Overview
When Kurt Soper was elected Supervisor of Davison Township in November
2000, he honored a campaign promises to re-evaluate the township's
master plan. Development in the township had been among the most
active in Genesee County, and there was concern that growth
needed to be better controlled.
Soper wanted direct community involvement in the process so he
needed experts who could administer, consult, and design the
innovative process. Municipal Systems Consulting and Project
Innovations were contracted to do the job.
Jo Anna "JT" Trierweiler, a Senior Facilitator at Project
Innovations led the effort to guide the collaboration among
community groups for VisionQuest 2001. JT is an expert at
partnering with engineering - consulting firms, and her
expertise in developing and delivering public involvement
programs was crucial to this project.
First, JT developed and implemented a comprehensive communication
plan that specified how to involve direct public input. Her
responsibilities included:
|
|
| • |
Pre-decisional consultations |
| • |
Developing press releases |
| • |
Managing and moderating public forums |
|
|
"VisionQuest 2001 was a proactive roadmap for Davison's future",
says Soper. Over 50 stakeholders in the community participated in
in-depth Visioning Workshops, from developers to homeowners to Zoning
Administrators. Participants were given cameras and asked to photograph
areas in the community that captured the positive spirit, as well as
the bad aspects of the community.
Stakeholders brought their photographs to the workshops, and JT
moderated the discussions. WadeTrim provided an understanding of the
goals and objectives of the Master Planning process. The group provided
ideas about land use, parks and recreation, and other issues. The
result of this unique collaboration was a vision statement to guide
the Master Plan update.
Outcomes
|
|
| • |
Build public support for your civic project |
| • |
Strengthen public trust in civic government |
| • |
Enhance community image |
| • |
Improve government relations |
|
|
Program length: varies
JT is an expert at
gathering the critical information that civic plans require. She
helps establish collective values and goals, then shows how they
can be incorporated into public policy.
|
