Scoping Summary - Section 1
I. What is Scoping?
Scoping is the first formal opportunity for the general public to provide input on the alternatives being considered and the issues to be addressed during the study. Scoping is being conducted in accordance with Federal Transit Administration guidelines for early and effective public involvement. Input from the Scoping process will help to refine or modify the alternatives taken forward in the DEIS and shape the scope of the study analysis, ensuring that there are no public concerns or community issues that are not considered. It also provides an opportunity for suggesting additional alternatives that may be beyond the conceptual alternatives being proposed.
The FTA, City of Madison, Dane County and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation invited all interested individuals, organizations, businesses and federal, state and local agencies to comment on the purpose and need, project alternatives and scope of the DEIS, identifying specific transportation problems to be evaluated or on proposing transportation alternatives that may be less costly, more effective, or have fewer environmental impacts while improving mobility in the corridor. Invitations to the scoping meeting were tendered via press releases and news stories, a project newsletter and electronic mailings. The appendices to this document detail media contacts and coverage, paid advertising, website content and newsletter content.
The public input process was divided into two related meetings, held on the same day. An Agency Scoping Meeting took place at Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in downtown Madison, on Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at 1 p.m. Representatives from federal, state and municipal agencies viewed a presentation from the Transport 2020 study team, took a bus tour of the study corridor, and provided comments and input on the project scope.
The Public Scoping meeting was held at Monona Terrace on the evening of April 26, 2006. Attendees enjoyed an open house format, with display boards highlighting a Transport 2020 draft purpose and need statement, range of alternatives for transportation improvements and technologies under consideration and an overview of the study process. Study team members manned the boards to answer questions and collect comments. A presentation was given at 6:00 p.m., followed by questions from those in attendance and answers from members of the Transport 2020 Implementation Task Force. The meeting then returned to open house format. Participants were encouraged to fill out a comment form designed to elicit stakeholder opinions on the range of alternatives to be considered, issues to be addressed and the study process itself.
Information on the project, as well as other opportunities to provide feedback, was and remains available on the study’s website at http://www.transport2020.net. The Scoping meeting sites were accessible to mobility-impaired individuals. Those needing an interpreter, materials in alternate formats or other accommodations to access this service were invited to contact the City of Madison, Department of Planning and Development. (No requests for arrangements were received.) The scoping period officially remained open for comments – either via email, telephone or in writing – through May 29, 2006.
The Scoping meetings represent the beginning of the public involvement process for this phase of Transport 2020. Numerous additional opportunities for public involvement will be provided. A formal public hearing will be held at a later stage of the study process when the environmental impact evaluation work has been substantially completed.
Additional documentation on the Scoping process is contained in appendices to this memorandum. The Appendices provide detail on the methods used to publicize the meetings, attendance lists of participants, a presentation delivered during the meetings, verbatim input received from the public, and press articles covering the study.