Public Participation Plan
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PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PLAN Adopted November 24, 2015 Prepared by the Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 CCMPO Structure .............................................................................................................. 1 CCMPO Responsibilities ..................................................................................................... 2 Public Laws ...................................................................................................................... 3 Title VI Civil Rights Act of 1964 .......................................................................................... 3 Environmental Justice ....................................................................................................... 3 Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) ..................................................................... 4 Centre County Demographics.................................................................................................... 5 County Population ............................................................................................................ 5 Population by Age ............................................................................................................ 5 Population by Race ........................................................................................................... 6 Limited English Proficiency ................................................................................................ 6 Poverty Status .................................................................................................................. 7 Interested Parties .................................................................................................................... 8 Public Participation Principles .................................................................................................. 10 Outreach Techniques ............................................................................................................. 10 Public Meetings .............................................................................................................. 11 Targeted Outreach Strategies .......................................................................................... 11 Public Participation for Major CCMPO Activities ......................................................................... 13 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) - Adoption and Amendments ................................. 13 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) ..................................................................... 14 Public Participation Plan .................................................................................................. 15 Future Actions ....................................................................................................................... 16 Evaluation Procedures for Public Participation Plan ................................................................... 17 How to Get Involved .............................................................................................................. 19 Figures Figure 1: Centre County Planning Regions ................................................................................. 2 Figure 2: Centre County Population Comparisons ....................................................................... 5 Figure 3: Centre County Population Forecasts ........................................................................... 5 Figure 4: Population by Age Group ........................................................................................... 6 Figure 5: Population by Race ................................................................................................... 6 Figure 6: Number of LEP Persons in Centre County .................................................................... 6 Figure 7: Language Spoken at Home by LEP Persons in Centre County ........................................ 7 Figure 8: Poverty Status .......................................................................................................... 7 Figure 9: Interested Parties ..................................................................................................... 8 Appendices Appendix A: Centre County MPO Committee Members .............................................................. 21 Appendix B: Environmental Justice Elderly Population Maps ...................................................... 23 Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization Public Participation Plan Page i November 24, 2015 Appendix C: Environmental Justice Minority Population Maps .................................................... 25 Appendix D: Environmental Justice Poverty Maps ..................................................................... 27 Appendix E: Sample Centre County MPO Meeting Advertisement ............................................... 29 Appendix F: Sample Centre County Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Public Meeting Advertisement .............................................................................. 30 Appendix G: Centre County Press Release Distribution List ........................................................ 31 Appendix H: Procedures for TIP Modifications .......................................................................... 32 Appendix I: Formal Public Comment Period ............................................................................. 37 Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization Public Participation Plan Page ii November 24, 2015 INTRODUCTION Public participation is an integral part of the Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (CCMPO’s) transportation planning process. This Public Participation Plan (PPP) outlines a series of standard procedures for informing the public and involving them in a meaningful planning process that provides complete information, timely public notice, and full access by all segments of the population. The Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCMPO) Federal law and regulations require that local and state officials work cooperatively to maintain a continuous and comprehensive long-range transportation planning program. In urbanized areas with populations over 50,000 persons, this federal mandate is carried out by a formal group called a "metropolitan planning organization (MPO)." The Centre Region MPO was formed in 1982, succeeding the Centre Region Area Transportation Study (CRATS) as the entity responsible for conducting long-range transportation planning in the State College, PA area. The Centre Region MPO coordinated transportation planning efforts in a geographic area that included Benner, College, Ferguson, Halfmoon, Harris, Patton, and Spring Townships; Bellefonte Borough; and State College Borough. Effective January 2004, the Centre Region MPO was expanded to a countywide organization—the Centre County MPO (CCMPO). The CCMPO’s geographic area includes all of Centre County, encompassing 35 municipalities. The CCMPO works closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) to identify and prioritize transportation improvement projects in Centre County. CCMPO Structure The policy-making body of the CCMPO is the Coordinating Committee, which is ultimately responsible for the transportation planning activities mandated in federal laws and regulations. The Coordinating Committee includes nineteen voting members from county and local government, public agencies, and PennDOT. A Technical Committee composed of members from the same organizations represented on the Coordinating Committee provides advisory comments and recommendations to the Coordinating Committee. A list of current CCMPO Technical and Coordinating Committee representatives is included as Appendix A. Voting members include: Centre County (2 members) Lower Bald Eagle Valley Planning Region Benner Township Moshannon Valley Planning Region College Township Mountaintop Planning Region Ferguson Township Nittany Valley Planning Region Halfmoon Township Penns Valley Planning Region Harris Township Upper Bald Eagle Valley Planning Region Patton Township Centre Area Transportation Authority State College Borough Centre Regional Planning Commission PennDOT Central Office (Harrisburg) PennDOT District 2-0 Office (Clearfield) Non-voting members include: The Pennsylvania State University Federal Highway Administration Federal Transit Administration Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization Public Participation Plan Page 1 November 24, 2015 As noted above, some voting members of the MPO represent multi-municipal Planning Regions. The seven Centre County Planning Regions are illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 1: Centre County Planning Regions CCMPO Responsibilities Federal transportation authorization legislation, such as Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) and its predecessor, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), outline the primary roles and responsibilities of MPOs, which include the development of a Long Range Transportation Plan (minimum twenty-year horizon), the development of a short-range (four-year) Transportation Improvement Program, and public involvement efforts. This legislation also