May meeting notes

  • Post category:About STEP

Who & Where

We met in the VNA Community Room in May 16 from 7 to 9

Attending: Ellin Reisner, Steve Mulder, Jim McGinnis, Kristie Chase, Lynn Weissman, Alan Moore, Heather Van Aelst, Bob Neeson, Rachel Fichtenbaum, Jonah Petri, Gabriel Distler, Karen Molloy, Andrea Y, Wig Zamore

Strategy & Discussion

  • Path strategies: STEP and Path will go together to key meetings so that leaders can’t try to pit us against each other. Important meetings to schedule include meeting with Capuano, the City, and Sec Pollack. It could also be helpful to meet with the legislative delegation.
  • Proposed path plan dumps people from the only EJ part of Somerville onto a highway. This could be compelling for Capuano. If we do a letter campaign, we should also cc Secretary Foxx since he cares about EJ communities.
  • Lynn discussed priorities for CPX advocacy 
  • Friends of Path are considering hiring an engineer to give more credence to their alternate proposal. STEP might be able to contribute toward this or other expenses
  • The 24 new green line cars should be counted as a gift from Somerville to the State of Good Repair.
  • RFP: We need to get to MassDOT while they are putting the RFP together to make sure that key components get included. We could also ask for bids on pieces the state didn’t include, in case they can be added later.
  • Ellin is working on getting support from East Somerville Main Streets to help push for a better path design in East Somerville
  • Lynn is looking into fundraising. Bob will connect her with Ellen Gogel and FRIT
  • MPO – TIP & UPWP. We could ask for a study for projections of usage for the proposed path compared to the original path design. UPWP studies are done within a year. This might help quantify the regional damage of not having a completed path

Logistics

  • This was the annual meeting, so we paid dues ($10).
  • Officers: Ellin will remain President. Karen stepped down as Secretary, and Rachel F. was elected. Andrea stepped down as Treasurer, and Gabe was elected. Heather noted that she will be scaling back at least temporarily from her Brickbottom post.
  • Steve presented on the web analytics for the STEP website & social media pages. Web visits spike during key events, but people also like funny photos.

Outreach

  • Contact Rachel F. if you would like to talk to the Scout about the history of GLX activism, or if you would like to be profiled as a leader in Somerville advocacy. Heather and Karen volunteered, as did Lynn and Alan. Rachel F. will also send the Scout the GLX timeline.
  • Artbeat: We will keep the same tshirt design. We’ll put together information on the proposed station designs. Steve will look in the report for station designs. Lynn/Friends will put together letter campaign. Maybe STEP can do a poster board with post-its. Wig will bring air quality fact sheets. Karen will update the brochure. Ellin will make sure someone has the locker combination.
  • Bob has good footage from the May 9 meeting that he is editing and will post on STEP’s website.
  • Environment
  • Wig will get updated contact info for the scientists in videos from 2008, and Ellin will email the scientists for permission to post the videos publicly.
  • Wig shared that LA just passed air filtration legislation.