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Public Participation |
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Public
participation is one of the most important elements of any MIS process. Major
elements of the Ouachita Loop MIS Public Participation Program included the following:
For more information about the Ouachita Loop MIS, please
contact: TEL: (318) 387-2572 Three (3) public meetings were held during the Ouachita Loop MIS process. These meetings were conducted by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development's (LA-DOTD) Planning Division and Environmental Section. These meetings were advertised in local media and on this website. The initial public meeting was held on February 17, 1998 in the City Council Chambers at the West Monroe City Hall from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. In addition to an overview of the project and the MIS process, draft versions of the Study Goals and Objectives and Purpose and Need Statements were presented. The MIS utilized public input from this initial public meeting in finalizing the Study Goals and Objectives and Purpose and Need Statements. Click here to download the transcript of the February 17, 1998 public meeting in Adobe Acrobat format. The final two public meetings for the Ouachita Loop MIS were held in early October and presented the Major Investment Study report. The final public meeting for the West Monroe/West Ouachita area was held on Monday, October 4, 1999 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the City Council Chambers in the West Monroe City Hall. Click here to download notes from the October 4 ,1999 public meeting in Adobe Acrobat format. The final public meeting for the Monroe/East Ouachita area was held on Tuesday, October 5, 1999 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the City Council Chambers in the Monroe City Hall. Click here to download the transcript from the October 5 ,1999 public meeting in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have a copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader, click here to download it for free. Community/Civic Group Meetings Two community workshops were held for the Ouachita Loop MIS. These workshops provided an opportunity for the general public to learn more about the project and to provide input, ask questions and provide suggestions related to the project. Members of the project team (consultants, LA-DOTD, OCOG, and FHWA) were on hand to answer attendees’ questions about the project. The first workshop, targeting residents of West Monroe/West Ouachita Parish, was held on Wednesday, November 4, 1998 in the Ouachita Room at the West Monroe Convention Center from 4:30 to 6:30 PM. The second workshop, targeting residents of Monroe/East Ouachita Parish, was held on Thursday, November 5, 1998 in the Conference Hall-West at the Monroe Civic Center from 4:30 to 6:30 PM. In addition, two meetings were held during the course of the study with civic groups to present background information on the development of the project and current status of studies. The first meeting was held on April 14, 1998 with the Ouachita Lions Club. The second meeting was held on November 6, 1998 with a joint session of the Monroe and West Monroe Chambers of Commerce. Ouachita Loop MIS Steering Committee Meetings The Ouachita Loop MIS Steering Committee was formed early in the study. Its membership comprised DOTD personnel, OCOG personnel, public transit operators, environmental, resource, and permitting agencies, local elected officials, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Authority (FTA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other agencies that the proposed project may affect. A total of six (6) MIS Steering Committee meetings were held during the Ouachita Loop MIS process. Click on the links below for minutes from these meetings. |
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Project Overview | Ouachita
Loop History | What's New | Public
Participation | Return to Ouachita Loop Home Page Last revised: November 30, 1999 |