Redevelopment Ready Community Program
VILLAGE OF BEAR LAKE
REDEVELOPMENT READY COMMUNITY CERTIFICATION
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PLAN
The purpose of the Redevelopment Ready Certification (RRC) program is to help the local community focus and prepare for development which involves planning for new investment and reinvestment, identifying assets and opportunities, and focusing on how best to utilize limited resources. The ultimate goal is not only to improve the communication process with businesses already present in the community but more importantly to identify and attract new businesses into the community by offering a streamlined development process.
The public participation plan (P3) is essential to focus those efforts in a manner that will result in the success of the program because how the public is engaged and contributing throughout the planning and development process will greatly impact the outcome.
Achieving certification as a RRC is a complex undertaking that will involve multiple groups of people working on different task of varying difficulties. Through the whole process, it is vitally important that the public be continuously informed as to the progress on the program. Public, as used in this text, means businesses, community groups, residents and elected or appointed representatives.
Accordingly, the following goals and objectives are identified for guidance of all RRC Advisory and development participants who are also requested as their efforts proceed to refresh periodically their memories of these goals and objectives.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Goals and Objectives shall include:
1. Public participation shall be solicited in each phase of the master planning process. Key phrases that describe the level of effort to be applied include extensive participation, proactive participation, foster participation, and keep the focus on both short and long-term public participation.
2. Seek broad identification and representative involvement of all residents within the community.
3. Utilize effective and equitable means of communication within the community keeping in mind the economic diversity of residents and the absence of commonly accepted technology.
4. Utilize visualization techniques to identify a common image of what the community can become through development which will sell the future without dwelling on the past. Highlight the positive impact of development on our children and future generations to come. Acknowledge that the RRC project is a continuation of the visioning efforts initially undertaken in the Lakes to Lands Initiative on August 16, 2012 involving the Village of Bear Lake, Bear Lake Township and Pleasanton Township.
5. Constantly monitor public feedback in an effort to improve information sharing with the goal of increased backing for the project.
6. Record results of all public engagements and recount these results back to the public as quickly as possible.
Plan of Action
In order to achieve our goals and objectives, a Plan of Action is necessary. Following are some elements to be included but it should be understood that achieving communication with such a diverse community group is a dynamic undertaking, so flexibility is to be anticipated.
1. The initial introduction of the program to the community shall occur via an interview with a reporter from the Manistee Advocate. The interview shall be conducted by the Chairperson, Planning Committee with the objective of (a) explaining what an RRC certification represents, (b) justifying why the effort is being undertaken by the Village of Bear Lake and the surrounding community, (c) providing an overview of efforts that will be taken to identify project participants and (e) identify the efforts that will be undertaken to acquire input from local businesses, community groups, residents, and elected or appointed representatives. During the interview, it shall be announced the date, time and location for an open community meeting which will shortly follow to review the scope of the program and how the approval process for the RRC documents will occur.
2. The principle means of disseminating information on the project will be the Village of Bear Lake website. An additional tab page will be added to the Planning Commission index files to be titled, “RRC Program.” There will be an overview summary of the RRC Certification process, followed by a listing of the Best Practices topics. Below each topic will be identified the specific objectives to be achieved for certification compliance. When one clicks on the topic, there will be an automatic link that will take the reader to a dedicated file where the work in progress will be recorded in a chronological manner. The work group leader is expected to submit to the Planning Commission’s Recording Secretary, within 7 days of the meeting date for placement on the Village website, a summary of actions taken and pending from each work session.
3. The Chairperson, Planning Commission shall give an overview at the monthly meeting of progress on development of the RRC program and adequate time shall be allowed for the presentation when the agenda for the meeting is prepared. If a general public meeting is planned for input on work by either a specific work group or the RRC Advisory Committee, the Village Clerk shall record the date, time and location of the planned meeting in the minutes of the Council meeting. The Clerk shall also ensure that the Village Bulletin Board is posted as appropriate for RRC upcoming meetings once scheduled.
4. Each group assigned to work on a Best Practices effort shall be encouraged to utilize proactive outreach practices to solicit input from community factions and residents, including one on one interviews, community workshops, block visitations, developing focus groups or working with volunteer representatives to speak for factions of the community.
5. Public charrettes, a meeting in which all stakeholders in a project attempt to resolve conflicts and map our solutions with the public, may be requested of the RRC Advisory Committee but the meeting shall not be implemented until the objective and methodology has been reviewed by the Chairperson, Planning Committee. Whenever a charrette meeting occurs, the P3 leader shall attend and prepare a summary of the meeting to be shared with the RRC Advisory Committee and posted on the Village website.
6. Special efforts will be made to keep key stakeholders informed of current events and progress on the RRC certification program. Parties identified as key stakeholders include existing businesses, community groups, churches and religious meeting facilities within the Bear Lake area and persons who may have taken on the role of “spokesperson” for their street or block. Shown as Attachment A is a listing of currently identified key stakeholders.
