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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.a.1) Presentation on public outreach related to Comprehensive Wastewater Master Plan (CWMP)i .Q.l Central Contra Costa Sanitary District October 15, 2015 TO: HONORABLE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD VIA: ROGER S. BAILEY, GENERAL MANAGER F 5% ROM: EMILY BARNETT, COMMUNICATION SERVICES ft ND INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS MANAGER SUBJECT: PUBLIC OUTREACH — COMPREHENSIVE WASTEWATER MASTER PLAN As part of the Comprehensive Wastewater Master Plan (CWMP), Sara Katz, Founder and CEO of Katz & Associates, will be making a presentation to the Board on the three - tiered information - gathering process that will help guide the development of the future CWMP public outreach plan. Katz & Associates provides these services as part of the Carollo Engineers, Inc. CWMP contract. Ms. Katz will be providing a summary of the information gathered during the one -on -one interviews with each Board Member conducted by Emily Barnett and Sara Katz, and further planned information - gathering steps including stakeholder interviews and customer research. This presentation will be one of many to provide regular updates to the Board on the progress related to the CWMP public outreach efforts. Sara Katz and her team will continue to work closely with the Communication Services Division to provide coordination, information sharing, and support to ensure alignment between the CWMP and District's overall public outreach efforts. This is an informational item and does not require Board action, although the Board's input is always appreciated. Attached Supporting Documents: 1. Board Interviews — Summary of Responses 2. PowerPoint Presentation Central Contra Costa Sanitary District Board of Directors Interviews Summary of Responses September 2015 INTRODUCTION ATTACHMENT 1 In September 2015, Communications Services and Intergovernmental Relations Manager, Emily Barnett and Sara Katz, Katz Et Associates, conducted interviews with all five of the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District's (District) Board Members. The purpose of the interviews was to inquire about their opinions of public perception of the District, identify gaps in previous community outreach, determine needs - as seen by the board —for additional or different community outreach methods, prioritize concerns, and develop a list of targeted stakeholders for additional interviews related to the development of the District's Comprehensive Wastewater Master Plan (CWMP) and overall District communications objectives. Interviews from Board Members were anonymous and no attribution will be given to responses provided to interview questions. Board Members were not provided responses or preferences of other Board Members and there was no attempt to obtain consensus on future approaches. SUMMARY OF RESPONSES Some of the questions posed to the Board Members garnered different perspectives, while others had generally similar feedback. Where there was a difference in answers, it is noted that "some" or "one" Board Member expressed that opinion. It is also noted when "all" Board Members answered a question similarly. General feedback regarding communications and outreach efforts by the District over the past five years. One Board Member felt that the District's outreach and communications efforts over the past five years had been sufficient. Others described them as minimal. District Board of Directors Interview Summary - Page 1 All Board Members felt that District's "Pipeline" publication is informative and well- received by the public. One Board Member did question whether it needed to be 16 pages long. One Board Member felt that it was not necessary to go "above- and - beyond" in outreach but rather provide information to the public specifically at times it is needed, such as during construction or for overflow response. Education to youth, including the 5th grade and high school programs, was considered "good" to "excellent" by some Board Members. What are some areas for improvement in communicating to the public? Board Members had vastly different ideas for areas where the District could improve its communications and outreach. There was some difference in opinion regarding outreach to elected officials as one Board Member saw it as important and another felt that it was not a good use of resources. One Board Member felt that more construction relations were needed, and that the District could improve its signage at construction sites. One Board Member felt there should be a better balance between outreach to residents and commercial /industrial customers and perhaps more outreach conducted to commercial /industrial customers. One Board Member said there should be less focus on winning awards, as they take staff time and resources that could be better used elsewhere. Another Board Member felt that the CWMP was not a good use of resources, and that there is too much time spent on planning. It was mentioned that the District knows of many needs, and we should get that process started and not spend more time and money planning. It was mentioned that there will be a need to raise awareness among the public regarding possible rate increases and the need to fund large -scale capital improvement programs. District Board of Directors Interview Summary - Page 2 Perception of Public Support Most Board Members felt that while the public does not always have a clear idea of what services the District provides, for those that do, support is generally good. Some said that the public is not interested in receiving more information than they need and stressed that striking a balance is important. A few Board Members mentioned the issue of pension and benefit spikes had been one cause for concern from the public. One Board Member noted that the District had handled the issue well, but acknowledged it had been a difficult issue for the District and still gets mentioned in the media. One Board Member noted that the public perceived the District as having done a good job with the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility Program. What is the public's understanding of what the District does? Most Board Members felt that the public's understanding of what the District does is "very low" to "non- existent." One noted that some Members of the public mistake the District for the trash collection agency due to the word "sanitary" in the name. What are your thoughts on changing the name from Central Contra Costa Sanitary District to something else? Most agreed that the current name is not well -known within the service area, but some noted that it is recognized and well- regarded within the wastewater community in the state. Most Board Members are amenable to a District name change. One Board Member felt the name was too long. Another Member was not supportive as he believes it should