On December 8, the Massachusetts chapter of the American Planning Association honored the Stoneham Transportation Advocacy Committee (STAC) at its annual awards ceremony. Nominated for one award, STAC received two: one for Social Advocacy, and another for Citizen Planning.

 

A committee of the nonprofit Stoneham Community Development Corporation, STAC offers residents and local officials the opportunity to work together to advance local mobility. STAC first formed three years ago as an ad hoc group to support transportation-related recommendations from a strategic plan for Stoneham Square. Since then, STAC has partnered with town leaders to effect an impressive amount of change in a short time. Accomplishments include extending operating hours of the MBTA Route 132 bus, supporting a Complete Streets policy, winning a grant for a Complete Streets design for Stoneham Square, supporting a regional North Suburban Mobility Study, completing a zip code study with MassRIDES to analyze commuting patterns, and supporting the Council on Aging's successful effort to add a new accessible van to their fleet through the Community Transit Grant Program.

 

On average, 10 to 12 people attend on any given month, often including residents, MBTA riders, local elected leaders, professional municipal staff, and regional and state leaders such as the MBTA, MassRIDES, and State Representative Michael Day. These meetings have created a space where underserved groups can discuss their needs with town leaders. For example, STAC meetings have provided opportunities for the Council on Aging to bring local seniors' transportation challenges to the attention of town decision-makers.

 

STAC Chair Rachel Meredith-Warren attributes STAC's success in part to deliberate choices the group made about its meetings. Meetings are held once a month at a consistent time and location: early in the morning to accommodate town staff who attend on work hours as well as residents who attend before work, and hosted by the Senior Center to encourage participation from local seniors. Meredith-Warren plans agendas that will move the group forward without being too strict: "You'll be more effective if you're having fun," she explains.

 

Having spent its first three years supporting the recommendations of the 2015 Strategic Plan, STAC will now move on to helping implement recommendations from this year's North Suburban Mobility Study.

 

Seeking a legislative remedy, Whippee met with Donna Farmer, Chief of Staff to Representative Donald R. Berthiaume, and advocated for an expansion of the Good Samaritan law, citing the lack of transportation in Worcester County and the previous success of the volunteer driver program. Rep. Berthiaume filed House Bill 3025, which would expand the scope of the Good Samaritan law to include volunteer drivers. The bill was co-sponsored by state Senator Anne M. Gobi, who filed a similar bill in the Senate - Senate Bill 868. The proposed pieces of legislation currently sit in the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.

 

Whippee shared that he remains hopeful the bill will make it out of committee with a  favorable report before the deadline of February 7. "Recommended transportation solutions generally require substantial funds," Whippee says. "But this bill won't cost the state anything - yet will satisfy a drastic need and improve the lives and mobility of seniors."

 

Veterans' Service Officer Steve Patten, who began his position at the VSD a little over a year ago, shared that he, VSD Secretary Lisa Leavitt, and volunteer driver Ken Hopkins were using their personal vehicles to drive local veterans to and from medical appointments. "There's a large population of aging veterans in Peabody who were calling us for rides," Patten shares. "With no support system, many were paying for private transportation to medical appointments. For an [older adult] on a fixed income, that's a lot going to medical expenses." They determined that medical transportation for veterans was a large unmet need, and began formulating ways to fill this gap.

 

Leavitt was inspired by the neighboring City of Salem, which has a vehicle dedicated to veterans' transportation. Patten's wife works at a Salem-based law office that has a relationship with Honda North and conveyed the VSD's goal of obtaining a vehicle for veterans' transportation. Through this networking, Patten was able to secure the donation of a Honda Odyssey minivan from the dealership.

Patten emphasizes the importance of garnering the support of local officials, as he did with Mayor Ted Bettencourt. The City of Peabody will cover the cost of insurance, fuel, and maintenance of the vehicle, which will be staffed by volunteer drivers. Veterans interested in utilizing this service should schedule their ride with the VSD a week in advance.