HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 12/19/2017 - Memorandum From Matt Fater, Tom Leeson And Josh Birks Re: Walnut Street Water Line Replacement Project And Overall City Business OutreachUtilities
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700 Wood Street
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6700
970.221.6619 – fax
V/TDD 711
utilities@fcgov.com
fcgov.com/utilities
M E M O R A N D U M
DATE: December 12, 2017
TO: Mayor Troxell and Councilmembers
FROM: Matt Fater, Water Engineering and Field Services Interim Manager
Tom Leeson, Community Development and Neighborhood Services Director
Josh Birks, Economic Health Director
THROUGH: Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Kevin R. Gertig, Utilities Executive Director
Laurie Kadrich, Planning Development and Transportation Director
Jacqueline Kozak-Thiel, Sustainability Services
RE: Walnut Street Water Line Replacement Project and
Overall City Business Outreach
Bottom Line
The Walnut Street Project has implemented a variety of public outreach tools to minimize the
impacts to surrounding businesses during construction. In addition, City staff from multiple
departments are working together to develop a consistent approach to outreach and specifically
outreach to businesses.
Background
This memorandum is in response to questions raised regarding the public outreach approach for
the Walnut Street Water Line Replacement Project by Council during the public comment period
of the November 22 Council meeting.
The Walnut Street Water and Sewer Rehabilitation Project is a 3-phase project in Old Town Fort
Collins. Phase 1, installation of a new sewer line in Walnut from Linden to Mountain and
Seckner Alley, was completed in March 2017. Phase 2 was completed this fall and involved the
installation of a new waterline in Pine from mid-block to Walnut. This project has been phased
over the year at the business owners’ request to minimize impacts to local businesses.
Phase 3 will install approximately 450 feet of 8-inch water main in Walnut from Pine to Linden
and includes new water services, fire hydrants, fire services and valves. The new waterline will
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replace approximately 900 feet of two existing 100-year old cast iron lines. The infrastructure
has exceeded its design life and is needed to improve system reliability, fire protection and water
quality in downtown. The project has been coordinated with the Street Maintenance Program to
address on-going pavement deterioration.
Schedule
Work will begin January 2 and will be completed in three months. Weather days have been
factored into the schedule, allowing the team to be very confident that work will be completed on
or before the end of March.
Public Outreach
Due to the wide variety of City construction projects and impacts to various stakeholders, the
City takes a project specific approach to addressing businesses, residents and traveling public
concerns. Community outreach for the Walnut Street project incorporates a variety of tools to
best inform impacted customers and mitigate construction impacts.
Completed to date:
Open Houses – Four open houses were held in 2017 with the DBA, as well as non-
members, in January, February and two in November. At each open house, exhibits of the
proposed work and a project schedule were provided. The open houses were facilitated by
members of the project team (City staff, engineering consultants and contractor) and a brief
summary of the project was provided along with extensive Q & A periods to answer individual
questions.
Door-to-Door – To minimize impacts during construction, City staff and project
consultants have gone door-to-door with project flyers for each phase of the project to discuss
with businesses their individual needs, share schedules and project information, collect contact
information, and research water and wastewater services and other utility issues.
Email announcements – Numerous emails have been sent to the DBA and DDA
membership, Chamber of Commerce and general public, with information about the open
houses. In addition, during Phase 1 of the project, weekly email newsletters were sent to all
affected businesses as well as the DBA members with progress updates and upcoming work,
photos with descriptions and contact information.
Utilities website – Project pages on the website were created and maintained over the
course of 2017. They include maps, images, street closure information, updates and contact
information.
Signage – In addition to construction signs, detour signs and business access signs were
provided for both phases of work.
Phase 3 will include:
Weekly email newsletters – Emails will be sent to businesses summarizing the past
week’s work, detailing the upcoming week, schedule, and specific impacts that could be coming.
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In addition, City staff and project consultants will be on site daily to address the needs of the
businesses. There will be daily coordination for everything from trash collection to deliveries.
