Project still at 25% not 75% - how to fool the masses

SCHEDULE DELAY

 

I have the thread of emails and docs on this matter from MassDOT public records (link to docs) so my suspicions about the fact they have been stuck at 25% have been confirmed.  In addition, Nitsch engineers came before the town and admitted it  twice (link to 3/24 SB video - Nitsch at 1 hr 30 min; for the 3/19 CPPC recording, ask CPPC Chairwoman Muson).

The project is still stuck in the first step. The 25% design plan has not been approved.  Nitsch still needs to do  the Subsurface utility survey - Class B (SUE) which is essential for the sketching and structural design of the tunnel.  Hence, they don’t have a clue as how to design the tunnel at this point.  Cutting corners, they submitted plans for a 75% for the rest of the path in the absence of a 25% revised and approved plan.

Wisely, MassDOT rejected it because the 25% was missing.  In their own defense, Nitsch argued that,as they saw it, the tunnel was a “minor spur” and that to keep up momentum they had submitted the 75% for the path itself. In their view, the completed 25% for the tunnel would "catch up" with the rest of the design by 100%.

So now they want to rush things through applying maximum political pressure to make a deadline of Sept 2026.  In my opinion, Brownsberger may need to have it submitted in FY2026 to be able to use it for his reelection.

But in order to make that deadline, Nitsch pointed out that the town, Brownsberger, Rogers et al need to pressure the MassDOT engineers to shorten their review from a normal/standard 60 days to 30 days.  

It amazes me that everyone seems willing to do a rush job on a structure that goes under the commuter rail that handles 38 trains daily! In addition, it's a tunnel being shoehorned into an area brimming with MBTA equipment needed to keep the rails safe.

COST INCREASE

On top of that the cost has gone up by 32% i.e. by $6 million.  MPO has a  limit of $2 million for cost increase (2021 rules) hence the town may have to shoulder the difference.  Of course, we know the cost will continue to increase due to all the disruptions to supply chains caused by Trump’s tariffs and the resulting inflation.

BOTTOM LINE: this project is at “25% received” not 75% anything. Nitsch seemingly did not do much since they submitted it in Nov, 2021. But Nitsch has been billing and asking for additional $$ such as $500,000 last year.  Prior to that request, I believe they had requested an additional $140,000 or so.  Where did the funds go since the 25% is still incomplete?

I should point out that I recall some years back that Nitsch's Michalak talked of conducting a subsurface survey that made use of radar; he was talking of the SUE-Class B; a neighbor who also attends the CPPC meetings recalls the same.  But now there is talk again of the need for a SUE-B which raises more questions: Was the survey done since Michalak mentioned it years ago? If not, why? If yes, was it billed and why is it being repeated?  Should the invoices be audited to make sure nothing has fallen through the cracks?

Some more info: Nitsch claimed that submitting this 75% was to “keep up the momentum”.  But I am wondering whether it was to have access to the funds reserved for the 75% phase of the project since the 25% funds seem to have been exhausted. (Based on what Clancy and Nitsch's Michalak have said, the funds were split into the 3 phases: 25%, 75%, 100%).

MPO MEMBERS LEARN THE TRUTH

The fact that the project was at only “25% received” was not known to the TIP-MPO committee until this past Thursday.  TIP Manager Ethan LaPointe told me on Jan 7 that the 25% design was not approved; when I emailed asking him again on March 20th, he didn't answer.  However, he did admit it this past Thursday at the TIP Readiness meeting.  In the TIP docs, however, the project is still shown at 75%.  

The fact that there is consistent rule jumping and bending was evident at the public hearing of March 7, 2024.  At that hearing, the town and MassDOT did the same thing: the plans shown to the public were only the 25% design submitted by Nitsch.  It is my understanding that the public hearing should ONLY be scheduled once the 25% design has been revised and approved. This is so that the public has a clear idea of what is proposed. However, it seems political pressure from certain quarters once again came to bear and the rule was broken. At that public hearing, the public was only given pablum with no basis on reality.

Finally, when I (via a neighbor) asked for the “25% design revised and approved” from MassDOT Public Records, the relevant authorities sent only the “25% design received”. Instead of admitting the requested doc didn’t exist, we received irrelevant documents.  So here, too, the law/rules were bent.  This is a warning in case you ever request documents from MassDOT (unlike our town, MassDOT Public Records itself is timely and very professional - no problems there.) 

At the same time that I requested the documents from MassDOT this March, I requested them from the town and I am still waiting - stonewalling as usual.

BELMONT VOICE

This "news"paper seems to be biased towards printing only the pretty, nice, happy news.  I assume it is because that is what their advertisers want to hear.  However, this is a disservice to the town when, in this case, we are dealing with the safety of homes bordering the commuter trail and with further $$ expenses likely heading our way.

In the article about the path this week, if you read it and then you read the truth that I expose here, you will see the bias in that story.  It's a "there's a delay but everything is fine, folks" story that also reassures Belmontonians that the MPO will pay for it all.