Conducting a Improvement Feasibility Study
that Gets Voters on Board

Illinois referenda have not had great success rates for the past several years. About one-third of voters oppose all tax increases. Another one-third will vote no in uncertain times. So how do you position your agency to win the hearts and financial support of the community?

A capital improvement feasibility study that involves the public early in the process is a good start. The keys are to establish a strategy and then to conduct public meetings that give people choices and reinforce their sense of ownership in the project.

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Establish a Strategic Direction
The public planning process can only move as fast as the public will allow. And when dealing with the public, you want to avoid the perception that you are rushing to an answer. So, give yourself plenty of time to get a process going, and get ready for a long haul. A capital improvement project may take a minimum of three years from the initial start of the planning process to opening day of the planned improvement. The planning process alone can take anywhere from three to six months. The time frame depends on many factors that you do not control.

Develop a planning direction and stay with it, while remaining open minded and flexible. The ability to make a change during the planning process may be important to the success of the outcome.

USE COMMITTEES
To begin this process, consider forming a Steering Committee of three to five people that includes (at a minimum) an agency director (an executive director or the superintendent of recreation), an elected official (a village board member or a park board commissioner) and the architect. This committee develops the overall strategy for the planning process, which should include how many community workshops/meetings there will be, the content of each community workshop/meeting (the goals, the exercises and the follow-up) and an overall time line for planning the project. In addition, a public relations strategy should be developed that creatively looks at ways of getting the word out. The Steering Committee should also identify the potential funding sources and address an overall project budget.

Forming a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) is the next step. This committee should be made up of a broad cross-section of community leaders. Members of this committee may include people who may be opposed to proposed improvements. However, CAC members will become facilitators at public meetings and ambassadors for the planning process in general.

DEFINE THE PLANNING GOALS
Establish goals that grow out of your agency's mission statement. Often goals restate each of the principal activities identified in the mission. A goal is what the agency wants to achieve and why. Goals have the following characteristics:

• They are results oriented. There is an outcome stated.

• They define general results. The outcome is stated in brood, rather than specific terms.

• They are long term. There is no specific deadline for accomplishment. This is defined by objectives and strategies.

• They are ranked. Goals must be in order of priority as determined by research and long-range thinking.

Thus, a couple of goals for a capital improvement initiative at a park district might look like this:

1. To provide recreational, fitness, educational, cultural and social programs and activities to create a community recreation facility that serves all age groups.

2. To meet the current and future "community" and "recreation" needs of the park district in a way that generates revenue.

CONDUCT A MARKET ANALYSIS
Understand what trends may impact your planning. What programs generate revenue and what improvements are required? What are the components that may not add revenue but add value? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Identify the competition's strengths and weaknesses within a ten-mile radius. What is the competition's market focus? Studies have shown that if a service exists both within and beyond a ten-mile radius of a consumer, the consumer is more apt to use that service within the ten-mile radius. However, if the agency is rural, consider a broader radius based upon the available services. Conduct market research to collect and analyze data by reviewing demographic information and conducting surveys.

DEVELOP A BULLETPROOF JACKET
To develop a bulletproof jacket that will withstand public scrutiny, be ready to answer the following questions:

1. What value does this capital improvement offer to the community that they do not have now? If your agency covers more than one community, be sure to understand the impact of the planned improvements on all residents to avoid the potential of duplicating services.

2. How much will this cost a taxpayer? Avoid relying solely on a taxpayer increase. Investigate all possible partnerships, such as the school district,

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YMCA, municipal, local professional health care providers and private agencies as a way to create a win-win situation.

3. Will the improvement be self-sustaining or a money drain? Analyzing projected operating expenses and revenue will aid in evaluating whether the program components will produce net income.

Go Public by Conducting Workshops
Integrating the public into the planning process is critical to the success of a project. After all, in many cases it is the voting public that decides what is needed and what is not. A series of at least three workshops will serve as a barometer for public sentiment and will also give you an opportunity to get the community emotionally invested in the project. If at all possible, avoid holding sessions during the summer and during the winter holiday season to maximize participation.

WORKSHOP #1: HOPES, DREAMS AND FEARS
The first workshop is an opportunity to have participants talk about what they hope and dream this planning process will result in and to let them share their concerns if the improvements proceed. More often than not, you will learn more about their fears than their dreams. That's to be expected.

