HomeMy WebLinkAbout10 Olympic Heights Outreach Agenda Item # 10
WORKSHOP
To: Board of Directors
From: Steven Poncelet
Date: October 20, 2010
Subject: Outcome of Neighborhood Outreach: Olympic Heights
1. WHY THIS MATTER IS BEFORE THE BOARD
This item is before the Board as staff is seeking Board input regarding future activities
for the District's pilot Neighborhood Resource Mobilization program.
2. HISTORY
The District is constantly seeking innovative ways to deliver our conservation and
other programs and we actively seek opportunities to collaborate with local
agencies/partners to leverage resources and maximize the impacts of our programs to
our customers.
The District partnered with the Town of Truckee and Nevada County to launch a new
Neighborhood Resource Mobilization Program. In this program, a specific
neighborhood is identified for a one-day event where each agency brings existing
programs and services directly into the neighborhood. The tag-line for these events
is: "Public Services Together.....One Neighborhood at a Time". For the District, the
programs and services included the new Residential Energy Survey (RES) program,
lighting give-a-ways, the Toilet Rebate Program, and information on the new water
meters, customer leaks, and the Leak Repair Rebate program. A workshop on the
new Neighborhood Resource Mobilization Program was presented to the Board at the
September 1st meeting.
The District, in conjunction with the Town of Truckee and Nevada County, selected
the Olympic Heights neighborhood for a pilot neighborhood event which was held on
Saturday, September 18th from 10:OOAM - 3:OOPM. The location was on Floriston
Court between Olympic Blvd. and Highland Ave. This neighborhood was chosen due
to its size (small enough for a pilot event) and characteristics (old housing stock, large
percentage of full-time residents). Each agency involved in the program was
responsible for bringing their services and information to the event and the agencies
shared the costs of the event and the outreach effort. Included in the event was a
barbecue lunch (hot dogs and hamburgers) for the neighborhood residents who
participate in the event.
3. NEW INFORMATION
The pilot event in the Olympic Heights neighborhood was held on Saturday,
September 18th and was attended by the District, Town of Truckee, Nevada County,
California Highway Patrol, and the Truckee Tahoe Airport District. Each agency had
staff working the event and representatives from each agencies Board or Council
volunteered their time to support the event.
It is estimated that over 125 residents of the Olympic Heights neighborhood attended
the event (-25% of the neighborhood). In addition to the robust turn-out, the residents
took advantage of the many programs and services being offered by the local
agencies. For the District, we gave out over 1,000 CFL's, conducted 10 residential
energy surveys, and distributed other measures and information. Staff and Board
were also able to engage with our customers and continue to build relationships.
The District, Town of Truckee, and Nevada County held a de-brief meeting to review
the results of the Olympic Heights event and discuss the future of the program. For all
agencies, the assessment was that 'Public Services Together....One Neighborhood at
a Time' was very successful when measured by the quantity of services delivered, the
cost-effectiveness of the program, and the positive community outreach. While there
is a desire at the staff level to continue with this program, the following questions need
to be explored:
• Are the agency governing board's interested in continuing with the program?
• What new agencies/organizations should be invited to participate?
• How many events should be planned per year to serve the overall community?
• Which neighborhoods do we serve and in what order?
Staffs assessment is that we should continue with the Neighborhood Resource
Mobilization Program. The current partners believe that this program should be open
to all local agencies but restricted to local government at this time and that, given
capacity constraints, 1-2 events per year is appropriate. The decision on how many
events and which neighborhoods would need to be made by future program agency
participants.
4. FISCAL IMPACT
The total direct costs of the Olympic Heights event was less than $2,500 and was
shared amongst the Town of Truckee, Nevada County, and the District. The costs for
the District staff time and program measures costs were included in the FY10 budget.
Future event costs will be determined by the specifics of the neighborhood and will be
shared by the agency participants.
5. RECOMMENDATION
Receive this report and provide feedback.
Steven Poncelet Mi ael D. Holley
Public Information & Conservation Manager General Manager