The Honorable Charles D. Baker

Governor of Massachusetts

State House

Boston, MA 02133

 

May 5, 2016

 

Dear Governor Baker,

We write again to reiterate our continued frustration with the abrupt cancellation of the May 5th public meeting to receive comments on the proposed Green Line Extension revision, the only meeting scheduled in a Medford location. Our April 28th letter to the administration to that effect remains unanswered, and no sufficient reason for the cancellation has been offered. This meeting would have served as the final opportunity for input from many of our constituents.

 

When the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced a series of public meetings on the future redesign and viability of the GLX, we were hopeful that this reflected the administration’s intention to solicit valuable feedback from our communities. After all, the Green Line Extension (GLX) project would provide major environmental and economic justice benefits for residents of Cambridge, Somerville, and Medford. It serves as an ideal opportunity to expand safe, convenient, and reliable transportation to an underserved corridor in Greater Boston – the GLX would connect several communities to the hubs of employment, education, and innovation that drive the Massachusetts economy while fulfilling the Commonwealth’s decades-long legal obligation to offset the environmental impact of the Central Artery.

 

While we credit MassDOT’s intention of initiating a transparent and collaborative dialogue, the public meeting process has been insufficient to give our constituents time for input and time to grapple with the changes to the project. The last-minute cancelation of the May 5th meeting and the apparent refusal to reschedule the meeting has left many of our constituents who had planned to attend that meeting with no opportunity to see the revised plans or speak about them. Hundreds of community volunteers, local leaders and public servants have demonstrated a willingness to reform the final design and offered substantive recommendations in order to meet changing financial realities and MassDOT should respect what they can offer.

Now that the administration may be asking these communities that already contribute assessments to the MBTA to make payments on a state obligation, the voices of community members hold an even greater importance. By minimizing input from community stakeholders at this critical phase in planning, the administration is disregarding the voices of those who will live with the decisions made around the GLX project for generations to come. We, therefore, hope that the final redesign incorporates the concerns voiced at these meetings.

Finally, we wish to stress that sustainable transportation projects are unique in bringing returns on investments, and that the Commonwealth stands to ignore major fiscal gains should the administration decide against the full completion of the GLX. The state has already invested hundreds of millions of dollars in this project, and our cities, businesses, and homeowners have relied on the Commonwealth’s commitment to its full completion in making lasting decisions. Further, the value of the time given by many hundreds of community volunteers, local leaders, and public servants to make this project a reality should not be underestimated or undervalued.

We urge the administration to consider the long-term economic and environmental benefits of completing the Green Line Extension and fulfilling its commitment to our communities, communities that are now being asked to commit significant resources for decades to come. We reiterate our support for this project and express our hope that the Green Line Extension is allowed to continue to completion.

Sincerely,

 

_____________________________ _____________________________

Senator Patricia D. Jehlen Representative Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.

Second Middlesex Twenty-sixth Middlesex

 
_____________________________ _____________________________

Representative Sean Garballey Representative Denise Provost 

Twenty-third Middlesex Twenty-seventh Middlesex District

 

 

_____________________________                          

Representative Christine P. Barber                               

Thirty-fourth Middlesex