Community Corner
Stoneham Transportation Group Earns National Recognition
American Planning Association honors STAC for its grass roots initiative.
The Stoneham Transportation Advisory Committee (STAC) was honored Wednesday night with gold medal by the American Planning Association.
The award was a National Planning Achievement Award for a grassroots initiative. It was one of 20 achievement awards presented by the group. Winners will be honored at this year's Awards Luncheon on April 15, at NPC19 in San Francisco.
The Achievement Awards represent innovative planning within specific topical areas. The selection panel could select one gold and multiple silver recipients in each category.
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As posted on the organization's website:
When the Town of Stoneham, Massachusetts, went 13 years without a Planning Department, a culture of haves versus the have-nots was created at the decision-making level. Those regularly at the table made all of the choices with little to no public input and the underrepresented simply went unheard or ignored. Recognizing the lack of transparency and inclusiveness in decision-making, a group of local residents formed the Stoneham Transportation Advisory Committee (STAC), a volunteer-run advocacy group committed to improving transit connectivity for all.
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Operating without a budget and no true authority in the municipality, STAC has created a culture where people of all demographics can be involved in the planning process. The group's success includes but is not limited to: expanding public transit service, improving vehicle parking signage, introducing maps for bicycle parking locations, and support Complete Streets initiatives all while creating a transparent, safe place for people to participate and work together on finding solutions for all rather than the few.
Many have contributed to STAC including Rachel Meredith-Warren, Raymie Parker, Maureen Canova, John Macero, Carol Schweiger, Judy Kovac Sadacca, Sharon A. Iovanni, Erin Wortman, Jae Cho, Emily Granoff, Ryan Mcgeown-Conron, and Jenny Mauch Lecoq.
For more information and to see other winners, check out the American Planning Association website.
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