Client: City of Kennewick
Location: Kennewick, WA
Service Provided: Public Involvement
In 2012, the City of Kennewick secured federal funding through the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) City Safety Program to assist in evaluating, prioritizing and designing safety improvements on Clearwater Avenue from Leslie Road to US 395. The Phase 1 study developed an access management plan for 5.44 miles of the Clearwater Avenue corridor. The major goals of the plan are to improve safety, reduce congestion, support economic development, and provide reasonable, safe and efficient business access.
In 2013, the City of Kennewick hired the Transpo Group to lead this effort by performing the Safety Assessment with the MacKay Sposito team providing Public Involvement and Stakeholder Outreach.
This was no small task. Over several months the outreach team connected with property owners and tenants along the entire corridor. The team met personally with those owners directly located near the eight major intersections on Clearwater Avenue to ensure they understood the potential impacts of these improvements.
MacKay Sposito’s Public Outreach included:
- Project Branding - Preparing and maintaining the project website and all supportive branded materials for “Safe Clearwater”
- Coordination and facilitation of more than two dozen stakeholder meetings
- Face to face contact with 300 business owners at their places of work
- Coordination and facilitation of three (3) public open houses (and one virtual open house) as well as several presentations to City Council
- Maintenance of project hotline and headquarters
- Interfacing as project representatives with local media outlets, both print and television