Social and print media – Throughout the project, a social media campaign on Utilities
Facebook and Twitter accounts will highlight that even though the street is closed, Walnut
businesses are open. The message will be shared on the City’s platforms for increased reach. In
addition, a sidebar in CityNews will highlight the Walnut Street businesses, and individual
business (es) will be highlighted in the Sustainability Services newsletter, Small Business
Corner. A press release about the construction and street closure will be sent prior to the
beginning of the project.
Project website – Updates will continue on the project website throughout the project.
Signage – A signage plan has been developed for the project to inform pedestrians and
bike riders about the road closure and keep them out of the work zone. Signs will include
information to the public that businesses and sidewalks are open.
Open sidewalks – Sidewalks will remain open. Event fencing will line the edge of the
street to keep work separated from the general public and people safe from the dangers of the
construction zone.
Street closure – Walnut Street will be closed to public through traffic at all times. Staff
and the contractor will work closely to help with truck deliveries as well as coordinate public
access into Whitton Court alley for residents and other deliveries.
Parking options – For crew and public safety, and to meet the construction deadline,
there will be no parking on Walnut between College and Linden for the duration of the project. A
request was received on December 1 by George Grossman (Happy Lucky’s Teahouse) for the
project to supply vouchers for the downtown parking structures to offset the loss of parking. The
project team has reviewed this request and agrees to supply parking vouchers for this purpose.
Approximately, 3,300 parking vouchers per month will be distributed to the businesses along
Walnut St. for the duration of the project. Distribution of vouchers does not guarantee that
parking spaces will be available in the structures as they are first come, first serve to the public.
216 spaces are available to the public in the Firehouse Alley Structure and nearly 160 permits
will be issued. Therefore parking at this garage may be limited. The vouchers can be used in the
Civic Center and Old Town parking structures if parking is unavailable at Firehouse.
Emergency access – Coordination with the Fire Department and Emergency Services for
access through the construction zone has been completed.
Project coordination – Walnut Street businesses have requested improved street lighting
so the Project Team is coordinating with Light & Power to address the situation during the
construction period. The Streets Department has scheduled an asphalt overlay of Walnut and
Pine Streets upon completion of the waterline. To minimize impacts, Stormwater has coordinated
with Forestry to remove a tree and will conduct a point of repair at Pine and Walnut during the
street closure.
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Utilities and PDT coordinate communication efforts as needed, always focusing on the public to
minimize impacts and keeping safety as a first priority. Identifying key stakeholders and best
communication tactics on a job-specific basis are the first steps of a communication plan.
PDT Construction Site Management Process Improvements
Identification of key stakeholders
Identification of best communication techniques to reach key stakeholders including:
o Door-to-door
o Direct mail
o Weekly email newsletter
o Open houses
o Social media and Next Door
o Website
o Press releases, etc.
Develop schedule and phasing plan with a goal to minimize impacts as much as possible
(off-season, out of school, night work, weekend work, etc.) and maintain access as much
as possible
Communicate key closures as far in advance and as accurately as possible
o Develop messaging plan for alternate access if necessary (Business Open signs,
press release, etc.)
Staff soon will be piloting “exit surveys” to nearby impacted stakeholders for projects to
determine if communication techniques are meeting customers’ expectations.
In addition to outreach, City staff from multiple departments are working to strengthen the
construction management process and policies for both public and private projects to coordinate
multiple project closures, multi-modal detours, construction parking and staging, and mitigation
of business parking impacts. Staff will evaluate the potential use of public parking structures to
mitigate construction and obstruction parking impacts. This evaluation will consider permit
usage in these facilities, and available capacity of per hour spaces in determining ability to
absorb additional parking demand as a result of construction. Currently there is strong demand
for permit spaces in Firehouse Alley structure. Recovery of lost parking revenue within the
structure will likely be recouped through project budgets.
Business Engagement Action Plan
The impact on businesses of the Walnut Street closure aligns with the work of the Business
Engagement Action Plan and is a live assessment to see how further engagement and support can
bridge communication and relationships between the small business community and the City.
