25M - PUBLIC OUTREACH FOR GO LOCAL PROGRAM STEP 2

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Consensuslnc. Interact. Innovate. Influence. Work Plan Public Outreach Approach In today's politically sensitive and competitive funding environment, broad public involvement and support are critical to the success of any major public transit project. However, getting the general public to participate in the development of a project has become increasingly challenging as stakeholders spend more time commuting and engaged in essential daily activities. Therefore, a well-crafted and executed public outreach program can make the difference between a project marked by conflict and one that continues without interruption with the greatest level of community acceptance. The biggest advantage to selecting Consensus Inc. is that we do know the public well through our current positive interaction with them. We know there is no standard or single approach for engaging communities and that assumptions are sometimes made without validation, often at the peril of a project. Thus, we approach all projects with the ultimate goal of supporting the technical analysis with tailored and strategic outreach efforts. These efforts, implemented effectively, will demonstrate how a thorough and proactive participation program is crucial to consensus building, project progression, and ultimately, planning and building an effective and efficient transportation solution for the Santa Ana Fixed Guideway Project. Working closely with the City of Santa Ana, Consensus Inc. will develop a communications and outreach program that is proactive, responsive, transparent, savvy, authentic, and respectful of the myriad of stakeholders who will be affected by the Santa Ana Fixed Guideway Project and the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center (SARTC) Master Plan. We will elegantly blend traditional communications tools with cutting-edge ones. Additionally, we will create platforms for robust and balanced dialogue about the environmental review process designed to help the City achieve its goal of identifying a Locally Preferred Alternatives (LPA) that will be carried forward into a formal Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS). This approach will not only develop and maintain constructive relationships with community members, elected officials, and the j ' media, it will: ¦ Acknowledge the impacts of a public transit project going through communities while focusing on the benefits it will bring to a very significant number of stakeholders. ¦ Seamlessly blend emerging communications tools with traditional ones and make it easy for anyone who is interested in information to get it. Information will be conveyed in multi-media platforms, as well as traditional hard copy collateral materials. On-line information materials provide for cost-effective dissemination of content and are more environmentally friendly. ¦ Provide multiple choices for people to get information in the manner that is most convenient to them. Some prefer to attend a community meeting; others might only like information sent via text messages to their cell phone; others might like to participate in a virtual meeting from the comfort Santa Ana Transit Vision Public Outreach-City of Santa Ana 25M-28