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Improving the Effectiveness of Public Meetings and Hearings
Publication No. FHWA-HI-91-006 January 1991 U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (Revised Edition) �컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴퀼 Improving the Effectiveness of Public Meetings and Hearings National Highway lnstitutes TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 CHAPTER 1: MEETINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Meeting Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Meeting Formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Large Meetings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Small . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Walk-in Information Sessions. . . . . . . . . . . .23 Meeting Dates and Times. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Site Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Meeting Displays, Handouts, and Audio-Visual Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Staffing Arrangements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Technical Presentations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Guidelines and Procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Meeting Notifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Meeting Agendas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 In-House Briefings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Meeting Conduct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Meeting Conductors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Guidelines and Procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Meeting Follow-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Evaluation of Public Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Agency Self-Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 CHAPTER 2: PUBLIC HEARINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Hearing Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Long-Range Preparatory Activities. . . . . . . . . . . .59 Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Traditional Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 "Dual Hearing" Format. . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Open Forum Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64A Information Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Graphics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Procedural Aspects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 Short-Range Preparatory Activities. . . . . . . . .72 Hearing Conduct. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Hearing Follow-Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 CHAPTER 3: NOTIFICATION TECHNIQUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 Mass Media Advertisements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 Newspapers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page Press Releases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 Public (Formal) Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Paid Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 Radio and Television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Direct Mailings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Letters of Invitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Fliers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Newsletters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Other Notification Techniques. . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Posters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Field Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 CHAPTER 4:HANDOUTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Maps and Aerial Photographs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Project-Related Pamphlets and Brochures. . . . . . . . 141 General Pamphlets and Brochures. . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Right-of-Way Brochures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Forms for Audience-Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Charts and Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Photographs and Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Position Papers and Summary Reports. . . . . . . . . . 167 CHAPTER 5: graphics AND AUDIO-VISUAL AIDS. . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Basic Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Preparation and Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Aerial Exhibits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Slide Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Models. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Charts, Graphs, and Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . 182 "Realistic" Representations . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Films and Videotapes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 FINAL THOUGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 APPENDIX I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 APPENDIX II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 INDEX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 LIST OF EXHIBITS Page Exhibit 1-1 Community Involvement scope memorandum 8 1-2 Community Involvement scope memorandum 9 1-3 Community Involvement scope memorandum 10 1-4 Community Involvement scope memorandum 11-12 1-5 Meeting notice 27 1-6 Meeting site inventory form 31 1-7 Meeting site confirmation letter 33 1-8 Hearing site confirmation letter 34 1-9 Meeting agenda 45 1-10 Multi-purpose meeting handout 46 2-1 Hearing preparation memorandum 60-62 3-1 Hearing press release 85-86 3-2 Meeting press release 87-88 3-3 Public (formal) notice/paid advertisement 91 3-4 Public (formal) notice/paid advertisement 92 3-5 Public (formal) notice 94-96 3-6 Paid advertisement 100 3-7 Paid advertisement 101 3-8 Letter of invitation: Hearing 105-106 3-9 Letter of invitation: Meeting 108-109 3-10 Comparative chart: Alternatives 115 3-11 Newsletter insert 116-117 3-12 Newsletter project quiz 119 3-13 Newsletter logo 120 3-14 Newsletter logo 122 LIST OF EXHIBITS (continued) Exhibit Page 3-15 Newsletter logo 123 3-16 Newsletter page with improper layout 124 3-17 Meeting poster 131 3-18 Meeting poster 132 3-19 Hearing poster 133 3-20 Hearing poster 135 3-21 Hearing poster 136 4-1 Handout map 142 4-2 Handout map 143 4-3 Handout map 144 4-4 Handout map 145 4-5 Letter of invitation: Information center 147 4-6 Diagram: Roadway construction options 149 4-7 Project map: Brochure 150 4-8 Cartoon: Right-of-Way brochure 155 4-9 Speakers' card/registration card 157 4-10 Hearing questionnaire 159 4-11 Workshop registration card 160 4-12 Meeting questionnaire 161-162 4-13 Workshop group discussion guide 163 4-14 Comparative chart: Alternatives 164 4-15 Comparative chart: Alternatives 165 4-16 Comparative chart: Alternatives 166 4-17 Artists' renderings 168 INTRODUCTION During the past few years, effective interaction between trans- portation agencies and the public has become a significant factor in determining the parameters within which any highway project can be designed and constructed. Whereas a roadway proposal's viability once depended almost wholly on engineering and design criteria, the highway planning process today closely reflects a new set of values based on a combination of changing fiscal conditions and increasing environmental and social awareness. Accordingly, highway and transportation agencies throughout the country have attempted to develop techniques and programs that are designed to both facilitate community outreach and effectively utilize community input. The result, to date, is a compendium of public involvement processes and activities that reflects not only a conscientious approach to a new and difficult challenge but also a considerable amount of experimentation and creativity. Not sur- prisingly, the most innovative -- and effective -- community in- volvement activities that have been documented are those that re- late to public meetings and hearings. As the cornerstone of public participation efforts in virtually every state, the meeting/hearing component has been given the greatest amount of attention, analysis, and evaluation. It is for this reason that our guidebook, and the workshops to which it is a companion, focus specifically on the development and implementation of creative and realistic approaches to the preparation, conduct, and follow-up of meetings and hearings. Designed to serve as a "state of the art" report and introduction to a variety of techniques and processes, the guidebook is based on the practical community involvement experience of its authors, in combination with a review of public meeting and hearing materials developed by a cross-section of state highway and transportation departments. For the most part, the guidebook does not deal with the theoretical aspects of community involvement. Instead, it attempts to relate the viability and effectiveness of a public participation program to such basic meeting and hearing elements as appropriateness of notification procedures; format; exhibits; handouts; presentations; and meeting conductor or hearing officer. 1 In line with its practical orientation, the book focuses on rele- vancy and the need to treat each project, each agency, and each community as a unique entity with special resources and unavoidable constraints. It therefore functions literally as a "sampler" of community involvement techniques that are presented for considera- tion without recommendation or disavowal. Intended as a mechanism for the sharing of experiences, the guidebook will hopefully meet its objective by being of value to community involvement practi- tioners with diversified needs and interests. 2 CHAPTER 1: MEETINGS It is commonly acknowledged that meetings are the pivotal component of a Community Involvement Program. They provide a framework for constructively interacting with the public; an opportunity for developing agency credibility; and a.mechanism for obtaining, evaluating, and incorporating public input on an ongoing basis. But the catchword "meeting" contains a number of pitfalls, the most serious being the tendency to substitute the fact of a meeting for its substantive possibilities. All too often, a meeting is held without adequate consideration of its overall objective or of the specific agenda, format, and presentation that would most appropriately complement that objective. The result, as might be expected, is unproductive ... and frustrating for agency and community alike! Clearly there is no boiler-plate formula for planning a successful meeting. The multiplicity of subjective and objective factors; the variety of available formats; and the inherent flexibility in the concept itself make each meeting a very individual event. There are, however, guidelines for assuring that all aspects of meeting preparation, conduct, and follow-up will receive the thoughtful and comprehensive planning they deserve. In this chapter we will focus on these guidelines, as well as on techniques, processes, and specific activities that have proven successful for a variety of states throughout the country. To supplement our discussion, we have included a checklist of essential meeting preparation tasks as APPENDIX I. First, let us start with a DEFINITION: In this guidebook, the term "meeting" will be used to describe all structured opportunities for face- to-face interaction between an agency and a group of citizens, with the exception of the formal public hearing. Because of significant differences in concept, purpose, format, and timing, meetings and hearings will be dealt with as separate and distinct entities. For more information on hearings, please see the chapter that begins on page 58. Although the panorama of public meetings is becoming increasingly diversified and complex, all meetings -- regardless of their scope, purpose or format -share the common objective of encouraging communication between as large a cross-section of agency and community people as possible. Within this broad definition, a number of significant sub-objectives emerge. At one or more stages of the project development cycle, meetings should be held to: Inform the public of future plans, present status, and anticipated timeframes of a project-related work program. Early information meetings not only provide the basis for a constructive ongoing community involvement program but also facilitate the identification of potential problems and controversial issues before they reach crisis proportions. Many agencies have found that meeting with the community at the inception of a project permits development of a more realistic work program; decreases the likelihood of rumors based on dis- 3 torted or incorrect project information; and ultimately results in savings of time, money, and people-power that might otherwise have been spent on further examination of unacceptable options. Identify groups and individuals that may have specific inputs and/or particular perspectives of value to the planning process; and develop mechanisms for ongoing interaction with these people. Meetings conducted early in the planning process can often help an agency focus on people and organizations that might constructively contribute to a technical or citizens advisory group, project workshop, or brainstorming session. In addition, the introduction of a community-based group of activists and technical specialists to one another can create a commonality of interest that often results in creative solutions to controversial problems. Update the public on the progress of ongoing studies; receive community input and recommendations; and provide feedback concerning previous local input. A series of structured public meetings at strategic points in the planning process provides an effective means of communicating with large segments of the project community on a regular basis. Several states have found that the project location phase lends itself to major meetings relating to 1) project scope and objectives; 2) alternatives under consideration; 3) potential environmental impacts; and 4) probable relocation and right-of-way implications. In addition to offering the reassurance of continuity, these meetings can help to publicly monitor the evolution of a project. They can also serve to bolster an agency's image and credibility -- particularly if it is possible to pinpoint areas in which local input has resulted in a-modified proposal; a change in approach; or the elimination or addition of an alternative. Monitor the attitudes and concerns of interested and potentially affected publics for the purpose of modifying project proposals. An agency can learn a great deal about the overall project environment and about the viability of any given alternative by objectively and actively listening to community spokespeople. Formal statements at large structured meetings, as well as more casual remarks at small group discussions, can provide an agency with new perspectives and insights into the goals and values of the community. Properly assessed, such monitoring can significantly add to the development of a project that more effectively meets the needs of the community it is designed to serve. Discuss as fully as possible a variety of project-related issues as they relate to the community's perception of its needs, concerns and objectives. Both large and small meetings can be used to stimulate spontaneous dialogue that can result in an increased cooperative spirit as well as valuable project input. Specific issue-oriented seminars or workshops; agency-sponsored debates; and walk-in open house information sessions are particularly effective in this regard. Once again, the important ingredient is feedback: Whenever a discussion raises a new issue or approach, it is essential that the agency provide a workable framework within which to consider the input and relate its findings. Reach consensus on one or more issues raised in the course of the agency's studies. Although the community involvement process must very specifically reserve ultimate decision-making authority for the agency itself, there 4 are situations that require agreement within the community as a prerequisite to continued agency activity on a project. Small problem-solving or workshop sessions, in which selected community representatives attempt to jointly develop an acceptable position, can provide the impetus and environment needed to revive flagging or aimless communication. Each of these objectives assumes particular importance at a designated stage in the project development process. As a project evolves from general discussion towards a public hearing at which a specific location and/or design configuration will be selected, priorities shift and the need for a flexible approach to meetings becomes imperative. A variety of formats, structures, and agendas must be carefully planned to accommodate the community's diverse and sometimes conflicting needs and to help the agency anticipate and deal with such situations as: meetings at which participants demand negotiation and decision-making rather than an exchange of information and ideas. meetings that are prone to over-representation by vested interests and under-representation by a cross-section of the project community. meetings at which a wide range of complex and divergent concerns and interests merit presentation and discussion. Participants who have become project experts and attempt to dominate the meeting. Well-organized special interest groups that tend to intimidate and frustrate the average citizen. Participants who introduce extraneous and irrelevant issues. Participants who insist on lengthy expressions of support of or opposition to a project without introducing any new or substantive information. Hostile and disruptive factions that attempt to reduce a meeting to confrontation. Although there is no foolproof or utopian solution to these problems, the likelihood of their occurrence can be minimized by thorough preparation, combined with a bit of common sense and an invaluable dose of experience. 5 MEETING PREPARATION It cannot be overemphasized that a successful meeting is the result of early, comprehensive, and thorough planning. Despite its appearance, an "effortless" meeting does not "just happen". Nor is it wholly the function of an experienced and effective moderator or conductor. Put in its simplest terms, a productive meeting is the culmination of hard work, involving a combination of creative decision-making and tedious routine tasks. With this in mind, we are presenting the following guidelines for meeting preparation. Based on information developed by a variety of state transportation agencies throughout the country, they represent a composite of workable techniques and activities. In reviewing the guidelines and the suggested chronological task sequence, it is important to remember that our intention is not to put forth an absolute mandate or program. As with all other aspects of a community involvement program, meeting preparation is a highly individualized function that must be specifically geared to the unique needs and resources of each agency and of each project. The following recommendations should therefore be utilized, adapted, or ignored, as appropriate: 1. Clearly define and structure your community involvement program The first task in preparing for a meeting should actually be undertaken long before any specific community involvement activity is scheduled. Since a successful meeting cannot exist in isolation but must fit into an overall framework of public participation events, it is important to develop a comprehensive and long-range perspective of your community involvement program. Once you have defined your project community and become familiar with the specifics of the proposed action and of the involved geographic area, it is time to determine the scope and objectives of your community involvement activities. Before finalizing a work program, it is important to take a close look at the overall project timeframe; available internal resources, including budget, peoplepower, and equipment; and department priorities and potentially conflicting demands within the given time period. In determining the specific components and the overall configuration of your program, consider such factors as: Developing, maintaining, and updating a project mailing list. projecting the number, timing, format, and purpose of community meetings. Scheduling workshops, forums, and/or open house information sessions. Establishing citizen and/or technical advisory committees. Developing appropriate meeting/hearing procedures and agendas. Coordinating the research and development of meeting/hearing presentations. 6 Preparing and distributing newsletters, press releases, brochures, and/or newspaper inserts. developing an overall program of media relations and community education/information. determining the extent of formal and informal notification procedures. developing techniques for evaluating, incorporating, and following up on public input. selecting and preparing appropriate handouts, graphics, displays, and exhibits. Appropriately using audio-visual aids. Selecting meeting/hearing panels, conductors, and moderators. staffing and administering meetings and hearings. One northeastern state begins to.structure an individual program of community involvement activities as soon as any project is included in the agency's annual work element. That program is defined in a scope memorandum, which becomes the first major document in the project's community involvement file. In some cases, the scope simply involves a single meeting; in others, it provides for an interrelationship of formal and informal meetings, newsletters, questionnaires, technical and citizens advisory groups and, of course, the public hearing component. Even projects that are found to require no community involvement activities are written up and placed on file for future reference and possible reevaluation. In all cases, the scope of work is the product of internal meetings, site inspections, and research into the historical and, in some cases, legal background of the subject project. Although scopes defined at the inception of the planning process are inevitably modified and expanded upon as the project develops, they serve as a skeletal tool to guide the community involvement program through its early days and to assist in establishing long- range schedules and work assignments. EXHIBITS 1-1 to 1-4 show several examples of scope memoranda, each defining a project of distinctly different range and complexity. 2. Clearly define the goals and objectives of the meeting. Prior to initiating any specific meeting preparation tasks, it is important that all involved personnel understand the purpose of the meeting and the anticipated accomplishments. Agreement on the session's goals and objectives is essential to the development of a realistic agenda and presentation, as well as to the determination of format, site, timing, and panel composition. Some examples: 7 Exhibit 1-1 SUBJECT Community Involvement Scope -- DATE June 9, Route 18, Sections 2C and 1F Following our evaluation of the Route 18, Sections 2C & 1F project, it has been determined that the Community Involvement program will consist of the following: 1. News Releases - The agency will prepare all news releases for the project. 2. Newsletters - There will be no newsletters for this project. 3. Community Contact Point - The agency's Office of Community Involvement will be the contact point for all local inquiries and recommendations. 4. Mailing List - The Office of Community Involvement will develop a mailing list for this project. The list will include all potentially affected residents and property owners; all elected and appointed officials from the federal level down through the local level; and all transportation, environmental, and civic groups in the project area. 5. Community Meetings - There will be two (2) public meetings for this project prior to a public hearing -- one introductory meeting to discuss the scope and objectives of the project and one alignment/impact meeting to explain the specific effects of the proposed action. An in-house briefing will be held prior to each meeting as well as the combined corridor/design public hearing. It is my understanding that no consultant will be involved. Unless this status changes, our Office will use the existing 200-scale plans for the introductory and impact meetings. It is quite possible that 100-scale plans will be developed for and used as our exhibits for the corridor/design hearing. Since the Department does not at present plan to utilize consultant services, I am not submitting a cost breakdown at this time. However, should the status change, such a breakdown will be provided. 8 Exhibit 1-2 SUBJECT I-78 FEIS - Community Involvement DATE May 26, Subsequent to a careful consideration of the Community Involvement needs for the development of the I-78 FEIS, I have determined that our program will consist of the following: 1. News Releases - The agency will prepare all news releases. 2. Community Contact Point - The Office of Community Involve-ment will be the contact-point for all Inquiries and recommendations from the public. 3. Mailing List - The Office of Community Involvement will update its I-78 Mailing list to assure that local officials; potentially affected property owners, residents, and business people; transportation, environmental, and civic groups In the area; and Interested citizens will be properly notified. 4. Information Sessions - In lieu of structured formal meetings, monthly Information centers will be the basis of our Community Involvement program. The information sessions will be staffed with Department personnel and the consultants, and will be held in each of the affected municipalities, from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., as follows: Friday, June 17..........Berkeley Heights Municipal Building Thursday, June 21........Springfield Municipal Building Tuesday, August 30.......Summit, Braden Elementary School Thursday, September......22 Berkeley Heights Municipal Building Madigan-Praeger's proposal should reflect the man-hours and costs associated with participation in this program. Our estimated cost breakdown for the consultant's attendance at each session Is as follows: One Principal Engineer (Madigan-Praeger) @ $9.83 per hour x 12� hours .........$122.87 One Principal Engineer (Noise Consultant) @ $9.83 per hour x 12� hours .........$122.87 There will-be no need for the consultant to prepare any visual displays, written materials, exhibits, or charts for these infor- mation sessions. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions at this time. 9 Exhibit 1-3 SUBJECT Community Involvement Scope -- DATE May 3, M-5079(101), Market Street, City of Trenton Following our evaluation of the Market Street project. it has been determined that the Community Involvement program will consist of the following 1. News Releases - The agency will prepare all news releases for the project. 2. Newsletters - There will be no newsletter for this project. 3. Community Contact Point - The agency's Office of Community In- volvement will be the contact point for all local Inquiries and recommendations. 4. Mailing last - The consultants should prepare a mailing list for this project. The list should include all potentially affected residents and property owners; all elected and appointed officials; and all transportation. environmental, and civic groups In the area. The mailing list should also include property owners who are not directly affected, but who are within a 250 foot radius of the project area. 5. Community Meetings - The Community Involvement program will focus on one introductory meeting; one alignment/impact meeting; and a design public hearing which will be preceded by an Informal Information center. The consultants will, of course, be required to attend all meetings; prepare a suitable exhibit, preferably of a scale compatible with the project (at least 30-scale); and prepare and make any formal presentations requested by the Department. In addition. the consultants will be required to attend in-house briefings prior to each public meeting. Our estimated cost breakdown for consultant activities is as follows; 1) Public Meeting - Item Includes consultant $ 204.00 preparation for and attendance at briefing sessions and the public meeting. 2) Alignment/Impact Meeting - Item includes 204.00 tasks listed in #1 above. 3) Public Hearing - Item includes tasks listed 272.00 In #1 above and the information center. 4) Mailing, List Preparation 147.00 5) Exhibit Preparation - Cost Includes the obtaining 00.00 of necessary plans and their preparation for an exhibit. (No cost for the preparation of 30-scale plans In the design phase.) Provision should be made for: (a) taping of the existing and proposed 68.00 right-of-way lines, critical Inter- sections, etc. (b) photography and enlargement $ 150.00 TOTAL $1,045.00 Please feel free to contact me If you have any further questions at this point. 10 Exhibit 1-4 DRAFT - To be finalized following meeting with Burlington County. SUBJECT Community Involvement Scope DATE August 5, Pemberton By-Pass 1. News Releases - The agency will prepare all news releases for the project. 2. Newsletters - There will be no newsletters for this project. 3. Community Contact Point - The agency's Office of Community In- volvement will be the contact point for all local Inquiries and recommendations. 4. Mailing List - Burlington County should prepare a mailing list for this project. The list should include all potentially af- fected residents and property owners; All elected and appointed officials; and all transportation, environmental, and civic groups in the area. 5. Exhibits - Burlington County should prepare appropriate exhibits showing all alternates considered. The primary exhibit showing alignment alternates should be on a fairly recent aerial photo 100-200-400 - scale (see attached photo). Other exhibits may include bridge renderings, highway cross- sections, cost, time schedules, etc. (any consultant for project may accomplish or participate). 6. Presentations - The County should prepare appropriate presentations for each public meeting and the public hearing. These presentations should include the background and history of the project; an explanation of the corridor/design features of the project; a discussion of all alternates under consideration; a summary of all environmental, social, and economic Impacts; and a description of right-of-way acquisition and relocation procedures. 7. Community Meetings - The Community Involvement program will focus on three public meetings and a public hearing. The first or introductory meeting should cover the history of the project; any alternate designs that are already under consideration; a brief statement on the environmental process; and right-of-way procedures. The second should update the project, particularly In the areas of proposed alternates and Impacts. The third meeting should be an information session held just prior to the day of the hearing. An allowance should be made for any additional meetings requested by officials or the public. 8. Public Hearing - The County presentation should be revised to reflect all comments, recommendations, and data from the previous public meetings. Alternates should now be more clearly defined and the number of relocations and acquisition costs for each alternate updated. The environmental Impacts should now be thoroughly presented and discussed. 11 Exhibit 1-4 continued The County and consultants will be required to attend all public meetings and the public hearing, as well as In-house briefings prior to each public meeting and the hearing. The man-hours listed below are at best a rough estimate and will be refined after meeting with County personnel. Approximate Man-Hour Breakdown - County Preparation of Exhibits Engineers-50 hours Draftsmen & Artists - 100 hours Attendance at Meetings Engineers-60 hours Approximate Man-Hour Breakdown - Community Involvement Staff Preparation of Exhibits (Meetings) Director - 16 hours Area Coordinator - 32 hours On-Site Inspections & Site Selec- Director - 8 hours tion for Meetings & Hearing Area Coordinator - 32 hours Attendance at Meetings Director - 30 hours Area Coordinator - 30 hours Hearing Director - 8 hours Area Coordinator - 16 hours Technician - 16 hours 12 An introductory information meeting designed to acquaint the general project community with the overall panorama of the proposed work is most appropriately conducted as a traditional presentation/question-and-answer/discussion session. Informal small group meetings or workshops are decidedly less effective techniques for accomplishing the stated purpose. A meeting scheduled to discuss environmental impacts should not include an engineering presentation on the geometry of alternative alignments. Although engineering staff members should be available to answer any relevant questions, they should not take the initiative and thereby dilute the basic purpose of the meeting. A meeting held to discuss possible right-of-way and relocation implications should not be scheduled until specific, albeit tentative, areas of impact can be defined. A general right- of-way "policy and procedure" meeting, held early in the planning process, serves no constructive purpose and tends to result in fear, confusion, and a distortion of fact. Once you have crystallized the objectives of your meeting, double- check to make sure that you have reasonably defined and limited your goals. If you set out to accomplish too much, you are likely to end up with a long aimless meeting that will discourage agency and community participants and probably fail to achieve any tangible results. One Mideastern state has developed the following fourmeeting structure that it uses as a guideline on all major projects: Meeting 1 - To introduce the project, "let the publics know what the Department of Transportation is doing, and let DOT know what the public thinks." Meeting 2 - To show aerial photographs depicting 4 or 5 alternatives; get public comments and suggestions regarding additional alternatives or particular as-yet unaddressed needs; and develop a preliminary evaluation of general public reaction. Meeting 3 - To display a limited number of alternatives with reasonable design detail, including general geometries and general right-of-way. Once again, public reaction and recommendations are sought. Meeting 4 - To familiarize the public with the material that will be presented at the public hearing, in order to encourage people to "make informed comments". This meeting, held 2-6 weeks prior to the hearing, is an all-day informal session, at which participants are dealt with on a one-to-one basis. 3. Define the project community. Undoubtedly, one of the most difficult, problematic, and "least scientific" of the meeting preparation tasks is defining the project community. Clearly there are no hard-and-fast rules. Nor are there any universal guidelines. Familiarity with the project and its likely impacts; awareness of the general sensibility of the population of the area in question; and evaluation of the agency's resources and priorities must be considered on a case-by-case basis. An additional caveat: 13 Different criteria must be established and applied for community definition in urban, suburban, and rural areas. In all cases, the basic underlying decision is whether to define the community in a broad or in a narrow sense. Broad definition becomes very complex and ambiguous. Since it can be expanded to include all segments of the user population -- i.e, all motorists and others using the transportation network in question -- it is generally considered unwieldy. However, if a proposed project involves potential impacts to parkland or other cultural/recreational facilities, it is imperative to include the user population in your community involvement program. >>REMEMBER YOUR CORE COMMUNITY>> Regardless of your decision to adopt a broad or a narrow definition of community for any given project, a general "core community" should always be invited to participate. This group includes elected and appointed officials; local civic and spiritual leaders; and prominent transportation and environmental organizations in the area. Because community definition is a prerequisite to determining meeting format and notification procedures, as well as such meeting logistics as time, place, and panel composition, your decision to include or to exclude various segments of the population must be made at the project scope development stage. Among the questions to consider: How will the "general area of impact" be defined for a project in the feasibility or preliminary planning stage? Will the definition of community be limited to people in the primary area of impact (possible relocatees; individuals within an area of potentially unacceptable noise or air quality; people directly adjacent to the proposed alignment)? Or will it also include people in the secondary area of impact (those possibly affected by a loss of community cohesion; a change in the physical, cultural, or environmental character of the community, etc.)? How will "adjacent area" be defined? Will it include only the first row of houses or businesses abutting the proposed facility or will it include a broader band? If the latter, how broad -- 200', 500', more? Will the definition of community be limited to residential, commercial, and industrial property owners in the area or will tenants be included as well? All of these factors will significantly affect the development of a mailing list and the preparation and distribution of notification documents. For a complete discussion of mailing lists, please turn to page 103. A chapter on notification techniques begins on page 80. 14 4. Determine the meeting format. Selecting an appropriate meeting format is a key factor in determining the success or failure of a meeting. The choice of format is basically a simple one and should depend solely on the goals and objectives of the meeting. In almost all instances, a community involvement program should provide for a combination of formats: large structured information meetings; small discussion groups, workshops, and/or advisory panels; and informal walk-in information sessions, in addition to the public hearing. >>BEWARE OF INNOVATIVE FORMATS>> A recent trend towards experimenting with a variety of creative meeting designs contains more than a small amount of danger. Although brainstorming, role-playing, and fishbowl techniques can be extremely valuable, they are often inappropriate vehicles for reaching a meeting's objective or for satisfying the goals and requirements of an overall community involvement program. In spite of your creative inclinations, don't let "form dictate function". Reserve experimental formats for unique situations that warrant a maximum degree of attention and small group interaction. And always be sure that your fiscal, time, and personnel resources can accommodate the added component. Large Meetings. The traditional large meeting format is an effective means of presenting information and gathering public input. It represents a workable technique for disseminating substantial amounts of data to a large and diverse audience. For this reason, it is commonly used at meetings designed to introduce a project; present alternative alignments/designs; or discuss potential social, environmental, and economic impacts. In most instances, a large meeting consists of an agency presentation, followed by a discussion/question-and-answer period. Large meetings also serve another important function. By bringing together a variety of interest groups that might otherwise not be aware of each other's needs and concerns, they can become a catalyst for action. If held early in the planning process, before individuals and organizations have crystallized their positions and become resistant to change, meetings with a cross-section of the project population can give impetus to the need for early identification and resolution of problem issues. But large meetings also have many disadvantages. Although they are not encumbered by the legal requirements concerning notification, conduct, recording, and transcript preparation that exist for public hearings, they retain many aspects of formality. The traditional arrangement of a panel of agency officials facing the public is often intimidating and a barrier to a free exchange of ideas. The large room required for the meeting necessitates the use of microphones. The physical -- and psychological -- separation of agency from community tends to polarize positions, discourage less articulate or inexperienced speakers from participating; and reinforce the "us-versus-them" feeling that adds fuel to the fire of vocal minorities. Two basic large meeting room arrangements are shown in the following diagrams: 15 Click HERE for graphic. In opting for a large meeting format, it is therefore important to balance the pros and cons. Very often, the scope and objectives of the meeting preclude any other format; at other times, budgetary, personnel, and time constraints mitigate against holding a series of smaller sessions. A number of agencies have therefore concentrated on developing techniques, for creating a more informal room environment within the overall context of the large meeting format. Although some adaptations are not appropriate for very large meetings (over 100 people), several have been successfully- used with moderate-sized groups. Half-Moon or Circular Arrangement. This format breaks down the feeling of formality physically, by bringing the audience and the panel closer together and psychologically, by deviating from the traditional hierarchical "classroom" arrangement. As shown in the following diagram,.it is conducive to the placement of "scattered" microphones and therefore encourages the participation of people reluctant to speak from a focal position at the front of the room. In general, a half-moon or circular arrangement increases the possibility of active participation by a maximum number of people. The major drawback is finding a room that can comfortably accommodate the flexible seating arrangement. Click HERE for graphic. >>ELIMINATE YOUR HEAD PANEL>> Total integration of agency and community participants at a large meeting is an ideal, but not always attainable, goal. One agency has found that a moderate size meeting can be successfully conducted by structuring the seating in a horseshoe arrangement with the edges very close together at the front of the room. Agency representatives sit at the ends of the horseshoe, thereby eliminating the need for a formal panel. Although the application of this format is suitable only to very special situations, it is an effective means of creating a workable informal environment. "Conversational" Arrangement, This format combines elements of large and small meeting structure by designating specific areas for official presentation and for discussion purposes. As shown in the diagram below, the small table arrangement maximizes interaction by encouraging participants to share information and ideas throughout the course of the meeting. At the same time, the carefully structured room layout provides all attendees with clear visibility of speaker and graphics. With the elimination of the official panel, agency staffers are given the opportunity to "free- float" throughout the room and informally converse with community participants. The major drawback of this format Is that an effective relationship between the discussion and the presentation area can only be maintained if the number of participants is limited to a Click HERE for graphic. "Multi-Use" Arrangement. This format attempts to introduce informality by physically compartmentalizing the meeting room into different sections for different purposes. It is most frequently used for meetings at which complex data must be presented and discussed. As shown in the diagram below, a formal presentation area is separated from "activity" areas that permit participants to view displays; complete forms; gather general information and handouts; and participate in round-table discussions on specific topics. Major advantages of this format include establishment of an environment that is highly conducive to open communications and co- ordination of a number of important related activities into a cohesive whole. On the other hand, the "multi-use" arrangement has some major disadvantages. The most obvious is the need for an extremely large facility with total flexibility in terms of room arrangement and organization. An even more significant disadvantage is the tendency of this format to create a noisy unmanageable environment, in which conflicting activities are often competing for attention. Put in its simplest terms, this arrangement sets out to do too much. Even under optimum conditions, a large variety of simultaneously- occurring disparate events cannot co-exist in a single room. Several agencies deal with this problem by separating the activities into individual, preferably adjacent, rooms that are coordinated by a central information area. Each activity can be conducted with the respect, quiet, and integrity it deserves, and each attendee will have the opportunity to participate in all events without distraction. Click HERE for graphic. Small Meetings. A small meeting is the most effective way to promote informality; encourage an uninhibited exchange of ideas; and thoroughly discuss and evaluate an issue. For this reason, one of the many small meeting formats is generally selected whenever a meeting is designed to maximize informationsharing among community members. The agency's role at a small meeting is basically to define the topic or problem; present all necessary data; and then listen to and digest the participants' input, so that it can be thoroughly and objectively evaluated by department staffers at a later date. In recent years, many small meeting formats have been developed and successfully applied by state Departments of Transportation throughout the country. All utilize a circle, square, or oval seating arrangement for groups with a maximum of 20 participants and a "free-floating" small table set-up for larger meetings. A number of agencies use one of the following formats when conducting a task force, advisory panel, or consensus development meeting : Click HERE for graphic. In each case, the room arrangement is designed to meet the following objectives: 1) to enable 411 participants to see each other; 2) to integrate agency representatives with the public by seating them at community work tables; and 3) to eliminate a central focus and thereby create a "peer" environment. Other advantages include the elimination of microphones and the absence of a designated presentation area -- two factors that greatly contribute to the meeting's ease and informality. The most popular and effective small-group meeting arrangements are described below: Workshop. This format creates a highly conducive environment for open communications and an interactive exchange and evaluation of perspectives. Workshops are generally designed as informal work sessions that deal with a specific task or problem and that aim at reaching a definite goal or objective. Small workshops, with attendance limited to 15-25 representatives of a variety of interest groups, can focus on tasks as broad as formulating alternatives to an alignment under consideration or as narrow as recommending a site for relocation of a potentially impacted playground facility. These workshops often aim at developing consensus among a number of diverse and at times opposing community organizations. They can be conducted in any comfortable conference room or facility with a table large enough to permit all participants to see each other. Larger workshops, with as many as 100 people, can also be used to brainstorm, formulate, and discuss a range of specific project- related issues. These workshops are generally held in a large room set up to provide for a random arrangement of tables. Each table.of 5-10 participants initially functions as a separate entity: The group discusses the topic under consideration and then select, a spokesperson to present its analysis, interpretation, consensus, etc. to the entire gathering. Because of the larger number of participants, these workshops require a greater degree of organization relating to agenda and to time limits for discussion and presentation of material. To ensure informality, the seating arrangement must be carefully planned and flexible enough to permit each table to interact with participants in all other groups. One possible workshop format is indicated below: Click HERE for graphic. In his guidebook for the "Conducting a Public Meeting" workshop series, John F. Willey of the Massachusetts Department of Public Works lists a number of advantages of the workshop format. The following should be kept in mind when planning a small group session: 1) The citizens at the table select a table leader; therefore, we have a peer relationship. 