CIRC-WILLISTON ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
Public Involvement/Agency Coordination
Plan
This document is a plan for public involvement
and agency coordination activities to provide information
and timely input to the Circ-Williston EIS Study. It has been
developed by Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) in
cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration to insure
the public has the opportunity to learn about and participate
in the development of an Environmental Impact Statement for
transportation improvements between I-89 and Williston, Essex
and Essex Junction.
The overall goal of public involvement
and agency coordination is to provide two-way communication
that informs about the study, gathers specific input to the
study, and builds public confidence and trust in the study
process.
The public involvement plan has been developed
with the following principles:
- Access to information: A record of all
public meetings will be kept. Technical documents will be
placed in locations available to the community and on the
project website.
- Clarity: Technical information and regulatory
procedures will be presented in terms understandable to
the public.
- Responsiveness: All questions from the
public will be answered in a timely manner.
- Multi-level communication: A variety
of methods will be used to reach out to and hear from the
public. Newsletters, fact sheets, direct mail, community
meetings, website and coverage in the media will be employed.
Study team members will be accessible by telephone, mail,
e-mail, and one-on-one meetings.
- Timeliness: The public will receive
adequate notice of meetings, and meetings will be scheduled
at times and places that are convenient and comfortable.
Adequate time to review materials will also be provided
whenever possible.
- Integration of public comment: Public
comment will be actively factored into the study process.
Opportunities for public input will be scheduled to allow
time for the study team to use that information to modify
or refine the development of the EIS.
- Coordination: In order to ensure the
success of the public involvement process, the study team
will work hard to ensure good communication among all concerned
agencies and communities, using a variety of methods and
tools.
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Key Steps in the Process:
As the agency charged with evaluating transportation
needs and providing transportation facilities for the state
of Vermont, VTrans is studying alternatives for making transportation
improvements between I-89 and the communities of Williston,
Essex and Essex Junction. The project area includes existing
I-89 exits 11 and 12. A critical part of this study is to
develop an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
to help evaluate these alternatives. Public involvement and
agency coordination are both required in developing the EIS,
and they are critical to the successful development of an
alternative that most people can support.
While the public will be encouraged to
ask questions and make comments throughout the development
of the EIS, there are key points when focused public input
will be sought. The EIS study team will consider and utilize
public input at each phase. Public meetings/forums will be
held at the following key points in the study:
- Scoping (Jan-April
2005) – Scoping occurs at the beginning of the project
when the key issues are identified (“scoped out.”)
This is the time when every reasonable option for improving
transportation is identified including upgrading existing
roads and intersections, building new roads, expanding public
transportation (bus and rail), developing bicycle and pedestrian
facilities, using strategies to manage transportation demand,
and doing nothing at all (which is always an alternative
in any EIS). The Purpose and Need for the project will be
defined in detail, and the issues to be studied (for example
indirect effects on land use patterns) will be identified.
- Alternatives Screening
(Spring/Summer 2005) – Using the input from scoping,
the project team will prepare and screen a long list of
alternatives. The key factor in determining the value of
an option will be whether or not it can meet (or contribute
to) the stated transportation purpose and need. Another
factor as to whether or not an option survives the screening
phase will be the potential magnitude of its environmental
impacts.
- Alternatives Evaluation
(Summer/Fall 05) - The study team will conclude screening
of the options by developing a short list of alternatives
that best address transportation needs. This short list
will then be analyzed in detail for both effectiveness and
impacts. The short list may include alternatives that are
packages of improvements.
- Alternatives Comparison
and Preparation of a Draft EIS (Fall 05/Winter
06)- The evaluation will be used to compare alternatives
and the full analysis will be documented in a draft EIS
report. This report will be accessible through the study
website, local libraries, city/town and Regional Planning
Commission offices.
- Alternative Selection and
Preparation of a Final EIS (Winter/Spring
06)- Formal public hearings will be scheduled to hear public
comments on the draft EIS, and written comments will be
received and responded to. Utilizing these comments, revisions
will be made, a Preferred Alternative will be selected,
and a final EIS will be published.
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Elements of the Plan:
The Public Involvement Plan has several
elements to inform and involve the public in a meaningful
way in the development of the EIS. The study team will be
accessible to the public, share information in a complete
and understandable manner, and record and consider all public
comments and concerns. The plan will be implemented through
activities that fall into three broad but interrelated areas:
- Foundational
(creating a network to support communication): A project
website, database with mailing list for email notices, schedule
of newsletters and public events will be established. The
study team will also develop a media contact list to be
utilized for advertising public meetings.
