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<br />www.craigasmith.com <br /> <br />PUBLIC OUTREACH <br /> <br />In municipal capital improvements projects numerous engineering disciplines may be included such as Civil <br />Engineering, Geotechnical, Electrical and Surveying among other services, which need to be coordinated in <br />a manner to deliver the desired results for the client. In addition, communications coordination with Client <br />Staff, Elected Officials, Fire Rescue/Emergency Services, Residents, Tenants and near-by Business Owners <br />and Schools is an absolute necessity <br />for utility improvements that may <br />impact these stakeholders. <br /> <br />Managing sensitive project issues <br />and conditions such as ensuring <br />Homeowners having access to their <br />properties (day/night/weekends) <br />and keeping water or sewer service <br />interruptions at a minimum are top <br />priorities. Preservation of historic <br />trees, disruption of residential <br />properties, open access to <br />commercial businesses, negative <br />traffic impacts and safety implications associated with construction maybe additional considerations that <br />should be addressed early on. Dealing with these challenging and most concerning public issues first, will <br />garner and establish a workable trust and comfort level for all affected moving forward for any such project. <br /> <br />There are many ways to notify those directly and indirectly affected by construction inconveniences <br />depending on the type and duration of the project; diagram door-hanger notices, community meetings, Client <br />dedicated project website postings, water bill stuffers, Client television programming, Client Commission <br />meeting announcements, public charrettes, Client Phone Bank system, social media outlets and mailers are <br />all effective tools. Also, it is important to understand that project misinformation, rumors and bad <br />information generated by the public can be resolved through the above-mentioned channels as well. Equally <br />important and seldom emphasized are the benefits of these utility improvement projects. They too, can be <br />conveyed through all the channels mentioned above. <br /> <br />A project’s success largely depends on how one takes advantage of community engagement opportunities <br />at the 30%, 60% and 90% Design Drawing stages. By employing consensus-building interactive community <br />engagement methods for the purpose of determining various design elements, the community becomes an <br />active part of the decision-making process. For example, there are two (2) active methods for public <br />participation in accordance with the State of Florida FDOT Public Involvement Handbook, Chapter 8 that are <br />very useful in garnering community consensus. <br /> <br />1. Dot Density/ Metrix – allows the public to indicate by visual depiction their preferences (Real-time <br />Polling) and encourages interaction with the consultants and engineers. <br /> <br />2. Rank & Rate Comment Sheet – this method simply has the participants “Rank/Rate” the options <br />using and placing assigned numerical values to the options. This method can serve as a cross- <br />reference to re-affirm the public’s visual preferences. <br /> <br />89