2) No one person can dominate the meeting. 3) The work space encourages productivity. 4) People can and do speak freely without the fear of facing a large audience. 5) People can and do speak freely without the fear of microphones. 6) It allows citizens to provide information about their goals, values, and opinions. 7) It allows the Agency to present a list of questions that they would like answered by the citizens. Advisory Panel. The advisory panel is a very specialized small-group format that is highly interactive and informal. It generally consists of a group selected jointly by the agency and the community to serve as a consultative body. Membership may include a combination of technical and citizen advisors or be limited to one or the other. Advisory panels Are ideally suited to an informal round-table arrangement. Since membership usually does not exceed 15-20 people, microphones and other trappings of formality are never needed. The Agenda section of this chapter (pages 42-47) discusses in detail the comprehensive planning and organization that is needed to conduct an effective advisory panel session. But one word of caution is appropriate at this point: Make sure that you have clearly defined and communicated the purpose of your panel prior to scheduling your first meeting. Chaos and resentment will inevitably result unless you specify whether your panel is being convened to: 1) Serve as a general coordinating body and liaison between the agency and interested publics; 2) Function as a source of solid input from either a technical or a community perspective; or 3) Provide a screening mechanism prior to the agency's presentation of ideas to the community-at-large. Coffee Klatsch. This format is perhaps the ultimate technique used to maximize informality and open interaction. Generally held in a private home, for a group of no more than 15-20 people, it permits the discussion of project issues "over coffee and cake". As might be expected, seating is totally random, with 22 sofas, chairs, window sills, and even the floor considered appropriate. Although the presentation of project data at a coffee klatsch should be brief and to-the-point, flip-charts and handouts can effectively blend into the setting. Coffee klatsches are a particularly good format to use during the early planning stages of a project. They provide a perfect environment for calmly identifying and.discussing project issues and problems and for developing a good rapport between agency and public. In deciding whether to use a coffee klatsch format, an agency's primary consideration should be whether existing resources are adequate to permit a large number of small meetings throughout the project community. >>UNIVERSAL TIPS>> As you begin to develop the format for a major public meeting, remember to provide the following: Greeters near the entrance door; an information table with handouts, maps, agendas, comment forms, and knowledgeable personnel; adequate resource specialists; and a large display area. Walk-In Information Sessions. Walk-in information sessions are becoming an increasingly popular format for dealing with the public on a one-to-one basis. They can be conducted in any large facility that is conducive to a flexible arrangement of tables, exhibits, and personnel. School cafeterias, gymnasiums, and all- purpose rooms provide a virtually tailor-made environment. Since most sessions are conducted during both daytime and evening hours, all segments of the project population are given an opportunity to attend. Participants at 4 walk-in session are encouraged to read, ask questions, review exhibits, form discussion groups, or interact with each other and with agency representatives in a totally informal manner. Since there are no agendas, presentations, or other structured activities, people can come and go at will. At one time, walk-in information sessions were primarily considered a pre-hearing technique. Today, agency officials throughout the country are finding that they are appropriate at virtually any stage in the project development cycle -particularly at benchmarks designating the completion of specific engineering, environmental, or right-of-way activities. >>"WALK-THROUGH" EXHIBITS>> That is what one Department of Transportation calls its information sessions. They consist of a variety of separate rooms, each focusing on a relevant area of the project. Participants can pinpoint a particular area of interest or they can visit a series of rooms concerned with air quality, noise, right-of-way, and socioeconomic effects in order to gain a more comprehensive perspective. 23 5. Finalize the Meeting Date and Time. In order to assure a good meeting turnout, it is important to select a date and time that are suitable to the work patterns and lifestyles of the project community. Since no two communities are exactly alike, a bit of informal research, along with conversations with local spokespeople, will be your best guide. Initially, however, the selection of a meeting date and time will be governed by a number of internal agency factors. Principal among them: 1) The time required to prepare exhibits, presentations, slides, and other audio-visual aids; 2) The availability of technical data, reports, and other materials needed for the meeting; 3) The agency's current workload and overall meeting schedule; and 4) Legal and fiscal deadlines, including time limitations on availability of funds and final dates for filing permit applications. In reviewing these internal criteria, it is essential to establish a reasonable schedule and timeframe within which to accomplish all preparatory tasks. Try to avoid the aggravation of boxing yourself in with a "crisis" schedule that provides little flexibility and no margin for error; The chapters of Notification Procedures, Handouts, and Graphics and Audio-Visual Aids contain guidelines for timing your meeting preparation activities. Once you have narrowed down your list of possibilities, it is fairly simple to zero in on a particular date. As a general rule, meetings should not be scheduled on weekends or on national, religious, or ethnic holidays. If your project community includes a substantial Jewish population, it is also advisable to avoid scheduling Friday night meetings. And finally, it is always a good idea to familiarize yourself with the social, cultural, and religious events of the project community and to stay away from evenings on which civic and church activities are regularly scheduled. Determining a starting time for the meeting is similarly dependent on the habits and lifestyles of the community in question. Weekday evenings at 7:30 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. are generally considered the best times to start a meeting, since there is a greater likelihood that all segments of the public can attend. But states throughout the country report the following exceptions: 1) In communities with a large elderly population, afternoon meetings usually produce the best turnout. 2) In high crime areas, daytime or early evening meetings are preferable to a 7:30 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. start. 24 3) In communities with a high percentage of self-employed People particularly in rural areas -- afternoon meetings are preferred. 4) In bedroom communities, with a significant commuter population, evening meetings should not be scheduled prior to 8:00 p.m. >>KEEP AGENCY STAFF IN MIND>> In selecting a meeting time, be considerate of agency staffers who may have to travel a considerable distance from the project community to their homes. In an attempt to make the meeting as accessible as possible to community members, don't short-change your own people. Case in point: A small community in an eastern state repeatedly requested a 9:00 p.m. starting time for its meetings. The state transportation agency refused, citing a 4-hour round-trip travel time for its employees. 6. Select a Site. Determining where to hold a meeting is an essential preliminary decision that can significantly impact such factors as attendance; degree of participation; and initial community reaction to the agency and/or the project under discussion. In this regard, both the location of the meeting facility and the characteristics of the room itself assume importance and must be evaluated in terns of a number of criteria. Principal among them are the following: Accessibility and Availability. Whenever possible, select a facility that is welt=known, centrally located, and within reasonable proximity to the project under discussion. Once you have targeted your interested and affected communities, focus on sites that are close and accessible via major transportation arteries. In familiarizing yourself with the travel habits of your constituency, remember that distance is a relative matter: In urban areas, where walking and public transportation are the most common travel modes, it is a good idea to limit your site selection to a one-mile radius; conversely, in rural areas, where long-distance automobile travel is a way of life, many people will drive 20 miles or more without complaining. As you begin to focus on specific facilities, consider these other points: 1) If people are walking to the building either from their homes or from a mass transit stop, it is important to choose an area that is safe and well-lit. 2) If people are driving to the facility, free and ample nearby parking is essential. 3) If the meeting site is unfamiliar, new, difficult to reach, or difficult to identify in the dark, include a map and/or directions as part of your notification document. 25 This can be done simply and effectively by merely adding the meeting site to the overall project map. For example, EXHIBIT 1-5, a public meeting notice prepared by a western state, uses a blackened square to clearly identify the meeting site (Brighton High School) and to relate it to the proposed project. Other states have used asterisks or arrows to accomplish the same purpose. >>AIM FOR NEUTRAL TERRITORY>> In order to create as objective a meeting atmosphere as possible, it is important to avoid facilities that might have negative and/or emotional connotations. Courthouses and churches are generally considered poor choices and should be avoided whenever possible. Conversely, schools, community centers, or civic auditoriums are almost always acceptable. Another important aspect in the site selection process is the general availability of the facility -- not only during the hours you plan to hold your meeting but also for several hours before the meeting and for a reasonable period of time after the closing hour. In order to properly set up displays, check out equipment, and attend to any necessary housekeeping, focus on sites that are available by mid-afternoon.for an evening meeting and by mid- morning for an afternoon meeting. One state transportation agency has found that the following rule- of-thumb helps avoid last-minute crises: When planning a 7:30 p.m. meeting, it arranges for its equipment and meeting coordinators to arrive at the facility by 3:00 p.m. This gives them ample time to arrange the room, test all audio-visual and recording equipment, and provide for any adjustments well in advance of the public's arrival. Routine matters such as replacing a light bulb, finding an adapter, locating an extension cord, etc. can be handled comfortably and without the last-minute panic that has been known to disrupt even the best-planned schedule. Additional advantages: Necessary purchases can be made before local stores close; any items left behind at the office can be transported by other agency staff members planning to attend the meeting. It is equally important to know that your facility will be available for a period of time after the close of your meeting. Although proper planning should include a specific closing hour, it is important to build-in enough flexibility to enable you to extend the session if you are at a crucial point or close to reaching consensus. A building custodian's announcement that the facility will be locked-up in 10 minutes can completely shatter any rapport that has been developed during the meeting and totally destroy the agency's credibility. If you are dealing with a controversial project, you will probably find it particularly important to use some "cushion time" at the end of the meeting to speak to individuals with particular concerns or just to tie-up loose ends and develop and announce your follow-up strategy. One additional item relating to facility availability should be mentioned at this point. If at all possible, try to arrange for a site that can usually be reserved on short notice. A major unexpected event, such as severe weather conditions can, at times, necessitate cancellation and rescheduling of a meeting. It is time-and-cost-effective to go back to the same facility, thereby eliminating 26 Click HERE for graphic. 27 the need to duplicate efforts involved in site inspection, administrative items, and activities related to room arrangement, equipment, acoustics, etc. Comfort and Safety. An important influence on the degree of public participation at a meeting is the degree of physical comfort of meeting participants. One southern Department of Transportation cites "inappropriate settings" as a major criticism of its meetings and hearings, with warm, crowded rooms and poor acoustics heading the list of complaints. Other agencies agree that hostility at a meeting is often unrelated to the project itself but closely related to the physical aspects of the room. In almost all instances, an uncomfortable room situation can be avoided through proper planning and adequate foresight. Although the specifics of room arrangement are, of course, dependent on meeting format (see pages 15-23), the following characteristics are universally applicable and should be considered in all instances: 1) Adequate Seating. Although it is impossible to determine exactly how many people will attend any given meeting, a gross approximation is usually possible. In coming up with an estimate, consider such factors as: - Distance covered by the project. - Range of possible effects, particularly with regard to relocation; environmental impacts; historic sites; and institutions or community facilities. - Degree of local interest/publicity to date. - Size of present mailing list. When in doubt, overestimate by approximately 20% and arrange for the largest appropriate facility that will accommodate your needs without dwarfing your audience. Remember that although an overflow crowd creates tension and hostility, empty seats merely give people an opportunity to spread out. 2) Comfortable Seating. An ideal meeting room contains well-spaced padded chairs with armrest and adequate legroom. Even under less-than-optimum conditions, folding chairs and seats with vinyl covers should be avoided, if at all possible. 3) Good Acoustics. A quiet, soundproofed room with few distractions and good acoustics provides i comfortable setting for any type of meeting. If you are using a school or community center facility, make sure your meeting room is not located adjacent to the gymnasium or music room. If you are aiming for a small informal session, good acoustics have the added benefit of eliminating the need for microphones. 4) Proper Lighting. Such "minor" aspects as bright, non- glare lighting are essential to both the mood of the meeting and to proper illumination of exhibits. Avoid any facility that has a dingy or faulty lighting system and carefully double-check your room on the day of the meeting to replace any burned out or flickering bulbs. 28 5)Good Ventilation. As with lighting and acoustics proper heating and cooling systems are prerequisites for an objective and unemotional meeting environment. As a general rule, it is wise to avoid un-air-conditioned buildings in the summer. In light of current energy conservation measures, it is also a good idea to check on the heating limitations of most public facilities during the winter months. Appropriateness to the format and purpose of the meeting. In selecting a meeting facility, the format and objective of the meeting are, of course, of pivotal importance. If you are planning a large public meeting, with a formally structured presentation/question-and-answer agenda, your most reasonable choice would be an auditorium, preferably in a school or other public facility. If you are aiming for an informal session with substantial interaction between participants, a large room with a flexible seating arrangement would be preferable. Most states select a gymnasium, cafeteria, or all-purpose room for workshops, brainstorming sessions, or other informal meetings of this type. If a small advisory committee session is on your agenda, site selection can be limited to any comfortable room with a conference table. In all cases, an appropriate facility includes adequate space for exhibits and audio-visual equipment, as well as sufficient electrical outlets to run the meeting in an organized professional manner. A detailed discussion of the relationship between meeting format and room arrangement, accompanied by diagrams of suggested room layouts for a variety of meetings, is presented on pages 15-23. >>AVOID USE OF A DAIS OR PLATFORM>> Regardless of the format of your meeting, the use of-a dais or platform should always be avoided. The psychological effect of "looking up" at a panel of agency officials is devastating and strongly reinforces the community's perception of distance from and insignificance to the decision-makers. On the other hand, seating all meeting participants on one level is an effective way to encourage interaction by minimizing the "us against them" feeling. A principal goal of your site selection process should therefore be to locate a facility that permits the agency panel to be visible and audible without being seated on a dais or platform. You will find that most auditoriums have ample space between the front of the stage and the first row of seats to accommodate a table and some chairs. If you have traditionally placed your panel on a stage, positioning exhibits, microphones, the court reporter, etc. may require some rethinking. But virtually all agencies that have tried a "peer level" room arrangement would argue that it is well worth the effort. Administrative Aspects. Once you have tentatively selected a suitable facility, a site inspection, preferably accompanied by the individual responsible for the facility, is essential. The inspection should take place no later than 20 working days prior to the meeting, in order to 1) provide a cushion for selection of an alternate site, if necessary and 2) provide adequate time for incorporation of the date, time, and place of the meeting in all notification documents. 29 An on-site inspection of this nature serves a number of purposes and accomplishes a variety of administrative tasks. In order to maximize the value of your inspection, use it to: Check all physical aspects of the facility. in addition to the items discussed in previous sections of this would include checking the availability and proximity of rest rooms; becoming familiar with the lighting and security systems of the building; and verifying the existence of ramps, elevators, or other means to facilitate participation of elderly and handicapped individuals. If your inspection shows that stairs are the only access to your meeting room, it would probably be advisable to select another site. Inquire about the availability of furniture, equipment, etc. This might include chairs, easels, audio-visual equipment, microphones, a public address system, extension cords, pointers, a coffee urn, a water pitcher, and glasses. Pick up forms related to use of the building. These might include vouchers, insurance certificates, licenses, etc. Make sure you understand the forms and timeframes for their submission. A number of states have had the unfortunate experience of losing use of a building because they failed to process the necessary forms within the stipulated time period. Finalize negotiations relating to fees. If a rental fee is involved, this is a good opportunity to inquire about the process for payment and to pick up any forms that must be approved in advance of the meeting date. If custodial services are involved, now is the time to firm up the cost and find out about any contractual restrictions. Familiarize yourself with rules and regulations regarding use of the building. This would include such items as availability of the meeting room before and after the meeting; closing time for the building itself; no-smoking regulations; rules regarding refreshments; special parking provisions; security regulations; and any energy conservation measures that would affect use of the building's heating or cooling systems. >>KEEP AN INVENTORY OF SITES>> Several states are now developing site inventories that include the vital statistics of each facility, along with personal observations and recommendations regarding suggested usage. In addition to being time-and-cost efficient, the inventories provide a valuable pool of information that can be shared with other agencies and community groups in the area. One southern Department of Transportation has developed a simple yet effective form for maintaining its inventory. We have attached a sample as EXHIBIT 1-6. A final administrative item that should not be overlooked in the site selection process is the preparation of a confirmation letter, to be sent to the school principal, school superintendent, town manager, or other individual responsible for the facility under consideration. The letter should finalize arrangements 30 Exhibit 1-6 CITY: St. Petersburg SITE: Bayfront Center ADDRESS: 400 First Street South PARKING AVAILABLE: Adequate Capacity for Crowd SEATING CAPACITY: Up to 3000 persons FACILITIES: Air X Heat X Restrooms X DISPLAY MAPS: Prior to: During: P.A. SYSTEM: Good X Poor None Recorder Jack No SLIDE PRESENTATION: Screen Available No Suitability for daytime hours: Good X Poor RENTAL FEE: CONTACT: PHONE 893-7251 REMARKS: Three Meeting Rooms Available: Bahai -- Neptune -- Theatre 31 for a specific time, date, and place and refer to all cost, custodial, and/or equipment requests that were discussed during the facility inspection. It need not be lengthy or complex, as EXHIBITS 1-7 and 1-8, which were prepared by a Department of Transportation on the East Coast, clearly indicate. To assure that the necessary arrangements will be well-coordinated, a copy of the letter should be sent directly to the specific individual who will be responsible for the facility at the time of the meeting. Copies of vouchers, insurance certificates, and other essential paperwork should be attached. 7. Begin preparing graphic displays, handouts, and audio-visual aids. Regardless of whether your meeting graphics, handouts, and audio- visual aids are being prepared in-house or by an outside consultant, this activity constitutes one of your longest lead items. Before any specific display or handout can be developed, an overview of the short-and-long-range requirements of the community involvement program is essential. For example, if your project necessitates only 1 or 2 public meetings, each with a specific discussion topic, your graphics should be simple and directly related to the area of concern. An isolated meeting called to discuss potential noise impacts is a case in point. A brief narrative description of the problem; tapes of varying decibel ranges; and/or a model or photographic display of walls, berms, or other possible noise attenuation measures, would probably be sufficient for your audio-visual presentation. On the other hand, if your community involvement program is structured to deal with a range of concerns, including preliminary alternatives development; social, environmental, and economic impacts; and right-of-way and relocation, it is likely that a more comprehensive and cost-and-time consuming program will be needed. Models, slide-tape presentations, and major graphic displays should be considered. Or you might decide to: >>LET YOUR graphics EVOLVE WITH THE PROJECT>> One eastern state reports that it places heavy emphasis on aerial photography as a basis for its exhibits and meeting handouts. Aerials of an adequate scale are developed at the beginning of the planning process and updated and refined as the project develops. In this way, a single aerial can effectively be used from project inception through public hearing. An aerial may merely delineate the project area for an introductory meeting; clearly indicate alternatives under consideration at an alignment meeting; and gradually be adapted to show right- of-way lines, areas of potential noise impact, etc. as the project evolves. Overlays are used as needed. In any case, your audio-visual program should aim at clear, non- technical, and self-explanatory materials that can be used for the widest possible audience. Since our guidebook includes separate chapters on audio-visuals/graphics and on handouts, we will not discuss the specific elements of selecting and preparing appropriate graphics at this point. However, you should keep in mind the fact that the catchword audio-visuals refers to an all- encompassing range of both 32 Exhibit 1-7 May 8, Mr. C. A. Waltman, Clerk Millville City Hall Millville, New Jersey 08332 Dear Mr. Waltman: This is to confirm the arrangements we made by telephone on April 24th to use the Commission Chambers for a New Jersey Department of Transportation Public Meeting concerning the Route 55 Freeway in Millville and Maurice River. As discussed at that time, the Meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, June 25th, at 7:30 p.m. We are planning to arrive at the Chambers at about 2:00 p.m. to set up our exhibits; check out the P.A. System; and learn to operate the cassette recorder. Once again, thank you for your offer to supply the cassettes and help us tape record the proceedings. One additional request: Could you provide us with a table and two chairs at the entrance to the Chambers, to facilitate registration of people as they arrive? Thank you for your help and cooperation. We are looking forward to seeing you on the 25th. Sincerely, Max W. Stewart Public Hearing Officer Community Involvement MWS:nl 33 Exhibit 1-8 February 8, Ms. Peggy Cownselman Cherry Hill Public Schools 1155 Marlkress Road Cherry Hill, N.J. 08002 Dear Ms. Cownselman: This letter Is to confirm the New Jersey Department of Trans- portation's reservation of the all-purpose room at the Woodcrest School on Wednesday, March 9. between 3:30 P.M. and 9:00 p.m. for an Information center and Wednesday, March 16, between 6:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. for a public hearing on the Woodcrest Station Ramps project. On the 16th, we would appreciate your allowing us to use two six foot tables and six chairs In front of the stage. One additional six foot table and two chairs at the entrance to the all-purpose room would be used for registration. Also, please arrange the audience area to accommodate 120 people. This arrangement will not be necessary on the 9th because the information center is an informal gathering for which a large open area is most appropriate. I received the letter from Mr. Rowland C. Hill, Assistant to the Superintendent, Informing us of the new guidelines that have been established for the operation of school buildings during the remaining winter months. As of now, this has not changed our plans to hold the information center and the public hearing on the above dates. Your cooperation In allowing us the use of your facilities is appreciated. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (609) 292-6802. Sincerely, EDWARD KATZ Community Services Technician Community Involvement 34 simple and extremely complex, expensive, and time-consuming components that includes the following: Aerial Photography Slides Scale Models Strip Maps Comparative Charts, Graphs, Tables and Flow Diagrams Slide-Tape Presentations Summary Reports Films Still Photographs Newsletters Photomontage Artists' Renderings Videotapes Before selecting one or more of these vehicles for your community involvement program, make sure that your staff is able to closely supervise and guide their development. Remember: Since graphics are prepared by a technical staff for a non-technical audience, you must serve as the translator. This requires time, creativity, and the courage to insist on reasonable modifications and adjustment In addition to ongoing supervision, at least 1 week to 10 days should be reserve for review and final revisions prior to the meeting. 8. Identify your meeting panel and firm up staffing arrangements. Although technical panels are becoming increasingly unpopular because they add formality and an air of intimidation to the meeting environment, they are often the best way to conduct a large meeting. If a complicated agenda and range of issues are to be discussed, a panel of experts can substantially contribute to conduct of the meeting in a professional and well-paced manner. There are several ways to structure your panel so that it will function as informally as possible: Keep the panel small. In the past, technical panels often consisted of virtually every agency representative who chose to attend the meeting. The 35 impression was a wall of bureaucrats facing a defenseless audience. An effective panel need only include one specialist representing each major area that will be addressed or that may arise at the meeting. Other agency staffers and technical consultants should sit in the first rows of the audience, where they can be called upon as needed. In most instances, a 3-or-4-member panel is perfectly adequate. If your preliminary count of essential panelists exceeds this number, it may be a good idea to re-evaluate the meeting objective. You may be trying to do too much! Identification of panel members should occur early in the meeting preparation process so that panelists can participate in the development of all meeting components, as well as in all meeting- related brainstorming and briefing sessions. In preparing for the actual meeting, panelists should review meeting guidelines and procedures; relevant technical project details; and any controversial issues that may be brought up at the meeting. >>IDENTIFY A BACK-UP PERSON IN EACH AREA>> Selection of technical panel members should always include identification of a second person to serve as a back-up in case of emergency. The back-up panelist should attend in-house preparatory sessions and become fully conversant with all aspects of the meeting. One way to reduce the size of a panel is to deliver prepared speeches or to incorporate material from a "marginally-developed area" into a more focal presentation. For example, if the only available traffic data is an indication that traffic counts are being taken, report this fact yourself, rather than asking a member of your traffic unit to sit on the panel. Seat the panel slightly to the side of the meeting room. A front-center panel arrangement, with its courtroom-like setting is generally unnerving. To make your panel less imposing, plan to position it slightly to the left or to the right of your audience. Be sure to keep this fact in mind when you conduct your initial site inspection. Schedule recess and other informal time periods. These breaks will enable panelists to intermingle with the community and to informally answer questions. They will help to humanize the environment and to make the panel appear less formal. Recesses will be discussed in greater detail in the section on Agendas. 9. Begin to prepare the technical presentation. Determining the criteria for development and presentation of an official agency presentation is a significant activity that should begin 3-4 weeks prior to the scheduled meeting, Preliminary decisions should include: Coordination. An effective presentation is a well-integrated sum of many parts. Since material for the presentation will be received from a variety 36 of disciplines and undoubtedly developed by people with diverse writing styles, it is a good idea to identify a presentation coordinator. The coordinator's responsibilities should include monitoring the overall schedule for developing the material, as well as rewriting and editing the final product. If your agency has developed a separate community involvement unit, a member of that unit should be given the coordinator assignment. Content. The structure and content of your presentation must be based on the specific goals and objectives of the meeting and on the relationship of the meeting to the total planning process. Once you have developed a general outline, flesh it in with details relating to the project's ongoing work program; basic "umbrella" issues; techniques and processes; alternatives under consideration; anticipated impacts; and projected timeframes and activities. Discuss the outline with all panel members, in order to make sure that each discipline involved in the project -- planning, environmental programs, community involvement, and/or design -- is given an opportunity to provide appropriate input. Length. A presentation should be as brief as possible without sacrificing pertinent substantive information. A 15-20 minute presentation generally constitutes an ideal timeframe for introducing and describing the relevant issues and for maintaining audience interest. In no case should an agency presentation exceed 30 minutes. If it appears as though your presentation will extend beyond this limitation, double-check your material to make sure that it 1) is carefully geared to the scope and objectives of the meeting; 2) does not include detailed statistical analyses that could be provided as handouts; 3) does not cover materials that are extraneous to the issue being discussed. One agency has developed the following outline for presentations designed to introduce a new project to the community I. Introductory Remarks - Community Involvement Office - 10 minutes These remarks include a discussion of the project's history; an indication of overall goals, objectives, and timeframes; and an outline of the anticipated community involvement program. II. Preliminary Engineering - Design Office - 5 minutes. This presentation includes a discussion of design criteria; a description o accepted techniques and processes; and an indication of the over all scope of engineering activities. III. Environmental Assessment - Environmental Office - 10 minutes. These remarks include a description of the environmental process a discussion of methodologies; and an indication of the range of planned activities. "Canned" or Spontaneous Presentation. In determining whether to provide a "canned" or a spontaneous presentation, it is important to be flexible and to realistically evaluate your available resources. Although an extemporaneous presentation is often more exciting than a prepared text, it should only be considered if your panel consists of people with good communications skills. 37 In all other instances, it is wise to automatically opt for a thoroughly prepared and edited statement. A well-informed but inexperienced or nervous public speaker is likely to appear unprepared and even incompetent without actually being either. It is definitely not worth the risk! One other factor may convince you to use prepared texts, even if agency staffers have developed excellent communications skills. That factor is the overall workload of panel members. Since it is possible that your project staff is simultaneously involved in several projects of equal magnitude, it may be unrealistic to assume that the time and attention needed to adequately prepare for an extemporaneous speech is available. Once again, a prepared speech is your safest choice. In addition, there are several definite advantages to reading a prepared text at a public meeting. The most significant is the assurance that your presentation will be comprehensive, accurate, relevant, and brief. Stylistic quirks can be overcome and speakers with a tendency to ramble can be controlled. The public can also benefit from a prepared text, in that copies of the presentation can be reproduced and distributed to participants. For all concerned, the availability of a verbatim account provides a meeting record that is both reliable and accurate. Of course, reading a presentation has some potential pitfalls. In order to guard against a monotonous delivery, people should be reminded to: 1. Speak slowly and distinctly; 2. Pause at appropriate intervals; and 3. Make occasional eye contact with the audience. Once these basic issues have been resolved, it is imperative that an overall schedule for preparation of the presentation be established. A team approach is generally recommended. This involves structuring an unofficial project team that consists of all designated panel members. The team assumes joint responsibility for preparation and review of individual components, including the agency presentation. Each team member is assigned the task of writing a specific portion of the presentation and submitting this material to the presentation coordinator at least 2 weeks prior to the meeting. (Please see pages 36-37.) Although the coordinator circulates all portions of the presentation for general review and comments, he or she retains primary responsibility for final rewrite and editing. In addition to focusing on overall content, the coordinator should make sure that the presentation is: Clear, concise, and free of technical jargon; Specifically geared towards the people who are to receive it; and Well-coordinated with the graphic displays and/or handouts. 38 Last-minute modifications and revisions can be discussed at the in- house briefing. (Please see pages 47-48.) 10. Establish guidelines and procedures for meeting conduct. One of the most difficult preparatory tasks is often the establishment of specific guidelines and procedures for conducting your meeting. In the interest of informality, there is a natural tendency to lay down as few rules and regulation as possible. Yet an amorphous meeting is often a directionless meeting. And a meeting at which procedural matters are determined as a last resort inevitably gives an appearance of being arbitrary and predetermined. It is therefore essential to establish all aspects of meeting conduct well in advance of the meeting date; to publicize these procedural rules and regulations in your notification documents; and to stick to your announced guidelines. In referring to a structured meeting with specific ground rules, we are not recommending that you follow Robert's Rules of Order. On the other hand, we are recommending that you specifically determine and inform the public of your guide lines for meeting conduct. Areas that require particular attention include: Time Limits. When planning a large meeting, it is generally a good idea to set time limits for the length of the meeting; the agency presentation; and individual speakers. Although establishment of a speaker time limit sounds authoritarian, it is actually a very democratic process that assures every community member the opportunity to speak. Without time limits, meetings are prone to being monopolized by small groups of organized interest groups or by individuals who ramble on and waste everyone's time. Several agencies have found that a 5-minute time limit is reasonable and that additional time can be set aside at the end of the meeting to hear people who would like to make additional comments. In setting a time limit, the most important factors are: 1) Announcing the time limit in advance of the meeting, preferably by including the information in all notification documents and on the meeting agenda; 2) stating that a time limit i in effect at the beginning of the meeting; and 3) designating a timekeeper who has credibility with the audience. Whenever possible, try to get a volunteer from the community to assume the timekeeper role. >>BE FLEXIBLE>> It is a good idea to ask your timekeeper to inform each speaker when there are about 2 minutes of speaking time remaining Regardless of this forewarning, some people will overshoot the mark. Don't cut them off mid-sentence and do let those with only a few words left finish their statements. Speaking Order. Regardless of your agency's past practices, it is probably time to eliminate a priority roster and to substitute a random speaking order. Many agencies throughout the country have recently abandoned the policy of calling on elected officials first; instead, speakers are now called on a first-come, first-speak basis. Other agencies are wisely deviating from the 39 practice of calling on clustered groups of opponents and proponents -- a technique that generally serves to polarize participants. The easiest way to develop.a random speaking order is to ask participants to sign a speakers' list or to fill in speakers' cards as they enter the meeting. A speakers' list can be placed at the entrance to the meeting room and monitored by the official greeter. Anyone wishing to speak can sign the sheet, which is brought to the meeting conductor at the end of the agency presentation. In an attempt to encourage people to participate in the meeting, the list should remain open until after the recess between the presentation and the discussion/question and-answer session. Some people may decide to speak after hearing the agency presentation and/or reviewing the exhibits and handouts. Speakers' cards can be distributed to all attendees and can be completed at any time during the meeting. Agency representatives should be available to collect the cards and to bring them to the meeting conductor during the course of the proceedings. In deciding whether to use a list or cards, you may want to consider the following: 1) Since a list collects names on a single sheet, it reduces the possibility of an agency's being accused of not calling speakers on a first-come, first-speak basis. If cards are used, it is harder to prove that names were not "shuffled" to suit an agency's particular objective. 2) Logistically, the use of cards may be preferable. At a large meeting, with many people wanting to sign the speakers' list, long lines and confusion at the greeters' table can result. 3) If a speakers' roster is being used to update the project mailing list, cards may simplify the process, since they can be grouped according to category (e.g., resident, officials, environmental groups). In making your decision, remember that "hand-raising" is not an acceptable alternative to use of a list or cards. In addition to being unprofessional and somewhat arbitrary, recognizing people based on a show of hands can make it difficult to control the meeting. One exception: If all names on the cards or list have been called, the,meeting conductor may want to ask for a show of hands to see if any additional people wish to speak or if previous speakers wish to add to their earlier comments. Recording Techniques. It is important to determine how you will record your meeting proceedings well in advance of the meeting date. For large structured meetings, the most common methods are use of a tape recorder or of a legal stenographer. Tape recorders are the preferred alternative, since they are less expensive, less visible, and more reliable in terms of capturing the mood or "flavor" of the meeting. 40 In those rare instances when a verbatim record is required, use of a legal stenographer may be your only alternative. If the project is particularly controversial and likely to result in prolonged detailed analysis and/or litigation, you may want to use both a legal stenographer and a tape recorder. One agency reports that a combination of the two provides a complete and accurate picture that has proven beneficial in more than one dispute. >>ANNOUNCE AVAILABILITY OF MEETING RECORD>> Whether you use a tape recorder or a legal stenographer, it is a good idea to inform the community that the meeting-record will be available for public review. In addition to contributing to open communications, announcing the availability of the tape or transcript will serve as reinforcement that the meeting record will not merely be "filed away". For less formal meetings, and particularly for workshops, use of a flip chart is a simple and popular recording technique. In addition to being a highly visible aid that can be referred to in developing a meeting summary, it is probably the only unobtrusive way to develop a fairly accurate record of an informal session. 11. Begin to prepare meeting notifications. Developing an appropriate program of notification techniques for any given project depends on such factors as type of project; nature of involved community number of potentially affected people; size of study area; and agency resources, including time, budget, and personnel. For example, a meeting scheduled to discuss a local road improvement in a rural community would probably require only 1) mailing individual letters-of invitation to residents, property owners, elected and appointed officials, and civic organizations; and 2) issuing a press release to the local newspapers. At the opposite end of the spectrum, a meeting scheduled to discuss a proposed lengthy extension of an interstate highway would require a much greater notification effort. In addition to letters of invitation and press releases, newsletters, leaflets, posters, paid ads, news-sheets, and television and radio spots might be used in varying combinations. It is important to remember that none of these techniques should be considered "the best" or used in isolation. Each can only be effective if used in proper combination with one or more (preferably more) of the others. Distribution of such notification documents as letters of invitation and newsletters depends heavily on the completeness of the project mailing list, particularly in the middle to late stages of the project's development. (Please turn t page 103 for specific information on developing, updating, and maintaining mailing lists.) As a general rule of thumb, the mailing list should include the following: potentially affected residents and property owners; federal and state elected officials; local elected and appointed officials; county elected and appointed 41 officials; transportation, civic, and environmental groups in the project area; and (usually after the first meeting), any interested citizen. Since all aspects of selecting, developing, and distributing notification documents are discussed in a separate chapter that begins on page 80, we will not elaborate on any specific elements at this point. However, in terms of meeting preparation, it is helpful to keep in mind the following timeframes: 1) Letters of invitation should be mailed 12-14 days prior to the meeting. 2) Press releases should be issued so as to be in the appropriate newspapers 5-7 days before the meeting and, if possible, again 1-2 days before. 3) Newsletters should be mailed 17-20 days before the meeting, since they usually go out bulk rate. 4) Posters should be up at least 2 weeks before the meeting. 