Kick off the workshop by letting the participants know the steps of the planning process and how they can contribute. Next, show a slide presentation that will spur people's thinking by showing what the new features could look like. This is especially effective if the proposed improvements are tied to those identified by the community in a prior survey. After the slide show, break participants into smaller groups of eight to twelve. Assign ahead of time a facilitator to act as a scribe on a flip chart and to keep the group focused. Questions for the small groups to answer include:

• What are your dreams and vision for the proposed improvements?

• What activities and events would you like to host?

• What are your fears or concerns if the improvements are implemented?

The final step is for each small group to report to the larger group their findings. Wrap up the workshop with a concluding statement of what was learned and what the next steps will be, encouraging everyone to attend the next session.

WORKSHOP #2: OPTIONS
Everyone likes to see more than one option. The same idea applies to developing two to three options for the community to review and discuss as part of this process. The objective of this workshop is to define a prioritized list of what improvements could be made in the most cost effective manner.

Begin this workshop by giving a brief recap of the first workshop followed by one of the following options. Option one is for the design team to formulate two to three alternate design concepts and associated costs to best meet the needs of the community identified in the first workshop. If this is the planning direction, consider the following agenda:

• Introduction/brief recap of workshop #1

• Slide show of options and associated costs

• Small group work to discuss and reach consensus on the following:

1. Which option best meets the identified needs of the community in an affordable manner?

2. Which option best provides for anticipated activities and events?

3. Which option minimizes your fears or concerns if the improvements are implemented?

• Wrap-up/next steps

The second option is to develop program spaces and other improvements that accommodate the desired activities and events along with an estimated cost based on square footage costs. This option is the most interactive and will more deeply engage the public in the planning process. Consider the following agenda if this option is selected:

• Introduction/brief recap of workshop #1

• Small group work:

1. Distribution of a set of "planning pieces" that represent

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the elements that accommodate the identified activities and events from the first workshop

2. Groups develop their ideal improvements

• Wrap-up/next steps

The next step in either scenario is for the design team to formulate concepts to solve the identified needs. Conceptual drawings will be presented at the next workshop to convey a feasible concept in a form that achieves understanding and acceptance.

WORKSHOPS: CONCEPTS
This is the workshop where the rubber meets the road. Here is where you show the community what you may be asking them to support financially. The purpose of this session is to present feasible concept solutions, to solicit discussion and to arrive at a preferred scheme.

Display the concept drawings fifteen to thirty minutes before the scheduled start time. Ask the participants to sign-in and encourage them to review the drawings and ask questions they may have to the assembled project team. Consider the following agenda:

• Introduction/recap previous workshops

• Present a slide show of conducted research, site/regulatory analysis, space requirements summary, investigated concepts and the proposed concepts along with the associated costs.

• Small group work

• Consider the following discussion questions to aid in reaching a consensus within the group on the preferred concept

1. Does the concept affordably meet the identified needs of the community?

2. Are the facility and site improvements well integrated with the neighbors?

3. Does the concept support and anticipate future change?

• Wrap-up/next steps

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When concluding the meeting, let the participants know how they can keep up on the overall planning process. This public planning process will have resulted in soliciting input, building support for the improvements and giving participants a sense of ownership in the outcome.

Formulate a Recommendation
Finalize the selected concept and cost estimating. Then, get ready to begin selling the benefits and value of the planned improvements to the community. Remember:

• The timing of the project is important.
In a slow economy, voters get stingier about approving property tax increases. Avoid going up against a municipal or education referendum.

• You must understand the voting body.
Communities with multiple district boundaries face a more difficult time when asking voters to approve a property tax increase.

• Community leaders must be in favor of the planned improvements and openly support them.
Leaders can help sway voters who might otherwise be reluctant to invest in programs that have a focus on the future.

• Develop a bulletproof jacket.
Seek out multiple funding sources. Voters are approving fewer tax hikes, especially when they are the only funding source.

• Use the Web to figure the tax bite.
Create a form on your Web site that homeowners can fill out with their address and standard exemptions (homeowner, senior citizen) and let the Web site do the math for them.

• Integrate the public into the planning process early and often.
Voters are likely to say yes only if the tax increase is for what they consider a necessity.

• Sell the benefits.
Inform the public about the planned improvements' value, benefits for everyone and quality of life enhancement.

Having done all of these steps, you're on the right path to implementing your vision. As William Caudill, architect and author of Architecture by Team wrote, "Bring a lot of people — especially the users - into the planning." •

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