6. AGENCY AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
Due to the significance of the South and East Beltways Study, the project sponsors decided at the project onset that anyone and everyone should be given ample opportunity to participate in the study planning process. Toward this end an extensive Public Participation Program (PPP) was developed with input from the consultant team, study sponsors and the general public (Interim Report 1, WSA, 1996). The program included the following committees and activities.
As the study progressed, each element of the program was implemented and additional elements were added, including the establishment of a Beltway telephone hotline as an additional public forum for comments and questions. Weekly progress meetings between the study team and sponsoring agencies were conducted during critical periods of the study.
Throughout the course of the South and East Beltways Study the level of interest and concern on the part of the public has been quite high as evidenced by the letters, phone calls and other inquiries received during the course of the study. The PPP has proven to be an effective way of informing the public and receiving information to be used for the conduct of the study. The process provided the consultant team with valuable information as they formulated recommendations.
6.1 MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
The Management Committee gives direction to the consulting team on key matters. It is made up of representatives of the study sponsors:
The Management Committee met 23 times during the beltway study. The Management Committee received input and advice from both the Technical Advisory Committee, made up of technical staff from several local, state and national agencies, and the Citizens Advisory Committee, made up of a diverse cross section of individuals representing the entire City of Lincoln. Occasionally, these committees met on the same day to facilitate the flow of information and coordination.
6.2 TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Technical Committee included local, state, and federal agency representatives who bring technical expertise to the study. These individuals reviewed the work of the consultants, guided the study, and advised the Management Committee. This committee met on six occasions during the beltway study. Members of this group also attended many other meetings of the beltway study. Agencies included were:
6.3 CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
This committee comprised a cross-section of individuals from within and outside the study area who reflected a diverse, yet balanced, set of perspectives. The committee provided the study sponsors and consultants with a community-based "sounding board". This committee met 13 times during the beltway study.
6.4 NEWSLETTERS / LANDOWNER NOTIFICATIONS
Five Beltway Newsletters were published and distributed to all persons on the beltway mailing list throughout the course of the study. Additional written communication occurred via press releases and articles that appeared in area newspapers.
6.5 BELTWAY HOTLINE
A telephone hotline was set up and advertised for use by anyone wishing to ask questions, make comments, or request information. The hotline received over 350 calls. All questions received a call-back to try to answer their question. All requested information was provided, if available. All comments were catalogued and forwarded to appropriate study team members for use in the beltway evaluations.
6.6 AGENCY SCOPING MEETING
An interagency scoping meeting and bus tour of the study area was conducted on 11 October 1995. The purpose of the meeting was to present the project and solicit input and concerns. The meeting was attended by 36 representatives of local, state and federal agencies; railroads; utilities; and the project sponsors and consultants (WSA, Interim Report 1, 1996). A summary of the meeting is included in Appendix A.
6.7 PARTNERING WORKSHOP
A Partnering Workshop was conducted on 12 and 13 December 1995 for orientation of the three committees. This two-day session included discussion of the beltway study progress, decision making roles, advisory roles, approval process, and public participation objectives. Exercises were also conducted to identify constraints, potential corridors and evaluation criteria. Input on all study matters were received by the project team.
6.9 PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETINGS
Public meetings were held at key milestones in the study to provide a forum for the dissemination of information concerning the study as well as to receive input and feedback from the public. Meetings were held on:
6.10 PRESENTATIONS AT CITY COUNCIL, COUNTY BOARD, COMMONS AND SUPERCOMMONS MEETINGS
The study team included elected officials from the community in the study process by presenting information and study findings at Supercommons Meetings. The Supercommons is made up of the Lincoln City Council, Lancaster County Board and the Lincoln/Lancaster County Planning Commission. All meetings of the Supercommons, Lincoln City Council and Lancaster County Board were advertised and open to the general public. Meetings of these bodies, where the beltway was on the agenda, were held on:
6.11 GROUP BRIEFINGS WITH NEIGHBORHOODS AND OTHER SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
Neighborhood workshops and group briefings were also held at the request of many groups to provide the public with direct access to the consultant team in an informal setting. Several of these meetings were well attended and included extensive dialog between neighborhoods and the project management team. The larger meetings included:
Comments were summarized and forwarded to study team members for use in the beltway evaluations.