12. Develop the meeting agenda. A good meeting agenda is a valuable guidebook for both agency and community. It facilitates conduct of an orderly goal-oriented meeting by succinctly mapping out the content and the specific timeframes involved. Meeting agendas are essential for all types of small and large meeting formats. In every case, they should be clearly outlined, step-by- step, with brief explanatory material as necessary. Although the specific nature and composition of a meeting agenda depends on the type of meeting and on the type of project, there are several general points that should be kept in mind: 1) In developing your agenda, particularly if it is for a small meeting, workshop, or advisory group session, try to contact the participants to discuss the proposed agenda and to determine the need for additional items. 2) Attempt to distribute copies of the agenda with your letters of invitation or as part of newsletters and other notification documents. 3) Always have an adequate supply of agendas available for the public at the greeters' table. Agendas should be an integral part of every handout packet. 4) Whenever possible, include approximate times next to each item on your agenda. 5) Make sure your agenda has built-in flexibility, so that it can be adjusted to reflect specific public interests and concerns that are expressed at the meeting. Large meeting. At a minimum, an agenda for a large meeting includes introductory remarks; a technical presentation; and a discussion/question-and-answer session. 42 However, this basic agenda outlines a very formal gathering, in which there is little room for interaction. In order to foster informality at a large meeting a number of agencies are now incorporating the following elements. Recesses. A recess between the agency presentation and the organize question-and-answer period provides community members with an opportunity for review of exhibits, conversations among themselves, and discussion of project issues with agency representatives on a one- to-one basis. It is A valuable technique for breaking up the tension and formality of a large meeting and for encouraging people to express their ideas and feelings in p relaxed atmosphere. Information Sessions. An unstructured information session, at which exhibits, technical documents, and agency staff members are available for a period prior to the start of a meeting, is a popular technique for informally integrating agency and community participants. By "breaking the ice" and establishing rapport before the formal proceedings begin, it often mitigates against the development of an "us-against-them" feeling. In addition, an information session is an excellent time to deal with individual questions and personal concerns that would otherwise be brought up during the question-and-answer period. A typical agenda for a large meeting with an information session is indicated below: 6:30 Information Session (Hallway; small meeting rooms) 7:30 Agency Presentation (Auditorium) 8:00 Recess - To informally view exhibits (Hallway; small meeting rooms) 8:30 Formal Question-and-Answer/Comment Period (Auditorium). Discussion Groups. Some agencies incorporate informality into their large meeting formats by providing a period of time after the formal presentation for the formation of small discussion groups. Each group is guided by an agency representative and deals with a specific problem or area of interest. After brainstorming, prioritizing, and sometimes reaching consensus, each group presents a summary report to the entire gathering. A typical agenda for a large meeting with an information session is indicated below: 7:30 Agency Presentation (Auditorium) 8:00 Small Discussion Groups (Individual meeting rooms) 9:15 Summary Reports and Discussion (Auditorium) 44 One Middle Atlantic state included both information sessions and discussion groups at meetings called to discuss a controversial by- pass proposal. A sample agenda is attached as EXHIBIT 1-9. >>BE CREATIVE>> There are many innovative and cost-effective ways to present an agenda. One Midwestern state developed a meeting handout for an interchange project that is simple, clear, and comprehensive. It is interesting conceptually because it combines a variety of features, including agenda, project map, name of contact person and comment coupon. It has been included as EXHIBIT 1-10. Small Meetings. Small meeting agendas are generally more detailed than large meeting agendas and often include specific information regarding techniques and guidelines for conduct of the session. For example, in most instances, a workshop requires two separate agendas: An overall meeting agenda, as well as an outline for the small discussion sessions. The overall agenda always includes introductory remarks; an opening/technical presentation; small group discussions; a reporting period; and closing remarks. The following example was prepared by a Middle Atlantic state: ERIE AREA TRANSPORTATION STUDY WORKSHOP AGENDA 7:00 Welcome 7:05 Introduction to Workshop and Background 7:25 General Question & Answer Period 7:30 Table-top Discussion - Transportation Needs and Deficiencies - Recommended Solutions to Needs and Deficiencies - Priority Ranking Exercise for Transportation System Management 8:55 Completion of Registration Card and Demographic Questionnaire 9:00 Short Report-out from Tables 9:05 Closing Remarks 44 MEETING AGENDA TIME ACTIVITY 6:00 p.m. Open Table Discussions (Hallway) Four tables containing various technical study reports have been set up in the hallway outside the auditorium and cafeteria. The four tables include information on: Table 1: Air and Noise Studies Table 2: Socio-Economic and Land Use Studies Table 3: Historical, Terrestrial and Water Ecology and Soils and Geographical Studies Table 4: Relocation Assistance and Utility Information Please make it a point to inspect and review the information presented at each table. 7:30 p.m. Technical-Environmental Presentation (Auditorium) A PennDOT representative will describe the study alternatives and the associated environmental, social and economic consequences from the viewpoint of the highway agency. 8:00 P.M. Open Table Discussion (Hallway) If you still have questions concerning the highway alternatives and the impacts to the community presented, please discuss them with the technical expert assigned to each table. 8:15 p.m. Workshop (Cafeteria) During the workshop, small groups of citizens will be asked to evaluate each alternate alignment. You will be asked to list the positive and negative features associated with each line. Once the group has completed the list of positive and negative features, the group will then be asked to examine the list of negative features and suggest ways to eliminate or reduce the adverse impact. By evaluating each alternative in this way, you will be helping PennDOT recommend tradeoffs or mitigation measures that may be incorporated into the final design of the recommended alternative. 9:30 p.m. General questions and Answers (Cafeteria) Open Table Discussions (Hallway) 45 Exhibit 1-10 Click HERE for graphic. A discussion group agenda sometimes includes detailed descriptions of such activities as brainstorming, consensus development, etc. A basic discussion group agenda is indicated below: 8:00 Break into small groups of 6-8 people. Distribute handouts, including worksheets and questionnaires. Select a recorder to preserve the results of the discussion on a flip-chart. Select a spokesperson to monitor the agenda and overall discussion. 8:10 Review handouts and define discussion topics. 8:20 Discuss the topic and define principal issues and ideas. 8:50 Prioritize and record the most important ideas. 9:00 Complete questionnaires (optional). 9:20 Report discussion results to entire group. 13. Review graphic displays and handouts for acceptability. Monitoring the preparation of exhibits and handouts is an essential ongoing activity. Periodic review, weekly at first and more frequently during the final days of preparation, is your best assurance that the final product will be acceptable. Never lose control of this activity and never assume that the technical expertise of the in-house person or consultant to whom this task has been assigned will assure production of materials that are effective for community use. Finally, make sure that all displays and handouts are ready at least one week before the meeting so that they can be used during the in-house briefing session. 14. Conduct an in-house briefing session. Regardless of whether you are preparing for a large or a small meeting, an inhouse briefing should be conducted to review all substantive and administrative items. In addition to serving as a safeguard against errors and omissions, a briefing can greatly add to the comfort and self-confidence of panel members and other agency participants. It is most effective to hold the briefing within a few days of the meeting date, so that final versions of the presentations, handouts, exhibits, etc. will be available. The briefing agenda should, at a minimum, include the following: A review of the meeting format, agenda, and general guidelines and procedures for meeting conduct. 47 A review of all presentations and an indication of time limits for their delivery. A dry-run of all presentations, to ensure consistency, clarity, and cohesiveness. This should include "practicing" ways to maximize coordination between reader/speaker and pointer. A discussion of possible questions and controversial issues and an indication of appropriate responses. A review of slides, tapes, films, and other audio-visual aids to assure familiarity and thorough understanding. In addition, before the briefing session breaks up, it should be ascertained that 1) all agency personnel have specific directions to the meeting site; 2) all agency personnel will arrive at the site one hour early to informally answer questions; 3) arrangements have been made to properly transport all exhibits to the site; and 4) a specifically designated individual will handle all equipment at the meeting. 48 MEETING CONDUCT Proper preparation can eliminate much of the uncertainty, difficulty and anxiety that often accompany meeting conduct. If the items covered in the meeting preparation section of this chapter have been carefully and conscientiously completed, then a major meeting calamity is a very unlikely possibility. However, meeting preparation is never foolproof. Last minute problems; unpredictable emotional factors; and external events that relate either closely or vaguely to the project under discussion can all influence the conduct of a meeting. Without reiterating the bulk of the information included in the meeting preparation section, we will attempt to highlight a few significant points pertaining to effective meeting conduct: 1) Arrive several hours early to prepare the room, check out equipment and be available for prior discussion or informal questions. 2) Arrange the room according to the pre-selected meeting format. Once tables, chairs, microphones, etc. have been set up, make sure that your displays are visible from all sides of the room. If you are conducting a large traditionally structured meeting, place the major graphic display(s) and the floor microphone to be used by the community on the same side of the panel table. This will enable speakers to readily refer to the display(s) while presenting their questions and statements. Displays should be placed on easels rather than tacked on the walls. 3) Walk around the room to get a feel for its environment. 4) Set up a greeters' table, so that community participants will be welcomed,and equipped with handouts, agendas, etc. as soon as they arrive at the meeting. 5) Make sure that there is an adequate supply of registration cards; attendance lists; speakers' cards/lists; and/or self- addressed, stamped envelop for mailing list and other follow-up purposes. 6) Once the starting time has come, check to see whether it appears that most people have arrived. Don't postpone your meeting unless there is an obvious flow of arrivals. 7) Begin the meeting. Welcome all attendees. Restate the purpose of the meeting. Establish and review the meeting agenda and procedural ground rules. Assure attendees that they will have adequate opportunity and time to ask questions and make comments. Speak in lay language. 49 8) At large meetings, introduce all panel members and/or other agency participants. At small meetings, let participants identify themselves as the meeting unfolds. 9) As you discuss each topic, closely observe audience reaction. If interest is waning, ask the audience if it would prefer moving on to another area. 10) Keep the subject of the meeting confined to no more than three issues. Do not give the audience more information than it can easily absorb. Remember an agency presentation should be limited to a maximum of 20 minutes. 11) Make sure that your panel and other agency representatives/ consultants can adequately cover all questions and areas of concern. If answers are not known, say so! Remember that honesty is appreciated and that waffling is very transparent. 12) Before the meeting ends, discuss plans for future meetings. If a tentative meeting program has been developed, ask participants to suggest additional topics or recommendations for improving attendance, modifying format, etc. If additional meetings have not been planned, ask the audience to participate in deciding whether they are necessary. 13) Close out the meeting. Summarize basic concepts and ideas and ask if there are any questions or concerns that should be addressed as part of a follow-up program. 14) Remain at the meeting site until all attendees have left, to answer questions or discuss concerns individually. Meeting Conductors. Agencies are increasingly realizing that a meeting conductor can have a major impact on the outcome of a meeting. But finding satisfactory meeting conductors is a difficult task. In the past, people were often rather arbitrarily "assigned" the job of moderating or chairing a meeting, without much consideration of the degree to which background, experience, communications skills, or attitude were conducive to the assignment. In highway agencies, meetings were (and to some extent, still are) frequently conducted by district engineers or other technical specialists. A commonly used criteria was the fact that an individual had been running meetings and hearings for a number of years. But times and public involvement have changed, and a conductor who has not evolved with changes in environmental requirements and public expectations is no longer a good choice. Today, an effective meeting conductor must exhibit the following characteristics: Open-mindedness and flexibility; neutrality; objectivity; a lack of defensiveness about the proposed action; and patience combined with a lack of condescension. A conductor's primary goals should be: To clarify the discussion, respond to general questions and comments, and refer detailed questions to a panel of technical specialists. To develop good communications skills, so that the agency can be presented as being both sincerely interested in hearing from the public and as 50 being able to objectively receive and evaluate a wide range of input and opinion. To develop the self-confidence needed to assure that every community participant will feel that his or her input has contributed to the meeting, whether that input is factual or emotional. In selecting a meeting conductor, it is particularly important to try to fit the person to the socio-political character of the project and to the nature and style of the community. A mild- mannered conductor may be intimidated at a controversial meeting and a 3-piece business-suiter may well cause polarization in a low- income area. Although such examples probably seem obvious in their inappropriateness, they have occurred in the past. There are also more subtle factors that should be considered. Principal among them are the following: 1) Is the person identified with (as being on the side of) the agency or community? 2) If employed by or identified with the agency, is the person able to be seen as objective? 3) If identified with the community, does the person represent any specific interest/group? 4) What experience does the person have in conducting meetings or hearings? 5) Does the person have any predetermined opinions about the outcome of the project? 6) Does the person have any vested interest in the outcome of the proposed action? 7) Why is this person being considered? In all cases, the meeting conductor should be sufficiently knowledgeable about the project or other proposed action to respond to general questions and comment. Beyond that, agreement must be worked out with the project staff as to how staff specialists will deal with specific technical areas. In most instances, it is advisable to select an in-house person to conduct your meeting. Familiarity with project details, agency procedures, etc. are a distinct advantage. However, there are times when an acceptable agency conductor cannot be found. There may, on the other hand, be someone outside the agency w would be effective. This person might be a member of a regional planning board a former elected official who has maintained visibility and credibility, or some other person known for fairness and objectivity. Examine these possibilities, use them only as a last resort. Preparing to conduct a meeting. There are no hard-and-fast rules for becoming a good meeting conductor, although practice is probably more important 51 than formal training. In order to develop the essential techniques and attitudes to a point where they can be applied with ease, a great deal of individual exercise is needed. In general, meeting conductors should try to practice on audiences that are less volatile than the publics at a highway meeting. As a district office meeting conductor for one transportation agency recently put it: People who conduct meetings should let experience off-the-job through extracurricular activities and shouldn't learn by "making fools of themselves in the name of the highway depart- ment." One place to experiment is your own community. Civic associations provide an excellent opportunity to practice meeting techniques in a fairly comfortable atmosphere. You can acquire a great deal of experience without some of the risks and challenges involved in representing your agency. If this type of public practice is not possible, "rehearse" in front of a mirror of, better yet, in front of a friend and/or spouse who can offer objective constructive criticism. This type of practice is a particularly good test of the degree to which you have eliminated the use of technical jargon from your presentation. Another opportunity to test yourself is the in-house briefing. A dry run with your agency peers provides an excellent environment for self-evaluation of speaking abilities and particularly of skill in answering questions. And finally, videotaping either a practice or an actual "performance" offers a rare chance for you to self-critique your overall communications skills, as well as your mannerisms, tone of voice, and body language. If possible ask other people to help you evaluate your performance. If the opportunity exists to compare several videotapes after conducting a number of meetings, you will probably be able to note enough improvements to feel reassured and a good deal more self-confident. Ultimately, your effectiveness as a meeting conductor will depend on a combination of subjective and objective factors that relate to both you and to the audience with which you are dealing. The following tips are being offered as general guidelines for maximizing the possibility of success: 1) Speak clearly. 2) Speak as briefly as possible -- and to the point. 3) Show that you are interested in the subject. Actively listen to all comments and questions. 4) Be sincere. 5) Keep the facts straight. If you express an opinion, say so. 6) Maintain eye contact. 52 7) Don't be defensive. If you are, examine why you are. Is the agency's case a weak one? 8) Explain, don't apologize. 9) Be specific about what can/will be done. Be equally specific about what cannot be done. 10) Be honest. If you don't know, say so. 11) Forget about your gestures. They will come naturally if you "let go". 12) Refer to your graphics as much as possible. Lay people remember graphic illustrations but may neither grasp nor remember level-of-service number 13) Use plain English. If you think you do and are told you don't, get help. 14) Be objective. 15) Be friendly. 16) Be concise. Stick to the pertinent points and move to additional detail only when your audience is ready. 53 MEETING FOLLOW-UP Effective meeting follow-up is a multi-pronged activity that should be anticipated and mapped-out well in advance of the meeting. A comprehensive program of post-meeting activities includes such components as analysis, evaluation, and incorporation of community input; follow-up communication with the public by means of correspondence, newsletters, and/or additional meetings, and self - evaluation of the meeting and of agency participants. Evaluation of public input. As a first step in reviewing the input received at any public meeting, the meeting record should be summarized and edited into an agency report. This activity can be performed by any member of the project team. The resulting report should include a list of all substantive issues and unanswered questions, along with an indication of the team member responsible for the disposition of each item. Timeframes for developing public responses should be established. The importance of responding to every valid question and comment that is raised at a public meeting cannot be over-emphasized. Agency credibility, the viability of the project, and the overall success of the community involvement program are dependent on expeditious and thorough response. If the issue that was raised is complex and requires substantial and time-consuming research or analysis, an interim letter should be considered. If a response can be developed within a reasonable timeframe, a personal letter should be prepared as quickly as possible. Some agencies have found that if an issue of general interest is raised at a small meeting, a letter to each attendee is a much- appreciated gesture. The letter can be brief and merely enumerate each point.that was discussed, along with a specific response or reaction. If agency resources permit, a newsletter is an effective means of following up a well-attended meeting or one that dealt with a project covering a large geographic area. The newsletter, to be distributed to each individual and organization on the project mailing list, can summarize the events of the meeting and list and respond to the most salient issues. In addition to being a good means of disseminating project information, distributing a newsletter clearly demonstrates the agency's conscientious effort at involving the public in the planning process. >>FOCUS ON INTERNAL COORDINATION>> Although the community outreach elements of meeting follow-up are extremely important, they merely constitute the final step in an agency's input evaluation process. In reality, these communications activities are useless unless preceded by a thorough and objective internal examination of public input. In many agencies, getting decision-makers to focus on and seriously consider the incorporation of community input is the most difficult and frustrating part of the post-meeting process. It is also the most important, since responsible advocacy is the backbone of a project team's community involvement responsibility. Several agencies report that detailing community concerns in a comprehensive, 54 widely-circulated internal memorandum is an effective way to begin the input evaluation process. The memo is generally followed up by a skull session with all involved agency representatives. Additional internal review and discussion is then scheduled, as necessary. Despite the possible aggravation and unpleasantness involved, these agencies are convinced that hard-nosed persistence is essential in pressing for adequate consideration of valid public meeting input. Without it, a community involvement program is likely to lose its purpose and credibility. Agency self-evaluation. An objective internal evaluation following every public meeting is an effective technique that can substantially contribute to the success of future community involvement activities. The self-evaluation process should include a critique of the meeting itself, as well as separate critiques of each agency participant. >>DEFINE YOUR EVALUATION TEAM>> Participants in an internal evaluation session should, at a minimum, include all project team members. Same agencies have found that it is helpful to add a staff member who did not participate in the meeting and who can therefore focus the discussion and stimulate honest comments without appearing biased. One New England state's Department of Public Works has gone a step further and has used students from the State University as part of its evalua- tion team. In critiquing the meeting as a whole, both productivity and effectiveness of communications should be considered. It is often helpful to first list answers to "What went wrong?" "What went right?" before dealing with the following questions: Was the meeting turnout as large as expected? If not, was it a result of inadequate notification? Improper mailing list? Public apathy? Inclement weather? Conflict with another meeting; a religious, political, or sporting event; a popular television program? Were individuals who attempted to dominate the meeting dealt with directly and to the satisfaction of the group as a whole? Did the agency appear to control the content of the meeting? Were agency comments and presentations objective or did they attempt to persuade? Did the agency give proper attention to environmental and other nonengineering data or did the engineering aspects overshadow the meeting? Was the atmosphere of the meeting comfortable and conducive to open participation by all attendees? If only a few people participated, was it because: The purpose of the meeting was not clearly expressed in the notification The agency presentation was too technical? Too general? The team members, particularly the conductor, displayed an aloof, indifferent, or hostile attitude 55 If work groups were used, were any groups particularly ineffective or especially productive? Why? Were staff monitors available, but not obtrusive, during work group exercises? Was the format appropriate to the particular type of meeting? If not, were there any suggestions or attempts to change it? Were the goals and end products of the meeting clearly established and communicated? Was the agenda reviewed and acceptable to the attendees? Were questions and comments invited throughout? Did agency personnel adequately respond to questions? Was the meeting closed out and summarized, rather than just ended? Evaluation of individual agency participants is usually a more difficult -- and a more sensitive -- matter. To minimize "hurt feelings" and to maximize open communications and constructive comments, it may be a good idea to ask individuals to critique themselves first, with peer comments following. Evaluations should initially be in writing but should be followed up by verbal elaboration. All members of the evaluation team should be asked to consider the following questions: Was each presentation delivered with appropriate volume, speed, enthusiasm, eye contact, and gestures? Was each presentation well-organized, supported by good audio-visuals, and free of technical jargon? Were informal comments complete and responsive to the concerns expressed and to the questions asked? Did the agency participants appear to be comfortable and willing to respond to inquiries? Did any behaviors inhibit participation? Did any behaviors enhance participation? Was the audience attentive during the presentation and/or comments? Did the personality of the participant cause him/her to be asked more questions than others? To assist team evaluators, it might be helpful to provide them with a checklist of behaviors that assist or detract from effective meeting performance. The following could be included: 56 Positive Behaviors Negative Behaviors Openness Defensiveness Welcoming comments Avoiding comments Encouraging discussion Shutting off discussion Friendliness Aggressiveness Supportiveness Condescension Flexibility in procedures Retreating to rules for safety Objectivity Professional bias If comment cards or other public evaluation forms were distributed at the meeting the final step in your internal evaluation process should be a comparison of community and agency comments. Areas of agreement and disagreement should be carefully examined, a summary developed, and recommendations formulated in priority order. 57 CHAPTER 2: PUBLIC HEARINGS Public hearings are perhaps the oldest and most fundamental means of involving the public in governmental decision-making. Until recently, in fact, they were all-too-often the only means. As the sole legally required community outreach activity, public hearings became synonomous with public involvement. The result, not unexpectedly, was a repeated pattern of volatile and unproductive sessions that served the dysfunction of reinforcing negative attitudes on the part of both agency and community. Today, Most transportation agencies realize that a hearing is only as worthwhile as the community involvement program that preceded it. As a distinct and isolated event, it is virtually useless. However, as the capstone to an early, ongoing, and systematic process of community involvement activities, it can be a rewarding, productive, and civilized event -- no longer just a painful means of "satisfying legal requirements!N Ideally, a public hearing offers no surprises; it is merely a forum for the official presentation of ideas that are the culmination of a joint community agency planning effort. Increasingly, public hearings throughout the country are approaching this ideal. Formerly regarded as a soapbox for argumentation, criticism, and debate, the public hearing is rapidly becoming a medium for the official expression of positions that have been nurtured and developed throughout the pre-hearing community involvement process. Ironically, this means that, in many agencies, public hearings are becoming less interactive and more formal at the same time that public meetings and other aspects of community involvement programs are emphasizing increased interaction and informality. This chapter will examine a number of ways in which agencies throughout the country are updating their public hearing format and conduct. It is, by no means, intended as a dictum, but rather as an introduction to a variety of innovative techniques. Indeed, the selection of appropriate community involvement practices is a highly individualized activity. In all cases, it must reflect the specific characteristics of the affected communities and the project itself, as well as the existing resources and limitations of the agency. The public hearing components discussed in this chapter should therefore always be examined within the overall context of a particular project before being applied to a given situation. 58 HEARING PREPARATION Many aspects of public hearing preparation are similar to the activities and efforts involved in preparing for a public meeting. Rather than rehash those techniques and processes, this chapter will concentrate on elements that are unique to preparing for a hearing, as well as on those that require extra effort and attention. In developing a timeframe for public hearing preparation, a number of factors m be considered. The most important is the projected completion date of the draft environmental document (Environmental Impact Statement or Environmental Assessment). By Federal regulation, a public hearing cannot be held sooner than 15 after distribution of the EA or draft EIS. State public involvement/public hearing procedures specify required State notice periods varying from 15 to about days. Careful monitoring of the progress of the environmental document helps determine when to schedule the hearing and when to begin preparations for the hearing. If a public hearing is to be held on a project for which there is no environmental document, the hearing date will depend on the completion of specific planning and/or design activities. Once again, close internal coordination is essential if a realistic program of hearing preparation activities is to be developed. Some agencies have found it helpful to prepare memoranda that outline activities that must be completed as part of the hearing preparation process. These memoranda can function as ongoing agendas; guidelines at the pre-hearing briefing; and final shopping-list review documents, to be referred to on the day of the hearing. An example is included as EXHIBIT 2-1. In addition, we are providing a checklist of hearing preparation activities as APPENDIX II. Long-Range Preparatory Activities In order to properly prepare for a hearing, it is advisable to focus on a numb of specific tasks well in advance of the projected hearing date. A 15-day per is not enough time to develop adequate exhibits, notification and handout documents, etc. As part of an ongoing community involvement process, the following essential hearing elements can be decided upon and finalized months ahead of t 1.Format. One of the most dramatic recent changes in public hearings throughout the country is the variety of formats with which some state agencies are experimenting. In addition to attempts to modify the traditional hearing form a number of agencies report efforts to totally revamp the hearing to "make it more like a meeting". Legal requirements notwithstanding, public hearings are decidedly becoming less of a boiler-plate operation. Traditional Format. Few agencies report that they are still conducting the "traditional" type of public hearing that was standard prior to the adoption of a more comprehensive community involvement perspective. Although many 59 Exhibit 2-1 Subject: Public Hearings Date: January 13, In an attempt to standardize and simplify our internal public hearing procedures, I have developed the following "shopping list" that I hope you will find helpful. It outlines an Area Coordinator's essential public hearing tasks and highlights those activities that require particular attention. I hope it will serve as a handy reference tool. Preliminary Activities - While waiting for the draft EIS to be signed by FHWA, you should be firming up the location and the tentative times and dates for the hearing and information centers. At the same time, you should be preparing and/or drafting the following: public hearing notice; press release; EIS transmittal letter; invitational letter/newsletter; speaker chart; acknowledgement letter regarding speaking time; and paid ad. Mechanics of Hearing - Hearing Officer. Where an outside hearing officer is to be retained, make sure that the necessary purchase order, commission action, and consultant selection committee papers are prepared. Be sure to meet with the hearing officer to provide him or her with the ground rules of the hearing and with a packet of materials that should include the draft EIS, a copy of our Action Plan, and all relevant background reports. It is important to very carefully explain our Community Involvement procedures and the physical set- up and mechanics of the hearing to the hearing officer, since he or she is probably unfamiliar with our activities. The hearing officer should be reminded to include the following items in his/her repertoire: announcement of a 5 minute speaking limit; announcement of slide-tape presentation where appropriate; reiteration that registration will be taking place in adjacent rooms and that written testimony will be accepted until a given day; and announcement of appropriate breaks. Taping Hearing. Be sure to provide for all expenditures, including the purchase of equipment; also check all our equipment out carefully sufficiently prior to the hearing. Court Stenographer. Make and confirm all necessary arrangements for retaining the services of a court stenographer. Audio Visual Aids. Make sure that all audio visual aids to be used at the hearing are in good shape well in advance of the hearing. Where slide-tape presentations are to be used, give yourself enough time to revise and/or correct any problems. Manning Tables. Where a multi-day hearing is being planned, prepare office-wide and Department-wide manning tables to assure the adequate staffing of the hearing at all times. Also develop lodging estimates and prepare the necessary paperwork well in advance of the hearing dates. Public Hearing Content - Public Hearing Presentation. In developing the public hearing presentation 60 Exhibit 2-1 continued that will be given by the Area Coordinator, be sure to double-check the following: 1) Introductory comments (5 minutes). These comments should include: a) The purpose of the hearing; b) The scope and location of the proposal; c) Regulations governing the hearing -- Action Plan, 106, 4f, etc.; d) Reference to the public notice -- explanation of due dates for comments and of fact that verbatim written transcript will be made, reference to fact that handout packet that will be referred to during presentation will be submitted to become part of the official hearing record. Also, introductory Comments should include a brief history of the project; the reason for the original studies and their validity or substation; prior approvals and/or objections; recent history of project including formation concerning EIS requirements and CI requirements. (In addition, a design hearing should provide information concerning the date of the corridor hearing and the dates of all approvals.) 2) Alternates and Impacts (15-20 minutes). This section of the presentation should begin with the statement "In accordance with the N.J. Action Plan, a n of alternates, including the no-build option, have been studied." A brief description of alternates that have been eliminated and the reasons for eliminating them should follow. The bulk of the discussion of alternates should focus on location of each alternate and any major landmarks or distinguishing characteristics (overpasses, etc.) In a large project where a great number of alternate are being studied, impacts should focus on major advantages or greatest or least effect rather than on all characteristics of each alternate (e.g. least flood least taking of homes; least expensive). An effective way to allude to all environmental, social, and economic impacts under consideration is to refer to charts for a detailed comparison. Impacts described on the charts should inc the following: displacements - residential and business; air; noise; water; natural resources; costs - right-of-way and construction; flooding; 4f involvement; 106 involvement; interchanges and structures; traffic - a discussion of general trends; and loss of ratables. 3) Right-of-Way, Land Acquisition, and Relocation Assistance (5 minutes). This portion of the presentation should include a detailed discussion of items 1, and 3 contained on pages 25 and 26 of the relocation manual. It should also refer to the "If I Must Move" and "How Land Is Purchased For Highways" pamphlets which will be available as handouts. Handouts. Public hearing handouts should include: Relevant charts; project mops; a packet of all communications and notifications including the legal no newsletter, press release, etc.; description of State/Federal relationship; a right-of-way pamphlets. Displays: These should include an appropriately prepared aerial, developed in accordance with our specifications and under our supervision. Corridor displays should use a 200-400-scale base map; design hearing displays should be on a 3 scale map. Use your discretion in requesting any variations from these stand If slides are to be used (a policy which we are rapidly abandoning), make sure constantly supervise their development. 61 Exhibit 2-1 Mechanical and Display Items - Before leaving for the public hearing make sure that the following are available and in good working order: Public address system (take an extra battery); tape recorder and tapes; rear view projector (for slide presentations - be sure to take an extra bulb); extension cords with double sockets; microphones and mike stands; speaker and attendance lists; handouts; easels (for exhibits); slides; name tags; directional signs and arrows; paper signs (for use outside the building); pencils; scotch tape; masking tape; dimes (for phone calls);.display indicating date by which written testimony must be received; copies of the draft EIS; copies of the Action Plan. Obviously I expect you to be flexible in adapting this list to any given project. I also hope that you will get back to me with additions and comments that we can fold in an ongoing basis. 62 continue to use the traditional format as the basis of their operations, most have incorporated a significant number of elements designed to increase the effectiveness of the hearing process. The traditional format was developed at a time when hearings usually afforded the sole opportunity for citizen involvement in the highway development process. Consequently, the format was superficially structured to allow for maximum interaction. In reality, the two-way "communication" that resulted meant little, since the project was virtually cast in concrete. All-too-often, the hearing scenario ran as follows: Agency technical people, accompanied by a hearing officer, were seated at a long table high on a stage in a school auditorium, looking down on what was often an unruly audience. A graphic display depicting the project under consideration accompanied the agency personnel. The technical people would give the agency presentation and then entertain questions and comments from the audience. One by one, members of the audience would step to the microphone to present their thoughts on the proposed project. More often than not, these thoughts were interspersed with vituperations directed at the agency for failing to adequately consider the impact of the proposal and for not allowing citizen input at a more appropriate point in the project's development. It was quite common for the "interaction" to break down into heated, unproductive debate. The disadvantages of this format are quite obvious. Principal among them is the fact that the question-and-answer period is really of little substantive value. If the attendant community involvement program was comprehensive, a majority, if not all, of the public's questions and comments would have been addressed be- fore the hearing. If the community involvement program was minimal or nonexistent, interaction at the hearing would do little to modify the project proposal. Coming at the end of the development process, the hearing is simply not an appropriate time to incorporate "new" information into the project. A second drawback of this format is the lack of an opportunity for the public to discuss the project on a one-to-one basis with the project team members and/or to inspect the graphic display during the hearing. This is a particularly serious defect if the preceding community involvement activities have not been thorough. Several agencies that utilize the traditional format have improved its effectiveness by adding the following elements: Pre-registration of speakers. Establishment of time limit for speakers. Development of specific, well-organized agendas. Conduct of pre-hearing information sessions. Scheduling of recesses to allow for a greater degree of personal interaction between the public and agency personnel. 63 Each of these techniques and/or activities is discussed in detail in other sections of this guidebook. "Dual Hearing" Format. Several innovative state transportation agencies have totally restructured their public hearing operations. The most popular new technique appears to be the "dual hearing" format, in which a highly structured and formal "official" hearing is complemented by an informal ongoing "informational" hearing. Specific elements include the following: Formal Hearing. One prong of the dual hearing format involves a very formal situation that includes such elements as pre- registration of speakers; set time limits for speakers; and the receipt of testimony without the opportunity for cross-examination. This session generally takes place in a large auditorium, where the agency gives its formal presentation and a hearing officer accepts public testimony for the record. There is no provision for a question-and-answer period, and the hearing officer does not engage in debate or discussion other than to correct or clarify a procedural matter. Questions raised at the formal hearing are responded to at the simultaneously-conducted informational session and in writing following the hearing. Theoretically, this portion of the hearing can be conducted in the presence of only three people: the hearing officer; the speaker; and the court reporter or recorder. The agenda of the formal hearing is similar to that of the traditionally conducted hearing. An agency presentation is followed by a short recess, after which the hearing resumes for the receipt of public testimony. Informal Hearing. This portion of the hearing involves the "nuts and bolts" interaction between agency and community. It is basically an ongoing discussion center that is conducted in a room or lobby adjacent to the testimony room. Generally beginning one hour before the start of the formal hearing, the informational session enables the public to review documents and exhibits and to engage in continuing discussion with agency and consultant staff members. Since none of the discussion becomes part of the official hearing record, the informal hearing is conducive to thorough and honest one-to-one communication in a relaxed atmosphere. Advantages. Agencies that have used the dual-hearing format report the following advantages: 1) It eliminates the pretense of two-way communication in the testimony room. 2) It reduces the possibility of having a hearing disintegrate into a prolonged debate between members of the public and agency personnel. 3) It allows the public to inspect graphic materials and technical documents and to discuss the project freely without disturbing or interrupting those giving testimony. 