- Civic Engagement
(creating opportunities for dialogue): Numerous meetings
will be held including, but not limited to: interviews with
local officials, interested organization representatives,
and individuals; general public meetings/ forums/ workshops;
and appearances at meetings of local government boards and
interested organizations. A formal public hearing will also
be held after the publication of the Draft EIS.
- Communication Tools
(using many methods to obtain and distribute information):
A variety of tools will be used to reach out to and hear
from the public. Newsletters, fact sheets and summary documents,
direct mail, community meetings, website and press releases
will be utilized.
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Description of Public Involvement Activities:
- Project Website:
A website, www.circEIS.org, has been developed to provide
comprehensive information and the latest developments on
the project and to help the public understand the purpose
and content of an Environmental Impact Statement. The website
has a library of study documents that can be read, printed
or downloaded; notices and reports of public meetings; and
contact information for submitting comments or questions.
- Mailing List:
The study team will develop and maintain a mailing list
of all interested people, organizations and government officials
in the study area. The list will be used to distribute newsletters,
fact sheets, notice of meetings and other project mailings.
The list will be based on lists from prior projects, public
meeting sign-ins, and sign-up at the study website.
- Interviews:
Early in the scoping phase, the project team will arrange
interviews with Select Board chairs, Mayors and City Council
chairs, and representatives of organizations concerned with
the project, including environmental organizations, business
groups, neighborhood groups, businesses, and others. The
purpose of the interviews is to collect a cross-section
of opinion about transportation needs in the project area
as well as potential improvements and environmental issues
to be studied in the EIS. Sources of information for the
study will also be identified.
- Appearances at Meetings
of Local Government Boards/Councils and Organizations:
The project team will appear at meetings of Select Boards,
City Councils, and concerned organizations as invited at
the interviews or requested through the project manager.
Team members will provide briefings and receive input and
comments at these meetings. In several cities and towns
these meetings will be televised on community access stations.
- Public Forums:
The study team will organize and conduct forums for the
public that are linked to the timing of the critical milestones
in the development of an EIS. The forums will provide an
opportunity for the public to learn about and comment on
the status of the study in advance of these key milestones,
so that the study team can incorporate public input and
integrate the public and agency comments. Forums will be
held in clusters at different times and locations to encourage
people to attend. The format of each forum (such as open
houses or workshops) will aim to encourage every person
to participate equally and to focus on specific issues rather
than debating pre-conceived positions.
- Technical Workshops:
The study team will hold technical workshops for people
with an interest or expertise in the methodology for assessing
project impacts on land use patterns, which is a key issue
in the Circ-Williston EIS. These indirect and cumulative
impact workshops will form a series that runs in parallel
with the broader public forums.
- Document Review:
A repository of study documents will be created and maintained
on the study website and in the public libraries in Burlington,
Colchester, Essex, Essex Junction, and Williston, and at
the VTrans project office in South Burlington. All summaries,
newsletters, and fact sheets will also be included.
- Document Summaries:
To make the content of technical documents understandable
to the public, the study team will summarize key points
in terms that are meaningful to the general public, utilizing
graphics as needed.
- Newsletters, E-Letters:
The study team will prepare and mail project updates on
approximately a quarterly basis describing the activities
taking place on the project. Newsletters will be transmitted
electronically to those who prefer this format or sent as
hard copy by U.S. Mail.
- Fact Sheets:
The study team will prepare one-page fact sheets on specific
aspects of the EIS process as needed.
- Presentations:
The study team will be available to make presentations to
groups requesting them.
- Media: The
study team will provide material on the development of the
EIS to the press and other media outlets. Senior staff will
be available to make appearances on local radio and television
programs.
- Recording Public Comments:
The study team will record and consider public comments
made at public forums, or submitted in writing either through
the mail or as email through the project website.
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Agency Coordination
VTrans is coordinating with all federal
and state regulatory and resource agencies concerned with
the Circ-Williston Project.
The basic mechanisms for coordination are
- interagency group meetings to be held
approximately bi-monthly through the five phases of the
study,
- preparation of memoranda summarizing
these meetings, and
- circulation of draft documents for agency
review and comment.
In addition, the Project team will coordinate
with individual agencies or topic-oriented groups of agencies
as needed during the preparation of the study. All cooperating
agencies will be kept aware of the overall coordination of
activities occurring with agency groups or individual agencies.
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