Emails Related to Newtonville Station (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA))

Dear Robert Bono,
Your request has been received and is being processed.  Your request was received in this office on October 28, 2019 and given the reference number R000644-102819 for tracking purposes. To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:

All emails containing the following combinations of keyword phrases:

"Newtonville" AND "stairs"
"Newtonville" AND "staircase"
"Newtonville" AND "unsafe"
"Newtonville" AND "dangerous"
"Newtonville" AND "condemned"
"Newtonville" AND "lean"
"Newtonville" AND "tilt"
"Newtonville" AND "fall"
"Newtonville" AND "collapse"
"Newtonville" AND "deadly"
"Newtonville" AND "concerns"
"Newtonville" AND "worried"
"Newtonville" AND "different engineer"
"Newtonville" AND "different guy"
"Newtonville" AND "new engineer"
"Newtonville" AND "complaint"
"Newtonville" AND "twitter"
"Newtonville" AND "whistleblower"
"Newtonville" AND "whistle"

If possible, please send all emails, regardless of time period. However, if the number of emails produced by this request creates an undue burden for you to review for suitability for release, please exclude the oldest emails, in 1-year blocks, until the amount of emails indicated by the resulting search is appropriately sized for your resources and the request can be fulfilled.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by the recommendations of the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

I expect the request to be filled in an accessible format, including for screen readers, which provide text-to-speech for persons unable to read print. Files that are not accessible to screen readers include, for example, .pdf image files as well as physical documents.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Robert Bono

Thank you for using the MBTA’s Public Records Center.
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

--- Please respond above this line ---

November 11, 2019
Robert Bono MuckRock News DEPT MR 82160 411A Highland Ave Somerville, MA 02144
Re: Public Records Request for “To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, I hereby request the following records:

All emails containing the following combinations of keyword phrases:

"Newtonville" AND "stairs"
"Newtonville" AND "staircase"
"Newtonville" AND "unsafe"
"Newtonville" AND "dangerous"
"Newtonville" AND "condemned"
"Newtonville" AND "lean"
"Newtonville" AND "tilt"
"Newtonville" AND "fall"
"Newtonville" AND "collapse"
"Newtonville" AND "deadly"
"Newtonville" AND "concerns"
"Newtonville" AND "worried"
"Newtonville" AND "different engineer"
"Newtonville" AND "different guy"
"Newtonville" AND "new engineer"
"Newtonville" AND "complaint"
"Newtonville" AND "twitter"
"Newtonville" AND "whistleblower"
"Newtonville" AND "whistle"

If possible, please send all emails, regardless of time period. However, if the number of emails produced by this request creates an undue burden for you to review for suitability for release, please exclude the oldest emails, in 1-year blocks, until the amount of emails indicated by the resulting search is appropriately sized for your resources and the request can be fulfilled.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by the recommendations of the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

I expect the request to be filled in an accessible format, including for screen readers, which provide text-to-speech for persons unable to read print. Files that are not accessible to screen readers include, for example, .pdf image files as well as physical documents.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Robert Bono

Upload documents directly: https://https://www.muckrock.comhttps://www.muckrock.com/

Our Case No.: R000644-102819
Dear Mr. Bono,
The MBTA is in receipt of your request for public records dated October 28, 2019 regarding the above-referenced matter; this request was received by our Records Access Officer on October 28, 2019.
During our initial search, and in an attempt to comply with your request, it has been determined that based on your initial request the amount of records is beyond the basic purpose and intent of the public records law.  "A requester does not need absolute precision, but an agency is entitled to more than a general category of what may be thousands of documents." See The David Project, Inc. v. Boston Redevelopment Authority, 22 Mass.L.Rep. 361 (2007). Specifically, a search of the MBTA's server for just the past year (10/28/18-10/28-19) turned up thousands of emails that meet the keyword requirements of your request.

Please reply at your earliest convenience to clarify, or assist in the modification of the scope of, your request so that we may more efficiently or affordably accommodate you. suggestions include shortening your request to a time period of less than one year or curtailing your list of key words to just 3-5, many of which are generic and will undoubtedly continue to return numerous results. While I cannot guarantee that a new search conforming to the above will not require further modification, it will allow us to get much closer to a pool of responsive emails that does not present an undue burden to the MBTA.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We are unable to do any further work on this request until we receive your response.
Sincerely,
Julie Ciollo
Assistant General Counsel/
Records Access Officer