12 drafted. 13 14 2. Correspondence and Communications 15 • Bob Ford reported that he had spoken to Ariane Ritz, responsible for permits for 16 MassHighway, who said that they expect the Coast Guard permit by the end of the 17 month. 18 • Tristan and Mark met with Mark Forest, from Bill Delahunt's office, and briefed him about 19 the status of the project. He raised the possibility of decommissioning channel as a federal 20 channel. This would have to go to Congress but, once done, would give the community 21 complete control over the operation of the drawbridge. We need to clarify what the 22

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the measures that could be taken to keep the existing Drawbridge in operation, in light of the Lichtenstein report. Mike Delaney apologized for Bernard McCourt's absence, due to a death in the family. The following are his preliminary comments, which must be vetted and could be modified based on involvement of the MassHighway Bridge Section. • MassHighway is committed to do whatever it takes to keep the bridge open until the temporary bridge is operational. • MassHighway has made a concerted effort in the past including trimming the bascule on several occasions, cutting off a total of 6-8". • The Lagoon Pond Drawbridge might be the most critical bridge in District 5, in that there is no viable alternative for rerouting traffic. • The Lichtenstein report have been sent to the Bridge Section in Boston for review. • The Island MassHighway maintenance crew has been supplied with steel plates and detour signage to help deal with contingency repairs. • The Coast Guard is generally very reasonable about accommodating vehicular traffic provided they recognize that a serious effort is being made to deal with problems. However, they can decide at any time that the bridge must remain up.