Agenda - 03-24-1992 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM The continued involvement of the citizens who may be affected by the study's outcome is a vital part of the planning process for the proposed project. Public involvement provides citizens the opportunity to participate in the planning process, to convey comments to NCDOT, and to understand the overall study process and schedule. In addition to the citizens workshop on March 31st, there will be one other public workshop for this study. The third dtizens informational workshop will be held during the period of detailed environmental analysis on the final corridors for detailed study, prior to the publication of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. A project comment sheet will be provided to the public at the workshop. They will be requested to complete the form and return it to the comment box at the registration table or mail it to the address on the back of the form. Persons indicating their name and address on the comment sheet and checking the appropriate space will be added to the project mailing list to receive newsletters and upcoming meeting announcements. Throughout the project, small group meetings will be held with interested citizens organizations, neighborhood associations, business groups, and civic groups. These meetings for informal presentations and question and answer sessions can be arranged by contacting NCDOT. A toll free project hotline is available for public comments, suggestions, or inquiries concerning the corridor study. The hotline service is available Monday through Friday during regular business hours now through the third informational workshop. If it is inconvenient to call during office hours or no one is available to answer, a message will be recorded and delivered to the appropriate study team member, who will respond to the inquiry as quickly as possible. Project newsletters will be published and maned to all persons on the mailing list periodically throughout the study. The newsletters are designed to keep the public informed of the study progress between citizens informational workshops. Following this meeting, NCDOT will be establishing a Citizens Advisory Committee to participate in the planning process and advise the study team on this project. The committee will have representation from interested local agencies, business groups, neighborhood associations, and civic groups. This committee will meet periodically throughout the study process. interested groups should contact NCDOT about having a representative serve on the Citizens Advisory Committee. Nominations to the committee can be made by calling the project hotline, filling out the comment sheet, or writing to the project address. Finally, the public will be invited to comment formally on the project during the Corridor Public Hearing. Prior to the hearing, an informal Pre - Hearing Open House will be held to present and discuss the results of the engineering and environmental evaluations. Each of the above elements of the public involvement program are important aspects of this corridor study and the overall highway planning process. The public involvement program is an integral part of this study and citizens are encouraged to participate fully.