not be a priority at this time. Most of the Board would like to evaluate whether a name change is needed and, if so, have the name clearly reflect the work of the District while also allowing for it to be relevant far into the future. If the name did change, one Board Member noted that a new name should better convey the necessity for resource recovery. It was mentioned that next year is the District 70th Anniversary and perhaps a name change might be something that is considered as part of the effort. District Board of Directors Interview Summary - Page 3 Should there be a Public Advisory Board? None of the Board Members felt that there was serious need to create a Central San Public Advisory Board. Many stated that there is not an advisory role for the public in the CWMP decision - making process. Some noted that this is the role that the Board Members should be doing. Some Board Members felt that public input could be valuable, but that a formal advisory group at this juncture would not be the best approach. Most Board Members agreed that raising awareness and stepping up the education process in other ways such as key briefings, community presentations, collateral materials, tours, etc. would be good ways to raise the District's profile in the community and among stakeholders. What kinds of questions should be asked while doing community research? Board Members provided recommendations for questions to be posed to Members of the public during the customer research study. The following were themes that came from their recommendations: • Rate increases o Find out how much of an increase the public would tolerate • Priorities and concerns o Incineration o Odors o Recycled water vs. potable reuse o Infrastructure upgrades • Public perception of the District • Effectiveness of the District's Pipeline publication and other existing outreach efforts • Retirement /benefits concerns • Communicating with the District's customers o Better understanding of the District's customer base District Board of Directors Interview Summary - Page 4 o How would customers like to be communicated with o Beyond sewage treatment, what work is important for the District to provide What is your vision of success for outreach? Board Members were asked what their vision for outreach success looked like. One Board Member felt that what was already being done with the Pipeline publication and the District's youth outreach was a good measure of success with public outreach. Some Board Members felt that being able to inform the public on issues that actually matter to them is success. One Board Member noted that communication with the public does not need to be over the top to be successful. If residents are not filing complaints, then that is considered a success. It was generally agreed that the District can, and perhaps should, do more to raise awareness and the CWMP project gives an important reason to reach out more proactively to stakeholders. Any additional comments that you would like to make? Some Board Members were concerned with the perception of costs related to labor and pensions. One Board Member noted that tearing down the incinerator should be considered in the planning process. One Board Member suggested changing the board philosophy of "pay -as- you -go." Recommendations for Targeted Stakeholder Interviews Board Members were asked to provide suggestions of community groups, businesses, elected officials or individuals that should be contacted as part of another series of informational interviews. The following lists are the stakeholders that were suggested. Cities & Counties • Town of Danville • The City of Orinda • The City of Martinez District Board of Directors Interview Summary - Page 5 • Contra Costa City Managers Group Chairman • City of Concord • City of Lafayette • City of Walnut Creek • Contra Costa County • Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) • Elected Officials in each city Agencies • EBMUD • CCWD • Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) • Mt. View Sanitary District • State of CA Fish and Game • Contra Costa Flood Control District • Bay Area Clean Water Agencies (BACWA) • Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) Community Groups • League of Women Voters • Friends of Creek and Open Settings • Focus • Baykeeper • Riverwatch • Friends of Walnut Creek • Watershed Council • CCC Watershed Forum • Save the Bay • Friends of the Bay • Rotary Businesses • Chamber of Commerce District Board of Directors Interview Summary - Page 6 • Refineries (Shell and Tesoro) • Industrial/ Commercial is great -- some of the big water users or employers • Board of Realtors • Building Industry Associations Youth /Schools • Diablo Unified School District • Schools in cities mentioned above Diablo Valley College Other • Newspapers (Daniel Borenstein- editorial reporter) • Taxpayers Association • Rossmoor • Senior group Mobile home parks District Board of Directors Interview Summary - Page 7 ATTACHMENT 2 Central Contract Costa Sanitary District Comprehensive Wastewater Master Plan Public Outreach October 15, 2015 1 • Fully inform civic, business, community leaders about Comprehensive Wastewater Master Plan (CWMP) • Ensure openness and transparency • Increase public awareness and gain public acceptance for CWMP and necessary investments KATZ 10/07/15 OA • Effectively provide info to all key stakeholder groups • Seek opportunities to publicize and educate new audiences • Base messages and materials on quality research • Tackle the tough issues of cost, regulation and safety KATZ 1. Interviews with the 3oard of Directors ( Done). Conducted by Katz & Associates /Emily Barnett 2. 15 r,, ,a,,,4 r4 ,1;.;t,,,I'l Interviews (Underway) — 15 later in 2015/2016 Conducted by Katz & Associates 3. Research (Nov) To be conducted byFM3 Quantitative Survey — Focus Groups 10/07/15 3 Fast Outreach and Public Perception? • Public generally supportive of CCCSD, but acknowledge limited knowledge re CCCSD • Confusion of services provided — Mix up with the Contra Costa Water District and trash services • Public likes "Pipeline," finds it informative • Youth education outreach "good" / "excellent" Areas for Outreach Improvement? • Split between more and less outreach to elected officials • Improve signage at construction sites • More outreach to commercial /industrial customers • Increase awareness of need for and investment in Capital Improvements KAT% 10/07/15 il • Continue successful current outreach initiatives, including the "Pipeline" and youth outreach • Communication to public — as and when needed • Raise awareness of Master Planning process 10/07/15 5 10/07/15 • Fall 2015: Stakeholder and customer research to determine outreach needs, refine messaging* • Winter 2015: Finalize communications plan, build out website, develop materials * • Spring 2016: Begin community presentations and tours, other tactics * *Ongoing updates provided to Board • Questions? Kl1L 10/07/15 7