Board of Directors Meeting

1.         Minutes of the previous meeting (9 Feb. 2005) were approved as written.

2.         Officers’ Reports for Possible Action by Directors.

            A.        Fred Moore, President.

                        (1)        Mitigation meeting.  This is a ‘Delay of the review of the delay’.  Many other organizations are in agreement with this.

                        (2)        Steve Kaiser’s Big Dig report:  Fred has been distributing copies of this to municipalities and to the town fathers of Saugus.  He also sent a copy to Essex State Representative Falzone. 

                        (3)        Regional Transportation Advisory Council (RTAC).  There was a discussion of a downtown circulator:  The Lowell Trolley as a mass transit operation, not just a tourist trolley.

                                    Fred entered into the RTAC minutes a comment about “meeting fatigue”.

            B.         Barry M. Steinberg, Clerk.

                        (1)        Concerning late T vehicles.  We should push a campaign on this.  Make the T rider guarantee postage paid postcards available.

                        (2)        The Washington Street Silver Line is an inequitable, political favor.  A ‘loss leader’.  We should make an issue about this.

            C.         Romin Koebel, Vice President.

                        (1)        There should be a north-south streetcar, continuing on to Park Square, serving the Chinese community.  This community is surrounded by transportation, but derives scant benefit from it.

                                    Chinatown has the Fung Wha bus to New York, which now leaves from the South Station bus terminal, and which now charges $15 fares.

                        (2)        New Starts:  The Lowell Streetcar, connecting the T railroad station and downtown transit connections.  There are political opportunities to tap.

                        (3)        Thomas Lenthal spoke about the Fairmount line at the RTAC meeting.  Once you put in high platforms, you lose freight clearances.  Perhaps a gantlet track would work.

                                    Comment by Fred Moore:  We believe in a policy of no burning bridge designs.

                        (4)        The Urban Ring is both the subject of a draft EIR and of the latest Move Mass. meeting.

            D.        Ernest V. Loewenstein

                        The Newton Tab had an article suggesting the D Branch of the Green Line be divided to have a stub going to Needham Heights.

3.         Old Business.

            A.        Ongoing Planning and Logistics for the APT Annual Meeting.  Barry D. Andelman.

                        We have to have a decent collation, but not overly fancy.  The amount we are talking about is a loss leader, in the range of $15 to $20.  The term “Cash Bar” means it is staffed for four hours officially, with a bartender AND a cashier.

                        With regards to hors d’oeuvres, the Harvard Club can supply anything, even if it is not on the official list.  It is the sense of the meeting that ‘heavy hors d’oeuvres’ and cash bar is what the meeting should include.

                        Publicity has to be gotten out.  We need a flier.  We are ‘volunteering’ Rick Arena for this.

                        Ernie:  Walk Boston will give us publicity on this.  Perhaps the Boston Street Railway Association.

                        Fred:  We need a flier mailing parting within two weeks.  Ernie volunteers his house for such a  get-together.

                        John Hostage:  Should membership renewal solicitations go out at the same time?

                        Fred:  No, let’s leave renewals for later.

                        Ernie will draft a press release.

            B.         The Framework for Advocacy.

                        Fred:  There will not be tumbleweeds blowing across I-93 just because we have put in public transportation.  Highways will not magically unclog.  But yet we need a transit option.

4.         The meeting adjourned 8:53 p.m.