Council

A Message from our President

Welcome to the Old Colony Planning Council.

As Council members, Alternates, municipal staff, and regional partners, we each bring the perspectives and priorities of our individual communities. Together, however, we have an opportunity to do something even more powerful: address the issues that cross municipal boundaries and build a stronger, safer, more resilient Old Colony region.

Our communities are connected by more than geography. We share transportation networks, housing markets, environmental resources, economic opportunities, public facilities, and a commitment to ensuring that residents can thrive. The strengths and assets within one community can support progress across the entire region when we come together, exchange ideas, and pursue common solutions.

This is an important moment for regional collaboration. Our municipalities are confronting serious and interconnected challenges, including the need for more housing that people can afford, investments in aging infrastructure, safer streets for people walking, biking, taking transit, and driving, and the long-term effects of changing economic, environmental, and demographic conditions. These challenges are significant, but they are not challenges any one community needs to face alone.

OCPC is uniquely positioned to convene our communities, support local decision-making, and help transform shared priorities into action. Through regional planning, technical assistance, data and research, grant support, and coordination among local and state partners, OCPC can help municipalities build the capacity needed to pursue both immediate improvements and long-term goals.

Technical assistance and long-range planning are central to this work. Whether a community is preparing for housing growth, seeking transportation safety improvements, planning infrastructure investments, strengthening economic development, or advancing sustainability and resilience, OCPC can help provide the tools, analysis, and collaborative forum needed to move ideas forward. Our work is strongest when it reflects local knowledge while recognizing the regional connections that shape the future of every community.

The Council plays an essential role in guiding this effort. As Delegates and Alternates, you are ambassadors for your municipalities and stewards of our shared regional vision. Your participation, insight, and leadership help ensure that OCPC remains responsive to local needs while advancing the collective interests of the region.

I look forward to working with each of you along with our staff, municipal partners, and stakeholders to build on the many assets of the Old Colony region. By working together, we can create communities that are more connected, more inclusive, safer, and better prepared for the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Thank you for your service to your community and to the Old Colony region.

-President, Iolando Spinola