64 **WARNING** Never try to use a dual-hearing format unless you have conducted a comprehensive community involvement program. The formal and somewhat independent status of the recorded portion of the hearing depends on a solid foundation of meaningful interaction between agency and community. Conducted in isolation, this type of hearing reflects a totally disinterested and unresponsive attitude on the part of agency officials. Open Forum Format. The most recent innovation in public hearing techniques is the Open Forum Public Hearing. This type of hearing is similar to the dual hearing format just discussed: an information session with a written brochure is combined with a greatly reduced formal hearing Component. Please see the following page for a diagram of an Open Forum Public Hearing. Information Session This is a walk-in information session in a large room with staffed displays presenting all the essential information on the project (see page 23 for more information on walk-in information sessions). Greeters at the entrance give attendees a brochure describing the project and orient them to the elements of the Open Forum Public Hearing format including the three ways to make formal comments for the transcript: o to a court reporter or recorder individually, o on a comment sheet deposited in comment boxes prominently located in the hearing room, and o through written comments mailed in within the comment period. Members of the public are free to interact informally with agency staff one-on-one and view the exhibits which may include a slide show or video presentation. As appropriate, agency specialists such as cultural resource or wetlands specialists are available at tables in the center of the room. There is no formal agency presentation at a set time and the public may speak to a court reporter or recorder at any time. Consequently, this format has been found to be much more convenient to persons who may not be available in the evening (e.g. shift workers or the elderly) or may not have the time to sit through an agency presentation and numerous public speakers until their turn comes. The format also makes commenting easier for people who are uncomfortable speaking before a group. One southern highway agency with extensive experience using this technique has found that over five times the number of comments are received at Open Forum Hearings as at traditional public hearings. At the Open Forum Hearings an average of 62 per cent of attendees commented compared to 12 per cent at traditional hearings. Formal Hearing Component. As mentioned above, the formal hearing component of an Open Forum Public Hearing is greatly reduced. No formal agency presentation is usually made, and persons who wish to make formal comments do so individually to a court reporter or recorder. If a tape recorder is used, it is recommended that a highway agency official be present to assist the public and to dispel any impression of impersonality or disinterest. A few highway agencies have included agency presentations at the beginning of the 64A hearing followed by the information session with individually available reporters or recorders. In answer to criticism that the Open Forum Format deprived the public of the opportunity to present their views publicly and to hear others' views, one state highway agency has combined the Open Forum Hearing with a more traditional session. This highway agency conducts an Open Forum Hearing from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. At 7:00 pm what is called the Auditorium Session begins and lasts until 9:00 pm. The Auditorium Session is the speakers part of a traditional hearing in which members of the public who wish to make their comments before an audience are called on. The transcript of an Open Forum Public Hearing consists of the statements made individually to the court reporters or recorders supplemented by the brochure and descriptions of the exhibits. Successful use of the Open Forum Public Hearing depends on several factors. First, there must be an effective and interactive early public involvement program. Since the brochure and exhibits take the place of the formal agency presentation, highway agencies have found that they must spend significant amounts of time developing the brochure. Extensive preheating coordination including staff meetings among all the offices which will participate in the hearing helps to prepare agency personnel staffing the hearing exhibits so they can give similar answers to all questions. Public notices of Open Forum Click HERE for graphic. 64B Hearings should indicate the essentials of the new format so the public is not surprised at the hearing by the format. State highway agencies planning to try this innovative technique should consult with their Federal Highway Agency office as to whether the technique conforms to their approved public involvement/public hearing procedures. Finally, most highway agencies beginning to use the Open Forum Format have chosen to start with a non- controversial project or two to gain experience. Information Sessions. Regardless of whether you are opting for a traditional or for a more innovative public hearing format, it is always advisable to hold a pre-hearing information session. Although a dual-hearing format, in effect, provides for an ongoing exchange of information, it is generally a good idea to conduct a separate session several days before the hearing. This will give community members an opportunity to gather any information they may need in order to prepare their testimony. In the case of the more traditional type of hearing, information sessions are absolutely essential, since they represent the only chance for personal, continuous, and prolonged interaction between agency personnel and community representatives. A more complete discussion of information sessions begins on page 23 of the Meetings Chapter. 2. Graphics. The preparation of hearing graphics should be an ongoing activity throughout the development of a project's community involvement program. Although exhibits based on data included in the environmental document cannot be prepared until shortly before the hearing, other graphics readily lend themselves to incremental development and updating. For example, a display of alternative alignments can initially be prepared for an early project meeting. As the technical studies progress and as more input is received from the community, some alternatives will be added, some will be discarded, and some will be modified. In order to remain current and suitable for public presentation, the graphic will therefore require amendment on a continuous basis. However, by the time the studies have been completed, the graphic should have nearly evolved into a finished product, adequate for display at the hearing. Although a display of alternative alignments and/or design features usually comprises the basic hearing exhibit, it should not be presented in isolation. Instead it should be supplemented by schematic drawings, maps, charts, renderings, and other appropriate visuals. Many agencies have used artists' renderings, typical cross-sections, scale models, and comparative charts and graphs to round out their hearing presentations. In all cases, it is essential that exhibits be in final form by the time of the pre-hearing briefing session so that they can be inspected by agency team members lips! and used, if necessary, during the dry run of the agency presentation. Please see Chapter 5 for a detailed discussion of selection, preparation, and display of graphic materials. 65 3. Procedural Aspects. Most Procedural aspects of preparing for and conducting a public hearing should be a matter of agency policy and therefore finalized well in advance of the hearing date. Principal items that must be considered include the following: Register Attendees. As at public meetings, the registration of hearing attendees is generally accomplished through the use of either attendance sheets or Specific details on relevant techniques and procedures can be found on pages 39 and 40. Registering Speakers. An increasing number of agencies are encouraging people who plan to-speak at an upcoming hearing to pre- register by submitting their names, addresses, and preferred speaking times to the agency in writing. Most include pre- registration information, as well as registration cards or clipout coupon; in their notification documents. A sample form that indicates how pre-registration can be accomplished in a simple yet effective manner is shown below: Click HERE for graphic. 66 Pre-registering speakers is particularly helpful if a large hearing turnout is anticipated. Among the benefits: 1) Ensuring that as many people as possible speak in as orderly a fashion as possible. 2) Eliminating the need for individuals to wait for their turn to speak. 3) Assisting the agency in gauging whether enough time has been set aside for any given hearing. For example, if 100 people attempt to pre-register for a 3 hour hearing, it is undoubtedly time to re-evaluate -- and probably to reschedule -- your overall plans! 4) Ensuring that speakers are called upon in an equitable and prearranged manner. In order to properly plan your pre-registration program, it is important to keep the following in mind: 1) Ask people to indicate their interest in speaking in writing. A phone campaign is time-consuming and places a great deal of pressure on agency staffers. To simplify paperwork and internal organization, urge people to preregister by using the cards or forms you have provided for that purpose. 2) Underscore the need for each person to provide a choice of preferred speaking times. Since duplicate requests are inevitable -- particularly during "Prime time" early evening hours -- it is important to build in some flexibility. At least one eastern state asks speakers to indicate three preferred speaking times, a system that seems to be working quite well. 3) Specifically state that speakers will be pre-registered on a "first come, first speak" basis. This will encourage people to submit their requests quickly, thereby enabling you to evaluate the suitability of your overall hearing situation and to make any necessary changes. 4) Follow up on each request for speaking time by sending a simple form letter that confirms a specific time slot. A brief note that says "Please be advised that you will be the 3rd speaker in the 8:30-9:00 p.m. period" is sufficient. Another form letter should be prepared for people who attempt to pre-register for a time period that is already filled. This letter should offer an alternate time slot, preferably as close as possible to the preferred time. It should also provide an agency phone number, so that people can call to either confirm or re- schedule their assigned speaking time. >>BASIC GUIDELINES>> The conduct of your hearing will, to a large extent, reflect the appropriateness of your basic hearing guidelines. It is therefore important to make sure that they are sensible and 67 specific. For example, if your hearing is scheduled from 7:00-11:00 p.m., with testimony beginning at 7:30 p.m., do not pre-register more than 35 speakers, or 5 per half hour. (This, of course, assumes that a 5-minute time limit has been established.) The reason: It is essential to leave a 5-minute buffer within each half-hour period. Of course, it is quite naive to assume that everyone wishing to speak at the hearing will pre-register to do so. Therefore, provision must be made for people who choose to sign up to speak upon arriving at the hearing. Speakers' lists are frequently used for this purpose. The lists can be kept at the greeters' table and periodically brought to the hearing officer. People signing the lists should be told that they will be called upon in the order in which they signed in, either to fill in an available time slot or to use up leftover time at the end of each half-hour period. Although registration or speakers' cards can also be used as a sign-up technique, they probably should be avoided whenever possible. The reason: Cards are generally collected and sorted in a random manner that precludes calling on people in the order in which they submitted their speaking requests. More often than not, this not only violates certain guidelines and procedures but also results in charges of bias and an unruly atmosphere. >>RELINQUISHING SPEAKING TIME>> It is generally advisable to develop a policy regarding registered speakers who wish to relinquish all or part of their speaking time to other designated individuals. In order to avoid chaos and disruption at the hearing, several agencies include specific guidelines for relinquishing time in their notification docu- ments. One agency requires the following: 1) The person relinquishing time must be present at the hearing; and 2) Time may only be ceded to one other person. Setting Time Limits. Regardless of your choice of hearing format, it is usually a good idea to set a time limit on the length of time any one person can speak. This helps prevent domination of the proceedings by one or more people and, more importantly, virtually assures that everyone in attendance will be heard. Most agencies report that a 5-minute limit is adequate and generally acceptable. >>"ADDITIONAL TIME" PROVISIONS>> If a specific time limit is established, it is a good idea to develop an agency policy to deal with people who wish to speak for a longer period of time. A number of agencies provide for this by offering additional time at the end of the hearing, after everyone has had an opportunity to be heard. Selecting a Hearing Officer. Determining whether to use an agency or an outside hearing officer is a decision that depends on a number of factors, including agency policy and specific project characteristics. Although designating a particular person can not generally be accomplished until shortly prior 63 to the hearing, it is usually possible to determine the "type" of appropriate hearing officer well in advance of the hearing date. The range of alternatives includes the following: 1) Agency hearing officer. Most state transportation agencies select a member of the project team to serve as hearing officer. The advantage of using a knowledgeable internal staffer can be substantial -- particularly if a traditional hearing format is being used. (Please see the section on Meeting Conductors that begins on page 50.) However, the disadvantages, including the difficulty of finding an objective team member, may outweigh the benefits and point to the need to look outside !he agency. In making this decision, many factors, including budget, available time, and amount of internal "red tape" should be considered. 2) Outside hearing officer. In selecting an outside person to serve as hearing officer, agencies can either pick a respected community volunteer or hire a person with no ties to either agency or community. The latter approach is generally preferred, since it is usually as difficult to find an unbiased community representative as it is to find an objective agency staffer. If a traditional format is planned, a community hearing officer has the added disadvantage of being unfamiliar with project details and agency procedures. On the other hand, several agencies have found that hiring a "professional" hearing officer is very effective -- particularly if a dual-hearing format is being planned for a project that is complex, controversial, and/or one in which the agency's credibility is being questioned. It is often reassuring to all concerned to know that the person accepting testimony has no predetermined attitude about either agency or community. Finding an outside hearing officer can, however, be a difficult and time consuming task. One agency reports that it taps the following resources: Department of Civil Service. A list is requested of people who have served as hearing officers in Civil Service mediation cases. This list is composed primarily of professional hearing officers and attorneys. National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB provides a list of arbitrators used in labor disputes. Law Schools. Law professors often have both the necessary expertise and the flexible schedules that are a prerequisite to selection. As a general rule, outside hearing officers are most appropriate for dual hearing formats in which detailed project knowledge is not required. However, some briefing and review of project materials is always essential. To accomplish this, it is usually a good idea to set up at least two meetings between the hearing officer and agency representatives. Highlights should include a general project briefing; a summary of meetings-to-date; a discussion of all technical studies; and a review of project impacts and community sentiment. 69 In addition, the hearing officer should be provided with copies of the following: Draft Environmental Impact Statement or Environmental Assessment; Federal guidelines pertaining to public hearings; notification documents, including newspapers and proposed handouts; and agency procedures for conducting public hearings. >>RELATED COSTS>> Costs for hiring an outside hearing officer can vary greatly and depend, to some degree, on the individual's qualifications and experience. One state reported that, in employing a municipal attorney for a number of multi-day hearings, it paid $250.00 per day for attendance at the hearing from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. and $150-00 per day for two days of research and preparation. For the most part, costs of outside hearing officers are high and may preclude use of this otherwise excellent alternative for all but very special projects. 3) Alternative Techniques. A few agencies have tried using community selected hearing officers or a team approach in which an agency-community pair cochairs the hearing. Although either technique could result in an overall lessening of friction by serving as reassurance that the agency is sincere in its efforts to listen to all points of view, there are many potential dangers. Consider, for example, the following questions: Who from the community does the agency select? Given the number of factions usually associated with a highway project -- some for, some against, most looking out for their own interests -- selection of any one individual is a difficult task. In fact, an unpopular choice might add to already-existing tension. How can "neutral" people be found? As previously discussed, this is an ongoing concern involved in the selection of both internal and external hearing officers. If the project involves more than one town, from which town is the hearing officer or co-hearing officer selected? This presents an insoluble problem, since selection of an all- encompassing panel of hearing officers could create an unwieldy and unmanageable situation. In spite of the appeal of these innovative approaches, most agencies would caution against their use. The large number of intangibles and potential problems could very likely create a chaotic hearing situation over which the agency would have little control. >>FINAL HEARING OFFICER SELECTION TIPS>> Regardless of your hearing format, your hearing officer selection process should focus on people who are articulate and effective speakers; objective; able to deal with emotional outbursts in a fair but firm manner; and generally pleasant and calm. If a traditional format is being used, significant off interactive skills will also be necessary. 70 Recording the Proceedings. Determining a method of recording hearing proceedings is a matter of agency policy. Since federal guidelines require a verbatim account of all public hearings, most agencies use either a stenographic (court) reporter and/or a tape recorder. Court reporters are generally preferred for hearings at which a large turnout is anticipated. Their visibility is a distinct advantage, since the public can actually see the recording of its comments and questions. This often adds to the credibility of the agency's efforts. In addition, court reporters simplify the agency's post-hearing efforts by providing transcripts of the hearing. Once again, this is particularly helpful in the case of extended hearings at which a great deal of testimony is received. The principal disadvantage of a court reporter involves the human element. Volatile, inarticulate and/or rapid speakers can make it difficult for a reporter to get down everything that is said. The possibility of error during transcription can further distort testimony by omitting key words, sentences, and/or entire passages. As a safeguard, several states use a tape recorder to back up the court reporter. Although this necessitates an additional resource expenditure, the ability to "double-check" your hearing record, if necessary, can be invaluable. >>ADMINISTRATIVE ASPECTS>> If you decide to use a court reporter, be sure to contact a stenographic service at least one month before the hearing. A follow-up letter should be sent to confirm all arrangements and to serve as a reminder of the day, date, and time of hearing. It is always a good idea to request that the reporter arrive at least a half hour before the start of the hearing. This allows adequate time to set up; to be given any special instructions; and to reassure everyone of the fact that the hearing can start on time. >>RELATED COSTS>> Court reporter rates generally range from $3.00 to $4.00 a page for the original and two copies of the transcript, plus from 20 to 30 cents a page for each additional copy. In most cases, there is also an attendance fee that can run from $7.00 to $20.00 a session, a session being the equivalent of one-half of a work day. Tape recorders are often used at small hearings or if limited agency resources preclude hiring a court reporter. When planning to use a tape recorder, make sure that it is placed in a visible location, so that participants can feel confident that their input is being recorded. If a tape recorder is used as the sole recording technique, always make sure that a back-up system is available. As previously mentioned, it is always a good idea to tape your hearing, even if a court reporter is present. In addition to its possible use to double-check the hearing transcript, a recording can serve as a backup if the court reporter 71 does not arrive or becomes ill during the proceedings. Also, a tape recording has special value in that it catches the flavor of the hearing and can therefore be valuable during follow-up activities or possible litigation. Short-Range Preparatory Activities Regardless of the thoroughness of your long-range preparatory activities, the 6-8 weeks prior to a public hearing are always hectic. Following the completion of project-related technical studies and/or the environmental document, a number of specific tasks must be accomplished, seemingly all at once. The most essential are discussed below: Selecting a Site. An appropriate hearing facility should be selected at least two months before the scheduled hearing date. In fact, most agencies find that it is helpful to start examining a number of tentative sites during the final stages of technical study or Draft EIS preparation. Basic criteria for selecting a hearing site are similar to those that apply to meetings. (Please see pages 25-32. ) If a dual hearing format is used, the requirements detailed on page 64 are particularly appropriate. Establishing a Date and Time. A hearing date and time can be determined as soon as a target date has been set for completion of all technical reports. If an environmental document is being prepared, be sure to factor in review, rewrite, and printing times, as well as the 15-day minimum period for inspection and comment. Once these considerations are made, the decision on when to hold the hearing primarily depends on the State-required notice period; availability of agency personnel; displays and handouts; and a suitable facility. In general, the guidelines that apply to selecting a meeting date and time also apply to hearings. As always, decisions should be based on specific community characteristics, rather than on a boiler-plate formula of absolutes. You might want to check the criteria discussed on pages 24-25 of the Meetings Chapter before finalizing your hearing plans. >>SET A CLOSING TIME>> In order to develop a reasonable timeframe for your hearing, it is usually a good idea to announce a closing time in your notification documents. As a general rule, a one-night hearing can comfortably be closed at 10:30 or 11:00 p.m. However, in determining an appropriate time, be sure to consider such factors as degree of project controversy; number of potentially impacted people; accessi- bility of hearing site; work habits and lifestyles of area residents; and any conflicting meetings. All-Day of Multi-Day Hearings. Sometimes the nature of a project demands that the public hearing run longer than three of four hours, Particularly in the case of a large project that affects several governmental jurisdictions and a large number of people, the hearing can and often should be expanded to a full-day or a multi-day affair. 72 >>CASE IN POINT>> One eastern state reported that it held a five-day, five-night hearing on a controversial interstate section. The hearing, which ran from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. with an hour break for lunch and dinner, was well-attended on an almost continuous basis. Planning for a multi-day hearing involves an extraordinary amount of foresight and careful preparation. In addition to the customary activities, a variety of time, energy, and cost-consuming factors come into play. Consequently, the decision to run an expanded hearing should only be made if the overall community involvement program clearly indicates that a large number of people will choose to actively participate in the hearing. Once you are convinced that your project warrants a multi-day event, your preparatory activities should give special attention to the following: 1) Agency Presentation. If your hearing is planned as an all-day-and-evening session, deciding when to give your official agency presentation may create some special problems. Although delivering it in the morning, at the start of the session, is obviously essential, it is likely that turnout will be greater in the early evening hours. Some agencies resolve this problem by giving the presentation in the morning and handing out transcripts to "late arrivals". A more satisfactory technique seems to be that of giving the presentation twice, once at the beginning of the hearing and once again in the early evening. >>SPECIAL OUTREACH EFFORTS MAY NOT WORK>> In an attempt to reach as many members of the community as possible, one agency offered its official presentation on a continuous basis. Recorded as a slide and impulse tape program, . the presentation ran in a room adjoining the bearing room during the entire course of the proceedings. Unfortunately, the resource expenditure was largely wasted, since few people took the time to sit through the program. 2) Speaker registration. An expanded-hearing always involves an added work load in terms of pre-registering speakers. Extra care must be taken to develop a satisfactory schedule; to accurately record the names of people who wish to speak; and to properly follow up on each speaking request, This can be a tiresome, burdensome task, particularly for a multi-day hearing. 3) Administrative aspects. When a multi-day hearing is being planned, it may be necessary to house your project team near the hearing site. This will require an extra budget for lodging and per diem, as well as added paperwork that should be taken care of well in advance of the hearing dates. Preparing and Distributing Notification Documents. In addition to the required legal notice, hearing notification documents can include any and all of the techniques described in the Meetings and Notifications chapters. To avoid redundancy, this section will focus only on those pieces of information that are unique to public hearings and that must be incorporated into an agency's hearing advertisement campaign. These may be listed without elaboration: 73 Date, place, time, and purpose of pre-hearing information session. Purpose and format of the public hearing. An explanation of the procedures for registering to speak. Time limits, if any, for speaking. A description of the procedures for submitting written testimony and/ or exhibits and time limits involved. A statement indicating that all maps, drawings, and other pertinent information will be available for public inspection at the hearing, together with appropriate right-of-way literature. A description of the formal presentation and its estimated length. A statement indicating the availability of a Draft EIS or Environmental Assessment (if appropriate); the locations for reviewing these documents; the length of time they will be available for review; and the address to which written comments may be sent. Preparing the Agency Presentation. Developing a public hearing presentation is a time-consuming task that-should begin at least 4 weeks prior to the scheduled hearing date. The sequence of preliminary activities closely follows the schedule detailed in the Meetings chapter. (Please see pages 36-39.) Of particular concern during the early stages is deciding the style of presentation. As discussed elsewhere in this Guidebook, the three principal options are: 1) Reading a prepared and edited text; 2) Giving an extemporaneous speech; or 3) Recording a prepared text and presenting it in the form of a slide/tape program. If a "live" presentation is to be given, it is important to decide who will deliver the material. Traditionally, members of the agency project team have delivered the presentation, each one focusing on his or her particular area of expertise. Thus, the planner/design engineer discussed the alternatives under consideration; the environmental person addressed the potential impacts; the right-of-way representative explained the acquisition and relocation procedures; and the hearing officer discussed the role of the public hearing in project development. Recently, however, a number of states have opted for the continuity and consistency that results from delivery of the entire presentation by one person. Whenever possible, a member of the community involvement staff gives the presentation, in the form of a prepared, edited text. This approach is particularly well-suited to the dual hearing format, since it permits other project team members to stay 74 in the display and information area where they can address specific community comments and questions. Regardless of the particular style, there appears to be uniform agreement that the agency presentation must be kept as short as possible. With the advent of comprehensive and ongoing community involvement programs, the past practice of delivering one-or-two- hour hearing presentations has become unnecessary and undesirable. Instead, most agencies recommend that the official presentation be limited to one-half hour. A suggested corridor public hearing presentation format is provided below: 1. Introductory Remarks - 10 minutes a. Welcome b. Role of hearing in project development c. Need for proposed facility d. Project history e. Procedures for giving testimony and submitting written statements. 2. Presentation of Alternatives - 5 minutes 3. Discussion of SEE Impacts - 10 minutes 4. Right-of-way - 5 minutes a. Right-of-way requirements of alternatives b. Relocation assistance program c. Acquisition procedures. There are a number of ways to reduce the length of the official presentation. Principal among them are the following: 1) Delivering a prepared text. 2) Distributing an all-encompassing handout packet that eliminates the need to cover each-and-every basic detail in the oral presentation. For example, the right-of-way portion can be reduced to 5 minutes if appropriate relocation and acquisition brochures are distributed as supplementary materials. Also, an explanation of the federal- state funding relationship is not needed if literature on this topic is available at the hearing. And finally, a detailed description of each alternative becomes unnecessary if handouts include clear, easily understandable project maps that are used in conjunction with an aerial mosaic that is referred to during the presentation. 75 3) Discouraging documents and questions from the audience while the presentation is being given. This point can be emphasized by the hearing officer during his or her opening remarks. People should be reminded that questions and statements will be entertained either during the question-and-answer period (traditional format) or in the display -and information area (dual format). Conducting a Pre-Hearing Briefing. Project team members should get together one or two weeks prior to the Information session to fully define their responsibilities and discuss final preparation activities. By this time, all graphic displays should be completed and ready for final inspection. The pre-hearing briefing should focus on the agency presentation - particularly on determining that each component is properly integrated. A dry run through the presentation helps to work out any "bugs" and-is especially helpful if more than one person is to deliver the talk. Before the briefing breaks up, team members should double-check to make sure that arrangements have been made to transport the following items to the information session and/or hearing: Graphic displays Handouts Easels Recording equipment Public address system (if not provided by the facility being used) Microphone and mike stands Speakers' and attendance sheets or registration cards Slides and projector (if appropriate) Name tags Pencils Tapes Copies of environmental documents Directional signs (arrows pointing the way to the hearing room, etc.) Informational signs (e.g., signs indicating when and to whom written statements may be submitted) 76 HEARING CONDUCT As with all aspects of community involvement preparation is the pivotal element of successful public hearing conduct. In theory,-a dual hearing format is easier to conduct than one based on the traditional format. By providing for limited interaction between hearing officer and audience, it generally permits the hearing to proceed in an orderly manner and with a minimum of disruption. However, even the best-planned hearing is vulnerable to protest and unruly participants. An obstreperous speaker who refuses to relinquish the microphone or abide by set time limits; a person who demands on-the-spot answers; or organized opposition that attempts to dominate the proceedings all present a challenge to the hearing officer. Consequently, it is imperative that hearing officers be poised, flexible, objective, and skilled in all aspects of inter- active communications. (See pages 51-53.) To avoid rehashing the basic aspects of effective hearing conduct that are explored in other parts of this guidebook, this section will only highlight key points that are important enough to warrant re-emphasis. These include the following: Introductory Remarks. The opening minutes of an agency presentation should be used to clearly describe the purpose of the hearing and to spell out the guidelines and procedures that will govern its conduct. Introductory remarks should always include a discussion of the hearing's role in the decision making process; a description of procedures for registering to speak and for submitting testimony; and a reiteration of all regulations regarding time limits, order of speaking, etc. In general, it is a good idea to periodically review guidelines during the course of the hearing for the benefit of latecomers and other people absent from the& hearing room at the time of the original announcement. Recesses. Recesses provide an excellent means of breaking up the formality of a hearing situation. A 10-15 minute recess should be called immediately after the agency presentation, so that hearing participants can review exhibits, register t; speak, and informally ask questions of the hearing officer and agency representatives. An extended hearing should include scheduled recesses at periodic intervals. Recesses can also be used to diffuse a potentially volatile situation. It is sometimes a good idea to temporarily suspend the proceedings if a difficult individual or group threatens to disrupt the hearing. One-to-one conversation during a break can often resolve a problem or suggest a framework within which it can be handled at a later date. Written Statements. Although it is not a federal requirement, many agencies choose to read into the hearing record the contents of any written statements received prior to the hearing date. The most sensible time to perform this activity is immediately following the recess -- just prior to calling on the first community speaker 77 Use of Microphones. Microphones are a necessity at public hearings both for amplification and for recording purposes. Most agencies use one of three standard arrangements: One omni- directional microphone; one or more hand-held microphones; or one or more floor microphones in combination with one or more table microphones. The latter approach is usually preferred because it facilitates recording everything that is said and because it lends itself to orderly, systematic proceedings. Omni-directional microphones have the disadvantage of picking up incidental conversation and are more suited to round-table discussions. Hand-held mikes can be distracting and tend to add a degree of confusion to the hearing setting. 78 HEARING FOLLOW-UP Many people refer to the public hearing as the final step in the community involvement process. Unfortunately, a public participation program that terminates with a corridor or design hearing falls short of meeting its mandate. In reality, a heating should be regarded as a major control point -- the termination of one phase of activities and the beginning of another. An effective community involvement program requires that hearing input be considered in finalizing project decisions and that community outreach extend throughout the construction phase of a project. At a minimum, agencies should be prepared to follow up a hearing by performing the following tasks: Sending brief form letters of cards to all attendees to thank them for participating. Updating the project mailing list by transferring the names of participating individuals and organizations from attendance sheets. Sending letters of appreciation to the person(s) who provided the hearing and information center site(s). Preparing a hearing transcript if the proceedings were tape- recorded. Reviewing the hearing transcript prepared by a court reporter for form and content. Copies of the transcript should then be distributed to the appropriate state and federal offices. Analyzing the hearing transcript to extract suggestions, criticisms, and questions that require follow-up attention. Scheduling an in-house meeting to consider all reasonable input received at the hearing. Responding in writing to all questions raised at the hearing. The disposition of suggestions and recommendations made at the hearing should be conveyed in writing as well. Monitoring the payment of all hearing-related bills, including those related to stenographic services; newspaper advertisements; and facility rental. 79 CHAPTER 3: NOTIFICATION TECHNIQUES The care with which you develop the various components of your public meeting/ hearing presentation should be paralleled by a carefully thought-out program of notification techniques. Since the goal of your notification program is to attract a cross-section of the communities interested in and/or potentially affected by the project under consideration, it is important to select communica- tions techniques that appropriately suit the situation. Consider, for instance, the following: A technique that will work in one community may be totally ineffective in another. Posters, particularly the "wanted" type, have proven quite effective in attracting people to meetings in sparsely populated rural areas. Their usefulness in a teeming urban area, however, is negligible. On the other hand, saturation of an urban area with handbills or fliers is an effective means of reaching a majority of the potentially affected residents. A similar approach in a rural setting would represent an unnecessary effort. Some public meetings are held once on a specific issue while others are held on a regular basis. Newsletters are good for tying aspects of a project together and, hence, are effective if used periodically throughout a series of meetings; however, they usually are neither time-nor cost-efficient if used to address an isolated issue. A simpler, more direct approach such as the use of letters of invitation, in combination with news releases would be much more appropriate for a meeting on a specific matter. Some projects cover a large area encompassing many people while others may affect only a handful of residents. A paid advertisement might be appropriate to announce a meeting/hearing on a project covering a large area but would represent overkill and an unnecessary expenditure of resources in the latter case. The point in the project development process at which a meeting is to be held has a bearing on the notification techniques to be used. A meeting held at the outset of the development process would not demand the attention to detail and technical data that a meeting held at the completion of the process would; hence, a less than full-blown effort would be required for the introductory meeting. Here we are interested in informing the public of the project's existence and of a meeting that will be used to discuss the scope and objectives of the attendant studies. A basic letter of invitation and a press release might suffice. Prior to a later meeting, we most likely will want to include in the notifications a breakdown of the findings of the studies to date; results of previous meetings; and the schedule or work program that the agency will follow in completing the project. Given the proper resources, a newsletter and/or paid ad would be used to accommodate the volume of information. The above examples are only a handful of the situations faced by transportation/ highway agency personnel when preparing for meetings and hearings. The point to be remembered is that there is no blanket rule for notifying the public. The agency must examine each situation before determining the most appropriate way(s) of reaching a given segment of the public. 80 Ideally, perhaps, an agency should use every notification technique at its disposal in combination to ensure that every interested, concerned, and affected citizen is aware of a meeting or hearing; however, this is an unrealistic approach since all agencies are constrained by time, people power and financial limitations. In any case, selecting the right kind of notification techniques is only part of the battle. Equally as important, the techniques used must reflect a thorough, accurate, and imaginative effort on the part of the agency if they are to 1) catch the public's attention and 2) encourage people to attend the meeting or hearing. Too often, perhaps, agencies become concerned only with "churning out" a specific number or volume of notifications and lose sight of the style, format, and even the content of the material. Such a tendency is dangerous. Worse than failing to attract people to meetings/hearings, it can alienate those who see a less-than-total notification effort as being an attempt to discourage and confuse the public. For the purpose of presenting and discussing notification techniques in an orderly fashion, the following outline has been developed: I. Mass Media Advertisements A. Newspapers 1. Press Releases 2. Public (Formal) Notices 3. Paid Advertisements B. Radio and Television II. Direct Mailings A. Letters of Invitation B. Newsletters C. Fliers III. Other A. Posters B. Field Offices (Trailers) 81 I. Mass Media Advertisements Advertising through the mass media has the unique characteristic of being able to reach and encourage larger, less specific communities of people to participate in planning and development; hence, although this category of notification procedures is usually used for all projects, it is especially valuable for those which have a widespread impact or interest. Advantages They reach the widest possible audience. From an agency standpoint, most are relatively time- efficient. They represent a diversity of forms and formats with which to communicate information. They allow flexibility in terms of when and how many times information may be released to the public. Disadvantages Public (formal) notices and, in particular, paid ads can be costly. Circulation (or, listening area) may not coincide with the project area. A. Newspapers 1. Press Releases Press releases can be used throughout the project development cycle to maintain ongoing communications with both the media and the public. They are particularly effective in conveying project- related announcements which need immediate coverage such as the scheduling of a public meeting or hearing. It is usually a good idea to issue press releases prior to all meetings and hearings. They can usually be written in a short period of time; there are no costs involved; and in cases of highway/transportation-related releases, newspapers are very receptive to them. Local and weekly papers take particular interest in highway projects and are a good means of meeting advertisement. Generally speaking, a press release should stimulate enough interest and/or curiosity on the part of newspapers so that the latter will follow up and elaborate on a specific piece of news. Usually, the follow-up is in the form of a phone call to the agency. A press release, then, need not contain the large amount of text which, for the most part, characterizes public notices and paid advertisements. Only the basic facts relating directly to the meeting 82 or hearing need be included. Any and all details, whether pertaining to the meeting or hearing in particular or to the project in general, can be communicated to the papers if and when they follow up on the release. To ensure maximizing the effectiveness of your press release, try to adhere to the following: Be as brief and concise as possible. Remember, unlike public notices and paid ads, press releases are not paid for by the agency; hence, they are edited and disposed of in whatever way the newspapers see fit. A wordy, lengthy release can just as easily be ignored by an overworked, discouraged newspaper reporter as it can be developed into an informative, interesting article. If certain factors preclude a short release (the length of a press release is sometimes dictated by what has gone before), make sure the major points to be communicated are placed in the first few paragraphs and/or highlighted. (See below.) Include the name and phone number of an agency contact person. This point cannot be overemphasized. The newspapers must know whom to call for information. There are few things more frustrating than trying to get information from an agency -- any governmental agency -- and not being able to get a hold of the "right" person. Limit the use of technical and legal jargon. Both technical and legal wording can serve as a source of discouragement to the media as well as the public. Since there are no federal guidelines pertaining to press releases, there is no need to use the "legal- ise" that dots public notices. Technical terms which apply to the project under consideration should, when possible, be translated into layperson's language. Saturate the project area. It never hurts to issue releases to as many newspapers as possible - even those on the periphery of the project area to ensure thorough coverage. If possible, a map of the project area should accompany the release. The purpose of placing a map in a newspaper is merely to give the public a general idea of the project's location and limits; thus, specific details need not and should not be shown. When writing your press release, you should keep in mind the following basic principles relating to structure and format: 1. The first paragraph should focus on the thrust of the release. We are interested here in conveying the fact that a meeting or hearing will be held on a specific issue: "The Department of Highways has announced that a public meeting will be held to discuss the proposed construction of a new freeway in the Buffalo Valley ... I The place, date, and time of the meeting should follow: "The meeting will be held at the Johnson Elementary School, 12 Elmwood Drive, Clarksville, on Wednesday, August 9, 1978. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m." 83 2. The second paragraph should briefly describe the highway proposal: "The proposed roadway would be a six-lane, limited access facility extending from Route 3 just east of Clarksville to Interstate 119, a distance of 5.5 miles." 3. The press release should briefly mention the specific topic of discussion of the meeting (e.g. - environmental studies, alternatives evaluation process, etc.). This can be done in the third paragraph: "The results of the technical studies being conducted in conjunction with the preparation of the environmental impact statement will be reviewed. The public will be invited to comment on and ask questions about the studies." (Note: Although much more could be written about the technical studies, the above suffices. This is just the kind of information that newspapers would want to follow up on and develop further.) 