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ITD launches Project Outreach Planner tool

ITD’s innovative Public Outreach Planner (POP), designed to help guide public involvement decisions and outreach efforts, was released this week. The POP is an online, interactive tool that helps employees determine when or if to begin the formal public involvement process and which options to choose.

It is available at http://www.itd.idaho.gov/pop/.

“The implementation and use of the POP on our projects will ensure that we interact with the public in ways that benefit our communities and achieve ITD’s long-range and Strategic Plan goals,” said project sponsor Tom Cole. “We appreciate the collaborative effort by ITD employees statewide to make this a useful, unique and innovative tool.”

The POP concept focuses on a progression of multiple-choice questions that produces a numeric score of 1 through 5. The score correlates to a recommended level of public outreach for the project. The POP offers project-specific public involvement guidance, complete with tools and techniques for the recommended strategies.

Development of the POP began in 2011 when SonnaLynn Fernandez, ITD Transportation Planning Coordinator, and Adam Rush, ITD Public Involvement Coordinator, started working with district staff to develop a tool that is unique to Idaho and ITD. During two November 2011 workshops with executive staff, district planners and communication staff, the POP began to take shape.

The Project Leadership Team visited ITD’s six districts early this year to discuss public involvement and test a draft version of the POP with staff statewide. The project team gathered valuable input and spent the months that followed refining the tool and creating a customized POP website that is tailored to Idaho’s needs.

“The feedback we received at district meetings was invaluable to fine-tuning the POP,” said Fernandez. “The questions we received from staff and the conversations that were taking place about specific questions related to corridor planning, construction and everything in between, gave us the information we needed to make the POP the most useful, applicable it could be for every district.”

The POP will integrate electronically into a Project Charter. Other manuals, including the Guide to Public Involvement, Corridor Planning Guidebook and Environmental Manual will be updated accordingly.

Along with the POP development and website creation, ITD also updated its Guide to Public Involvement. The revised version is available online at http://www.itd.idaho.gov/pop/assets/PIguide.pdf. It includes updated information on new tools and technologies.

“When you run a project through the POP, you can access a custom public involvement guide for that project. That guide will provide comprehensive information needed to, for example, set-up, organize and conduct a public hearing or workshop," Rush said.

“As the department seeks to use limited resources wisely, the POP will help determine what approaches, technologies and strategies can be used to most efficiently and effectively communicate with the public.”

The Project Leadership Team consists of Cole, Fernandez, Rush, Erika Bowen (Executive Team liaison) and Bryant Kuechle, Darla Christiansen and Andrea Gumm of The Langdon Group. Langdon is an Idaho-based public involvement company.

Questions about the POP or requests for additional information can be directed Rush at 334-8119, or by e-mail to adam.rush@itd.idaho.gov.