City of Glendale Glendale Narrows Riverwalk Project, Phases II and III “Jewel at the Bend”
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City of Glendale Glendale Narrows Riverwalk Project, Phases II and III “Jewel at the Bend” Stakeholder Outreach Plan Prepared by Katherine Padilla & Associates (KPA) July 30, 2014 INTRODUCTION The City of Glendale under the direction of the Community Services & Parks and Public Works Departments is moving into Phases II and III of the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk Project (Riverwalk), which includes two parks and a preliminary study for a new LA river bridge. Preparation is underway to conduct preliminary design and environmental documentation for the park and bridge engineering with the park plans proceeding to construction, which will include community outreach. Phase II activities include designing and building a cover over a flood control box culvert to connect and extend the recently completed Class I bike path along the Los Angeles River, and locating parks around the culvert bridge at the intersection of Flower Street and Fairmont Avenue (“Flower Plaza”), and at the confluence of the Verdugo Wash and Los Angeles River (“Confluence Park”). Phase III will include the evaluation, investigation, and preliminary design for future bridges over the Los Angeles River and Verdugo Wash, efforts that will support the connection and continuation of the bike path along the Los Angeles and access to Griffith Park. The specific location of the proposed bridge will be determined through this process. Selection of that location from the four alternative locations identified in the Riverwalk Master Plan will be part of the scope of this project. Stakeholder Outreach Plan. This Stakeholder Outreach Plan (SOP) describes community outreach and public engagement strategies including stakeholder education and involvement of elected officials, members of neighborhood associations and multi‐family residential complexes; recreational, environmental, community‐based and business organizations; and other interested persons. KPA will focus on contacting City of Glendale stakeholders as well as adjacent City of Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, Griffith Park, and Los Feliz. KPA will collaborate with staff to develop project information that will help stakeholders make informed decisions, and will take the lead in implementing the outreach. Goals. Educate and obtain input from key stakeholders via meetings with individual and groups. Deliver consistent, transparent, positive messages. Respond to inaccurate or misleading information and rumors in a timely and positive manner. Develop informed project champions whenever possible. Strategies. Utilize a range of engagement tools that encourage people to participate in the Phase II review process, including: 1 of 8| Page ‐ Calling elected officials and their representatives, community organizations, civic groups, and key individuals to inform them of the project and community meetings; ‐ Attending selected meetings of community organizations and the Glendale Homeowners Coordinating Council to announce dates and location of the Project’s community meetings; ‐ Providing opportunities for two‐way dialogue through which team members can engage in thoughtful conversations and learning opportunities with community members through individual briefings, and interactive, productive, public community meetings. Determine a bridge location and bridge type that satisfies the greatest number of community members, and that also can attract funding to continue the design and construction; Produce public information through meeting and “Save the Date” notices, talking points and press releases that encourage community participation and communicate the following Project Goals: ‐ Improve access to the LA River; ‐ Connect to Griffith Park, a regional resource and one of the largest urban parks in the nation; ‐ Provide connection to equestrian paths, contingent on location of bridge; ‐ Improve connections for bicycle and pedestrian paths, taking into consideration future downtown dwellers, corporate employees and residents; ‐ Serve as a model for other river projects. 1. Outreach Program Management. KPA will maintain on‐going communication with City staff and team members through telephone calls, conference calls, and emails. We will attend monthly team meetings and provide updates, as required, on the progress of the outreach program, challenges, and issues encountered and propose solutions for team discussion. In particular, KPA will assess, with the team and staff, areas of agreement/disagreement within stakeholders about the bridge location or design that emerge from community meetings, and as needed, propose additional tools that may be effective to come to resolution, such as dialogue groups/ focus groups. Schedule: March 2014 –the completion of the Atkins Phase III project schedule. Required: City review and approval process clarification. It is understood no outreach will be conducted without approval of this Stakeholder Outreach Plan. Kickoff Meeting of the Project Team and Stakeholder Analysis. KPA will work with the City to clarify outreach team roles for the effective engagement of the public during Phases II and III. In conjunction with the kickoff meeting, KPA will conduct a stakeholder analysis with City staff 2 of 8| Page beginning with project history and known key stakeholder issues and concerns. We will identify organizations, including those from Phase I, who will receive outreach communications including briefings, phone calls, emails, and meeting notices. We will provide a list of key individuals and stakeholder organizations for City review. Schedule: April 2014 Talking Points Memorandum. KPA will research background information on the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk and related issues in order to develop written talking points that are accurate, relevant and succinct. The talking points memorandum will define the issues, opportunities and benefits of the Project. These talking points are intended for internal use only and are not meant to be delivered verbatim; rather they are the starting point on which other written material and communication pieces are based. The talking points will incorporate the Glendale Animated! branding and image developed by the City. Schedule: July 2014 2. Stakeholder Contact. KPA will develop the list of stakeholders for the City’s Project Manager to review and approve as part of this Outreach. The list will include stakeholders who were engaged in previous outreach efforts and additional stakeholders recommended by the City staff. Prior to each community meeting, KPA will call organizations and key stakeholders to encourage their support in promoting and attending the meetings, in distributing the notices to their members, and placing the notice on their websites. KPA will contact the City Public Information Office of the City and ask that the meeting notices and project information be included in the City’s monthly newsletter sent electronically using OnContact to Commissioners, homeowners associations, and other involved community organizations, recreational groups, and business groups. KPA will provide the verbiage to the Public Information Office 2 to 3 weeks prior to the distribution of monthly newsletter (1st of every month). KPA will also coordinate and provide information to the Public Information Office staff for dissemination through the social media, website, and City Public Access Channel. Schedule: A minimum of 3 weeks prior to each public meeting One‐to‐One Stakeholder Briefing. City staff will recommend twelve individuals who are opinion leaders for briefings to determine preliminary insight into project‐related issues, concerns, and opportunities. In close collaboration with City staff and team members, KPA will schedule and help conduct briefings. KPA will develop a briefing guide to evoke strategic thinking that will assist in decision‐making during Phases II and III. Through conversation, the intent is to identify ideas that can be linked together and explored further for collective, consensus‐based, strategic initiatives and actions. During the briefings, City staff and KPA will also seek interviewees’ suggestions for individuals and community‐based/civic and business organizations that we should engage. KPA will draft a 3 of 8| Page summary of the briefings, noting key project‐related trends, issues, and opportunities, as well as saturation points to help prepare the team and staff for community meetings. Saturation points are issues and comments that are brought up continuously indicating a commonly shared value or perception. Schedule: 4 weeks prior to community meetings Outreach to Elected Officials. The intent is to serve as an accessible, friendly informational link for elected officials and their staff. At the direction of City staff, KPA will call and provide follow‐up emails to the staff of elected officials who represent the constituents of City of Glendale, Los Feliz, Atwater Village, and Griffith Park to make them aware of the project descriptions, milestones, and schedule for community meetings. KPA will also contact federal, state, and county officials representing Glendale and adjacent areas to inform their staff of the project and meetings. This will prevent surprises when constituents call their elected officials to find out what is happening in their area. Additionally, the Outreach Team will seek elected officials’ assistance on obtaining agreement to use their organizations’ information channels, i.e. websites, mailers/newsletters, databases to promote meeting attendance, and to feature meeting invitations, project