Old Colony Planning Council 2005 Annual Report

                       REPORT OF THE OLD COLONY PLANNING COUNCIL

To the Honorable Board of Selectmen and the Citizens of the Town of Abington:

As your representatives to the Old Colony Flaming Council (OCPC), we are
pleased to present this report on behalf of the Council for 2005.

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 fifteen-member community region. OCPC is designated as: an Economic
Development District by the U.S. Department of Commerce for the coordination
of regional economic development activities; an Area Agency on Aging (AAA) by
the Executive Office of Elder Affairs to plan, manage and coordinate elder
services in a twenty-three community service area; and, the Metropolitan
Planning Organization (MPO) to plan and program transportation and transit
improvements for the region.

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, grant application preparation and
current local and regional trends socioeconomic information.

This past year, the Council completed work on the Regional Disaster Mitigation
Plan and local annexes for the OCPC Region;   the Area Agency on Aging (AAA)
Four Year Elderly Needs Plan; the Route 28 Corridor Study (Avon/Randolph
town line to Bridgewater/Middleborough town line); Vehicle and Speed
Classification Studies throughout the region; a Commuter Rail Station and Park
and Ride Lots Utilization Study; a Journey to Work Study; Updated Road
Inventory files for our communities; the Transportation Element of the Hanson
Master Plan; the West Bridgewater Economic Target Area (ETA); the OCPC 2005
DataBook; the Old Colony 2005 Comprehensive Economic Development
Strategy (CEDS); a Stoughton 40b Housing Study; a BAT FY 2005 Ridership
Analysis; numerous Intersection Technical Studies, and the FFY 2006-2010
Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). During this period, the Council
conducted traffic counts at approximately 175 locations throughout the region.
The Council also initiated work on updating the Long Range Regional
Transportation Plan; Route 3A Corridor Study in Kingston and Plymouth; Easton
Circulation Study; MBTA Taskforce Participation in the New Bedford Fall River
Commuter Rail Growth Impact Study; BAT Service Analysis to Ikea; continue to
administer the Hanson Community Septic Management Program; and
established a Regional Wastewater Committee including the towns of Avon,
East Bridgewater, Easton, West Bridgewater and the City of Brockton to
develop a scope for a feasibility study looking at potential regional solutions. In
addition, the Council completed the Stoughton Central Business District Study,
the Brownfield Inventory, and the South Hanson Transit Oriented Development
(TOD) Study with a grant from Vision 2020.

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 2005, 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
its 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 Mary Willis for their commitment,
dedication and leadership during the year. The Council also recognizes the
work of local boards and commissions and the government agencies, public
and private institutions and individuals who assisted the Council in its efforts.

                                                      Respectfully submitted,

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