6.12 MEETINGS WITH INDIVIDUAL LANDOWNERS AND OTHER CONTACTS
During the beltway study, there were frequent informal contacts with individual landowners and other interested parties regarding beltway information. Comments were summarized and forwarded to study team members for use in the beltway evaluations.
6.13 MEDIA COVERAGE
From August 1995 through June 1999, there were 25 new articles in the Lincoln Journal Star regarding the beltway study progress. The Waverly News and Hickman Village Voice also provided newspaper coverage during this period. Lincoln television stations, Channels 10-11 (CBS) and Channel 8 (ABC), provided news coverage at most of the key public meetings. The study was also covered in radio interviews with local stations KFOR and KLIN.
6.14 CORRESPONDENCE
During the multi-year planning process, all comment letters received on the beltway study were considered, catalogued and forwarded to study team members for use in the beltway evaluations. Letters were sent to respond to all letters received during the study.
Comment letters received on the Draft Assessment of Adverse Effects to NRHP and NRHP-Eligible Sites have been addressed in the revised version of that document (Appendix F).
6.15 CONSULTANT AVAILABILITY
The most crucial element of the Public Participation Program was the availability of the consultants. Throughout the study, the consultant team received and responded to hundreds of calls and letters from citizens. In addition to this, the team met with many interested parties to discuss specific issues one-on-one.
During the beltway study, the consulting team attended over 275 documented meetings on the beltway project.
In addition, the consultants received and answered hundreds of direct calls from interested citizens.
6.16 MERGE AGENCY REVIEW
Following the Nebraska Local Operating Procedures for Integrating NEPA/404, the Purpose and Need Statement for the beltway project EIS was reviewed by five agencies in June 1996. Concurrence was received from the US Army Corps of Engineers, US Environmental Protection Agency, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (Appendix A) indicating that the statement was satisfactory and the information provided was adequate to advance to the next stage of project development.
The same five agencies reviewed the Preliminary Draft Environmental Impact Statement (PDEIS, dated 13 November 2000) and concurred that it was satisfactory (Appendix A). Specific comments were received from the US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Environmental Protection Agency, and have been incorporated into this document.
US Army Corps of Engineers. A letter was received from the USACE Kearney Regulatory Office indicating that the findings of the wetland delineation were highly preliminary. The following three issues were raised.
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Further coordination with the Corps indicated that the methodology used for the beltway wetland delineation was the same methodology used by the Corps for preliminary studies where the final design is not known (see Appendix A, email dated 19 December 2000 from Keith Tillotson to Amy Zlotsky). No resolution required. |
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Final wetland delineations will be conducted after right-of-way acquisition when all properties may be surveyed on-site. |
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The three data forms with errors have been corrected. |
US Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA raised four issues as described below.
| ISSUE | RESOLUTION |
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Concurrence has been received from all five Merge agencies, including all agencies mentioned in the EPA letter. Other agencies will receive copies of the DEIS for review and comment. |
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No additional investigations were conducted. The TDM/TSM text in the DEIS was summarized from Interim Report Number 1 (WSA, 1996a) prepared by a firm with national expertise in transportation planning. References have been added to the text to indicate the source of the information. |
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The text states that mitigation has been proposed at a minimum ratio of 1:1. This does not preclude the use of greater ratios. |
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These two parameters have been revised to aid in understanding. |
Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office. In November 2000, the PDEIS was also reviewed by the Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office who concurred with the findings of the PDEIS and the findings of the appendices as the relate to Section 106 consultation (Appendix E).
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