Major Investment Study / Draft Environmental Impact Statement
8. Public Involvement and Outreach
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8.1 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PLAN
The diverse demographic and geographic nature of the
Schuylkill Valley Metro Corridor MIS/DEIS required a comprehensive, strategic,
and all-inclusive plan that engaged the wide range of constituencies in
the corridor. Public issues and concerns included a broad array of factors
at all levels - regional, state, and local. The plan built on the efforts
established during the Schuylkill Valley Metro Feasibility Study to provide
a smooth transition from the previous study to the MIS/DEIS. Coordination
with agencies and the various municipalities along the corridor was a major
component of the Public Involvement Plan (PIP). The support of elected
officials was deemed essential to ensuring project acceptance and potential
funding. A well-informed public that understands the need for the project,
the project's goals and objectives, and has a voice in the study is more
likely to endorse the recommendation(s). The plan was designed so that
parties within the corridor understood the project and their roles in the
process. The Schuylkill Valley Metro public involvement program met both
the letter and the spirit of the public participation requirements for
the MIS/EIS process, including those of the Intermodal Surface Transportation
Efficiency Act (ISTEA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
The plan encompassed a range of techniques and activities to elicit public
participation in the decision-making process, supported by public information
and education materials that provided technical information and study activities
that enhanced and facilitated the public's participation. The plan:
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Provided opportunities for all stakeholders to participate
in the study
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Supported the active involvement of direct stakeholders,
residents, and businesses
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Provided general information about the study, including
its overall intent, schedule, and likely products, as well as basic findings
and recommendations
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Gathered public input concerning needs and opportunities
to be used in formulating overall findings and recommendations
8.1.1 SPECIAL PERSONS, GROUPS OR ENTITIES
The objective of this effort was to identify special
individuals, groups, or entities to be involved in the MIS/DEIS public
outreach process and to ensure (through the project database) that they
received all meeting announcements, project newsletters and brochures.
The 200+ entities identified in this task became an integral part of the
project database.
8.1.2 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
Special efforts were made to reach minority residents
in the corridor. All meetings were advertised in Hispanic newspapers and
on Hispanic radio stations, as well as in newspapers in the Philadelphia
area that serve primarily African-American populations.
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