October 25, 2006 GAC Update
Robert Culver addressed the Chamber’s GAC/Executive Speaker luncheon on Tuesday, the Council met in a Roundtable meeting on Monday and received results from the latest citizen survey they then solicited citizen input on goal setting. Chamber staff attended a US Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Conference last week and Cambridge businesses are invited to a free seminar regarding Massachusetts Rideshare regulations.
GAC members are reminded that we are looking for volunteers to join a number of sub-committees proposed at the September 26 GAC meeting. To volunteer or for more information please e-mail Terrence Smith, Director of Government Affairs at tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or phone (617) 876-4213.
Upcoming GAC Events
The 2006 Government Affairs program is sponsored by Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research.
Congressman Capuano to Address November GAC Meeting
Congressman Michael Capuano will be our guest at the November GAC meeting. The Best Western Hotel Tria will host the meeting at noon on Tuesday, November 28, 2006 The Hotel Tria is located at 220 Alewife Brook Parkway. The Tria offers slightly more space than is available at the Chamber’s Conference Room but space is still limited so RSVP early for this meeting by e-mail at tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or phoning (617) 876-4213.
Culver Addresses GAC
In his remarks at Tuesday’s Government Affairs Committee/Executive Speaker luncheon Robert Culver, President and CEO of MassDevelopment, said that over the past thirty years Cambridge has experienced “the greatest new industrial revolution of any city or town in the country.” Culver mentioned that he had worked for the City of Cambridge in the mid-1970s and that while it was not possible then to foresee the Cambridge of today in retrospect the foundation for the growth experienced in the past two decades was laid in the mid to late 1970s.
Culver’s broader remarks focused on the work MassDevelopment does to encourage economic development in the Commonwealth. MassDevelopment offers creative financing solutions that focus on housing, job creation, real estate development, and urban revitalization. It was established in 1996 through the merger of the Massachusetts Industrial Finance Authority (MIFA) and the Massachusetts Land Bank. It exists to stimulate business and promote the public good. As a quasi-public agency it also exists to make investments that provide returns to cover its costs. MassDevelopment takes risks that traditional lenders would not but does not exist to replace private lending markets but to work with private lenders including banks and the venture capital industry.
A major effort has been the redevelopment of the former Ft. Devens site. Devens is a 4,400 acre former US Army base that MassDevelopment is responsible for redeveloping for housing, commercial, and industrial development. Bristol-Meyers Squibb recently announced they will locate a $650 million biologics manufacturing plant at Devens. MassDevelopment can turn the permitting process around in 75 days under the legislation that gave it the authority over development of this site. This was an important factor in Bristol-Meyers Squibb decision.
Culver was excited that the Boston Globe had editorialized in favor of the creation of a 352 community in Massachusetts, the Town of Devens. The three communities the former army base sits in, Shirley, Ayer, and Harvard, were voting that evening on this issue and Culver was hoping for a positive result. (According to today’s Boston Globe Ayer and Harvard voted down the proposal.)
In the past three years MassDevelopment has been part of projects that have created 12,300 permanent and 10,700 construction jobs and leveraged more than $4 billion in investment. In Cambridge MassDevelopment provided unique financing using tax-exempt bonds to fund improvements (roads, utilities & new MBTA station) at North Point.
Thanks to Robert Culver for his remarks and to all who attended.
Council Round Table on Survey and Public Meeting on Goal Setting
At the City Council Roundtable on Monday the City Manager transmitted the results of the 2006 bi-annual Citizens Opinion Survey that reported that 86% of respondents identified Cambridge as either an excellent or good place to live. At the public forum for community prioritization of City Council goals sponsored by the Council’s Government Operations and Rules Committee suggested goals ranged from banning leaf blowers to changing civil governance on a global scale. In between issues regarding quality of education, quality of life, ability to do business, mobility, and housing affordability were also raised. Information from this meeting is used as the Council develops goals used in developing budgets for the next two fiscal years.
US Chamber Government Affairs Conference
Chamber President and CEO Kelly Thompson Clark and Director of Government Affairs Terrence Smith were in Providence at the end of last week for the annual US Chamber of Commerce Northeast Region Government Affairs Conference. The Conference provided an opportunity to share information about policy issues of importance in communities throughout the Northeast and an opportunity to learn about issues the US Chamber has identified as important and gain insights on the current elections at the State and National levels.
The Conference also provided an opportunity to share information with colleagues about government affairs practices that have been effective in other communities. Terry moderated a session on Government Affairs Best Practices. One idea he took is the need for the GAC to have a steering sub-committee and the need for that sub-committee to be small and include members of the Chamber Board. He also learned that it is best to send updates such as this on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
Free Massachusetts Rideshare Regulation Assistance Seminar
Charles River Transportation Management Association (TMA), as a member of MassCommute, has set up this free seminar in cooperation with the other Massachusetts TMAs and Massachusetts DEP. The Chamber has been asked by Charles River TMA Executive Director Jim Gascoigne to spread the word to our members.
MassCommute invites you to attend a free seminar to assist your company in complying with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Rideshare Regulation. The seminar will be held:
Friday, November 3, 2006
8:30 am – 11:00am (Breakfast will be provided)
A Better City TMA, 75 State Street, Boston, MA 02109
RSVP by November 1st to David Straus: 617-557-7322 or dstraus@abctma.com
The Massachusetts Rideshare Regulation 310 CMR 7.16, requires businesses with 1000 or more employees, businesses with 250 or more employees and a MassDEP Operating Permit, and educational facilities with 1,000 or more students and employees combined, to develop plans and set goals for reducing by 25 percent the number of commuters driving alone to work or school.
To comply with the Rideshare Regulation, your organization must survey employee/student commute patterns; identify commuting options; set goals to reduce drive-alone trips; offer options and incentives to reduce drive-alone trips; and, evaluate how commute patterns change as a result. Remember, 2006 is a survey year – and this is a special opportunity to learn about the 2006 survey requirements!
Though the regulation has existed since 1975, the requirements for reporting and compliance have changed and evolved during this time, leaving many organizations with questions about the hows and whys of compliance.
At the free seminar you will get the answers to these questions:
- What is the purpose of the regulation?
- Is my business required to report to DEP?
- What does my business need to do to be in compliance?
- What survey methods are acceptable to use in calculating employee commute trips?
- How can a TMA assist a business in meeting this requirement?
This session will bring your organization closer to meeting its DEP requirements and to reducing air pollution and traffic congestion. More importantly, you will learn effective survey methods, how a rideshare program can impact your employees’ quality of life, boost employee job satisfaction, reduce demand for on-site parking, and produce tax advantages for your organization.