4. Finally, the name, address, and telephone number of an individual in the I agency who may be contacted for information should be given. >>TIMING>> The timing of your press release is as important as its style and content. Articles on meetings and hearings should appear in the newspapers one week before the event. The exact date that they appear, however, cannot often be controlled by the agency; hence, it is a good idea to issue a release at least two weeks in advance of the meeting or hearing. This usually provides adequate time for the papers to follow-up on the release and to develop appropriate stories. Weekly papers usually have strict deadlines for receipt of material that is to be included in any given edition. These deadlines should be determined well in advance and adhered to. >>TRY A TEAM EFFORT>> Most agencies have a public relations or information office that is responsible for preparing final copies of press releases and issuing them to the appropriate newspapers. Many states, however, are finding it helpful to have a draft of the press release prepared jointly by members of the agency project team. Having individuals more closely associated with the technical elements of a project prepare a draft release helps ensure that the more substantive and important information will be accurately communicated. An individual from the public relations or information office who is perhaps more proficient in writing and editing reviews the draft for form and content before sending it out. (Note: This approach can and should be used in preparing other types of notifications as well.) Attached as EXHIBITS 3-1 and 3-2 are some sample press releases prepared by one southern state. The release announcing the scheduling of the public hearing on the proposed Spring River Bridge and approaches is relatively well done in terms of format.and adequately conveys the pertinent information in a concise 84 Exhibit 3-1 INFORMATION RELEASE Office of the Director ARKANSAS STATE HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT P. 0. Box 2261 - Little Rock, Arkansas Telephone (501) 569-2000 September 29, PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED FOR SPRING RIVER BRIDGE WILLIFORD (9-29) -- The Arkansas State Highway and Transporta- tion Department will hold a public hearing in the Williford High School Auditorium, Williford, Arkansas, on Tuesday, October 11, at 7:00 p.m. to discuss the proposed location & design of the Spring River Bridge and Approaches on Highway 58 at Williford in Sharp County. The proposed project generally consists of construction of a new bridge approximately 800 feet upstream from the existing bridge and approximately 0.66 mile of paved roadway approaches to meet the new bridge site. Plans, Draft Environmental Impact Statement, and other per- tinent information developed by the Highway and Transportation Department relative to the proposed project as well as written statements from interested persons, agencies or groups, are available for public inspection and copying at the office of the District Engineer, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, Highway 167 South, Batesville, Arkansas. Persons wishing to submit written statements and other exhibits in place of, or in addition to oral statements at the public hearing may submit them at the hearing or mail them to the District Engineer, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, P. 0. Box 2376, DaLesville, Arkansas /2501. Such submissions must be received no later than ten days after the public hearing. All interested persons will be heard at the public hearing. The State's relocation assistance program, tentative right-of-way acquisition and construction schedules will be discussed during the public hearing procedures. 85 Exhibit 3-1 continued Click HERE for graphic. 86 Exhibit 3-2 Click HERE for graphic. 87 Exhibit 3-2 continued Click HERE for graphic. 88 fashion. There are, however, a couple of negative features that should be pointed out. One, there is no name and phone number of an individual at the agency who may be contacted for project- related information. Two, the accompanying map is shown at too small a scale. The site of the proposed bridge should be more clearly depicted vis-a-vis the site of the existing bridge. Also, with respect to the map, "Job 5675, FAP No. RS-566(2)" represents unnecessary technical jargon that a majority of the public can neither relate to nor understand. It should therefore be deleted. The release announcing the public meeting on the proposed completion of a partial interchange on I-40 has similar deficiencies. The map is totally inadequate there is too much unnecessary overall detail and not enough detail of the interchange. The text does not give the name and number of an agency contact. (Note: This release announces the meeting for 10:00 a.m. As a general rule, public meetings should not be scheduled during working hours.) See Meetings, pages 24-25. 2. Public (Formal) Notice Public or formal notices have been the traditional notification technique employed by the majority of state transportation agencies. They are used in accordance with Federal Highway Administration regulations requiring public notification of a scheduled public hearing, and opportunity for a hearing, or the agency's intent to proceed with the construction of a highway project after having received federal approval to do so. At a minimum, a public notice must include the following: An explanation of the procedures for requesting a hearing, including the deadline for submission of a request. The date, time, and place of the hearing and a description of the project proposal. An indication that maps, drawings,, and other pertinent information including written views will be available for public inspection and copying at the nearest state highway agency office or at some other convenient location in the vicinity of the project. For design and corridor/design hearings, an indication that tentative schedules for right-of-way acquisition and construction will be discussed at the hearing. An indication that relocation assistance programs will be discussed at the hearing. A description of the procedure for submitting written statements and exhibits at or after the hearing. For the most part, standard formal notices do little more than meet federal requirements; they are basically the bone without any meat and are consequently a fairly ineffective notification technique. Why is this so? While part of the problem is a stereotyped notion of the style and content of formal notices that 89 has evolved over the years, their effectiveness is also limited by the fact that many agencies -- either out of financial necessity or tradition -- place formal notices in the classified section of newspapers. in actuality, few people take the time or make the effort to read through the myraid of notices that appear in the classified section of every newspaper on every day. Those who do are just as likely to inadvertently skip over a notice of a hearing that may interest them as they are to have it catch their eye. The reason: Small print size ... a very important negative factor. >>AN EXCEPTION>> As is sometimes the case, there is at-least one exception to this rule. One Middle Atlantic state has found that, despite their lack of visibility, standard formal notices have become more effective than paid ads simply because people are used to looking for them in the classified section. Ironically; this state ends up paying nearly as much for a 3-column formal ad with a map in one daily ($500.00 for inclusion in the morning And-evening editions) as it would pay for a quarter-page paid ad- $568.00). The fact of the matter is that formal notices do not have to appear in the classified section. As mentioned above, they are usually placed there out of tradition or because it is cheaper than having them appear in another part of a paper. (Note: Formal notices must be paid for by the agency to ensure inclusion in the paper of all pertinent and required information.) Yet, as long as they are consistent with federal regulations, they can appear anywhere. Given the proper resources and a willingness.to break with tradition, an agency can improve the effectiveness of a formal notice by placing it in another part of the paper and expanding upon the format -- in effect, transforming it into a paid ad. (See Section 3 of this chapter.) This not only gives the notice greater visibility but it gives the agency much more.latitude in terms of creating a notice with eye appeal. Two examples of a formal notice presented in a paid ad format.are attached as EXHIBITS 3-3 and 3-4. Both have the following positive features: 1) thorough, comprehensive, informative text; 2) telephone numbers and addresses to be used by people with questions and/or statements to be submitted; and 3) a discussion on how to register to give testimony. EXHIBIT 3-3, a full-page ad, is much more visible than EXHIBIT 3-4, a half-page ad but his a couple of negative features: 1) the accompanying map is cluttered, "messy", and unclear -- there should be less detail and more contrast between the proposed alignment and the surrounding area; 2) some of the landmarks need to be more clearly defined. Compare this map with the one on the half page ad in which there is much less detail; and 3) there are no sub- headings to break up the text and highlight specific pieces of information. The half-page ad is very effective in terms of the latter point. If financial limitations preclude your agency from using a paid ad for all but a select group of projects, there are a few things you should keep in mind when preparing your formal notice. First and foremost, never rely on a notice as being the sole means of notification. To reiterate, it is usually just too in- 90 Exhibit 3-3 Click HERE for graphic. 91 Exhibit 3-4 Click HERE for graphic. 92 effective to stand by itself. Always supplement your notice with other techniques. Second, do not be afraid to experiment with the style and content of your notice. Just as tradition has played a part in keeping notices hidden in the classified section, it has played a part in the use of stilted, time worn phraseology. Nowhere in the federal regulations does it say that legal, technical jargon must be used. Be a bit creative. Add a new twist now and then. And finally, some states have found that they can make their notices more interesting by including the following pertinent project-or-meeting-related information: A schedule of pre-hearing information centers. The procedure for pre-registering to give testimony. A statement mentioning the fact that an official agency presentation will be given and an indication of its length. A statement that all testimony will be recorded (by court stenographer or tape recorder) and will become part of the hearing record. A description of the hearing format, particularly if it varies significantly from the traditional approach. Agency personnel who will be in attendance. Name, telephone number and address of an individual at the agency who may be contacted for information. EXHIBIT 3-5 illustrates many of these points. If non-English speaking groups are among the populations affected by a highway project, special efforts should be made to solicit maximum participation from these groups. Your agency can produce bilingual notices or issue a bilingual press release concurrently with the formal notice. If there is no one within the agency do to the translating, you might want to contact the editor of a foreign language newspaper or perhaps a teacher of a foreign language in a nearby school. At this point, the need to follow up-this type of bilingual notification by having a translator available at the hearing should be mentioned. it is not much use to attract non-English speaking people to a public hearing at which they neither understand what is going on nor can communicate their thoughts. 3. Paid Advertisements A number of state transportation/highway agencies are adopting an exciting new notification technique: paid advertisements in local and regional newspapers. Paid ads have the advantage of widespread circulation that is one of the formal notice's major pluses without any of the latter's disadvantages. In addition to enabling notification on a widespread basis, they offer the opportunity for 93 Exhibit 3-5 ROUTE 169 PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the New Jersey Department of Transportation will hold a Corridor Public Hearing on Tuesday, June 15th, in the Courtroom of the Bayonne Municipal Building, 630 Avenue C, Bayonne, for the proposed improvement of Route 169 North from the Bayonne Bridge to the vicinity of Communipaw Avenue in Jersey City. The Hearing will run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 o.m. The purpose of the hearing, as described in the New Jersey Department of Transportation's Action Plan (adopted April 14, 1975), is "to ensure that an opportunity is afforded for effective participation by interested persons in the process of determining the need for and the location of the proposed improvement'' and to provide ''a public forum that affords a full opportunity for presenting views on each of the proposed alternative highway locations and the social, economic and environmental effects of those alternate locations." The Hearing will be preceded by two environmental information sessions, to be held May 9th at the Bayonne Library, 697 Avenue C (Corner of 31st Street), Bayonne and May 10th at the Jersey City City Hall, 280 Grove Street, Jersey City. Each environmental session will be open from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. for the purpose of discussing the potential social, en- vironmental and economic impacts of the proposed project and all other data contained in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Maps and renderings will be available for public inspection and comment. The Hearing itself will consist of an official presentation by Department of Transportation personnel, followed by an opportunity for citizens to give testimony regarding the proposed improvement. All testimony will be recorded and will become art of the official Public Hearing Record. Questions posed as part of an individuals recorded statement will be officially addressed in the Final Environmental Impact Statement. In addition, a display and infor- mation area that will run concurrent with the Hearing will provide an opportunity for individuals to pose questions. and discuss issues related to the Public Hearing. These informal conversations will not be recorded and will not become part of the official Hearing Record. Departmental personnel will be available in the information area beginning at 9:00 a.m. on the morning of the Hearing and 6:00 p.m. on the evening of the Hearing. In order to facilitate the presentation of testimony and to accommodate all persons who wish to speak, we are asking speakers to 94 Exhibit 3-5 continued pre-register by sending their name, address, phone number and preferred speaking time to the Office of Community Involvement, New Jersey Department of Transportation, 1035 Parkway Avenue, Trenton, New Jersey 08625. Pre-registrations should be submitted in writing as far in advance of the Hearing date as possible, since requests for speaking time will be honored in the order in which they are received by the Office of Community Involvement. Each speaker will be allotted, five minutes in which to present his or her testimony. In order to establish a reasonable schedule, pre-registrants should indicate three half hour periods between 10:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. 11:00 p.m. that would be convenient. The Office of Community Involvement will notify pre-registrants of their assigned speaking time. Persons wishing to speak who have not pre-registered must sign up to speak upon arriving at the Hearing. They will be called upon in the order in which they have signed in, if there are available time slots that have not been taken up by pre-registered speakers. Pre-registrants who wish to give their time to another speaker may do so if they are present at the Hearing when their name is called. Each pre-registrant may relinquish his or her time to only one other individual. Written statements and other exhibits related to the Route 169 project may be presented in place of or in addition to oral statements made at the Hearing. These statements and exhibits must be submitted to the Department of Transportation's Office of Community Involvement by July 15th (30 days after the close of the Hearing). Persons interested in reviewing the Hearing transcript may arrange to see and/or copy it at Department Headquarters in Trenton. In addition, any individual or group wishing to contact the Office during the Department's evaluation period is invited to do so in writing or by calling 609-292-6802. The Route 169 Hearing is being conducted in accordance with the New Jersey Department of Transportation Action Plan. In con- formance with the provisions of that plan; all maps, drawings and relevant data related to the engineering, traffic, environmental, and relocation assistance aspects of the project will be available for public inspection at the Hearing. A full description of the project will be given during the Department's official presentation at 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. In the event that the Route 169 project involves the acquisition of land owned by a municipality for public use, the provisions of New Jersey Statutes Annotated, Title 27:7-23 will be observed and considered in the conduct of this Hearing. In accordance with the Action Plan and the requirements of Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and.Section 4(f) of the United States Department of Transportation 95 Exhibit 3-5 continued Act of 1966, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Section 4(f) Statement concerning the effects of the various alternatives has been prepared. This statement is available for public inspection and review at the following locations: the New Jersey Department of Transportation Library, Room 130, 1035 Parkway Avenue, Trenton, New Jersey 08625; the New Jersey State Clearinghouse 329 West State Street, Trenton, New Jersey; the Federal Highway Administration Division Office, 25 Scotch Road, Trenton, New Jersey; the Federal Highway Administration Regional Office, 4 Normanskill Boulevard, Delmar, New York; the Hudson County Administration Office, Newark Avenue, Jersey City, New Jersey 07306; the Bayonne Municipal Building, 630 Avenue C, Bayonne, New Jersey; the Jersey City City Hall, 280 Grove Street, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302; the Bayonne Public Library, Main Branch, 697 Avenue C, Bayonne, New Jersey 07002; and the Jersey City Public Library Main Branch, 472 Jersey Avenue, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302. Copies will also be available for review at the Public Hearing and the environmental information sessions. Persons wishing to comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement may do so by writing, before July 25th (30 days after the Hearing), to: Mr. J. F. Andrews, Director of Division of Economic and Environmental Analysis, New Jersey Department of Transportation, 1035 Parkway Avenue, Trenton, New Jersey 08625. Signed: Jean G. Schwartz (Mrs.) Secretary 96 developing eye-catching and comprehensive copy that can be placed in a prominent section of the newspaper. While the paid ad represents one of the most effective means of notifying the public of a meeting or hearing, it can also be the most expensive and, hence, is usually used sparingly. Unless an agency has a substantial community involvement budget, paid advertisements are reserved for only the most significant and/or controversial highway projects. In deciding whether or not to use a paid ad, you should initially consider the following: 1) Your contemplated audience. Is there a high rate of illiteracy in the project area? Is there low newspaper readership in the area? If the answer to these questions is yes, it would obviously not pay to use a paid advertisement. It should be remembered that in some communities, television and radio have taken precedence over newspapers as the prime media for communi- cating. A quick check of newspaper sales can give a clue with regard to readership in an area. For any given area, you also might want to compare the number of pipers in existence today with the number in existence 5-10 years ago. Another socio-cultural factor that should be considered is the percentage of non-English speaking people in the area. Does the percentage warrant a bilingual advertisement? If so, does your agency have the capability to produce a bilingual ad? 2) The size of your Project area, Ordinarily, a paid ad is used only for those larger projects located in well-populated areas or having potentially significant secondary impacts on a variety of communities. In both cases, it is not possible to identify or contact through direct mailings all of the individuals, families, and businesses that might be affected by the project; hence, a mass media campaign highlighted by a paid ad becomes quite effective. A relatively small project and/or one in which most or all of the potentially affected citizenry can be notified individually does not usually lend itself to the use of a paid ad. The paid ad is simply not labor and/or cost effective for most of the smaller projects and, thus, is not a reasonable approach. 3) Your budget. This, of course, is the most important factor. As mentioned In the opening remarks, the cost of paid ads usually precludes their use in all but the larger and/or more controversial projects. (Of course, this depends on the size of your ad, how many you use, etc.) There is one exception to this statement. You may find that many local and/or weekly newspapers are quite inexpensive; in fact, these papers are often excited about grabbing anything that will fill their pages, especially an ad on a highway project with significant ramifications! The size of the ads you use has a bearing on both the cost and the number of papers in which you place them. Do not fall into the trap of believing that a paid ad is only effective if it is one- half or a full page in size. Remember, newspapers vary in size, too, and some consideration should be given to the 97 ratio of the ad to the overall page size, Thus, given a limited budget, you may want to use four 1/8-page ads rather than one one- half page ad. 4) The number of newspapers in the project area. This factor is closely related to your budget. If there are a lot of popular newspapers in and around the project area, you face the problem of trying to decide if it would be worthwhile placing the ad in any one paper. Keeping in mind your budget, you should get an idea of the cost of placing various sized ads in each newspaper. But cost is only part of the problem here. Which paper(s) does your intended audience prefer? It is one thing to determine which papers have the largest circulation but quite another to determine which are read by a specific community of people. This problem is probably best resolved via agency intuition or "gut" reaction as to which seem to reach a majority of the populace under consideration. 5) Your staff. It is very important that a paid ad reflect a professional effort. There is a great need for good writing, layout, and graphics. You should be cautioned against opting for a paid ad unless the text and maps can be effectively prepared by specifically designated members within a given period of time. >>TIMING>> If your paid ad is taking the place of a formal notice, you must adhere to federal regulations and have it published 30-40 days and 5-12 days before the public hearing. If your paid ad is publicizing a meeting, you should have it appear no later than seven days before the event, preferably ten. Preparation. Depending on the schedule you have developed for yourself (See below), you should allow one full work-month for preparing a paid advertisement from concept to finished product. In addition, you should submit the ad to the newspapers at least 5 working days prior to the day you would like it to appear. To be safe, always check with the individual papers during the preparatory stages to get an idea of the timeframes they like to follow. Once you have opted for a paid ad, try to develop a schedule for completing and delivering each component task. This schedule should include the following: 1. Select newspaper(s) for publication. 2. Determine size and format of ad. Remember, the purpose of using a paid ad is to take advantage of its potential eye appeal and to be able to fully elaborate on the nature and purpose of the meeting or hearing, the project proposal, and the attendant studies. The format you use will determine its success or failure. 3. Develop text. The following general guidelines are recommended for developing your paid ad: Use a large, bold, eye-catching heading. Use short paragraphs. 98 Break up the text, where appropriate, with sub-headings that attract the reader to important and significant pieces of information. Do not use legal or technical jargon. If the paid ad is acting as a formal notice, make sure it is consistent with federal regulations. 4. Develop graphics. If at all possible, a map should accompany your paid ad. The importance of a clear, well-defined map cannot be overemphasized. All of your other efforts can be in vain if the ad is marred by a cluttered, unreadable map. A paid ad prepared by an eastern state has been included as EXHIBIT 3-6 to illustrate several of these points. Most of the features of the ad are good. The heading, "Public Meeting", stands out very effectively. The entire ad is blocked off with a black border. The text is informative -- it describes the project, discusses the environmental document, discusses the agenda of the meeting, indicates where and when plans can be reviewed, and gives the name of an agency contact person. Unfortunately, the accompanying map does little but take up a lot of space. Not only are the alternatives not clearly presented, but the map is just not appealing to the eye. There is simply too much detail -- too many lines, too many dots, too many circles, too many squares -- for this graphic to be effective. For other examples of paid ads, see the discussion under Public Notices, that begins on page 89. 5 Meet with the editor(s) of ad manager(s). An agency representative should explain the purpose of the ad and stress that it is not meant to appear in the classified section. You should also suggest that, if at all possible, the ad should not be placed on a page with other advertising -- or with obituaries, since such positioning would reduce the ad's visibility. This point is well-illustrated by the example attached as EXHIBIT 3-7. Notice how, at first glance, the ad appears to be nothing more than another piece of commercial advertising. B. Radio and Television Spot announcements on radio and television are usually limited to public service announcements, which the stations provide at no cost to the agency. Rather than prepare special scripts for use on radio and television, a task that involves professional skills, copies of press releases sent to newspapers can be used. Remember, one of the drawbacks of both radio and TV is that there is little if any control over the time the announcement is made, However, radio spots on foreign language stations have been found to be effective if they reflect a substantial part of your project population. 99 Exhibit 3-6 Click HERE for graphic. 100 Exhibit 3-7 Click HERE for graphic. 101 Some local stations offer 30- or 60-second live interviews with agency personnel during which the agency can give a meeting or hearing's "vital statistics". Although effectiveness in reaching large audiences is unproven, these "spots" can give an agency a public personality that can be valuable. II. Direct Mailings Direct mailings represent a personalized means by which to notify the public of meetings and hearings. They may be sent to individuals on a project mailing list, to an entire community, or to a representative sampling. Advantages A personalized approach is more apt to encourage people to attend meetings. Most can be prepared quickly. Most can be inexpensively reproduced. They ensure contact of potentially affected residents who might not learn of meetings and hearings through other notification means. They provide an opportunity for the agency to focus on or stress issues that will be discussed at the meeting or hearing. Disadvantages Mass mailings are often treated as junk mail and thrown away without being read. A good deal of time and energy must be spent in developing and maintaining an accurate and comprehensive mailing list. Newsletters require specialized skills in the areas of writing, layout, and graphics. Mailing costs can be high (Remember: Bulk permits can only be used for printed matter and therefore do not apply to letters of invitation and fliers). Basically, there are three direct mailing techniques: Letters of invitation; newsletters; and fliers. Each has a different purpose. Of the three, fliers are the most impersonal and the least informative, merely stating that an event is taking place. Their value lies in the fact that they can be put together quickly and inexpensively. Letters of invitation represent the most personalized approach of the three. They tell enough about the project to enable the recipient to decide whether he or she wishes to attend a meeting or hearing. 102 Newsletters are the most informative direct mailing technique, They give specific project information supplemented by maps, charts, and tables -- in other words, enough information to enable the recipient to actively prepare for the meeting or hearing. Before discussing the individual direct mailing techniques in greater detail, it is important to first address three essential preliminary activities that your agency should engage in prior to developing a mass mailing campaign: 1. Define the community. In actuality, most projects encompass more than one community. First and foremost, there is the community that is directly affected by a project; that is, those people whose homes and businesses lie in the path of a highway proposal. It is usually not too difficult to identify these groups via field inspection, examination of tax maps, examination of aerial photography, etc. For the most part, they can easily be contacted by way of direct mailings. A second community consists of those groups and individuals who are not directly affected by a project yet who have keen concerns and/or interests in the proposal. This kind of community is also not too difficult to define simply because it usually makes itself known to the agency by requesting to be placed on the project mailing list, asking for project-related documents, etc. The third kind of community -- and the one most difficult to define -- is that which falls within the range of a project's secondary impacts. As diffused as these impacts are, so is the community. It is usually impractical, if not impossible, to attempt to contact a majority of this community by way of direct mailing. 2. Develop a mailing list. The importance of developing and maintaining an accurate and comprehensive mailing list cannot be overemphasized. Initial preparation of a mailing list can take a good deal of time. The most common method of establishing a mailing list is inspection of tax maps. Other methods usually used in combination with this include keeping a record of the names and addresses of people who correspond with the agency on a particular project; including people who request to be placed on a mailing list; and, making field inspections. (In one southern state, for instance, two or-more agency people drive the local streets, particularly in commercial areas, for the purpose of taking down street numbers and the names of businesses.) Mailing lists can be kept on actual lists, on index cards, or on computerized labels. They should be periodically updated by including groups and individuals that correspond with the agency and by transferring names and addresses from public meeting and hearing attendance sheets. 3. Define the scope and/or limitations of the project's Community involvement program, Your agency should examine both its available resources and the scope and objectives of the project proposal in order to determine the magnitude of the community involvement program. A relatively small project and/or limited resources would demand a scaled-down public participation program and, probably a modified direct-mailing campaign. Abundant resources would make possible a more elaborate community involvement program, in combination with a diversified direct-mailing campaign. 103 A. Letters of Invitation Of the three basic forms of direct mailings, the letter of invitation is probably the most popular because it is cheap; because it is standardized; and because production is possible without special equipment or art/graphics skills. Unfortunately, another reason it is popular is because of the belief that it can be thrown together as a "form" letter without much effort or concern! In preparing a letter of invitation, remember that it should be designed to encourage people to attend a meeting or hearing by giving them just enough project information to help them decide whether the event is of interest to them. It should not aim at encouraging people to call or visit the agency, develop letter- writing campaigns, or take an actual stance for or against the project. Furthermore, where appropriate, a letter of invitation should be non-alarmist in tone; the agency should indicate as specifically as possible that receipt of the letter does not imply that the recipient is necessarily being actively affected by the project. Traditionally, rules for structuring letters of invitation have stressed keeping them brief and direct. It is important to adhere to the latter dictum, particularly in terms of the first-two paragraphs of the letter (See below). It is perhaps, not as important to pay as strict attention to the length of the letter; in fact, more concern should be given to content and comprehensiveness. The following is a suggested format for use when writing letters of invitation: Paragraph 1 Statement of meeting; location, date, and time of meeting. 2 Purpose of meeting; concerns to be addressed. 3 Brief history of the project and community involvement program. 4 Agency personnel who will be in attendance. 5 Closing, including name and phone number of person to contact for information. Usually, additional information needs to be incorporated into a letter of invitation to a public hearing. Such information includes: Content and length of the official agency presentation. Schedule of pre-hearing information sessions. Procedure for registering to give testimony. Availability of maps, charts, and other documents. Instructions concerning when and where to submit written statements. See the example presented as EXHIBIT 3-8. 104 Exhibit 3-8 May 26, Mr. Ronald Carter 16 Lamberton Street Trenton, New Jersey Dear Mr. Carter: The New Jersey Department of Transportation would. like to Invite you to a combined Corridor-Design Public Hearing on Interstate Route 195, from Arena Drive to the Route I-295 Interchange; In- terstate Route 295, from Route 130 to Kuser Road; Route 29, from Ferry Street to the Route I-295 interchange; and Route 129, from Route 1 to Route 29. The Hearing will be held at the Grice Junior High School, 901 White Horse-Hamilton Square Road. Hamilton Township on July 8. between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. It will provide an opportunity for Interested individuals and groups to offer their views, concerns, and comments on the goals, objectives, and Impacts of the proposal. In order to permit adequate opportunity for discussion of the project prior to the Hearing, the Department has scheduled an Informal information forum, to be held at the school on June 29 from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The Hearing Itself will Include an official half-hour presentation, to be given on July 8, at 7:00 p.m. All time from 7:30 P.m. to 11:00 p.m. will be set aside to allow Individuals to give testimony concerning the project. This testimony will be recorded and will become part of the Official Public Hearing Record. Questions posed as part of an Individuals statement will be officially addressed in the Final Environmental Impact Statement. In addition, Department personnel will be available In a display and Information area at the Hearing site from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. to answer questions and to discuss issues related to the project. If you wish to present testimony at the Hearing, please return the attached registration form to the Office of Community Involvement, 1035 Parkway Avenue, Trenton. New Jersey 08625, as soon as possible. Be sure to Indicate three half-hour periods that would be convenient for you to give your presentation. Remember that each speaker will be given five minutes to present his or her testimony and that speaking time will be scheduled In the order In which requests are received by our Office. We will Inform you of the time you have been assigned. In lieu of pre-registering to speak, you may sign up upon arriving at the Hearing. However, you will not be assured an assigned time slot and will be given speaking time only If there are available time slots that have not been taken up by pre-registered speakers. If you pre-register to speak but later decide to give your time to another person, you must be present at the Hearing when your name is called. You may only give your time to one other Individual. 105 Exhibit 3-8 continued Instead of or in addition to speaking at the Hearing, you may choose to provide written statements and/or exhibits. Be sure to submit these to the Office of Community Involvement by August 9, (30 days after the close of the Hearing). Finally, if you wish to review the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Section 4(f) Statement that has been prepared for the Route 295, 195, and 29 project, please note that It Is available for your review at the following locations: the New Jersey Depart- ment of Transportation Library. Room 130. 1035 Parkway Avenue, Trenton, N.J. 08625; the New Jersey State Clearinghouse, 329 West State Street, Trenton. N.J.; the Federal Highway Administration Regional Office, 4 Normanskill Boulevard, Delmar, N.Y.; the Mercer County Administration Office, 640 Broad Street, Trenton, N.J. 08607; and the Burlington County Administration Office, 49 Hancocas Road Mt. Holly, N.J. 08060. The Statement is also available at the Burlington County Library, Woodlane Road, Mt. Holly 08060; the Ewing Township branch of the Mercer County Library, Scotch Road, Trenton 08628, as well as at the municipal buildings and main branches of the public libraries of the Cities of Trenton and Bordentown, and the Townships of Hamilton and Bordentown. We are looking forward to seeing you at the Hearing and hope that you will contact us at (609) 292-6802 If you have any questions in the interim. Sincerely, Helen Neuhaus Director, Community Involvement I wish to speak at the Interstate Routes 295-195-129-29 Public Hearing: NAME __________________________________________________________ ADDRESS________________________________________________________ PHONE #_________________________________________________________ PREFERRED SPEAKING TIME (Please indicate three half-hour periods during which you would prefer to give your presentation.) Remember: Public testimony will be taken from 7:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. 1st Choice 2nd Choice 3rd Choice Example: 8:30 - 900 p.m. Return to: Office of Community Involvement New Jersey Department of Transportation 1035 Parkway Avenue Trenton, NJ 08625 106 There are special features that add to the personal nature and/or effectiveness of a letter of invitation. The most popular seem to be the clip-off coupons and stamped self-addressed inserts that people can use to pre-register for a public hearing. Also, you might consider enclosing speakers' cards with your letters of invitation, so that people can fill them out at home and hand them to the agency greeters when they arrive at your meeting. A particularly visually appealing letter of invitation to a public meeting is included as EXHIBIT 3-9. The accompanying map showing both meeting sites and the project area is very well done. Notice the lack of detail and how clean and sharp the map looks as a result. There are just enough roadways and bodies of water highlighted to orient an individual. The shaded box depicting the project area is a good concept that is well-executed. There is one criticism about this letter: The two scheduled public meetings are not mentioned until the third paragraph. Here they can be easily overlooked. Always mention the place, date, and time of meetings in the opening paragraph of your letters. Distribution. Generally speaking, if you are mailing your letters of invitation, they should go out 14 days before the meeting or hearing to ensure their receipt by the public 10-12 days prior to the gathering. Sometimes, time and/or cost precludes mailing letters. In such cases, you should consider delivering them door-to-door as handbills. In fact, the delivery of any meeting notification house-to-house by agency personnel can be very effective, particularly in a rural settiqg or in a case where the project is relatively small. Preliminary contact between the public and those agency people involved with the project often helps to establish a firm communications base. B. Fliers Fliers are the least expensive and simplest technique among the direct mailing procedures. In essence, they are nothing more than less elaborate or less sophisticated letters of invitation or newsletters thrown together as a result of a limited agency budget, limited timeframe, or a,poorly defined community. Because of their limitations, fliers should be used only if one or more of the above situations exist. Chief among their limitations is the inability to communicate a good deal of information. Their primary objective is advertising the place, date, and time of a meeting or hearing without elaborating on such issues as the purpose of the meeting, concerns to be addressed, project scope, attendant studies, etc. Like letters of invitation and newsletters, fliers can be used as handbills. You might also consider distributing them to classes of school children who, in turn, can take them home to their parents. Make sure you first check with the school's principal and/or superintendent. Another way of distributing fliers is by placing stacks of them in public places such as supermarkets, post offices, stores, banks, municipal buildings, etc. 107 Exhibit 3-9 Minnesota Department of Transportation District 9 3485 Hadley Avenue North, Box 2050 North St. Paul, Minnesota 55109 (612)770-311 October 5, Dear Resident: The Minnesota Department of Transportation has been studying ways to improve traffic flow through the intersection of T.H. 13 and T.H. 55 southeast of the Mendota Bridge. As a result of our studies, a proposal has been developed which will: 1. Reduce congestion during rush hour periods: 2. Reduce the accident rate; 3. Provide better traffic movements, local and through; and 4. Make better use of the Mendota bridge as a major river crossing. The Mendota project, as we call it, would replace the existing intersections on T.H. 55, at T.H. 13 and at T.H. 110, with interchanges to avoid cross traffic at the intersections. The major features of the Mendota Project are: a. The reconstruction of T.H. 110 from Lexington Avenue to T.H. 55. b. The reconstruction of T.H. 55 from the Mendota Bridge to Mendota Heights Road. c. The relocation and reconstruction of T.H. 13 to the east along T.H. 55. This relocation will occur from the proposed 1-494 bridges to the Mendota Business District. d. The junction of these reconstructed roads will be interchanges (bridges and ramps/loops). e. Construction of frontage roads to provide local circulation. We would like to discuss this proposal with you and your neighbors. Two informal public informational meetings have been scheduled In October, one for Mendota Heights on Thursday,-October 20, at the Mendota Heights Community Hall, and the other for Mendota, on Tuesday, October 25, at the Mendota V.F.W. Hall. These meetings will start at 7:30 P.M. An Equal Opportunity Employer 108 Exhibit 3-9 continued Click HERE for graphic. 109 Still another way is by placing them on the windshields of automobiles. (Note: Many municipalities have ordinances against such tactics, so check with the town hall before trying this technique.) C. Newsletters A carefully prepared, professional looking newsletter can be a valuable multipurpose mechanism serving as: An information tool. A notification procedure. A preparatory aid for people planning to attend a meeting or hearing. A meeting/hearing handout. Although production of a comprehensive newsletter requires careful preparation; a variety of technical skills; good internal coordination; and a reasonably long timeframe, many agencies have found that it is well worth the effort. ln attempting to determine whether a newsletter is an appropriate communications technique for any given project, it is advisable to initially consider the following: 1) Overall project characteristics. Not all projects lend themselves to newsletter preparation and distribution. As previously mentioned, newsletters are most effective if used as a continuing mechanism for community outreach on a large, complex and/or controversial project. Only then will the potential readership population and number of "newsworthy" items justify the substantial expenditure of time, money, and people power. In all other cases -- particularly if you are considering a local roadway improvement in a rural area; a project not likely to have significant social, economic, or environmental effects; or a proposal that will not require an ongoing community involvement effort -- you would be better off opting for less time-and-labor- intensive techniques. 2) Overall community characteristics. Even if your project lends itself to newsletter distribution, your project community may not. Specific educational, social, and cultural characteristics may preclude the effective use of newsletters as a basic- communication vehicle. Factors that should be considered include the following: A wide range of educational levels in the project community. This may make it extremely difficult to develop a style and format that are appropriate to the group as a whole. Since your principal objective is to reach as many people as possible, a newsletter that is not broad-based in appeal and "universally" comprehensible is of little value. A low degree of newspaper readership. If people are not reading general-circulation newspapers, chances are they won't read your newsletter either! 110 A large non-English-speaking population. If your ability to large segments of the project population is hampered by language barriers, bilingual and even trilingual newsletters should be considered. If agency resources preclude such a comprehensive effort, it is probably wiser to opt for a notification document that is easier to translate. 