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To better understand business engagement best practices during construction and road closures,
staff reached out to eight peer communities and received responses back from four. See
Attachment 1 for a summary of responses from peer communities.
Each community was asked the following questions:
1. Do you have a formalized business engagement plan during road construction/closures?
2. What tools do you use to communicate/engage?
3. Do you provide any leniencies/support in the form of sign code, etc.?
4. What does post-construction look like in terms of engagement/support?
5. What feedback loop is in place for businesses?
In addition, the Business Engagement Action Team will stay in communication with Utilities and
PDT to support and commit to:
A member of BEAP receives updates and information on communication and attends
planning meetings to report back and provide insight.
Use post-construction surveys to influence how future communication is deployed.
Produce and provide a Business Engagement Spectrum to complement the Public
Engagement Spectrum (a deliverable already identified as part of the Business
Engagement Action Plan).
Track communication and work with the team to add to the Customer Relations
Management system during the pilot.
Visit businesses with Utilities Engineering
Recommendations:
Create a construction guide kit to increase preparedness for businesses for future use.
This guide can include creative ideas for promotion and resilience, timeline, contacts, and
leniencies granted during the time of construction.
Mayor Wade Troxell or a Councilmember are invited to visit each business along Walnut
Street once a month during the closure for a total of three visits. A member of Utilities or
the Business Engagement Action Plan team can accompany them.
Public Relations push from CPIO or Utilities post-event to encourage activity once
project is complete.
Post-construction open house or feedback mechanism to help guide future projects,
sustain relationships with Walnut Street businesses.
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Attachment 1 - Community Responses
Community
Formalized
business
engagement plan
Tools used to
communicate/engag
e
Leniencies
provided (sign
code, etc.)
Post-construction
engagement
process
Feedback loop
Loveland, CO No formalized
plan. The size and
impact of a
project determines
communication,
frequency
Mailers, social
media, website,
utility billing
newsletter and open
houses. Project
managers also
conduct in person
visits to individual
residences or
businesses impacted.
Additional signage
has been added
during
construction, but
do not go outside
of sign code.
May hold a ribbon
cutting for large
projects, but
nothing further.
Businesses have
opportunities to
provide
comments at
open houses and
feedback
directly to the
project managers
at any time.
Longmont, CO
(Economic
Development
Partnership
with the City
of Longmont)
The City of
Longmont drives
communication to
LEAC, but no
standardized
practice for this
working
partnership
Digital
communications that
are segmented based
on business
classification:
(primary, local, start-
up).
n/a Business surveys
are conducted every
year, and
sometimes glean
feedback from
construction
projects, but
specific project
surveys are not
conducted.
The City has an
information
phone line and
online portal to
glean feedback.
The Partnership
does not have a
specific
feedback loop.
Spokane, WA Formalizing a
plan and working
on best practices
after a bad
experience last
year. Instituted a
construction
relations manager
who works with
the businesses and
design engineer
throughout entire
process.
Communication and
tools depends on the
size of the project.
Larger projects
require a marketing
integration plan, may
provide loan
programs, façade
improvements,
training for
businesses to get
through construction,
media and facebook
training. Public
meetings are
continual and begin
before design begins.
Sign code
leniencies. Try to
be flexible for the
businesses.
Not there yet. In the
process of
morphing and
identifying best
practices.
Begin feedback
during design
process. Some
project
communication
begins two years
in advance.
Construction
relations
position offices
on site several
hours a week to
have a presence.
Businesses can
also reach out to
the public
liaison on the
ground at all
times.
Olathe, KS No formalized
plan. Try to limit
road closures on
arterials.
Contractors
construct one side
at a time if
possible, but
avoid full
closures.
Communications
Specialist helps
provide two open
house meetings,
during design and
before construction.
May send letters or
door hangers.
Typically, no since
full closures are
very infrequent.
Distribute a survey
and use Direction
Finders to survey as
well.
Feedback
directed to the
Project
Manager. No
official feedback
loop. Will look
to change
practices if the
survey shows
need.
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