Dimensions - March/April 2009 - 2

Engaging the Public New Approaches May Yield Better Input Government agencies continue to explore new methods to improve communication and interaction with the public and citizens they serve. While traditional meetings where citizens are invited to participate in a public forum still play an important and necessary role in public works projects, agencies are also branching out into the community to garner broader input or using new technology to more efficiently share and bring to life vital information. Going Where They Gather In Trenton, New Jersey, city planners, developers, the Capital City Redevelopment Corporation (CCRC) and the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) are looking to convert a 1.8-mile section of Route 29, a thoroughfare that runs along the Trenton waterfront, into an urban boulevard. The ultimate goal is to return this notable waterfront to a thriving, walkable destination. An extensive public outreach program was required to provide coordination and input from the local community, various stakeholders, and adjacent projects. NJDOT tasked Dewberry with the responsibility to conduct the feasibility of the conversion. During the summer of 2008, the firm actively participated in several public events in downtown Trenton to showcase the revitalization project’s benefit to the community, gather input, and encourage people to participate in the public involvement process. The efforts included developing and staffing informational booths at Trenton’s 3rd Annual Spirit Walk in Cadwalader Park, the city’s 23rd Annual Heritage Day Festival, and the 31st Annual Puerto Rican Parade, held at the Sovereign Bank Arena. Dewberry and NJDOT representatives presented the project at the Trenton Civic Association monthly meeting and the Concerned Pastors of Trenton and Vicinity’s monthly gathering. “The public outreach program is a tool that helped boost public attendance at the NJDOT’s formal public meeting regarding the project,” says Evans Marcellus, NJDOT Division of Project Development’s project engineer. In the News: Public Meeting Notice Website Described in a recent news release, the state of Utah has launched what it is calling the nation’s first Public Meeting Notice website. Using the website, Utah residents can search by topic or government organization and find public meetings scheduled throughout the state. According to the news release, the site allows visitors to access the details associated with both past and upcoming public meetings, including the address, date, time, and agenda. Public users may also subscribe to receive meeting notices via e-mail or RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed. The website was designed to offer greater accessibility to public meeting information and encourage greater participation by the public. State agencies and political subdivisions with a budget over $1 million are required to post meetings to the website, while municipalities and special districts that have a budget of less than $1 million are encouraged but not required to post written notice on the site. The Public Meeting Notice website may be found at http://www.utah.gov/pmn. 2
http://www.utah.gov/pmn
Dimensions - March/April 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dimensions - March/April 2009