3) Available agency resources. People: Newsletter production is a many-faceted activity that requires expertise in such areas as writing, editing, and layout. Whereas other notification techniques permit you to rehash basic technical data without much elaboration, effective newsletter preparation requires you to organize and present your information in an imaginative and readable manner. Surveys have shown that even an informative and relevant newsletter will not be read if it is characterized by poor writing, undistinguished graphics, or a haphazard or crowded look. Therefore, if your agency resources do not include talented writers, editors, and artists, it is generally better to select another notification technique or to hire an outside consultant. >>CONSULTANT SELECTION GUIDELINES>> Once you have decided to use an outside consultant, be sure to focus on firms with proven experience in writing, graphics, and/or public relations. Do not turn to the engineering and environmental firms with which you generally work! In most cases, they will not be able to provide a satisfactory newsletter.: Remember:. You are not looking for technical expertise but for a "translator" to convert complicated data into an easily under- standable narrative and graphic presentation. Time: Time. considerations play an important role in determining the feasibility of newsletter preparation. At a minimum, a two-month period should be Provided for writing, layout, preparation of graphics, editing, printing, and distribution. In planning your schedule, don't short-change yourself by aiming for a crash program. On the contrary, try to leave some legroom for last minute changes, printing delays, and the unpredictability of bulk mailing. Budget: The costs involved in newsletter preparation can vary significantly, depending on a multitude of production factors. In general, expenses can be kept to a minimum, if in-house capabilities are extensive and include all aspects of printing and distribution. On the other hand, consultant fees are usually high and are likely to double your overall cost. CASE IN POINT: One agency determined that it could produce 5,000 copies of a four- page, one-color newsletter for $600.00 (12� a copy), including labor. The lowest estimate received from an outside consultant was $1,100.00, or 22� a copy. In deciding whether to opt for newsletter production, the advantages of a multi-use publication should always be kept in mind. By performing many of the functions of letters of invitation, handout packets, and follow-up materials, newsletter can-telescope a variety of activities that would normally be scattered throughout the meeting preparation process. The result is likely to 111 be a substantial long-range savings in time, money and effort. In spite of the significant initial investment of resources, serious consideration should therefore be given to newsletter preparation, whenever appropriate. Initial Preparation Once you have determined that a newsletter is the most appropriate way to communicate your project information, it is essential that you develop a comprehensive schedule of necessary activities and timeframes. As with all other aspects of a community involvement program, planning is the key to an effective end-product. Although the content of any given newsletter is, to a large degree, dictated by individual project components and overall community needs, other aspects of newsletter production -- layout, use of graphics, etc. -share a number of common elements. Consequently, your initial preparatory activities should focus on finalizing the following: Content: In defining the content requirements of your newsletter, it is helpful to begin by brainstorming a list of articles and graphic ideas. Start by itemizing those basic issues that are crucial to a thorough understanding of the topics that will be- highlighted at the upcoming meeting. Special features that might give the newsletter an added element of interest can be folded in later. For example, one eastern state that generally distributes four-page self-mailers prior to each major community meeting, has developed the following outline of "bread and butter" issues: Newsletter #1: Introductory Meeting Page 1 - Map of study area. - Feature article on goals and objectives of study. This can include a discussion of study guidelines, background, and basic project information. Page 2 - Feature article on scope of study - both geographically and from an engineering, environmental, social and economic perspective. A list of any alternates that are already under consideration could be included. - Feature article on study criteria. This might include general methodology, as well-as such specific aspects as roadway geometry; traffic patterns and projections; cost; environmental and community impacts. Page 3 - Brief introduction to the study team, including any participating consultants. - Outline of the proposed community involvement program, This might include a description of planned activities; a tentative schedule of meetings, along with places, dates, times, and agendas. 112 Page 4 - Self-mailer. - Clip-out coupon (See below), including such information as meeting dates; name and number of agency phone contact; name and address of agency written contact. Reminder Clip this coupon--it's your reminder of the meetings, names and telephone numbers you will need to GET INVOLVED in the New York and Long Branch project. COMMUNITY MEETINGS South Amboy - Tuesday, November 30, South Amboy High School, 249 John Street, South Amboy; 7:30 p.m. Matawan - Tuesday, December 7, Lloyd Road Middle School Lloyd Road, Matawan; 7:30 p.m. Red Bank - Thursday, December 9, Red Bank Regional High School, 101 Ridge Road, Little Silver; 7:30 p.m. Middletown - Wednesday, December 15, Middletown Village School, 145 Kings Highway, Middletown; 7:30 p.in. TELEPHONE CONTACT Department of Transportation Helen Neuhaus, Director, Community Involvement (609) 292-4718 WRITTEN COMMENTS AND FUTURE MAILINGS This issue of NY&LB RR NEWS is the first of a series to be distributed to keep riders and residents of corridor communities up-to-date on project developments. Written comments on matters discussed at community meetings or presented in the newsletter may be sent to the address below. If you wish to be added to the mailing list for future issues, please send your name and address (include group affiliation, if any) to: Office of Community Involvement New Jersey Department of Transportation 1035 Parkway Avenue Trenton, New Jersey 08625 113 Newsletter #2: Alternative Alignments Meeting Page 1 - Photograph (perhaps relating to Introductory Meeting). - Feature article on study progress. As an update of activities, this can include a general discussion of public participation, as well as reference to specific community inputs. Pages 2 & 3 - Map of alternatives under consideration. - Chart describing each alternative in terms of geometry, termini, and specific engineering features. Page 4 - Mailer. - Follow-up clip-out Coupon. Newsletter #3: Project Impacts Meeting and/or Corridor Public Hearing Page 1 - Map of alternate alignments. - Feature article on study progress and, if appropriate, on scheduling of Public Hearing. Pages 2 & 3 - Comparative Chart of all aspects of impact studies. (See EXHIBIT 3-10) - Narrative summary of impact studies. Page 4 - Mailer. - Follow-up clip-out Coupon. Public Hearing Insert. Whenever Newsletter #3 is distributed to announce a public hearing as well as an impact meeting, a special two-page insert is included. One page discusses the guidelines and procedures that will govern conduct of the hearing. The other page lists basic information relating to all aspects of speaking at the hearing and submitting written testimony. A clip-out pre- registration form is always incorporated, We have attached an example as EXHIBIT 3-11. Special Features. Once you have Identified the topics that are essential to a comprehensive and informative newsletter, you may want to give some thought to including one or more special features. Properly planned and presented, they can add a lively touch to a technically-oriented publication. Some examples: 114 Exhibit 3-10 Click HERE for graphic. 115 Exhibit 3-11 Public Hearing Guidelines and Procedures The Route 169 Public Hearing is being conducted in accordance with the New Jersey Department of Transportation's Action Plan (adopted April 14, 1975). It will therefore be run in line with the following guidelines and procedures that are excerpted from the Official Hearing Notice that has been published in local newspapers in the Bayonne-Jersey City area: "The Hearing itself will consist of an official presentation by Department of Transportation personnel, followed by an opportunity for citizens to give testimony regarding the proposed improvement. All testimony will be recorded and will become part of the official Public Hearing Record. Questions posed as part of an individuals recorded statement will be officially addressed in the Final Environmental Impact Statement. In addition, a display and information area that will run concurrent with the Hearing will provide an opportunity for individuals to pose questions and discuss i@sues related to the Public HeAring. These informal conversations will not be recorded and will not become part of the official Hearing Record. Departmental representatives will be available in the information area beginning at 9:00 a.m. on the morning of the Hearing and 6:00 p.m. on the evening of the Hearing." "In the event that the Route 169 project involves the acquisition of land owned by a municipality for public use, the provisions of New Jersey Statutes Annotated, Title 27:7-23 will be observed and considered in the conduct of this Hearing." "In accordance with the Action Plan and the requirements of Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and Section 4(f) of the United States Department of Transportation Act of 1966, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Section 4(f) Statement concerning the effects of the various alternatives has been prepared. This Statement is available for public inspection and review at the following locations: the New Jersey Department of Transportation Library, Room 130, 1035 Parkway Avenue, Trenton, New Jersey 08625; the New Jersey State Clearinghouse, 329 West State Street Trenton, New Jersey; the Federal Highway Administration Division Office, 25 Scotch Road, Trenton, New Jersey; the Federal Highway Administration Regional Office, 4 Normanskill Boulevard, Belmar, New York; the Hudson County Administration Office, Newark Avenue, Jersey City, New Jersey 07306; the Bayonne Municipal Building, 630 Avenue C, Bayonne, New Jersey; the City HaH, 280 Grove Street, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302; the Bayonne Public Library, Main Branch, 697 Avenue C, Bayonne, New Jersey 07002; and the Jersey City Public Library, Main Branch, 472 Jersey Avenue, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302. Copies will also be available for review at the Public Hearing and the environmental information sessions." "Persons wishing to comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement may do so by writing, before June 30th (15 days after the Hearing), to: Mr. J. F. Andrews, Director, Division of Economic and Environmental Analysis, Ne@4 Jersey Department of Transportation, 1035 Parkway Avenue, Trenton, New Jersey 08625." 116 Exhibit 3-11 continued IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK AT THE HEARING... BE SURE TO PRE-REGISTER by sending the clip-out coupon at the bottom of this page to the Department's Office of Community Involvement. Remember: 1. All pre-registration must be in writing. 2. Requests for speaking time will be honored in the order in which they are received. So write in early! 3. You will be given 5 minutes to present your testimony. 4. The Office of Community Involvement will inform you of the time you have been scheduled to speak. 5. And finally, don't forget that public testimony will be heard from 10:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m. and from 7:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15th in the Council Chamber of the Bayonne Municipal Building. IF YOU DO NOT PRE-REGISTER TO SPEAK... BE SURE TO SIGN UP TO SPEAK AS SOON AS YOU ARRIVE AT THE HEARING! Remember: You can only be given speaking time if there are available time slots that have not been taken by pre- registered speakers! IF YOU WISH TO GIVE YOUR RESERVED TIME TO ANOTHER SPEAKER... YOU MUST BE PRESENT AT THE HEARING WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED! You will be permitted to give your time to only one other person. IF YOU WISH TO SUBMIT WRITTEN TESTIMONY. BE SURE TO SEND YOUR STATEMENT TO THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT BY JUNE 30th Written documents received after that date cannot be accepted as part of the official hearing record. Click HERE for graphic. 117 A New England town's Citizens Involvement Committee included a quiz in an issue of its newsletter. "Feedback." In addition to providing an opportunity for "active participation", the quiz was cleverly used to communicate a number of specific facts and project details. We have reprinted it as EXHIBIT 3-12 to give you an idea of its scope and format. The concept of a quiz can be applied to virtually every aspect of the transportation planning process and may be particularly effective as a means of relating social, environmental, or economic impact data. Remember: Any quiz that is timely, relevant, and fun is likely to be well-received. If you can identify principal areas of concern and/or confusion that relate to your project, you may want to clarify them in simple question-and answer fashion. A number of agencies have included a question-and"answer section in their newsletters to deal with a wide range of topics including right-of-way; the project development process; environmental concerns; and funding. A Letters to the Editor column is another way to give readers a feeling as well as a reality of participation. But one word of caution: The use of this technique can backfire unless you carefully spell out your guidelines and regulations in the first issue. Overall policies regarding editing the materials, limiting the number of words, etc. must be clearly communicated to counteract charges of bias that may otherwise be raised--- particularly if the subject project is a controversial one. In developing your guidelines, try to remember that the column is designed to function as a vehicle for the readership-at-large and not as a soapbox for specific interest groups. If you are planning to use your newsletter as a meeting handout, consider leaving a page or a portion of a page blank for note-taking purposes. Your audience will appreciate the opportunity to jot down comments and questions during the presentation without having to search for paper. Layout. Since the "look" of your newsletter will be the first characteristic to encourage or discourage potential readers, attractive and sensible layout should always be of prime concern, In developing your layout, be-sure to consider both aesthetics and proper placement of articles and graphic materials based on their overall importance and degree of interest. The following general tips may be helpful in this regard: Front Page. People almost always look at the front page of a newsletter prior to turning to an inside feature. This underscores the importance of a striking logo and exciting front-page headlines. EXHIBIT 3-13 shows one example of an interesting, eye-catching, and low-budget logo. Developed by an agency on the West Coast for an environmental newsletter series, the logo incorporates three simple stylistic components into an attractive unified whole. Note the use of two contrasting colors (in this case, brown and white); large block lettering; and type-setting on the diagonal to create a distinctive look that requires little artistic ability and a minimal expenditure. 118 Exhibit 3-12 Click HERE for graphic. 119 Exhibit 3-13 Click HERE for graphic. 120 EXHIBIT 3-14 shows another example of a logo distinguished by use of simple individual components. Stylistically, this logo plays on the relationship between the initial "e" in environment and the officially recognized environmental symbol that is shown on the right side of the page. The overall design balances these features, at the same time that it effectively integrates the masthead with the front page. >>EXPERIMENTATION CAN BE DANGEROUS>> Although an interesting logo can add eye appeal and unity to your newsletter, an experimentally cute design does just the opposite. EXHIBIT 3- 15 shows a front page that is disharmonious and jarring because it violates the basic simplicity that is essential to effective layout. The poor use of white space creates an empty center block that appears to serve no purpose, either stylistically or with regard to content. Similarly, the circular pattern of lettering adds to the unprofessional look of the page by being distracting and hard-to-read, as oil as by leaving an overall impression of sloppiness. Back Page. People usually look at the back page of a newsletter after scanning the f@ont page. To maximize its potential, use the back page to highlight information relating to future meetings, follow-up contacts, or other items of general interest. Right-hand Page. Habit being what it is, people are accustomed to looking at the right-hand page of a newsletter before looking at the left-hand page. It is therefore a good idea to make the right-hand page as inviting and visually exciting as possible. Maps, charts, photographs, and other graphics can help you develop the necessary eye appeal. Centerfold. The center double-page of a newsletter has traditionally been a particular focus of attention. As you map out your preliminary layout, plan something special for this area. A map, a chart, or a creatively laid out feature article is always an appropriate choice. Composition. As a general rule, no more than half of each page should be filled with copy. A crowded page, such as the one that has been included as EXHIBIT 3-16, intimidates and discourages readership, The page appears cluttered and unplanned as a result of too much text and too little white space. Passive headlines add to the stylistic boredom, and apparently haphazard variations in typography create further confusion by not directing the eye to a specific focal point. As a result, a good deal of pertinent information is hidden rather than highlighted. The most effective way to encourage newsletter readership is through incorporation of graphics and adequate white space. Most experts agree that good newsletter layout includes one large, bold, and simple graphic on every page. In addition to serving as a strong visual stimulus, a relevant drawing, photograph, map, or chart can convey substantial amounts of information in an un- pedantic manner. 121 Exhibit 3-14 Click HERE for graphic. 122 Exhibit 3-15 Click HERE for graphic. 123 Exhibit 3-16 Click HERE for graphic. 124 When developing your newsletter graphics, remember that they must be clear and self-explanatory, For example, a useful newsletter map must include a sharp background; crisp readable lettering; and well-defined points of reference. To illustrate the importance of these principles, we have included the following cluttered and unclear map that contains few points of reference and virtually unreadable typography. It is hard to imagine that this map, with its washed out almost abstract background, could assist many readers in understanding the subject project. Click HERE for graphic. 6. Size. An important element of proper layout is determining a suitable size for your newsletter. A large bulky document, such as the 11-1/4" by 16" newsletter favored by one eastern state, is not only costly in terms of production and distribution but unwieldy and cumbersome for the reader. Although offbeat sizes may appeal to you, a standard 8-1/2" x 11" document has many advantages. In addition to the cost- effectiveness of using a readily available paper size, an 8-1/2" x 11" newsletter is manageable in terms of both mailing and reading. Because it is the perfect size to fold for use as a self mailer, it can significantly reduce your distribution costs. In order to apply the above guidelines to layout of a specific newsletter, it is usually necessary to experiment with a variety of page formats on a trial-and- 125 error basis. After determining the approximate length of each narrative and graphic feature, it is generally a good idea to sketch out a number of possible page layouts , or dummies. Each dummy will indicate how a specific composition of text, graphics, headlines, and captions will look. By comparing several carefully developed dummies, you can get an excellent feel for the most effective way to present your material. Style. Once you have developed a satisfactory dummy, it is time to flesh in your outline by focusing on specific style and composition details. In order to meet your objective of getting people interested in and thinking about a particular project, it will be necessary to appeal to your audience through an effective combination of-maximum visuals, minimal text, color, typography, and eye-catching composition. In defining and developing a distinctive style, it is particularly important to have a good knowledge of your intended audience. At all times, the style and approach of your newsletter must be appropriate to the group as a whole. Your message should never be geared to specific interest groups such as engineers, business people, community activists, or public officials. On the contrary, it should be principally directed at those people who have a vital interest in the project and to whom the agency is not normally accessible. Contrary to popular opinion, an innovative style need not be costly. A professional-looking document that identifies a project in a highly individualized manner, can be inexpensively produced through creative use of a variety of design characteristics. In addition to layout, graphics, and content itself, the most important ingredients of a simple, tasteful, and economical newsletter are the following: Color. The substitution of colored stock for white paper is probably the most dramatic way to inexpensively add a touch of excitement to your newsletter. A number of states have found that selection of a rich tone, particularly if combined with a complementary contrasting ink, can create a sleek and sophisticated look at minimal extra cost. Favorite stocks appear to be yellows, browns, blues, and greys -- hues that are basically conservative and soothing to the eye. Among the most popular combinations: Brown ink on yellow or beige paper; dark blue or green ink on light blue paper. But there are notable exceptions: One state found that using magenta ink on grey stock resulted in a distinguished and very readable document. >>DON'T OPT FOR EXTREMES>> As with all other aspects of newsletter preparation, the use of color must be carefully and judiciously planned. On the one hand, it is important to select a bright, alive color and to avoid a washed-out look- that will give the newsletter a "tired" appearance. On the other hand, it is important not to select a piercing color that will offend the eye and probably make the text and illustrations difficult to read. As a general rule, lime green, aqua blue, red, and orange should be avoided. Related Costs. On the average, the use of colored stock increases overall printing costs by $2.00 to $5.00 per thousand copies. Colored ink adds 126 another $5.00. However, if you choose to use two different color inks, you can expect your costs to more than double. A two-color process generally runs about $25.00 to $30.00 over and above a base printing cost of $12.00 to $15.00 per thousand. Headlines and Typography. Exciting headlines and visually pleasing typography are two almost foolproof ways in which to focus Attention on your newsletter. Unfortunately, headline writing is a time-consuming art. Although it is easy to say that a headline should be short, simple, and informative, it is often quite difficult to produce one that appropriately meets these criteria. Take the time to play with a variety of headlines before you make your choice. You will eventually zero in on one that is acceptable. Whatever you do, do not settle for the "text disguised as headline" that is illustrated below. Click HERE for graphic. This overly long, unattractive headline covered almost one-half page of an 11-1/4" x 18" news sheet. To make matters worse, it was followed by a skimpy one-column article. A more appropriate choice would have been "Meetings and Hearings Scheduled on 1-70N", a headline that summarizes the relevant information and leaves the detailed data for the text, where it properly belongs, In determining your newsletter's overall "look", remember that typography is as important as headlines. The use of contrasting typefaces -- e,g., bold and italics, serif and sans serif -- can be very effective, provided that it is consistent and complementary, Conversely, an incongruent "mix and match" typography gives a newsletter a sloppy and amateurish appearance. For tips on typog- raphy, as well as detailed information on layout and printing, send for a copy of the New England Free Press' booklet, "How to do Leaflets, Newsletters, and Newspapers". The address: 127 The New England Free Press 60 Union Square Somerville, Mass. 02143 >>EXPERIMENT WITH MINOR DETAILS>> In developing a newsletter, it is often fun to incorporate an interesting new twist, such as unique pagination. One agency designed big, bold, ragged, rough-hewn numbers for its publication. It worked well -- particularly since the newsletter was printed on a course- grained earthy stock! Before leaving the newsletter preparation section of this chapter, we would like to remind you of a couple of DON'TS: Don't think that a mimeographed news sheet that merely lists information in a press release type manner will accomplish the objectives of a newsletter; It may be very informative; but lacking the graphics, layout, and overall design of a newsletter, it will probably be far less effective in attracting and keeping an audience. Don't staple your newsletter, if at all possible. It is very unprofessional looking. Instead, if you are aiming for a four-page 8-1/2" x 11" newsletter, buy 11" x 17" stock and fold it in half. Don't use flow-diagrams unless they are absolutely essential. In addition to being confusing aid intimidating to the average reader, the information they contain can generally be expressed more clearly through use of a traditional chart arrangement. Don't use cartoons, unless they are exceptionally incisive and extremely well-executed. Most cartoons are silly, amateurish, and irrelevant to the subject matter. They are often turned to as "filler". Instead, try using another type of graphic or even leaving white space in a pinch, Editing. Once you are pleas ed with the individual components of your newsletter, it is important to make sure that they fit together. Although careful and comprehensive editing is a time- consuming and tedious task, it is the only way to determine if your newsletter "hits the mark". With this in mind, try to make sure that your editing process always includes the following: Read all articles for clarity. Ask yourself, "Does the message come across?" "is the content suitable?" "Do the text and graphics contain any extraneous material?" "Does the headline appropriately 'introduce' the article?" If you are not satisfied with your answers, some rewrite is probably in order. Check for technical jargon. A newsletter geared to an intelligent lay audience should not contain any engineering or other technical terminology. Ask yourself if each article, chart, and table can be understood by an area resident with no highway planning or design background. If not, it is time to start translating! 128 Review all graphics for appropriateness. An effective newsletter has an overall cohesiveness and sense of unity. To achieve this, it is essential that graphics specifically complement the article they are accompanying. Before completing your editing, double-check to make sure that a photograph of a meeting has not been placed alongside an article on alternate alignments. Check language for clarity. In re-reading your copy, make sure that the words crisp, clear, and descriptive. Rewrite sentences and paragraphs that are overly long. Check captions and headlines for clarity and consistency. Captions and headlines must, at all times, appropriately suit and directly relate to the text they are accompanying. A mismatched caption or a headline that does not make sense detracts from the specific article, as well as from the newsletter as a whole. For example, one New England state described a photograph of four people reviewing plans at a conference table with the caption, "Community issues are given high priority". Since the photo gave no indication that community issues were being considered, the entire graphic became little more than an irrelevant filler. Distribution. For maximum effectiveness, newsletters should be distributed as widely as an agency's budget will allow. Whenever possible, the overall project mailing list should serve as a basis for mail distribution. This can be supplemented by dropping off batches of newsletters at local libraries, municipal buildings, railroad stations, or any other focal gathering point in the community. >>WARNING>> Never-substitute drop-off points for an organized mail campaign to potentially interested and affected people. Always gear your primary distribution to the population most likely to participate in project planning. Other distribution techniques should only be used as auxiliary measures. Timing. In order to function as a well-planned notification tool, a newsletter should reach its destination 10 days to 2 weeks prior to the scheduled meeting. In timing your distribution, remember to allow at least an extra week if delivery is via bulk mail. Cost. The simplest way to reduce newsletter mailing costs is to structure the publication as a self-mailer and thereby eliminate the need for envelopes. The most comprehensive cost-cutting technique is, of course, the use of a bulk mailing permit. Bulk permits can be used for any distribution of printed matter -- provided that the mailing consists of 200 identical pieces that are properly zipcoded, sorted, and bundled. (The U.S. Postal Service provides a detailed booklet with all necessary information.) Obtaining a bulk-permit is a relatively simple matter. Permits are issued at any post office, following payment of an annual $40.00 fee plus a $20.00 fee for registration of a permanent number. Bulk allowances limit items to a weight of 3-1/3 ozs. and provide for a rate of 7-1/2� a piece. 129 The major disadvantage of bulk mailing is that delivery is very slow, In fact, the post office will not guarantee delivery within any given timeframe. Effective use of bulk mailing for newsletter distribution is therefore dependent on the development of a schedule that includes a substantial amount of cushion time between mailing and meeting dates. III. Other Notification Techniques A. Posters Posters are a relatively inexpensive way of notifying the public of a meeting or hearing and are particularly useful in the more rural areas of an agency's jurisdiction. Their degree of elaboration and sophistication varies, depending on the agency's needs, funds and available time. They may be printed or done individually by hand. Following are a few recommended guidelines for developing and using posters: Keep them simple, both in terms of the wording and in terms of the overall appearance. There should be no unnecessary details. Highlight a few key words such as public meeting and the name of the project, using large, bold lettering. Vary the colors of posters announcing each agency meeting to be held within a short period of time, This will help people realize that your agency is publicizing different meetings and that the posters are not left over from previous events. Post them well in advance of the meeting or hearing (at least two weeks). Make sure they are conspicuous. Post them in oft-used places such as town halls, stores, churches, post offices, libraries, schools, etc. (Note: Permission should always be received before posters are placed in any building.) Include pertinent information. This should include the time, place, date, and reason for the meeting, as well as the name of the agency conducting the meeting. Also, it is a good idea to include the name and telephone number of an individual at the agency who may be contacted for more information. EXHIBITS 3-17 and 3-18 show two "fill-in-the-blanks" posters, Each is simple, eye-catching, and devoid of unnecessary details. In both cases, the posters are mass-produced with appropriate spaces available for writing in the name of the project and date, time, and place of meeting. This is perhaps the most practical and cost- effective approach to using posters, since the agency need not spend the time and money to print posters each time a meeting or hearing is held. These posters are also color-coded for use in publicizing a series of meetings. A sample poster submitted by a Department of Transportation in the Midwest is included as EXHIBIT 3-19. Although this poster violates two of the recommended 130 Exhibit 3-17 Click HERE for graphic. 131 Exhibit 3-18 Click HERE for graphic. 132 Exhibit 3-19 Click HERE for graphic. 133 guidelines -- it is neither particularly large nor does it use color -- reports indicate that it is nonetheless quite effective in the wide-open spaces of the agency's jurisdiction. Notice the similarity between this poster and the familiar "Wanted" posters of the old west. Among the most professional and attractive agency posters are those shown as EXHIBITS 3-20 and 3-21. They are particularly effective because of 1) their interesting formats and 2) their colors, which, unfortunately cannot be reproduced in this guidebook. The agency that produced these posters uses the silk screen process, a technique that is based on the fundamental principle of the stencil: If paint or any other colored fluid is rubbed over a stencil, it will readily penetrate the unprotected portions and will be unable to pass through the masked portions. The amount of time it takes to come up with a finished product using this method varies depending on both the expertise of the people involved and the number of colors used. The layout of the lettering from concept to final design can take 3 to 4 hours while the actual printing can take another 2 to 3 hours. (Note: If more than one color is used, the process must be repeated as many times as there are additional colors.) The bulk of the costs associated with this process involve the construction of a frame for the silk screen. This can run in the neighborhood of $80.00, although screens can be built for as little as $20.00. If you decide to try out the silk screen process, consider the following tips before beginning: start simply, with one color, until you gain a degree of proficiency. Give yourself ample time to experiment. Remember: Silk screening is not a sure-fire process; it may involve a bit of trial-and-error. Become familiar with the particular characteristics of the ink you are using. Remember: Some inks dry faster than others; at times, ink can clog and require use of a lacquer thinner or other solvent. Make sure your ink and stencil are compatible. For example, if you use a water soluble stencil, you cannot use a water soluble ink. Instead you must use an oil-based ink. Handle the stencil with care. Handle the screen with care, Silk is very delicate. If you would like.more detailed Information and a description of the silk screen process, contact District 4 of the Florida Department of Transportation, 780 S.W. 24th Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33315. They will be happy to help you out! 134 Exhibit 3-20 Click HERE for graphic. 135 Exhibit 3-21 Click HERE for graphic. 136 B. Field Offices Some state highway agencies are making effective use of field offices to provide and receive information during the corridor location and design process, Located in the project area, field offices offer an opportunity for informal meetings with people who might not customarily attend structured informational meetings or hearings. In order to obtain full visibility in a community, the existence of field offices should be publicized in newspapers, by handouts and posters, and on local radio and television stations. Periodic mailings can be made to all local community groups and interested individuals. Staff assigned to these offices should be knowledgeable about the impacted area and project. Office hours should be based on.the particular lifestyles and work habits of people in the area. In many states, trailers, either owned by the state highway agency or rented for a specific project, are used to provide a highly mobile means of establishing a field office. Trailers can be quickly moved and set up on a project or can circulate within a community on a slower, more regular basis. The placement of trailers in shopping centers is particularly effective, due to their visibility and convenience for large numbers of people. 137 CHAPTER 4: HANDOUTS Handout materials have a unique relationship to a meeting or hearing, since they are often used before, during, and after the event. A well-conceived and designed handout can therefore serve as an ongoing link between agency and community. As a multi- purpose document, it can introduce and detail the meeting subject; provide a handy companion to the agency presentation; and function as a tangible reference check after the meeting. The variety of handout possibilities and combinations is almost endless. In selecting and preparing the materials, very few general guidelines prevail, except that the handout must be clear, relevant, up-to-date, and as self explanatory as possible. Sometimes handouts are specifically prepared for distribution at a public gathering. At other times, materials that have previously been prepared for other purposes can very effectively be used. In general, it is helpful if at least one of the handouts directly relates to the agency presentation and exhibit. For example, a strip map or airbrush photo that is a reduced version of the major graphic display is always relevant and often facilitates understanding the presentation. The principal types of handouts that-are specifically prepared for a given meeting or hearing include the following: Maps of the project area showing alternative alignments, etc. (These include aerial photographs.) Photographs of airbrush and other renderings of the proposed facility. Charts which itemize and compare significant facts of each alternative alignment (e.g., costs; lengths; right-of-way requirements; social, environmental and economic impacts). Project-related pamphlets, brochures, and booklets. Agendas, lists of panel members, and other administrative items. In developing any of the above, it is important to keep in mind the wide range of possible resource expenditures. You can minimize the time, cost, and labor involved in preparing handouts by 1) abstracting and modifying materials from exhibits, draft Environmental Impact Statements, etc., whenever possible; and 2) considering such multi- purpose materials as newsletters, which can be used both as notification and is handout documents. For a detailed discussion of newsletters, please turn to pages 110-130 of the Notification Chapter. In addition to newsletters, examples of materials that are ordinarily prepared for purposes other than distribution at meetings but that may be used as handouts include: Fliers Letters of invitation and other notification documents. 138 General pamphlets, brochures, and booklets (including process guidelines, Action Plans, and right-of-way materials). Position Papers/Summary Reports. >>INCLUDE FORMS FOR AUDIENCE USE>> Handout materials should always include such items as registration cards, speakers' cards, meeting evaluation forms, and/or questionnaires. In addition to promoting a feeling of community participation and activity, these forms are valuable in terms of follow-up activities, mailing list updates, and agency self-evaluation. Sometimes it is effective to combine different types of handouts into a meeting "packet". Such a packet might include two, three, or all the aforementioned items. At a minimum, it usually consists of registration and speakers' cards; a meeting evaluation form; a project map; and, perhaps, a brochure or booklet. In determining the number and specific types of appropriate handouts for any given meeting, the following factors should be considered: 1) The point in the project development process at which the meeting is being held. A meeting held hear the end of the process would lend itself to a greater variety of handouts, as a result of information and data compiled during the project studies. 2) The degree of controversy and/or interest surrounding the project. A meeting likely to be well attended should involve a more comprehensive packet of materials. 3) The size of the project. 4) The nature of attendant studies. 5) Whether the agency is preparing for a meeting or a hearing. A hearing generally involves a greater number of handouts, including some legally required and/or procedural documents. Distribution. Handouts should always be distributed prior to the start of the meeting or hearing, so that people can review them in advance and be better prepared to participate. Handouts can be placed in an obvious spot near the entrance to the meeting room or they can be distributed to people as they arrive by an agency representative acting as a greeter. In order to be effective, handouts should never be merely placed on seats or tables in the meeting room. Sometimes it is a good idea to include handout materials with the meeting/ hearing invitation that it sent to groups and individuals on the project mailing list. Even if this technique is used, the agency should always make sure that sufficient copies of the handout materials are available at the meeting site. 139 Clarification. At the beginning of every session, the meeting conductor or hearing officer should take a moment to itemize and discuss handout materials. Particular attention should be given to items such as maps and drawings that often need some clarification. Landmarks and other orientation points should be specifically noted. In addition, an explanation of scale and symbols is generally helpful. In referring to the overall packet, the conductor should explain what the handouts say, what they show, and how they relate to the agency presentation. The remaining pages of this chapter will highlight specific characteristics of the most popular types of meeting and hearing handouts. Whenever possible, the discussion will focus on those elements that may significantly influence an agency's decision to select and prepare a particular type. Examples will be included, as appropriate. Maps and Aerial Photographs. Maps and aerial photographs are generally used to depict alternative alignments of a highway proposal. While there are no rigid standards that must be followed in developing maps and aerials as handouts, the following general guidelines may be helpful: The base map should be clear, well-defined and devoid of unnecessary details. In other words, lines of demarcation (municipal boundaries, in particular), local and county roads, railroads, streams, etc. should be kept to a minimum. Just how much "detail" should be eradicated and how much should be left in depends on the quality of the map (Is there sufficient contrast?) and on the nature of the project itself (the number and lengths of alternatives; the number of municipalities and counties involved, etc.). In the case of an aerial, the photograph must be of good quality. The map/aerial must be properly labeled. Each municipality and county should be identified, as should significant, landmarks, buildings, roadways, bodies of water, etc. Different size lettering should be used for each of the above categories. As much as possible, all lettering should be on the horizontal. The alternatives should be clearly differentiated. In an ideal situation, alternatives should be distinguished through the use of different colors. However, since color involves increased cost, a numbering or lettering system can be substituted. One warning: Unless the numbering/lettering is well planned and done with extreme care, the resulting map may be cluttered and hard to read. The map should include an appropriate, easily interpreted legend which incorporates the map's scale. The project should be identified by a bold title, followed by the name of the agency. At a minimum, the map/aerial should be 8-1/2" x 11" in size. 140 To illustrate the importance of some of these points, we are providing a numb;r of handout maps that were prepared by an agency in an eastern state. In general, these maps are quite effective and were among the best submitted for our review. Our discussion will highlight particular strengths, as well as specific defi- ciencies. EXHIBITS 4-1 and 4-2 show two handout maps developed as part of an interstate location study. EXHIBIT 4-1 was prepared for a preliminary meeting to discuss alternatives under consideration. It is generally cluttered, busy, and difficult to interpret. Specifically, it includes too many landmarks and too many lines (representing alternatives, local roads, municipal and county boundaries, streams, etc.) to permit a clear focus on the central issue of concern -- the relationship of the alternatives to a major recreational facility. Compare this map to EXHIBIT 4-2, which was prepared prior to the location hearing. The agency has eliminated virtually all of the deficiencies of the earlier map. Although the same essential details are depicted, this follow-up map is characterized by 1) sharper focus on the central area of concern; 2) greater contrast between the alternatives and the details of the base map; and 3) more effective differentiation and labeling of alternatives. The use of a larger scale significantly adds to the map's effectiveness. EXHIBIT 4-3 is a handout map developed for an introductory meeting to discuss a potential local roadway improvement. The map presents the alternatives, existing parkway, and no-build network in a clean and uncluttered manner. Counties, municipalities, major roadways, and other landmarks are properly distinguished and well-labeled. But the map fails in one crucial and essential element: There is no explanation of the large letters that are placed alongside the several alternatives. It can be assumed that the letters differentiate the various segments of the alternatives under consideration, but there is no indication that this is definitely so. An important lesson can be learned from this oversight: Unless all elements involved in preparing a handout map are carefully developed, coordinated, and reviewed, the map can lose its self- explanatory character and become totally dependent on the meeting presentation. EXHIBIT 4-4 is one of a set of 11 handout maps distributed at a location/design hearing. Utilizing a half-tone process, the map clearly delineates the alternate locations and their relationship to adjacent areas. Budget permitting, this type of handout map is always an excellent choice. Project-Related Pamphlets and Brochures. This category of handouts represents an effective means of communicating a good deal of information to the public in a compact, manageable format. The style, organization, and content of project brochures are totally individual matters. Agency resources; specific project details; meeting objectives; and special community characteristics all come into play. Effective brochures can be glossy, sophisticated, and professionally printed and bound. Or they can be simple 8 or 12 page documents that are written, designed, and compiled by agency staffers. However, all good brochures have certain elements in common. These include the following: 141 Exhibit 4-1 Click HERE for graphic. 142 Exhibit 4-2 Click HERE for graphic. 143 Exhibit 4-3 Click HERE for graphic. 144 Exhibit 4-4 Click HERE for graphic. 145 They are written in a clear, concise manner that is appropriate to the intended audience. They are totally devoid of technical jargon and go to great lengths to explain technical terms in lay language. They utilize language that reflects a sincere effort to obtain and utilize community input. CASE IN POINT: The Province of Ontario's "Highways 5 + 8" (Peter's Corner) brochure-- The inside front cover is effectively used for a letter of invitation. (See EXHIBIT 4-5.) Everything from the salutation to the closing sentence is inviting, sincere, and sets the tone for the entire brochure. In summary, it is a document that utilizes a crisp, clear, and informal style to speak to an intelligent audience without being either pretentious or condescending. They include elements that encourage people to participate in the planning process. CASE IN POINT: The Province of Ontario's "Highway 7" brochure. This document included a book. Interested citizens were invited to sketch alternative routes that they wanted investigated on the area map and to return it to the agency in an attached prepaid envelope. Other departments demonstrate the seriousness of their intent to consider community priorities and values by including rating sheets, questionnaires, and checklists in their brochures. Any provision for feedback -- even a clip-out coupon that places the brochure recipient on a project mailing list -- is seen as an inviting and encouraging gesture. The following, which was included in a brochure prepared by an eastern state, is a representative example: Click HERE for graphic. 