7. Recognizing that not everyone reads the Village website pages on a daily basis, efforts will be undertaken to directly communicate with members of the community by email. A form will be developed that can be filled out by interested parties for inclusion on an email listing to receive all communications from the RRC Advisory Committee and the various work groups. The email listing will be maintained by the P3 leader. The P3 leader will also develop and maintain a spreadsheet of Key Stakeholder information which can be used for direct mailing or contact by phone.
8. An article highlighting progress on the RRC certification will be included quarterly in the Bear Lake Bulletin, published by Vision Bear Lake. Each work group is expected to provide updates on a timely basis so the publication date for the newsletter is not delayed. Information will also be posted on the Community and Business Alliance (CABA) Facebook page.
9. When requested, the P3 group leader will strive to attend work group meetings in order to assist in formulating a best manner plan for communicating with the public regarding a topic under discussion by the work group.
STATUTORY OBLIGATIONS
Although the clear objective of the P3 is public involvement in the development of the RRC Process, it must be understood that there are several Michigan State regulations that will help guide the participant activities.
Michigan Open Meetings Act
In accordance with the Michigan Open Meetings Act (PA 267 of 1976), the RRC Advisory Committee will hold public meetings in the Village Townhall located at 12376 Virginia Street, Bear Lake, MI 49614 on ________________________. Work groups may meet at differing locations, dates and times dependent upon the objectives of their meeting; however, the Chairperson, Planning Commission is to be advised of all such meetings to clarify whether the meeting must be first announced to the public consistent with the Act. Notification of public meeting dates and times will be the responsibility of the Clerk, Village of Bear Lake who will use the Village website.
Michigan Planning Enabling Act
In accordance with the Michigan Planning Enabling Act (PA 33 of 2008) the following parties will be notified via first class mail, personal mail or electronic mail by the Clerk, Village of Bear Lake of the intent to plan and request the recipient’s cooperation and comments regarding specific matters to be considered or included in the RRC documents.
-Pauline Jaquish, 1st District Commissioner, 231-342-7285 pj646@centurytel.net
-Rob Carson, County Planner, 231-723-6041 planning@manisteecountymi.gov
-Consumers Energy
- Charter Communication
-Superior Energy Co, 231-362-2520
- AT&T
-Century Link Telephone
-Janis Erickson, Office Manager, Manistee Road Commission, 231-889-0011 jkerickson@manisteecrc.org
REDEVELOPMENT READY COMMUNITY CERTIFICATION
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PLAN
The purpose of the Redevelopment Ready Certification (RRC) program is to help the local community focus and prepare for development which involves planning for new investment and reinvestment, identifying assets and opportunities, and focusing on how best to utilize limited resources. The ultimate goal is not only to improve the communication process with businesses already present in the community but more importantly to identify and attract new businesses into the community by offering a streamlined development process.
The public participation plan (P3) is essential to focus those efforts in a manner that will result in the success of the program because how the public is engaged and contributing throughout the planning and development process will greatly impact the outcome.
Achieving certification as a RRC is a complex undertaking that will involve multiple groups of people working on different task of varying difficulties. Through the whole process, it is vitally important that the public be continuously informed as to the progress on the program. Public, as used in this text, means businesses, community groups, residents and elected or appointed representatives.
Accordingly, the following goals and objectives are identified for guidance of all RRC Advisory and development participants who are also requested as their efforts proceed to refresh periodically their memories of these goals and objectives.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Goals and Objectives shall include:
1. Public participation shall be solicited in each phase of the master planning process. Key phrases that describe the level of effort to be applied include extensive participation, proactive participation, foster participation, and keep the focus on both short and long-term public participation.
2. Seek broad identification and representative involvement of all residents within the community.
3. Utilize effective and equitable means of communication within the community keeping in mind the economic diversity of residents and the absence of commonly accepted technology.
4. Utilize visualization techniques to identify a common image of what the community can become through development which will sell the future without dwelling on the past. Highlight the positive impact of development on our children and future generations to come. Acknowledge that the RRC project is a continuation of the visioning efforts initially undertaken in the Lakes to Lands Initiative on August 16, 2012 involving the Village of Bear Lake, Bear Lake Township and Pleasanton Township.
5. Constantly monitor public feedback in an effort to improve information sharing with the goal of increased backing for the project.
6. Record results of all public engagements and recount these results back to the public as quickly as possible.
Plan of Action
In order to achieve our goals and objectives, a Plan of Action is necessary. Following are some elements to be included but it should be understood that achieving communication with such a diverse community group is a dynamic undertaking, so flexibility is to be anticipated.
