Brockton’s CFO and DPW commissioner described a three-year $175,000 grant from the Barr Foundation intended to fund a transportation planner who will coordinate transportation-related grants and projects across city departments.

CFO Troy Clarkson told the Finance Committee the grant will allow the city to ‘‘bring on a transportation planner to help us with many of the transportation related grants and projects that we have ongoing’’ and that the DPW commissioner will be the primary city point of contact. DPW Commissioner Pat Hill said the planner will be a ‘‘middle person’’ to coordinate between city staff and consultants on major projects, naming the upcoming $7,800,000 RAISE grant to convert downtown streets to two-way as a likely major assignment. Clarkson and Hill noted the new position will work closely with the Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC) and local transit agency BAT on planning and TIP-funded projects.

Committee members asked about the position’s duties and how it differs from OCPC; Hill said OCPC oversees large-scale, regional projects while the planner will coordinate city-side implementation and consultant work. The committee recommended accepting the grant and forwarding the order to the full City Council.