146 Exhibit 4-5 Ontario Central Region 3501 Dufferin Street Ministry of Downsview, Ontario Transportation and M3K lN6 Communications Dear Citizen: The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is carrying out a study to determine the best means of improving Highway 8 between the portion of Highways 5 and 8 (Peter's Corners) and the north limits of the Town of Dundas. As part of this study, the ministry's project team is seeking opinions and comments from interested citizens and citizens' groups in the area. To initiate such public involvement, this pamphlet is being mailed to local residents in the study area. The pamphlet illustrates the study area, outlines the study's basic approach, lists the improvement schemes under investigation, and indicates how you, as an interested citizen, can participate in the study. Please read this pamphlet carefully. We hope that you will accept the invitation to our information center at the times and dates indicated at the end of the pamphlet. We look forward to your active participation in this study. Yours very truly, R.G. Gascoyne, P. Eng. Regional Director 147 They provide enough project data to enable recipients to evaluate the situation and to intelligently participate in the meeting or hearing. They clearly describe and delineate all options under consideration. Once again, the Province of Ontario provides the best example of this feature. Its "Highways 5 + 8" brochure describes a variety of options by means of a simple, self- explanatory diagram that is accompanied by a capsule description of each alternative. (See EXHIBIT 4-6,) They include some indication of project schedule and overall timeframes. They provide clear self-explanatory project maps. CASE IN POINT: EXHIBIT 4-7, which depicts the project area of a major highway improvement in a southern state. As part of a 12-page brochure, the map represents an effective no-frills approach to delineating the project termini. They include simple, relevant charts and graphs. They are carefully laid out to provide a maximum of information with a minimum of verbiage. Graphics, charts, and white space are generously and effectively used. Remember: A brochure is not a mimeographed fact sheet and should never look like one. >>COVERS CAN BE AN ADDED BONUS>> A simple yet sophisticated and stylish cover can add an exciting finish to a good brochure. For example, the Province of Ontario packaged its "Highways 5 + 8" brochure in a tri-color (light grey, dark grey, blue) cover that incorporated an abstract design of the figures 5 and 8. The cover was striking, expertly designed, and not at all cute or offensive. General Pamphlets and Brochures. Specific project-related data is always more relevant if presented within the context of the overall planning process. An explanation of federal and state regulations, environmental guidelines, and right-of-way policies and procedures is essential to a thorough understanding of the engineering, fiscal, and time components of the project development cycle. Handouts are, of course, a particularly effective means of rounding out the information that is presented at any given meeting. Consequently, Action Plans, right-of-way and relocation brochures, and "umbrella" pamphlets that describe the process by which a concept becomes a road are some of the documents that agencies are increasingly including in their handout packets. Two Federal Highway Administration pamphlets, "Process Guidelines: The Action Plan" and "Protecting the Environment in the Federal-Aid Highway Program" are repeatedly appearing on the greeters' table. Both are neat, crisp, and attractive documents that offer clear descriptions of current environmental guidelines and regulations. "Process Guidelines" contains a good narrative explaining the background of the legislation mandating the issuance of guidelines for incorporating social, economic, and environmental factors into highway decision-making. 148 Exhibit 4-6 Click HERE for graphic. 149 Exhibit 4-7 Click HERE for graphic. 150 It also provides a clear-cut description of the four fundamentals that an Action Plan must satisfy. "Protecting the Environment ..." covers a range of issues including Action Plans; environmental assessments and impact statements; historic preservation; noise abatement; ... and community involvement! Both booklets can greatly contribute to public understanding of the procedural and legal requirements of highway planning. A number of state transportation agency brochures are similarly attempting to describe overall policy and procedure to.the widest possible audience. The following list is representative -- but by no means all-inclusive -- of the types of documents that are being distributed at local meetings: "An Introduction to the Washington State Department of Highways Action Plan" Washington State Department of Highways General description of the interdisciplinary approach to highway planning. "The Highway Planning Process" Minnesota State Highway Department Detailed discussion of Action Plan, as it relates to systems planning, project development, and public involvement. �袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴� "Action Plan" Mississippi State Highway Department Summary discussion of Action Plan and overall decision-making process. �袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴� "Citizens' Handbook" Massachusetts Department of Public Works Detailed introduction to the 3 C (comprehensive, cooperative, continuing) planning process. �袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴� "Get Involved" Massachusetts Department of Public Works Flow chart and description of the highway development process. 151 "Birth of a Highway" Florida Department of Transportation Chart and description of the highway-planning and development process. �袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴� "The Citizen's Highway Guide" Mississippi State Highway Department Detailed discussion of public hearing and subsequent activities, with particular emphasis on right-of-way acquisition and relocation assistance. �袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴� "Highway Hearings" Nebraska Department of Roads Description of dual hearing process, with particular emphasis on project development cycle. Right-of-Way Brochures Perhaps the one issue to which the general public can relate more than any other in terms of highway development is that of right-of- way. This is particularly true of those people who reside within or near the corridor of a proposed highway. The average citizen views the impacts of highway proposals in terms of land required, homes to be taken, and residents to be relocated. The purposes and methodologies of feasibility studies, environmental assessments, and alternatives evaluation often become of secondary significance in this regard.. The most prevalent questions are "To what degree will I be affected?" and "What procedures and timeframe does the agency follow in acquiring property and relocating people?" As per Federal Highway Administration requirements, state transportation agencies are obligated to provide the general public with information on right-of-way policies and procedures at public hearings. However, most agencies realize that a productive community involvement program necessitates the dissemination of this information much earlier in the project development cycle. A popular and potentially effective means of informing the public of right-of-way practices is the distribution of booklets and brochures. These may be used as handouts at public meetings, information centers, and hearings, or they can be mailed to residents and business people at any point in the planning process. Unfortunately, the difficulties that are always involved in preparing an effective written document are compounded in the case of right-of-way brochures by the added emotional component. 152 In order to lessen the trauma and fear felt by potential relocatees, a right-of-way booklet must reflect a sincere and humane approach that will enable the recipient to feel as comfortable as possible. This is often a difficult task -- particularly since the information to be conveyed is highly technical and legal. In producing a right-of-way brochure, it is therefore essential to consider a broad range of substantive and emotional factors. For example, color, style, and language can significantly contribute to or detract from developing a rapport with potential relocatees. Given the skepticism that tends to pervade the public's view of government, it should not be surprising that a poorly written, unattractive, and/or disorganized piece is interpreted as being a deliberate attempt to confuse or mislead. Resulting anger and frustration often serve to solidify opposition not only to the specific proposal but to the agency as well. On the other hand, the human mind being what it is, a colorful, crisp, and attractive brochure is apt to be seen as an indication of the agency's sincere desire to communicate with the public. This can be an invaluable support to a particular proposal, as well as to an agency's overall community outreach. effort. Considering the rather pivotal role of right-of-way brochures, it is distressing to note that most seem rather haphazardly prepared and reflect poor quality in terms of comprehensiveness, style, graphics, clarity, and sincerity of approach. In general, we were particularly concerned about the following characteristics that were common to a number of the brochures we received: Public Relations Approach and Ambiguity. Although a right- of-way brochure should be a simple, informative guide to a specific set of procedures many had a public relations orientation with little substantive matter. Indeed, an individual would not know much more about the relocation programs of some states after reading their brochures than before opening them. Consider the following glib public relations pitches: "If (Name of City) is not able to make progress quickly, the coming years will not be so promising for you "Many of you may be slightly inconvenienced by some of the progress our city is making. When this happens, we want to explain to you how the process will help you, your children, and your neighbors ... The city wants you to feel that you have a stake in this piece of progress." Such statements are really camouflaged attempts on the part of the agency to make Big Brother appear benevolent. While doing nothing to diminish the perceived impact of moving, they serve the dysfunction of adding tension to an already uncomfortable situation through insult and innuendo. Unfortunately, ambiguity also characterizes many brochures' "nuts and bolts" discussions of acquisition and relocation. At times, basic issues are only touched upon and more questions are raised than answered: "The Relocation Assistance Program locates good homes for people How? Where? At what point in the process? 153 "Dwelling occupants can get moving expenses if they meet the requirements of the law." What are the requirements? "If you qualify, we can help you locate public housing." How does one qualify? These are just a few isolated examples. The point is, more elaboration is needed -- more explanation, more description, more solid information. A right-of-way brochure has a specific purpose: To inform. It is useless if it merely gives the appearance of informing. Bureaucratic Orientation. Here we are concerned with transparently halfhearted attempts to satisfy requirements, rather than sincere attempts to assist potential relocatees. Consider the following: "The law also says that if you must move because of a new highway, you must be paid for your property and inconvenience. You will receive relocation assistance to help you find a safe, decent, and sanitary place to live, and you will receive money for moving your personal property to this new site." These comments reflect a bureaucratic mentality, one that seemingly has little or no concern for the human element. It is almost as if the agency were saying, "Federal mandate says that we must talk to you, so here we are. Now move!" A sincere and realistic statement offering relocation assistance and/or advice should reflect a desire to reach out and shepherd the relocates through the maze of emotional and regulatory red tape. This pan be achieved in a number of ways: By carefully wording the statement; by including the name of a contact person; or by providing a simple mechanism for continued contact, e.g., a clip- out coupon. Overall Inappropriateness. Unlike some publications, such as general project newsletters, which are targeted for a diverse audience, right-of-way brochures are developed for use by an audience of a specific nature and with specific needs. Some of the brochures we received, however, are simply inappropriate for the intended community. The example chosen to illustrate this point boarders on the absurd. EXHIBIT 4-8 is from a brochure that has virtually no redeeming feature. The overall format, the sketches, and the text make it difficult to believe that the brochure was distributed to the business community. The combination of drawings and large print reminds one of a grammar school reading book. What's worse, the text does little to alter this impression! Stylistic Inappropriateness. The style of a right-of-way brochure should reflect the serious nature of the subject matter. Consequently, the use of cartoons and comic-strip-like graphics is inappropriate, offensive, and an insult to the audience. Yet many agencies are using this type of graphic material to "fill" their pages. As with any other written document, graphics should be selected to specifically illustrate a given point. Unfortunately, a large number of the brochures we 154 Exhibit 4-8 Click HERE for graphic. 155 received were dotted with pictures and diagrams that bore no relationship to the subject matter. It is evident that a serious reexamination and overhaul of existing practices is essential if right-of-way operations are to attain a reasonable degree of credibility and respect. At a minimum, agencies should begin to realize that preparation of viable right- of-way brochures requires commitment, concerted effort, and the following sequence of events: Research. Gather as much data as possible. Team Effort. Prior to developing a first-cut draft, organize a brainstorming session. Participants should include representatives of the following disciplines: Right-of-way; community involvement; engineering; planning; public information; and graphics. Staff Assignments. Structure a schedule and assign specific tasks with designated space and graphic allotments. Trial Run. Distribute drafts of the brochure to sample groups both within and outside the agency (e.g. - a test group of community leaders) prior to printing. This not only serves to hone the draft into a finished product but also becomes an added public relations benefit. Forms for Audience Use. Distributing a variety of "audience participation" forms is probably the most simple, inexpensive, and effective way to obtain data that is essential for agency follow-up and evaluation purposes. In addition, registration cards, speakers' cards, meeting evaluation forms, and questionnaires contribute to the informality of a meeting by providing people who are reluctant to speak in public with an opportunity to anonymously express their opinions. In developing your forms, the most essential element is to clearly define the types of information that you wish to receive. For example: If your principal purpose in distributing registration cards is to update your mailing list, determine whether names and addresses are sufficient data or whether group affiliation, title, etc. might also be helpful. If you are planning a questionnaire solely to evaluate the effectiveness of your notification procedures, do not throw in extraneous questions about audio-visual aids, handouts, etc. If you are preparing speakers' cards, do not ask people to indicate whether they are in favor of or opposed to the project. In all cases, it is important to pare down your list, so that you focus clearly and exclusively on the major salient points. EXHIBIT 4-9 shows examples of both a simple speakers' card that is easy to produce and distribute and a multi-purpose registration card. The latter can be used to update the agency mailing list; to pinpoint the most effective notification 156 Exhibit 4-9 SPEAKER'S CARD PLEASE PRINT I desire to make a statement at this Public Hearing. _________________________________________________________________ (Name) _________________________________________________________________ (Address) _________________________________________________________________ (City) (State) (Zip) �袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴瓜 REGISTRATION CARD Name_______________________________ Address______________________ How did you find out a out the meeting? What prompted you to come to the meeting? 157 techniques for the particular project; and to determine the source and degree of community interest in the project. EXHIBIT 4-10 is a comprehensive questionnaire designed to evaluate a variety of notification techniques; the effectiveness of the agency presentation; and the hearing as a whole. Its concept and format are quite effective and the questionnaire is generally well executed. However, it could be improved in two areas: 1) The wording of several questions, notably #s 2 through 5, should be modified so that use of the rather meaningless terms "strongly agree" and "strongly disagree" can be avoided; and 23 a space should be provided for the public to give suggestions as to how the agency presentation might be improved. >>QUESTIONNAIRES ARE TIME-CONSUMING>> Before embarking on the questionnaire route, remember that preparation, tabulation, and overall analysis and evaluation of results are time- consuming activities. Be sure to carefully examine your available resources to determine if the questionnaire option is really feasible. Several agencies are developing effective handout packets by combining forms for audience use with a variety of pamphlets and brochures. A fine example is the workshop packet that was prepared by a Middle Atlantic state for a major highway improvement. The packet included a workshop registration card, a questionnaire, and a group discussion guide, as well as a booklet containing agenda; project history and description; and maps and drawings. The audience participation items are included as EXHIBITS 4-11 through 4-13. >>A FINAL WORD ON QUESTIONNAIRES>> The effectiveness of a questionnaire is equally dependent on content and time of distribution. For example, if the purpose of your questionnaire is to obtain input prior to paring down the number of alternative alignments under consideration, the form must be distributed at an early project meeting. Attempting to obtain this information at a workshop, meeting, or hearing held at a later stage would neither appear to be a serious gesture, nor would it significantly contribute to the planning process. You would be better off without any questionnaire at all! Charts and Tables. Charts and tables are simple, cost-and-labor- effective techniques for presenting large amounts of significant data. Although they can be compiled at almost any point in a project's development, they are generally distributed at meetings held late in the planning process, when information generated by ongoing engineering and environmental studies is relatively complete. More often than not, charts and tables are used to compare alternatives that have been developed for a specific proposal. EXHIBITS 4-14 through 4-16 which were prepared by an agency on the East Coast for an interstate project, are typical examples. These charts and tables compare the impacts, displacements, and costs of the several alignments under consideration. 158 Exhibit 4-10 1. How did you become aware of this hearing? (Please check all items that apply) _____ Legal ad In the classified section of your newspaper _____ Other newspaper article ----- A letter from the Department to you as a property owner. ----- Legal notice sent to your place of business ----- Radio (please identify station______________________) _____ TV (please identify station_________________________) _____ Poster _____ Other (please identify ______________________________) 2. The side presentation was interesting. ____ Strongly Agree ____ Disagree ______No Opinion ____ Agree ---- Strongly Disagree Over 3. The slide presentation was accurate based on your knowledge of the area. ____ Strongly Agree ____ Disagree ______No Opinion ____ Agree ---- Strongly Disagree Over 4. The slide presentation explained fully the alternatives considered for this project. ____ Strongly Agree ____ Disagree ______No Opinion ____ Agree ---- Strongly Disagree Over 5. The slide presentation was easy to understand. ____ Strongly Agree ____ Disagree ______No Opinion ____ Agree ---- Strongly Disagree Over 6. How would you rate the effectiveness of this meeting as a method of presenting information to citizens? ____ Very Effective ____ Ineffective ______Partially ____ Effective ---- Very Ineffective Effective 7. Are there any changes you would suggest for improving these public hearings? ______________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 8. How long have you lived in the area? _____________________ 9. Have you ever been to a D.O.T. Public Hearing before? _______ yes ______ no H-37 159 Exhibit 4-11 �袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴瓜 PUBLIC WORKSHOP REGISTRATION L.R. 1061, Section H14 Traffic Route 220 ____________________________________ Tyrone to Milesburg Name ________________________________________________________________ Address Zip Code _________________________ Phone Representing: ___________________________________________________ Club or Organization How did you hear about this workshop? ________ Newspaper ________ Mailed Invitation ________ Radio ________ Word of Mouth ________ T.V. Would you like to be notified of future workshops, public meetings and Public Hearings: ________ Yes _______ No Indicate which workshop you attended; _________ Wingate _________ Port Matilda �袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴袴瓜 160 Exhibit 4-12 Center, Blair and Huntingdon Counties L.R. 1061, Section H14 Traffic Route 220 Public Meetings April 13 and 14, CITIZEN QUESTIONNAIRE 1. Where do you live: _____ Tyrone ______ Taylor Township _____ Port Matilda ______ Worth Township _____ Julian ______ Half Moon Township _____ Unionville ______ Huston Township _____ Milesburg ______ Patton Township _____ Stormstown ______ Union Township _____ Snyder Township ______ Boggs Township _____ Other (Please Specify)____________________________________ 2. How long have you lived at your present address?___________ 3. Do you own your home?_______________________________________ 4. Where (borough, township, etc) do you work?_________________ 5. What is your occupation?____________________________________ 6. Do you own or operate a business within the corridor for the new highway?________________________________________________ 7. Would you use the new highway to go to work?________________ 8. Would you use the new highway to go shopping?_______________ 9. What is your age (check appropriate space) ________ Less than 18 ________ 18 - 25 ________ 26 - 40 ________ 41 - 60 ________ Over 60 10. What is your family's annual income? _______ 0 - $5,000 _______ $5,000 - $10,000 _______ $10,000 - $20,000 _______ $20,000 - $30,000 _______ Over $30000 11. Are you male ________ or female________? 161 Exhibit 4-12 continued Please indicate by circling the appropriate formal education level you have achieved. Elementary High School College Post-Graduate 13. Which of the alternates presented tonight do you favor? ________ Mountaintop Why? ________ Mountainside ________ Valley ________ No-Build 14. Which of the alternates presented tonight do you feel has the least advantages? _______ Mountaintop Why? _______ Mountainside _______ Valley _______ No-Build 15. In your opinion what are the benefits to be derived from the relocation of Traffic Route 220? 16. What do you feel would be the adverse effects of relocating Traffic Route 220? 17. Overall, how would you rate tonight's workshop format and agenda? Excellent_______; GoodFair________; Poor________ Comment: 18. If you have any specific comments or concerns not covered at tonight's meeting or by this questionnaire, please list them below. 162 Exhibit 4-13 Click HERE for graphic. 163 Exhibit 4-14 Click HERE for graphic. 164 Exhibit 4-15 Click HERE for graphic. 165 Exhibit 4-16 Click HERE for graphic. 166 In developing your overall handout concept, remember that tables and charts are self-explanatory documents that reveal the relative effects of a roadway proposal in a straightforward, easily understood fashion. In addition, their production requires only minimal cost and people hours. Project-related data that has already been compiled need only be typed on one or more 8-1/2" x 11" sheets and then reproduced or printed. Photographs and Sketches. A few transportation agencies are distributing conceptual photographs and/or sketches of the "completed" project as part of their handout packets. One southern state, for example, provides 8-1/2" x 11" glossies that show the proposed roadway superimposed on a 35mm aerial photograph of the existing area. The "new construction" is air-brushed onto the aerial to produce a tangible and "realistic" view of the project under discussion. One Midwestern state reports that it, too, extensively uses artists' renderings. As part of its noise abatement program, it distributes sketches that show community residents how their area would look if noise barriers were constructed. We have included one set of sketches as EXHIBIT 4-17. In deciding whether to use artists' renderings, a number of factors in addition to cost and necessary expertise;should be considered. Most significant is the potential danger of distributing a realistic picture of a concept that may be substantially different from the eventual construction. Photographs in particular are regarded as true representations of fact; it may be difficult to convince people otherwise. As a general rule, renderings should never be distributed without an attached explanation of their purpose and conceptual nature. In addition, whenever photographs or sketches are used as handout materials, they should be referred to and described as part of the official agency presentation. Position-Papers and-Summary Reports. If resources permit, preparation of a synopsis or summary report of critical issues can add a good deal of substance to your handout packet. Position papers and summary reports are particularly effective techniques for distilling large amounts of technical information; providing an overview of major project components; and describing and comparing potential project impacts. In discussing controversial issues, they can present the case for a variety of positions; outline alternative courses of action; and discuss their relative implications, Meeting participants are therefore given the opportunity to review a comprehensive and objective account of potential tradeoffs and their advantages and disadvantages. Preparation of position papers should follow the same guidelines suggested for the preparation of agency presentations and other technically-based documents. (A detailed discussion of these guidelines begins on page 36.) Most importantly, try to develop a team approach and give yourself ample time for-review and revision. 167 Exhibit 4-17 Click HERE for graphic. 168 CHAPTER 5: graphics AND AUDIO-VISUAL AIDS An effective audio-visual aid is undoubtedly the single most important factor in determining the success of any given meeting or hearing. As an independently perceived representation of a project, it often becomes the individual community member's dominant and somewhat subjective recollection of the proposed facility. Studies have shown that clear, attractive, and self-explanatory audio-visuals can enhance a meeting by creating a baseline of common interest and understanding. Conversely, a poorly executed, confusing, or inappropriate audio-visual can be a source of disharmony and mistrustfulness. Careful selection, preparation, and display of graphic and other audio-visual materials is therefore of central importance in planning an effective meeting or hearing. Throughout this chapter the.term audio-visual aids is used to describe a wide range of presentation techniques. These include the following categories: 1) Slide Presentations 2) Impulse Tape Presentations 3) Aerial Exhibits 4) Models 5) Artists' Renderings 6) Charts, Graphs, and Tables 7) Taped Presentations 8) Films 9) Videotapes 10) Photomontage The most popularly used audio-visuals are categories 1-4, which are commonly used as the primary presentation technique. Categories 5- 7 generally serve as supplementary measures. And categories 8-10 are highly specialized applications that are frequently discussed but rarely used as part of an ongoing community involvement program. Basic Guidelines. Although the selection of a specific audio- visual technique, of course, depends on a multitude of agency, community, and project components, all effective audio-visuals share a number of common elements. Among them are the following: They appropriately suit the audience for which they are intended. In order to be meaningful, a graphic presentation must be specifically geared to the needs and comprehension level of its intended audience. In most cases, 169 thorough familiarity with the characteristics of your targeted community will be your best guide. For example, if you are dealing with a sophisticated group that has been involved in project planning, a detailed slide-tape presentation or free-standing exhibit that include comparative charts and graphs would probably be acceptable. However, if you are planning to meet with a group that includes a substantial number of non-English-speaking people, a visual presentation that does not depend on verbal explanation would be more appropriate. A scale model or clearly taped and labeled aerial mosaics are two possibilities. They are specifically geared to the subject or to the point being made. In selecting and developing audio-visual aids, it is important to focus solely on the topic under consideration. Contrary to the opinion of some agencies, an audience is not impressed by a potpourri of extraneous exhibits that relate to all aspects of a project proposal. The result of this type of overkill is more likely to be confusion, distress, and reduced agency credibility. Two examples: 1) A southeastern state included an artist's rendering of the proposed renovation of an impacted recreational facility at a meeting to discuss noise impacts. Since the parkland acquisition was a major point of controversy of the project, the original purpose of the meeting was totally obscured. Remember: If you are preparing for a noise impact meeting, concentrate on developing appropriate audio-tapes; models; or artists' renderings of attenuation measures. 2) Several states have developed elaborate free-standing exhibits and slide shows depicting the range of their notification techniques. Since these audio visuals "fill-up" a good deal of space and/or meeting time, the overall impression is that the agency had little of substance to present. Remember: Instead of taking the time to prepare "notification exhibits", focus on properly preparing and extensively distributing a variety of notification documents. They enhance a technical presentation and illustrate the narrative material that is being presented. Audio-visuals should never be used in isolation but as a technique to enrich the presentation of basic technical project data. Consequently, they should never represent a comprehensive perspective of the meeting or attempt to cover each and every project detail. In preparing your audio-visual aids, it is therefore important to approach them as the supporting background rather than as the focus of your presentation. They are as self-explanatory as possible. Although audio- visuals are not the focus of an agency presentation, they should be understandable without a narrative description or explanation. An exhibit displayed at a meeting should always be comprehensible to a community participant -- even in the absence of an agency "translator"! Of course, certain exhibits are more inherently self-explanatory than others. A scale model that clearly shows the relationship of a proposed roadway to houses in the area is an example of an almost perfectly independent display. 170 At the other extreme, flow charts and detailed color-coded construction schedules are often difficult to interpret without assistance. They are simple, clear, informative, and never cute. In mapping out your individual audio-visual components, keep in mind the fact that graphic displays should be designed to inform, to illuminate, and to serve as a catalyst for obtaining constructive community input. Although an innovative presentation of project data is always refreshing, audio-visuals are not primarily intended to entertain or to win a prize for creativity. Selection. In selecting appropriate audio-visuals for any given meeting, internal agency factors are as important as overall guidelines and criteria. Once you have determined that a specific technique represents the best way to illustrate a particular point, the next step is to determine whether agency resources permit its development. Remember: A simple audio-visual that is professional looking is always more effective than a poorly executed attempt to construct an elaborate display. With this dictum in mind, it is a good idea to realistically evaluate your resources and constraints. Particular attention should be given to the following: Expertise. It is not surprising that some agencies always present slide-tape shows while others generally develop an aerial mosaic exhibit. In most cases, these tendencies do not reflect a lack of creativity but rather a sensible approach to maximizing the use of existing personnel resources. Given most transportation agencies' restrictions on hiring and training writers, artists, photographers, film-makers, and model- makers, it is unlikely that any community involvement staff includes a full complement of audio-visual talent. On the other hand, a comprehensive agency-wide search is likely to turn up a number of semi-professionals or experienced amateurs in such areas as photography, art, graphic design, or writing. Don't overlook these people when you inventory your in-house expertise! Of course, selecting an outside consultant is sometimes an excellent way to produce a professional audio-visual program. Unfortunately, this is not always a viable option, due to the associated costs and to the time required to negotiate and finalize the appropriate contracts. In most cases, it is not advisable to tack an audio-visual component onto an existing consultant contract. Few engineering and environmental firms have the expertise needed to produce such presentation items as a film or a slide-tape program. In all instances, it is important to carefully screen your potential consultants before making a decision. >>BE CONSERVATIVE>> Meeting or hearing preparation is never the time to experiment with a new audio-visual or with an untried talent. Nor is it an appropriate opportunity to train a budding film-maker or artist in your agency. Plans to expand your in-house capabilities should always be part of a long-range program -- never a shotgun approach to preparing for a specific meeting. 171 Budget. The costs associated with preparing and presenting any audiovisual aid are variable, depending on the degree to which necessary materials and equipment are already available within the agency. Consequently, the decision to produce a slide show may be a costly one if cameras, projectors, etc. must be rented or a relatively inexpensive one if the necessary equipment has already been purchased. In selecting a specific audio-visual, it is therefore important to consider relative as well as absolute cost factors. These can often be reduced by carefully surveying your agency's existing equipment and material resources. With a bit of ingenuity, you may find that your print, woodwork, machine, and electrical shops can supply many of your needs and help you cut costs. For example, one agency that regularly produces slide-tape presentations reported that it turned to its maintenance division when it needed a copy stand. By building an appropriate table, the maintenance unit reduced the cost of the copy stand to that of purchasing two pieces of plexiglass and a rack and pinion. Another agency in effect created the basis for its audio-visual program by extensively tapping the following internal resources: Machine Shop - Aluminum easels for graphic displays. Woodworking Shop - Podium; storage cabinet; pointer; tables for constructing and displaying models. Sign Shop - Portable public meeting and hearing signs; lettering for graphic displays. Electrical Shop - Patch cords for public address system. (These were used to hook up a noise exhibit at a public hearing.) Maintenance Shop - Extension cords; tools. Of course, some audio-visual aids are inherently expensive. Film- making is a costly art that generally runs about $1,000.00 a minute, and model-making is labor-intensive to the point of often being prohibitive. These types of audiovisuals should never be considered unless it has been clearly demonstrated that they meet the desired objective far more effectively than any alternative means. Timeframe. The decision to select a specific audio-visual aid is often "predetermined" by the amount of available time prior to the meeting or hearing. Although thorough preparation of any audio-visual is a time-consuming activity, some techniques require considerably more preparation time than others. The following suggested guidelines should therefore be kept in mind before narrowing down your list of options: Charts, graphs, and tables - Most can be prepared within a two-week period. Slide and impulse tape presentations - A minimum of four weeks for script writing, photography, editing, and processing. 172 Aerial displays - A minimum of six weeks for preparations and revisions has been flown. Remember: Aerials must be flown during the late fall, winter, or early spring -- when there is no foliage to obscure the perspective. Therefore, it is generally a good idea to fly an area many months before starting actual exhibit preparation. This will assure that there is ample time to refly the area if the first aerial is unacceptable. Films - A minimum of four months for script preparation, shooting, editing, and printing. Scale models - A minimum of six months for all phases of preparation. In addition to actual preparation time, your audio-visual schedule should always include adequate lead time for the delivery of equipment and materials and a cushion for necessary additions and revisions. Preparation and Presentation. Recognizing that the selection of audio-visual aids is always subject to factors external to the project itself, we are providing the following descriptions of the most universally applicable techniques. Each will be discussed in terms of methodology; appropriate usage; and relative advantages and disadvantages, as-they relate to cost, personnel, training, and time factors: 1. Aerial exhibit. Although the term exhibit refers to any relatively large graphic display that is prepared by an agency for presentation at a public meeting or hearing, most agencies concentrate on the preparation of exhibits that depict a number of proposed alternatives. In order to,achieve their purpose of providing the public with a visual representation of the paths and impacts of each proposed alignment, these exhibits must be accurate; clear; of proper size (scale); and as self-explanatory as possible. Although several types of bases can be used for an alternatives display (e.g. aerial, topographic maps, geodetic maps), aerials are preferred, particularly for public hearings, because they are much easier for the lay person to relate to and understand. If an aerial was not used at pre-hearing community meetings, it is a good idea to try to develop one for the public hearing. Aerial photo- graphic services can provide the mosaic and either in-house graphics people or a consultant can create the finished product. >>SPECIAL TIME FACTORS>> Generally speaking, preparation of an aerial exhibit requires at least 6 weeks, after an acceptable photograph has been obtained. Because of the variables involved in producing a usable photo, the following factors should be kept in mind when developing your.overall timetable: 1) As previously mentioned, aerials should always be flown in late fall, winter, or early spring, so that the vista is not obscured by foliage. However, winter often presents additional problems, since a snow-covered area is, of course, unacceptable for aerial photography. Proper timing and a bit of luck are therefore crucial; 173 2) if your region is susceptible to periods of prolonged rain and cloudiness, you will want to make sure the project area is shot before the inclement weather sets in; 3) If the quality of the original aerial is not up to your standards, you might want to have the project area flown a second time. Remember that this will not only increase your total cost; it will also eat up a significant amount of time. Preparation. An aerial should be properly mounted as soon as it is acquired. The advantages of doing so are that: 1) It allows the finished exhibit to be more easily displayed at the meeting or hearing (i.e., it can be propped up via easels or left free-standing); and 2) There is-less likelihood of rapid disintegration through constant handling and transportation. In selecting a backing on which to mount the aerial, it is generally suggested that cardboard (inexpensive but frail and easily damaged) and Plywood (durable but heavy and unwieldy) be avoided. A more acceptable alternative would be foam board (sandwich board), which is sturdy, durable, extremely light, and easy to handle. A 4' x 8' piece of foam board, a good size for an exhibit, generally runs between $10.00 and $11.00. >>MOUNTING THE EXHIBIT>> When mounting an exhibit, glue is always preferable to tacks or tape. It not only results in a more professional-looking exhibit but also decreases the likelihood of rippage during transport or storage. At least one state has developed a rather innovative technique, by which a waxy substance is spread across the backing, the aerial placed on top, and a steam press used to attach the two. Once the base has been properly mounted, you can begin "doctoring" it into a finished product. As you proceed. it is important to remember that an exhibit should be as self-explanatory as possible. People should, at all times, be able to understand the exhibit and orient themselves without assistance. To accomplish this, you will have to focus on distinctively differentiating your alternatives and on properly identifying government jurisdictions, landmarks, roadways, and natural features. The following tips may be of help: If at all possible, keep all your lettering on the horizontal. Use different sized lettering for municipalities, counties, landmarks, and roadways. If you are using a black and white photo, place your lettering in white blocks to create a sharp contrast with the aerial. 174 Try to avoid placing your lettering on blocks directly over the feature you are identifying. Instead, set your lettering off to one side and pinpoint the feature via an arrow. Some agencies have found that it is helpful to leave adequate margins between the sides of the aerial and the edge of the backing. It is then possible to place several or all of the letter blocks in the margins and to extend arrows to the points of interest. This prevents the aerial from appearing messy or congested, even if a large number of features are being identified. Always include a title block, preferably on the lower portion of the exhibit, away from the alternatives. The title block should include the name of the project; the name of the agency (and consultant, if appropriate); the date of the meeting or hearing; a key to identify the alternatives, if appropriate; and the scale of the aerial. Place a north arrow in an appropriate area. Use Zipatone or a transparent tape to delineate the alternatives. This will allow people to see what it in the path of each proposed alignment and consequently, to identify any potential impacts. Use different colors to differentiate between alternatives. Remember, colors affect people both physically and psychologically. Consider, for instance, the following: Physical 1) Green and blue are the easiest-colors to see. Effects 2) Red, orange, and other bright colors can create eye strain after a time, as do high-contrast black and white presentations. 3) Using too many colors on the same exhibit creates mental strain, which can distract the viewer. Psycho- 1) Red is exciting, stimulating, or hostile. Red is logical is sometimes interpreted as meaning that a Effects particular alternative is no longer under active consideration. Similarly, green is sometimes interpreted as meaning that the agency has already decided to "go" ahead with that alternative. 2) Blue is serene, tender, and peaceful. 3) Orange is distressing or upsetting. 4) Black is melancholy or powerful. Delineate bodies of water by either outlining them or coloring them all in blue. Delineate park and recreation lands with green cross- hatching. 175 >>BEWARE OF OVERLAYS>> Transparent acetate overlays are sometimes used so that alternatives can be shown one-at-a- time. However, remember that acetate reflects light easily and that the glare sometimes makes it difficult for the audience to see the exhibit. Also, reflecting light can cause problems when photographing the exhibit. Most art supply stores have the kinds of materials you will need to develop your exhibit. Pressure-sensitive tapes and rub-off lettering are generally used to color exhibits, delineate significant features, and label points of interest. Zipatone, Chartpak, Formatt, and Letraset are among the more popular brand names. Good-sized color sheets (20" x 28") cost from $5.00-$6.00. Depending on the size, sheets of letters run from $2.00-$5.00. A number of states report that they use stencils or the Leroy technique instead of self-adhesive lettering. Both require additional effort and skill. The Leroy method also necessitates purchase of special equipment that can cost as much as $200.00. Of course, a cutting device, straight edge, and pencil are standard equipment that should always be available. Related Costs. The cost of developing an aerial exhibit varies considerably and can range from a couple of hundred dollars to several thousand. Key factors, of course, include size and complexity of the exhibit and whether the preparation is done in- house or by a consultant. As might be expected, consultant costs are generally much higher. The following figures represent the costs associated with consultant preparation of two aerial exhibits for the same state transportation agency. Both projects involved the completion of small interstate segments. 