1. The initial introduction of the program to the community shall occur via an interview with a reporter from the Manistee Advocate. The interview shall be conducted by the Chairperson, Planning Committee with the objective of (a) explaining what an RRC certification represents, (b) justifying why the effort is being undertaken by the Village of Bear Lake and the surrounding community, (c) providing an overview of efforts that will be taken to identify project participants and (e) identify the efforts that will be undertaken to acquire input from local businesses, community groups, residents, and elected or appointed representatives. During the interview, it shall be announced the date, time and location for an open community meeting which will shortly follow to review the scope of the program and how the approval process for the RRC documents will occur.
2. The principle means of disseminating information on the project will be the Village of Bear Lake website. An additional tab page will be added to the Planning Commission index files to be titled, “RRC Program.” There will be an overview summary of the RRC Certification process, followed by a listing of the Best Practices topics. Below each topic will be identified the specific objectives to be achieved for certification compliance. When one clicks on the topic, there will be an automatic link that will take the reader to a dedicated file where the work in progress will be recorded in a chronological manner. The work group leader is expected to submit to the Planning Commission’s Recording Secretary, within 7 days of the meeting date for placement on the Village website, a summary of actions taken and pending from each work session.
3. The Chairperson, Planning Commission shall give an overview at the monthly meeting of progress on development of the RRC program and adequate time shall be allowed for the presentation when the agenda for the meeting is prepared. If a general public meeting is planned for input on work by either a specific work group or the RRC Advisory Committee, the Village Clerk shall record the date, time and location of the planned meeting in the minutes of the Council meeting. The Clerk shall also ensure that the Village Bulletin Board is posted as appropriate for RRC upcoming meetings once scheduled.
4. Each group assigned to work on a Best Practices effort shall be encouraged to utilize proactive outreach practices to solicit input from community factions and residents, including one on one interviews, community workshops, block visitations, developing focus groups or working with volunteer representatives to speak for factions of the community.
5. Public charrettes, a meeting in which all stakeholders in a project attempt to resolve conflicts and map our solutions with the public, may be requested of the RRC Advisory Committee but the meeting shall not be implemented until the objective and methodology has been reviewed by the Chairperson, Planning Committee. Whenever a charrette meeting occurs, the P3 leader shall attend and prepare a summary of the meeting to be shared with the RRC Advisory Committee and posted on the Village website.
6. Special efforts will be made to keep key stakeholders informed of current events and progress on the RRC certification program. Parties identified as key stakeholders include existing businesses, community groups, churches and religious meeting facilities within the Bear Lake area and persons who may have taken on the role of “spokesperson” for their street or block. Shown as Attachment A is a listing of currently identified key stakeholders.
7. Recognizing that not everyone reads the Village website pages on a daily basis, efforts will be undertaken to directly communicate with members of the community by email. A form will be developed that can be filled out by interested parties for inclusion on an email listing to receive all communications from the RRC Advisory Committee and the various work groups. The email listing will be maintained by the P3 leader. The P3 leader will also develop and maintain a spreadsheet of Key Stakeholder information which can be used for direct mailing or contact by phone.
8. An article highlighting progress on the RRC certification will be included quarterly in the Bear Lake Bulletin, published by Vision Bear Lake. Each work group is expected to provide updates on a timely basis so the publication date for the newsletter is not delayed. Information will also be posted on the Community and Business Alliance (CABA) Facebook page.
9. When requested, the P3 group leader will strive to attend work group meetings in order to assist in formulating a best manner plan for communicating with the public regarding a topic under discussion by the work group.
STATUTORY OBLIGATIONS
Although the clear objective of the P3 is public involvement in the development of the RRC Process, it must be understood that there are several Michigan State regulations that will help guide the participant activities.
Michigan Open Meetings Act
In accordance with the Michigan Open Meetings Act (PA 267 of 1976), the RRC Advisory Committee will hold public meetings in the Village Townhall located at 12376 Virginia Street, Bear Lake, MI 49614 on ________________________. Work groups may meet at differing locations, dates and times dependent upon the objectives of their meeting; however, the Chairperson, Planning Commission is to be advised of all such meetings to clarify whether the meeting must be first announced to the public consistent with the Act. Notification of public meeting dates and times will be the responsibility of the Clerk, Village of Bear Lake who will use the Village website.
Michigan Planning Enabling Act
In accordance with the Michigan Planning Enabling Act (PA 33 of 2008) the following parties will be notified via first class mail, personal mail or electronic mail by the Clerk, Village of Bear Lake of the intent to plan and request the recipient’s cooperation and comments regarding specific matters to be considered or included in the RRC documents.
-Pauline Jaquish, 1st District Commissioner, 231-342-7285 pj646@centurytel.net
-Rob Carson, County Planner, 231-723-6041 planning@manisteecountymi.gov
-Consumers Energy
- Charter Communication
-Superior Energy Co, 231-362-2520
- AT&T
-Century Link Telephone
-Janis Erickson, Office Manager, Manistee Road Commission, 231-889-0011 jkerickson@manisteecrc.org