After this past Wednesday’s Green Line Extension public meeting, MassDOT announced that the final public meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 5th at St. Clement’s Parish Hall in Medford was cancelled. Attached is a copy of the letter sent by the Somerville and Medford legislative delegations to Secretary Pollack requesting that this final GLX public meeting be reinstated.

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Dear Secretary Pollack,

 

We are writing to express our deep frustration at the recent announcement canceling the final opportunity for members of the public to comment on the proposed revision of the Green Line Extension. The announcement of this cancelation came during the final opportunity to comment. Many of our constituents will not have an opportunity to attend any of the meetings because of this cancelation.

 

From the beginning of this process in August and with promises that were made earlier this year, the MassDOT and the MBTA have expressed their interest in hearing the input of the public. These meetings have been very well attended, even in one case with the doors being shut when the building had reached a fire safety capacity. Canceling this final meeting, the only meeting ever scheduled for Medford, appears to undervalue the importance of public input.

 

Public input has been a fundamental part of the Green Line Extension process and it was truly the public that initiated this project more than two decades ago. To cut out the public voice at such a critical phase in planning is disheartening. Out of respect for our constituents who deserve to be heard, we request that you reinstate the meeting scheduled for Thursday May 5.

 

We hope that a decision to reinstate the meeting will be made quickly and that the public be duly informed that the meeting will be reinstated.

 

Sincerely,

 

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Senator Patricia D. Jehlen

Second Middlesex

 

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Representative Christine P. Barber

Thirty-fourth Middlesex

 

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Representative Denise Provost

Thirty-seventh Middlesex

 

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Representative Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.

Twenty-sixth Middlesex

 

 

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Representative Sean Garballey

Twenty-third Middlesex

 

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Representative Paul J. Donato

Thirty-fifth Middlesex