1. Rental of airplane and photographer $ 700.00 2 draftspeople, 360 hours @ $17.00/hour 6,120.00 Material (Zipatone, foam board, Chartpak) 300.00 Total $ 7,120.00 2. Plane and photographer $ 760.00 Labor: 1 person, 12 days, 75 hours @ $7.50/hour 568.50 Materials (Letraset, foam board, acetate, Zipatone) 50.00 Total $ 1,378.00 Presentation. Proper display and use of exhibits is, of course, as important as careful preparation. It is suggested that the following be kept in mind: As with all visual aids, aerial displays and maps should be set up before the meeting or hearing begins. This not only prevents valuable meeting/ 176 hearing time from being unnecessarily consumed; it also allows early arrivals to examine the exhibits beforehand. Always place your exhibit in a well-lit area. Do not prop your exhibit against a wall. If it is not free- standing, support it on one or more easels. Make sure there is sufficient space in front of the exhibit to allow people to mill about. When referring to an exhibit during the agency presentation, stand near it but off to one side. Avoid positioning yourself in front of an exhibit. Talk to your audience during the presentation, not to the exhibit. Make sure you are totally familiar with your exhibit, particularly if you are to refer to it during the presentation. Unfamiliarity can result in an erratic, awkward delivery that is not only uncomfortable for you but for the audience as well. 2. Slide Presentation A conscientiously produced and well- coordinated slide program is among the most effective means of communicating and clarifying technical information to a lay audience. In opting for a slide presentation, most agencies point to the following: They generally result in a crisp and smooth-flowing presentation that can be appropriately tailored to fit a given timeframe. They are able to capture and maintain audience attention and interest. Equipment for preparing and presenting slides is readily available. Slides have built-in flexibility. They can easily be removed from or added to a program, and their sequence can be changed to suit a variety of purposes. They are easy to update and duplicate. They are easy to manage. Slides can be handled and stored without much difficulty. Slides can effectively be shown to any size group. They tend to unify a program by permitting the agency to focus on graphs, charts; maps, and other elements of the audio- visual presentation. However, similar to another visual media, slides do not represent a panacea. To be effective, they must be clear, relevant, and technically perfect. If poorly produced and/or handled, they can seriously detract from an otherwise well-planned meeting or hearing. In addition, slides have the following inherent disadvantages: 177 A pre-recorded program represents a rather impersonal approach that may be offensive to some members of your audience. They must be shown in a room that is appropriately suited to the equipment being used. Since slides are generally shown in a completely darkened facility, they limit the effectiveness of handouts as a companion to the agency presentation. Before selecting slides as your principal audio-visual technique, it is therefore important to evaluate your agency's ability to script, photograph, edit, and process a professional presentation. This will require substantial ongoing planning, as well as a minimum timeframe of four weeks. At all times, it is essential to initially determine that slides will, in fact, significantly con- tribute to your meeting. They should only be used as a means of facilitating communication -- never simply because of their "gimmick" appeal or dramatic effect. Once you have decided to utilize a slide presentation, it is time to focus on the following: Your prospective audience. Ask yourself what kind of presentation would be best suited to the expected meeting/hearing participants. You will want to avoid including too much elementary data for a more sophisticated group and too much technical data for an audience that has only a rudimentary understanding of the subject matter. The development of an appropriate script. The first step in producing a slide show is preparation of a comprehensive script. Shooting should never begin until the script has been carefully reviewed and edited. Once you are satisfied with your script, use it as a guide in your picture-taking. You will find that this procedure is both time-and-cost-effective. The development of an appropriate number of relevant slides. Few things will turn off or distract an audience more than irrelevant slides. Make sure that each slide pertains to the subject of the program and contributes to reaching the specific objective of the meeting. It is equally important to limit your presentation to a reasonable number of slides. A lengthy program runs the risk of losing the attention of the audience. Remember: Slides should not be the only means of conveying information; instead, they should be used to supplement a verbal presentation which, by itself, would be too long and/or unclear. The production of clear well-defined slides. Slides that are of poor quality reflect an unprofessional effort on the part of the agency. Before any work begins, carefully check out the equipment to be used and the experience and capabilities of all involved personnel. Your most significant preliminary decision relating to slide preparation will undoubtedly be determining a format for your program. Basically, a slide 178 program can be presented in either one of two ways: 1) the slides can be accompanied and described by an agency representative acting as a narrator or 2) the agency can prepare a slide-tape (impulse tape) program. Use of a narrator is the most popular and oft-used approach, as well as the least expensive. At appropriate points throughout the reading of a prepared script, the narrator or assistant merely has to press a remote-control button to advance the slides. On the other hand, the slide-tape program offers the advantage of a pre-recorded narrative that can be structured to fit a carefully defined timeframe. The slides are advanced either manually according to audible or visible "cues" or automatically via a tape recorder-projector synchronizer. The equipment needed to produce a slide presentation is detailed below: 1. Standard Slide Program (Slides plus narrator) Camera Although just about any type of camera will suffice, a 35mm is preferred because of the flexibility and quality it offers. If you are not experienced in using a 35mm camera, try to find someone in your agency who is. Film Color film is preferred because it is simply more interesting. Ask your photo supply dealer about the proper film for the conditions you will encounter. Additional You will undoubtedly need a close-up lens if you lenses want to zero in on a small graphic. There may also be instances when you will want to use a telephoto lens for outdoor shots. Tripod A tripod will help to keep your camera steady and level at all times. Copystand A copystand is a valuable assist for mounting your camera for taking close-up shots. Floodlights or Whichever approach you choose, be sure your film Camera-mounted is compatible with the type of lighting. This flash holds true even if you use the sun as a source of light. Projector and It is advisable to use a professional line, heavy Screen duty slide projector. If possible, avoid a less durable carousel projector, since it is designed for general consumer or "home" use. Both the projector and screen should be compatible with the room and audience size. Dissolve A dissolve control can manipulate as many as control fifteen projectors. Its most practical use is with two projectors, whereby it can slowly fade the image from one while bringing in the other. 179 This approach tends to make it easier on the viewers! eyes, as they are not faced with the continuous bright to darkness and darkness to bright situation that exists when slides are changed. 2. Recorded Slide Program (Additional equipment needs) Tape Recorder A tape recorder can be used in conjunction with a slide program with or without a synchronizer. If you do not use a synchronizer, you will need someone sitting near the projector to change the slides at the appropriate times. You may use audible cues on the tape or markings on a copy of the script to indicate when each slide should be advanced. Synchronizer A tape recorder-projector synchronizer lends a degree of professionalism to your program. Responding to inaudible cues placed on the tape during production, the synchronizer automatically changes your slides. The "impulse tape" approach was used with great effectiveness by one southern state in a slide program that focused on slides and their effective usage. >>KEEP COSTS IN MIND>> Producing a slide-tape program can be costly if the necessary equipment is not available within your agency. Case in Point: One agency submitted the following cost figures for equipment rental (5 days) and sound work that was performed by a private audio-visual aids firm: (Note: These figures pertain only to the audio and do not include slide preparation.) Sound Work Record presentation (1 hr. 45 min.) $ 30.00 "Pulse" tape from script 225.00 4 M-8 Telex Cartridges 80.00 Equipment Rental Kodak AF-2 projector 60.00 2 spare lamps 18.90 AVD 4-track synch unit 75.00 Microphone and stand 30.00 Projection stand 15.00 $533.90 180 Presentation Tips. The following suggestions may be helpful as you prepare to present your slide program: Always set up your equipment before the meeting or hearing begins. This not only saves time but also helps to maintain a degree of continuity. If your program calls for more than 80 slides, use two projectors. Slide trays with 180 slots tend to jam and should be avoided, whenever possible. If a narrator is being used in conjunction with the slides, place him/ her near the screen. Stress a consistent delivery. Make sure that the text or tape and the slides are well synchronized. Above all, avoid having to turn the house lights on more than twice during the presentation, as this is extremely distracting. Before presenting the program, determine an appropriate time for leaving each slide on the screen. For example, a technical slide should be projected long enough to be absorbed and understood by an audience that is relatively unfamiliar with the subject matter. On the other hand, a non-technical or overly simplified slide should only remain on the screen for a few seconds. Longer projection tends to be frustrating and insulting to an audience. Also, make sure that at no point during the presentation does the speaker complete a discussion and move to another point without the appropriate slide being projected. For a comprehensive step-by-step description of the processes involved in producing and presenting a slide or a slide-tape program, you might want to consult the Kodak pamphlet, "Slides With a Purpose". This excellent brochure may be obtained by writing to: Eastman Kodak Company Department 412-L Rochester, N.Y. 14650 3. Models. Three-dimensional scale models represent the ultimate self-explanatory audio-visual aid. By clearly depicting the relationship of a proposed roadway facility to such personal reference points as homes, places of business, and community facilities, they create a virtually "self-contained" environment between viewer and exhibit. By "answering" many of the routine questions that are generally asked at community meetings, they significantly decrease the number of agency staff members who must attend. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the advantages of using scale models are often counterbalanced by their disadvantages. Preparation is a cost-and-time 181 consuming activity that requires the skills of a professional model-maker. Transportation of the finished product is an equally complicated task, since most models must be taken apart in order to be moved. Their usefulness is therefore limited by size, bulk, and inflexibility. >>CASE IN POINT>> One agency reports that it took 3 model- makers 6 months and over $18,000.00 to produce a scale model of a 13.5 mile project. The model was only used twice -- at the pre-hearing information session and at the hearing itself. It was then disassembled, returned to the agency, and reassembled for lobby display purposes. Notwithstanding these disadvantages, a few agencies report that they occasionally develop three-dimensional scale models for particularly complex projects that have aroused a good deal of community interest and/or controversy. Production of a model generally involves reconstruction of the area in miniature on an aerial photograph or contour map. Contour lines are traced on cardboard, cut out in a jigsaw-puzzle fashion, and placed so that differences in terrain can be reproduced to an exact scale. Built with upson board, a light- weight material, the models include replicas of buildings (created with plaster of Paris and paint), as well as trees and grassy fields constructed of sponge, sand and paint. Although we would obviously not recommend models for general use purposes, they should be kept in mind for those rare occasions when a complicated situation must be represented in a universally comprehensible manner. 4. Charts, Graphs, and Tables. Charts, tables, graphs, and diagrams are popular and effective means by which most agencies supplement their major meeting and hearing displays. They are commonly used to convey a variety of information including construction schedules; highway planning and design process; community involvement process; project funding; agency structure; traffic characteristics; and in particular, comparative data such as alternative costs, impacts, roadway lengths and right-of-way requirements. In addition to their value as a meeting exhibit, these supplemental aids are particularly effective when reduced and used as handouts. As handouts, they can serve as readily available reference sheets both during and after a presentation. In developing your supplementary displays, three key "rules" should be kept in mind: 1) Make sure the displays are self-explanatory. The whole purpose of presenting statistical and/or comparative data is defeated if the lay person cannot fully understand the exhibit. A hint in this regard: Avoid the use of flow diagrams. Although they are excellent for internal agency purposes, they are generally too confusing to use at public meetings. 2) Always use charts, tables, graphs, and diagrams as supporting aids. They are inappropriate and usually ineffective if used as the primary 182 exhibit. Remember that their purpose is to elaborate upon, describe, or support your alternatives display. 3) Make your supplemental exhibits as colorful as possible. Since most charts, tables, graphs, and diagrams are inherently dry and visually unappealing, the use of color can significantly add to their impact. Case in Point: One agency color-coded an exhibit of a proposed construction schedule to coincide with the colors used to describe the various segments of the proposed road on its aerial exhibit. The result was a clear, self-explanatory display that served the additional function of unifying a number of essential but disparate project components. 5. "Realistic" Representations of the completed project. Attempts to satisfy the public's curiosity have, over the years, resulted in the development of a number of techniques for depicting the end-product of the highway planning and design process. Conceptual drawings of the "constructed" road are often used as supplemental exhibits at meetings and hearings. Increasingly, they are becoming more scientific and more reflective of what may be anticipated. "Realistic" representations were, at one point, limited to artists' renderings. Although such renderings provided an attractive meeting or hearing exhibit, they often served the dysfunction of representing a concept as reality. Today, most agencies recognize the dangers inherent in using artists' renderings and display them infrequently, if at all. Some agencies have instead turned to airbrush renderings. These are pictures of the proposed road that involve touching up 35mm photographs or aerials of a project area to incorporate the "finished" roadway. Although this technique improves upon the artists' rendering by more effectively relating the proposed road to its surrounding community, it retains the inherent danger of substituting concept for reality. Recently, a much more accurate technique, that of photomontage, has become the focus of attention. Photomontage is reflective of a day and age in which the highway planner and engineer are making increased efforts to adequately communicate concepts of highways visually to the lay public. Because of its technical accuracy, photomontage has the potential of eventually being used as an agency's primary meeting or hearing exhibit. As described in "Highway Photomontage Manual", Report No. FHWA-DP-40-1 of the U.S. Department of Transportation, photomontage "... combines a computer perspective drawing of a design with a photograph of the alignment. The result is an accurate and clearly understandable picture of how the road will look after constructed". Relatively inexpensive (a photomontage can be prepared for from $50.00 to $200.00), this technique can be incorporated into an agency's highway design process with little training. The major limiting factor is availability of computer time. For orientation purposes only, we are providing the following outline of the basic procedure for producing a photomontage. For a more detailed step-by-step description, see the USDOT manual that is referenced above. 183 1. Subsequent to a thorough project review and a determination that no adequate photographs of the alignment exist, pictures of the alignment are taken from a high-level ground view or a low-level oblique aircraft view. 2. The film negatives are processed, the most suitable views of the alignment are selected, and enlargements of these views are made. 3. The camera coordinates, the sighted point coordinates, and camera orientation are determined. This procedure includes all aspects of preparing the raw data for computer processing. 4. The design earthwork and template converter programs are run through the computer. 5. The perspective plot program is run through the computer. 6. The computer-generated plot is overlayed on the photograph to produce the photomontage. 7. The overlay is artistically enhanced, as required, to add a degree of realism to the finished product. Before opting for photomontage, it is important to keep two essential facts in mind: 1) Since the technique relies on use of a computer, it can become very expensive unless computer time is available-within the agency; and 2) Because effective photomontage utilizes completed design drawings, its value as a developmental exhibit during a project's location phase is marginal at best. 6) Films and Videotape. Generally speaking, films and videotape are inappropriate for use as the audio-visual component of a community involvement program. Although both are excellent techniques for training and agency self-evaluation purposes, a number of built-in characteristics limit their usefulness as community involvement tools. Theoretically, the dramatic dynamic quality of film would suggest that it is an excellent medium for presenting a technical project to a lay audience. However, film is just too expensive (approximately $1,000.00 a minute for the finished product), too time-consuming, and too dependent upon a variety of specialized talent and equipment to be considered a practical community involvement technique. Unlike film, videotape is a relatively inexpensive technique. However, its usefulness in a community involvement program is minimal, since it can only be effectively shown to a small group of people (ideally no more than 15). In addition, the flat, two- dimensional quality of videotape makes it a generally uninteresting, and consequently, ineffectual audio-visual in terns of attracting and-maintaining audience attention. Clearly its strength lies in its ability to record and preserve, rather than in its ability to present. 184 FINAL THOUGHTS Throughout this guidebook, we have stressed the need for an indivi- dualized approach to the preparation, conduct, and follow-up of public meetings and hearings. The theme that has emerged repeatedly is that a successful public meeting or hearing requires flexibility and thorough planning and attention to detail. This theme can probably not be overstated! Our years of community involvement experience have clearly demonstrated that it is only through experimentation, analysis, and evaluation of each individual project and its parameters that an appropriate combination of meeting/hearing components can ever be determined. Fortunately, our efforts to develop effective public participation programs need not be conducted in isolation. By adopting an historical perspective, we can learn much from the activities of highway and transportation agencies during the past few years. The guidelines and criteria that emerge from their experiences are valuable aids in constructing a community involvement program that is comprehensive, appropriate, and specifically oriented to the goals and objectives of both agency and community. Consequently, this guidebook has aimed at presenting all aspects of public meetings and hearings in a realistic framework that high- lights not only individual advantages and disadvantages but also combinations that may be particularly effective in a given situation. Notification techniques, graphics, handouts, and other specific elements have been introduced as part of an evolving process that also includes such activities as identification of objectives, site selection, and agenda preparation. Most importantly, we have tried to point: out that meetings and hearings should never be dealt with as isolated occurrences. As part of a continuum of events, they assume meaning only if they reflect an agency's ongoing concern and careful consideration of such factors as project characteristics; potential social, environ- mental, and economic effects; community characteristics; and agency resources and constraints in the areas of budget, time, and personnel. 185 As we look towards the future of community involvement, it is clear that the responsibilities of its practitioners will become in- creasingly complex and extensive. We hope that this guidebook will provide both assistance and encouragement to the cadre of specialists who must prepare to meet the constantly evolving challenges of effective public interaction. 186 APPENDIX I CHECKLIST OF MEETING PREPARATION ACTIVITIES The following checklist has been included as a handy reference tool, to be used when preparing for a public meeting. It is a composite of the tasks and subtasks discussed in Chapter 1. ______ Become thoroughly familiar with the proposed project and its geographic area. _____ Define the goals and objectives of the meeting. _____ Define the project community. _____ Inventory in-house resources and limitations (including budget, peoplepower, time, and equipment). ______ Develop a project mailing list. ______ Determine the meeting format. ______ Select a site, date, and time for the meeting. ______ Inspect the proposed meeting site. ______ Confirm the meeting site in writing. ______ Finalize all administrative details (including paperwork related to insurance, fees, licenses, parking, custodial services, and security provisions). ______ Select and begin to prepare appropriate displays, handouts, and audiovisual aids. ______ Identify the meeting panel, select a conductor, and firm up overall staffing arrangements. ______ Begin to prepare the technical presentation. Determine how and by whom it will be given. _______ Establish and formalize the guidelines and procedures for meeting conduct (including time limits, speaking order, and recording techniques). _______ Select and begin to prepare appropriate notification documents. ______ Develop the meeting agenda. 187 ______ Review displays, handouts, and audio-visual aids and revise them as necessary. ______ Finalize and distribute notification documents. ______ Conduct an in-house briefing. _______ Revise the technical presentation, if necessary. _______ Test all audio-visual equipment to make sure that it is in good working order. _______ Arrange for the transport, display, and/or use of exhibits, handouts, audio-visual equipment, and other meeting aids. 188 APPENDIX II CHECKLIST OF HEARING PREPARATION ACTIVITIES The following checklist has been included as a basic guide, to be used when preparing for a public hearing. It represents an outline of the activities discussed in Chapter 2. ______ Revise and update the project mailing list. ______ Inventory in-house resources and limitations (including budget, peoplepower, time, and equipment). ______ Determine the hearing format. ______ Establish and formalize the guidelines and procedures for hearing conduct (including time limits, speaking order, and recording techniques). ______ Establish and formalize the procedures for attendee and speaker registration (including paperwork and follow-up of correspondence related to pre-registration of speakers, if appropriate). ______ Select site(s), date(s), and time(s) for the hearing. ______ Select site (s), date(s), and time(s) for the pre-hearing information session(s). ______ Inspect the proposed hearing and pre-hearing information session sites. (Confirm in writing.) ______ Finalize all administrative details (including paperwork related to insurance, fees, licenses, parking, custodial services, and security provisions). ______ Develop the hearing agenda. ______ Select and begin to prepare appropriate notification documents. **Remember that the formal notice and/or paid ad must be published at least 15 days prior to the hearing, and quite possibly 30-40 days. ______ Prepare and/or update displays, handouts, and audio- visual aids. **Remember to leave enough time to adequately prepare slide-tapes, models, films, and other presentations that involve lengthy, locked-in timeframes. ______ Select a hearing officer and finalize all hearing and pre-hearing staffing arrangements. 189 ______ Arrange for the services of a court stenographer, if appropriate. (Confirm in writing.) ______ Begin to prepare the technical presentation. Determine how and by whom it will be given. ______ Finalize and distribute all supplementary notification documents. ______ Review displays, handouts, and audio-visual aids and revise them as necessary. ______ Brief the hearing officer, if appropriate. ______ Conduct an in-house briefing. ______ Revise the technical presentation, if necessary. ______ Test all audio-visual equipment to make sure that it is in good working order. ______ Arrange for the transport, display, and/or use of exhibits, handouts, and audio-visual equipment. 190 INDEX Acoustics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,29 "Action Plan". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Action Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70,76,139,148,151 Advisory Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4, 6, 15, 22, 29, 42 Aerial Exhibits (see also Graphics). . . 169, 170, 171, 173-177, 183 Aerial Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 32, 35, 140-141 Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141,142,143,144,145 Agency-Credibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 54, 55 Agency (Meeting) Panels. . 7, 14, 159 17, 35-36, 37, 38, 47, 49, 138 Agency Resources . . . .6, 13, 15, 17, 97, 98, 103, 111, 112, 129, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130, 138, 158, 167, 171-173,181-182 Agency Self-Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55-57, 139 Checklist of behaviors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Agendas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7, 23, 35, 42-47, 49, 64 Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44,45,46 Air-Brush Photographs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138,167,183 Air Quality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 All-Purpose Rooms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,29 Alternative Alignments . . . . . . .13,15,32,138,140,141,146,148,149 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158,164,165,166,175 "An Introduction to the Washington State Department of Highways Action Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Artists' Renderings. . . . . . . . . . . .35, 65, 167, 168, 169, 183 Attendance Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49, 66, 76, 79, 103 Audience Participation Forms 156-158 Samples . . . . . . . . . . . .156,157, 158,159,160,161,162,163 Audio-Visual Aids (See also Graphics). . . . . . . . .61-63, 169-184 Characteristics of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169-171 Preparation-of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173-184 Presentation of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173-184 Related costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Selection of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171-173 Timeframe for developing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172-173 Types of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Audio-Visual Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26,29,30 Camera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Copy stand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172,179 Dissolve control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Floodlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Projector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Synchronizer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Audio-Visual Presentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,35 Auditoriums. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29,63,64 Bi-Lingual Notifications (see Notifications) "Birth of a Highway" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Booklets (see Brochures and Pamphlets) 191 INDEX (continued) Brainstorming Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . .4, 15, 29, 47, 64, 156 Briefing Sessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . 36, 39, 47-48, 52, 65, 76 Brochures and Pamphlets (see also Right-of-Way Brochures) . . .7, 75, 138, 139, 141-156, 158, 181 Bulk Mailing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102, 111, 129, 130 Cafeterias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23, 29 Charts . . . . . . 35, 65, 121, 148, 158-167, 169, 170, 172, 182-183 "Citizens' Handbook" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Clip-Out Coupons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66, 114, 117, 146, 154 Coffee Klatsches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-23 Comment Forms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Community, definition of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13-14, 103 Community Goals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 22 Community Input. . . . 4, 7, 13, 15, 22, 54-55, 63, 65, 79, 146, 171 Community Involvement Process. . . . . . . . 4, 58,-59, 79, 151, 182 Community Involvement Program3, 6-7, 8, 9, 10, 11-12, 14, 15, 32, 35, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54, 55, 58, 63, 65, 73, 75, 103, 110, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112, 152, 184 Community Leaders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Community Needs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4, 5 Community Organizations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14, 21 Community Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 22 Confirmation Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30, 32, 33, 34 Consultants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36, 47, 50, 111, 171, 173 Court Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9, 40, 41, 64, 71-72, 93 Dais . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Decision-Making. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 29, 54, 77 Department of Civil Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Direct Mailings (see also Notifications) . . . . . . . . . . 102-130 Advantages of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Disadvantages of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Fliers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102, 107-110 Letters of invitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102, 104-107 Newsletters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102, 103, 110-130 Discussion Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23, 43-44, 47 Displays (see Graphics) Eastman Kodak Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Environmental Documents. . . . .59, 60, 65, 70, 72, 74, 76, 138, 151 Environmental Impacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 13 Exhibits (see Graphics) Federal Highway Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89, 151 Field Offices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Films. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35, 48, 169 Disadvantages of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 192 INDEX (continued) Related Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172, 184 Timeframe for Developing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Fishbowl Technique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Fliers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80, 102, 107, 110, 138 Flip Charts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23, 41, 47 Flow Diagrams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35, 128, 171, 182 "Get Involved" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Graphics . . . . . . . . . . .7, 29, 32, 35, 40, 43, 47, 48, 49, 53, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59, 63, 64, 65, 76, 138, 156, 169-184 Characteristics of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169-171 Importance of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Preparation of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173-184 Presentation of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173-184 Related costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Selection of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171-173 Types of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35, 65, 148, 169, 170, 172, 182-184 Greeters/Greeters' Table . . . . . . . . . . 23, 40, 42, 49, 68, 107 Gymnasiums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21, 29 Handout Packets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139, 140, 148, 158, 167 Handouts . . . . . . . . . . . .7 22-23, 32, 40, 42, 44, 47, 59, 70, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76, 118, 137, 138-168, 178 Criteria for selecting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Distribution of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Preparation of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Hearings . . . . . . . . . . .3, 5, 6, 7, 13, 15, 32, 58-79, 80, 81, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84, 89, 97, 98, 102, 103, 104, 107, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110, 114, 130, 138, 139, 141, 148, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152, 158, 169, 171, 172, 173, 174, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175, 176, 177, 178, 181 Administrative Aspects. . . . . . . . . . .7, 34, 68, 72, 73-74 Agendas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 All-Day/Multi-Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72-73 Conduct of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67-68, 70, 77-78 Federal Guidelines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59,70 Follow-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Formal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64, 65 Informal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64-65 Information Sessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63, 64, 65 Internal Coordination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Preparation for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59-76, 189-190 Pre-registration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63, 64, 66-68, 73 Procedural Aspects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66-72 Purpose of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Recesses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63, 77 Recording Techniques. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64, 71-72 Registration Procedures . . . . . . . . . 66-68, 73, 74, 76, 77 Sample Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Site Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 193 INDEX (continued) Staffing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Testimony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64, 65, 68, 74 Time Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63, 68, 74, 77 Time of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59, 72 Timeframe for Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59, 72 Transcript. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Hearing Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58, 59-65, 77 "Dual". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64-65, 77 Traditional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59, 63-64, 65,93 Hearing Officer. . . . . . . . . . . . . 63, 64, 68, 74, 76, 77, 140 Characteristics of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Selection of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68-70 Hearing Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64, 93 Hearing Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64, 65, 67-68 "Highway Hearings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 "Highway Photomontage Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Impulse-Tape Presentations . . . . . . . . . .73, 169, 172, 179, 180 Information Sessions . . . . 4, 6, 15, 23, 43, 63, 64, 65, 74-75, 93 Law Schools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Leroy Technique. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 Letters of Invitation. . . . . . . . . . . 41, 42, 80, 162, 104-107, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111, 138, 146, 147 Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105, 106, 108, 109 Mailing Lists. . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 14, 40, 41, 42, 49, 55, 102, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103, 129, 139, 146, 156 Development of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23, 65, 99, 100, 121, 125, 140-141, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142-145, 146, 158 Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . 3-57, 58, 59, 66, 80, 81, 84, 97, 98, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102,103,104, 107, 110, 112, 114, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130, 137-138- 139, 141, 148 152, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156, 158, 169 170 171, 172, 173, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174, 176, 178, 181, 182, 183 Administrative Aspects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7, 29-32, 33 Agency Credibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Agendas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42-47, 49 Alternative Alignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,32 Conduct of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35, 39-41, 49-53 Date of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24, 25, 72 Definition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Early Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Follow-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50, 54-57 Informal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Introductory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13, 15, 32 Large . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 15-19, 29, 35, 40, 42-44, 49 Objectives of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5, 7, 13 15, 17, 37 Preparation for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-48, 187-188 Problems Confronted at. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Project Location Phase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 194 INDEX (continued) Purpose of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 13, 29 Series of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Site Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25-32, 33, 72 Small Group . . . . . . . . . . .4, 13, 15,20-23, 42, 44-47, 49 Speaking Order. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39-40 Staffing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 35, 36 Time Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Time of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7, 14, 24-25, 72 Timekeeper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Uses of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Meeting Conductors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6, 7, 40, 50-53, 140 Meeting Evaluation Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139, 156 Meeting Formats. . . . . . . . . . . .7, 14, 15-23, 28, 29, 49, 50 Advisory Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Class-Room Arrangement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Coffee Klatsches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-23 "Conversational" Arrangement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Half-Moon or Circular Arrangement . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Horseshoe Arrangement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 "Multi-Use" Arrangement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Small Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-23 Small Table Arrangement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Walk-in Information Sessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13, 21 Microphones. . . . . . . . . . . . . .15, 22, 28, 29, 30, 49, 76, 78 Models . . . . . . . . . . . 32, 35, 65, 169, 170, 172, 173, 181-182 Related Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 National Labor Relations Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Newsletters. . . . . . .7, 35, 41, 42, 54, 70, 80, 102, 103, 110-130 Bi-Lingual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Criteria for Selection of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110-111 Distribution of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Preparation of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112-130 Related Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111, 126-127, 129 Sample Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112-113, 114 Timeframe for Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7, 81, 82-99 News Sheets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Noise Quality/Impacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 32, 170 Notifications. . . . 7, 15, 29, 39, 41-42, 59, 66, 70, 73-74, 80-137 Bi-Lingual Notifications. . . . . . . . . . . . 93, 97, 99, 111 Direct Mailings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102-130 Field Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Mass-Media Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82-102 Posters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130-136 Preparation and Distribution of . . . . . . . .14, 41-42, 73-74 Selection of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 195 INDEX (continued) Overlays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Paid Advertisements. . . . . . . . . . . . 41, 80, 81, 83, 93, 97-99 And Public Notices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90, 93, 99 Preparation of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98-99 Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91, 92, 99, 100, 101 Timing of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98 Photographs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35, 121, 138, 167 Photomontage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35, 169, 183, 184 Planning Process . . . . . . .7, 13, 15, 32, 118, 146, 148, 152, 158 Position Papers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139, 167 Posters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41, 42, 80, 130-136 Distribution of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131, 132, 133, 135, 136 Pre-Registration . . . . . . . . . 63, 64, 66, 67, 73, 114, 117, 182 Presentations (see also Slide-Tape Presentations and Impulse-Tape Presentations) . . .6, 7, 13, 15, 36-39, 40, 43, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 , 50, 52 , 63, 64, 73, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74-76, 77, 80, 93, 118, 138, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140, 158, 170, 171 Extemporaneous. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37-39, 74-75 Outline of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Preparation of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36-39, 74-76 Prepared Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37-39, 74-75 Taped Presentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Press-Releases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 41, 42, 80, 82-89 Preparation of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83-84 Samples of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85-86, 87-88 "Process Guidelines: The Action Plan". . . . . . . . . . . .148, 151 "Protecting the Environment in the Federal-Aid Highway Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148, 151 Project Community. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 6, 13-14, 15, 24, 25 Project Development. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 5, 139, 148, 152 Project Scope Memoranda. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-13 Project Team . . . . . . . . . 54-55, 63, 65, 73, 74-75, 76, 84, 156 Public Address System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Public (Formal) Notices. . . . . . . . . . .73, 83, 89-93, 94-96, 99 Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91, 92, 94-96 Public Officials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,39 Question and Answer Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15, 29, 40, 76 Questionnaires . . . . . . .7, 47, 139, 146, 156, 158, 159, 161, 162 Recesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40, 43, 64, 77 Recording Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40-41, 71-72, 76, 78 Registration Cards . . . . . . . . . . 49, 66, 68, 76, 139, 156, 158 Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157, 160 Right-of-Way and Relocation. .4, 13, 14, 32, 138, 139, 148, 152, 153 196 INDEX (continued) Right-of-Way Brochures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148, 152-154, 156 Sample Graphic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Roberts' Rules of Order. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Silk Screen Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Site Inventories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30, 31 Site Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7, 14, 25-32, 72 Slide Presentations. . . . . . . .35, 48, 76, 169, 170, 172, 177-181 Formats of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178-179 Necessary Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179-180 Preparation of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Presentation of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Slide-Tape Presentations (see also Impulse-Tape Presentations) . 32, 65, 73, 170, 172, 179,180,181 "Slides With a Purpose". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Speakers Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40, 49, 68, 139, 156, 157 Sample. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Speakers Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40, 49, 68, 76 Special Interest Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 15 Summary Reports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35, 43, 139, 167 Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35, 158, 167, 169, 172, 182-183 Taped Presentations (see also Slide-Tape Presentations and Impulse-Tape Presentation). . . . . . . . 169 Tape Recorder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40-41, 64, 71, 93, 180 Technical Jargon . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38, 52, 83, 93, 128, 146 Television and Radio Spots . . . . . . . . . . .41, 97, 99, 102, 137 Television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74, 77 "The Citizens' Highway Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 "The Highway Planning Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Timekeeper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Time Limits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39, 68, 77 Trailers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Transcript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15, 41, 79 United States Postal Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Videotape. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35, 52, 169, 184 Willey, John F.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Workshops. . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 5, 6, 15, 21-22, 29, 41, 42, 158 *U.S. G.P.O.:1993-343-273:80090 197
