Bridges Program Advisory Group To Meet
A meeting of the Cape Cod Bridges Program Advisory Group is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9.
The meeting was discussed briefly by the Bourne Select Board earlier this week, in accordance with a Tuesday, April 2, agenda item to solicit comments from board members in preparation for the meeting.
Chairwoman Mary Jane Mastrangelo was the only board member to speak on the agenda item and commended MassDOT for what she feels is an "improvement of communication in general" in regard to the Bridges Program and "everything else."
"I think they’re making a better effort for communication and I want to express that," she said.
Ms. Mastrangelo also noted that as of the meeting Tuesday night, an agenda had not yet been released for the advisory committee's meeting.
"It would be helpful to have the agenda for the meeting when the meeting is announced," Ms. Mastrangelo said to her fellow board members. She added that the advisory group's meeting—which precedes the public session set for Thursday, April 25—is the opportunity for MassDOT to present "the things they're going to be looking for feedback on, and then for that public meeting, we can be more informed."
The Cape Cod Bridges Program Advisory Group was questioned last September on its lack of public engagement. MassDOT program manager Bryan Cordeiro, however, explained that the advisory group is not a decision-making body and is therefore not subject to Open Meeting Law. MassDOT, he said, had made a conscious decision not to advertise the advisory meetings to the public, saying the public will learn the same information through public sessions at a later date.
The advisory group is composed of a variety of stakeholders, including local and elected officials, planning commissions, emergency services representatives, economic development representatives and chambers of commerce. When asked about public engagement last fall, Mr. Cordeiro said MassDOT was trusting the people in the room to ensure their constituencies’ interests are represented.
For more information on the Cape Cod Bridges Program, visit https://www.mass.gov/cape-bridges.