Johnston Council Discusses Ways to Involve Public in East Merle Hay Road Improvements

A possible makeover for one of Johnston's oldest neighborhoods received mixed reviews during a City Council work session Monday.

The council discussed an  to gauge what improvements are needed to the area east of Merle Hay Road.

Bruce Ostander, who moved to the area two and a half years ago, said residents aren't surprised by the lack of sewerd and sidewalks in the neighborhood.

"There are no surprises. No sidewalks, I don't care; no sanitary sewer, I don't care," he told the council. "I don't see the need to burden - the economy is crap right now, it's a big burden to pile on assessments. I don't know if we can afford it."

Dave Hott, a resident in the area, agreed the neighborhood needs work.

"We need sewers, we need sidewalks," he said. "I welcome this opportunity to do this. I see everything going on and nothing happening over here."

The agreement with Foth would establish a 20-week process to involve residents in public improvement plans for the area through a series of public meetings, workshops and focus groups.

Patrick Kueter, operations director for Foth, said the agreement includes five objectives.

• Provide the public with timely notice and reasonable access to information about planned infrastructure improvements and processes.
• Create opportunities for all segments of the public to become informed about issues and plans under consideration.
• Collaborate with the public to identify concerns, develop alternatives and evaluate policies to address the concerns.
• Listen and respond to suggestions made by the public. Public input will be incorporated into the final plans.
• Foster candid information exchanges and ongoing two-way communication using a variety of media.

"It should really be a fun process," Kueter said. "It's not adversarial saying 'this is what you're going to get', it's a way to step back, have fun and get to know each other."

Mayor Paula Dierenfeld said that what might work in one neighborhood might not be appropriate for others.

"It's interesting, but exciting to see what has occurred in other cities," Dierenfeld said of Foth's similar projects. "It did make some really fun, very appealing outcomes as a result of that input. That's what we hope to accomplish here."

The agreement, estimated to cost more than $88,000, would be included in the project budget, which is not yet known.

The plan will be on the council's Oct. 15 regular meeting agenda to be considered for approval.