices and deleted things that MRPC didn’t have the capacity to do. Please see the handout. 6.3 Transit & Transportation 6.3.1 Transportation REPORT: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) establishes the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary program that will provide $5-6 billion in grants over the next 5 years. Funding supports regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. The SS4A program supports the U.S. DOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy and a goal of zero deaths and serious injuries on our nation’s roadways. The MRPC is looking to submit an application for the development of a Safety Action Plan for the region. The successful development of an Action Plan will allow various entities, including cities and towns, to apply for implementation grants in future years of the 15  program. Approximately $1 billion is available in this year’s program. Staff has surveyed communities to determine who might be interested in being part of this application. To date we have received positive responses from 11 of our 22 communities. Staff will be putting the application together online as required in order to meet the September 15th deadline. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is available on the MRPC website for download under Announcements. RESOLUTION: BE IT RESOLVED that the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) supports the submittal of an application to the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary program for the development of a Regional Safety Action Plan. The MRPC supports the goal of zero deaths and serious injuries on our regional and national roadways and the development of this Safety Action Plan will be instrumental in achieving that goal. The MRPC also affirms its commitment to helping to meet the 20% local match requirement through funds and in-kind services. P. Cunningham move to accept the resolution as presented. The motion was seconded. Roll call vote followed. A. Butland- yes A. Reid- yes G. Corbosiero- yes J. Bennett- yes J. Telepciak- yes P. Cunningham- yes R. Swartz- yes R. Hoyt- yes B. Harris stated MRPC has received letters of support from several communities but we are still waiting on a few more. If any communities have any questions about the letter or the program, please contact us. R. Hoyt asked if we have seen any rebound in the ridership on the commuter rail and has it been affected by the shutdown of the T? G. Kahale stated ridership is still low since the pandemic. We have only 10% of the original pre-pandemic ridership using the system. 7. New Business This time is being reserved for topics that the chair did not reasonably anticipate would be discussed. 16 8. Adjournment Having no further announcements, comments, or business to discuss, a motion was presented to adjourn the meeting. P. Cunningham moved to adjourn the meeting, the motion was seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 7:49 pm. This meeting will be recorded by the GoToMeeting app and will be made available for viewing on https://www.youtube.com/user/MontachusettRegion/videos. This notice is subject to change with reasonable notice provided to all. Meeting Attendance Name M/A Representing Appointment Date Present Absent Janssens, Leo A Ashburnham 7.2021 X Hoyt, Roger M Ashburnham 7.2011 X Stacy, Wayne A Ashby 7.2021 X Pease, Alan M Ashby 7.2001 X Bialecki, Rebecca A Athol 7.2020. X Doherty, Jacqueline M Athol 7.2020. X Copeland, Shaun A Ayer 7.2020. X Tillotson, Geoffrey M Ayer 7.2022 X Vacant A Clinton X Duffy, Phil M Clinton 12.2011 X Lowitt, Peter N/V DREZ 7.2001 X Bohart, Mary Jo A Fitchburg 7.2021 X Butland, Alyne M Fitchburg 7.2020. X DeRoy, Jessica A Gardner 7.2021 X Swartz, Robert M Gardner 7.2019 X Cunningham, Peter M Groton 7.2016 X Burke, Russell A Groton 7.2022 X 17  Minar, Kara A Harvard 7.2021 X Donahue, Stacia M Harvard 7.2018 X Williams, Jeff A Hubbardston 7.2022 X Livdahl, Alice M Hubbardston 7.2021 X Vacant A Lancaster X Williston, Russ M Lancaster 11.2018 X Vacant A Leominster X Valliere, Dean M Leominster 7.2019 X Vacant A Lunenburg X Reid, Amanda M Lunenburg 7.2020. X Ermini, Annette A Petersham 7.2022 X Vacant M Petersham X Jackson, Melanie A Phillipston 7.2022 X Telepciak, John M Phillipston 7.2001 X Barclay, James A Royalston 7.2017 X Nartowicz, Kyle M Royalston 7.2015 X Oelfke, Bill A Shirley 7.2020. X Yocum, Barbara M Shirley 8.2017 X Kilcoyne, John A Sterling 7.2014 X Page, Patty M Sterling 7.2019 X Bennett, Jeff A Templeton 7.2020. X Rich, Dennis M Templeton 7.2017 X Sexton-Diranian, Chaz A Townsend 7.202 X Shifrin, Laura M Townsend 7.2019 X Vacant A Westminster X Buckman, Gregg M Westminster 7.2021 X 18  Ward, Rick A Winchendon 7.2019 X Corbosiero, Guy M Winchendon 7.2011 X Staff: Karen Chapman, Kayla Kress, Brad Harris, Linda Quinlivan Guests: Rebecca Merrell, Doug Thornton, George Kahale, MART Representative DOCUMENTS/EXHIBITS DISTRIBUTED AT MEETING: August 4, 2022 Minutes September 8, 2022 Agenda September 8, 2022 MRPC Meeting Handout Current Grant Opportunities Spreadsheet Community Compact Cabinet grant opportunities Final Section 3A Guidelines_8-10-22 Public Comment Report on 2022 Brownfields National Conference 19