Old Colony Planning Council 2004 Annual Report

        REPORT OF THE OLD COLONY PLANNING COUNCIL

As your representatives to the Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC), we
are pleased to present this report on behalf of the Council for 2004.

The Old Colony Planning Council was established in 1967 by state
statute and is authorized to prepare plans for the physical, social and
economic development of the 15-member community region. OCPC is
designated as: an Economic Development District by the U.S.
Department of Commerce for the coordination of economic development
activities within the OCPC District: an Area Agency on Aging (AAA) by the
Executive Office of Elder Affairs to plan, manage and coordinate elder
services in a 23 community service area; and, as the Metropolitan
Planning Organization (MPO) to plan and program transportation and
transit improvements for the region. We are proud that the Old Colony
Planning Council is the only regional council in New England to hold all
of these official designations at the same time.

In addition to the above-designated responsibilities, the Council is
concerned with a wide variety of area-wide and inter-municipal concerns
as they pertain to the development of the Planning District. The Council
also assists its member municipalities with technical planning
assistance, grant application preparation assistance and with
information on local and regional trends by maintaining current
socioeconomic information.

This past year, the Council completed work on the Avon, Abington,
Hanson, Pembroke, West Bridgewater and Whitman Executive Order 418
Community Development Plans; the Whitman Master Plan; Abington,
Halifax and Kingston Zoning Map revisions; Vehicle and Speed
Classification Studies throughout the region; OCPC 2004 DataBook;
Journey to Work Study; Updated Road Inventory files for our
communities; Commuter Rail Station and Park and Ride Lots Utilization
Study; Old Colony 2004 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy;
BAT FY 2004 Ridership Analysis; BAT Title VI Report; Route 106 Traffic
Study; numerous Intersection Studies and the Transportation
Improvement Program (TIP).

The Council initiated work on the Area Agency on Aging Four Year Plan.
During the past year, the Council conducted traffic counts at
approximately 200 locations throughout the region. The Council also
continued to work on Route 28 Corridor Study (Avon/Randolph town line
to Bridgewater/ Middleborough town line) and the Local/Regional
Disaster Mitigation Plan for the OCPC Region. All of the OCPC's
Communities participated in a Smart Growth Audit Sponsored by Vision
2020 and funded by NSTAR. The Council also co-authored with MAPC the
Peer Review for the Proposed Village Center Plan at the South
Weymouth Naval Air Station.

Each member community of the Council is represented by one delegate
and one alternate member. The Council members establish policy,
develop the work program, and employ and oversee the activities of the
professional staff. The Council meets on the last Wednesday of each
month at 7:30 PM in the OCPC offices located at 70 School Street,
Brockton, MA. In 2004, the Council elected Robert Overholtzer of
Hanson as President of OCPC; Jeanmarie Kent Joyce of Easton as
Council Treasurer; and Joseph P. Landolfi of Stoughton as Council
Secretary. Pasquale Ciaramella serves as Executive Director of the
Council.

The Council gratefully acknowledges the generous support and
cooperation of member communities and the participation and
involvement of the many individuals who participate as members of
committees.    Special thanks are extended to Joint Transportation
Committee Chair Noreen O'Toole; Comprehensive Economic
Development Committee Chair Salvador A. Pina; and, the Area Agency on
Aging Advisory Committee Chair Diane Cunningham, for their
commitment, dedication and leadership during the year. The Council also
recognizes the work of local boards and commisions and the
government agencies, public and private institutions and individuals
who assisted the Council in its efforts.

                                                    Respectfully submitted,

                                                    A. Stanley Littlefield, Delegate
                                                   Joseph R. Murray, Alternate
                                                   Matthew Striggles, Delegate At-Large