Mr. Rankin thanked the members for agreeing to serve on the committee. He briefly discussed his own background, including seven years on the board of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and one year as chair. He described the Advisory Committee as a formidable team of professionals and said the task before the committee is not an easy one but an important and necessary one. He described the 1.5-section of freeway that is the subject of the study as "a crucial transportation link" in Central Ohio. The goal of the study, he said, is to improve safety in the corridor while preserving its vital transportation role and being a good neighbor to those who live in the area. He noted that everyone on the committee has driven many times through the area and thus are keenly aware of some of the problems and that fact that when it was constructed it was never anticipated that it would be needed to handle 170,000 vehicles per day.

He said it is his goal to have an Advisory Committee that is as inclusive as possible. He said "everyone will be invited to the table," whether as members of the Advisory Committee, participants in public forums and meetings or through various means of correspondence. Mr. Rankin applauded ODOT for establishing a variety of methods for public participation and said the committee "does not want to miss any angle." He said there will be five or six large public meetings and a number of smaller, neighborhood meetings.

He said the committee faces a difficult task since even reconstructing the freeway as it currently exists would cause a major disruption in downtown and would thus impact the surrounding neighborhoods. Thus, he said, the committee is determined to "go the extra mile to get everyone's input." He said the committee must help identify "realistic and cost-effective solutions." He expects that the committee will develop a range of alternatives to be studied and that a number of factors, including cost, will play a role in the development of the eventual strategic plan. He concluded by again thanking the members and said there will be some work to do between committee meetings and there is the possibility that some smaller working groups would be created within the Advisory Committee.

Project Manager Tim McDonald next explained ODOT's process governing such major projects. He described the process as encompassing everything from putting an idea "on a napkin" to actually "digging the hole." He said ODOT is very good at what it does but would fall short of its goals without input from the community, business leaders and involved citizens, such as the Advisory Committee. He said the committee's charge is to help clarify and confirm the situation in the I-70/I-71 corridor and help determine public sentiment about the issues and potential solutions by helping identify and quantify the problems and alternatives. He noted that there are four steps involved in the South Innerbelt Study. With the creation of the Advisory Committee and related work, Step One is well underway. It calls for the committee and the public to shape the goals and objectives of the study and confirm and clarify the problem along this 1.5-mile section of freeway. The committee will also be charged with presenting any issues, community goals and needs that may be impacted by future improvements.

In Step Two, he said, the committee will be asked to review and discuss the technical analysis of the existing conditions as presented by ODOT and the consultant team. The committee will also review public input gathered at community meetings to assist the study team in the formulation of a clearly stated "Purpose and Need" for the project.

In Step Three, Mr. McDonald said, the committee will be "pulling out the napkin" and identifying possible solutions. He predicted that many strategies will be studied in Step Three, calling it the "concept period." He said it's very important that "these be solid ideas" that fit the scope and outline of the study.

In Step Four, he concluded, a strategic plan for designing and constructing an improved South Innerbelt that will serve the community for many years will be adopted. He thanked the committee for its participation and said he was eagerly looking forward to working with the members.

ODOT's Michelle May noted the initial draft of the Vision Statement for the project was included among other items in the large notebook provided each committee member at the beginning of the meeting. (The draft Vision Statement is included as Attachment B.) Ms. May described the Vision Statement as a guiding document for the project, one that would encompass the ultimate goal but not contain all of the specific objectives of the study. She also pointed out that the notebook included a copy of the proposed Public Involvement Plan for the project. She asked the members to carefully review both documents and provide feedback. She said a mailing would soon be done to committee members stating how they can reach the appropriate project member to supply comments, suggestions and/or have questions answered. Ms. May stressed that these documents were initial drafts and that the committee would take the lead in developing the final versions.

A discussion primarily concerning the Vision Statement followed. Shannon Harps, Transportation Policy Analyst for the Sierra Club - Ohio Chapter, offered a revised draft of the Vision Statement (see Attachment C). She said the Vision Statement should not just focus on the highway because there are many options available to the group and the focus should be on mobility and transportation choices.

John Rosenberger, executive director of the Capital South Urban Redevelopment Corp., said he liked the original draft but also saw some good points to the version offered by Ms. Harps. Robert Lawler of MORPC said he would like to see some reference to the importance of the corridor to the freight hauling industry.

Dr. Robert Falcone, Senior Operations Officer for Grant Medical Center, expressed a desire to have language that recognizes the critical access needs for health providers and emergency services in the surrounding area.

Both Mr. Rankin and Ronald Barnes, COTA general manger, said they supported the idea expressed in the statement that individuals, and not just organized groups, will have input throughout the process.
Ms. Gad of ODOT noted that each of the comments were on point and constructive, but that the committee should bear in mind that it will soon have the opportunity to draft a Purpose and Need document, which is generally longer and more detailed than a Vision Statement. She said a Vision Statement is typically a lone sentence or two letting people know the primary goal of the project - for example, improve the roadway and be a good neighbor.

Ms. May said the comments were very much appreciated and the discussion would continue as the members further review the draft document and forward their comments.

Ms. May also encouraged the committee members to carefully review the Public Involvement Plan and forward their comments. She described the PIP as a "living, breathing document. We want everyone heard and we want their opinions evaluated. You need to guide us." She said the PIP calls for broadly placing recipients of information into three tiers - a primary tier of community groups, residents, businesses within the study area that hopefully will be intimately involved in the process; a secondary tier of people who may be outside the study area but have a strong interest in the project; and a third tier of people outside the study area who have an interest in the outcome but would not likely want to be involved in the details of the process. She said formation of the Advisory Committee was a big step toward implementing the PIP and there will be a series of public meetings that will spark interest and answer many questions. She said a series of community meetings will also be held that will be tailored to meet the needs of local groups and individuals.

Ms. May said the standard public information outreach will also be conducted, including a quarterly newsletter, a brochure, a website describing the project and media briefings. Mr. Rankin said he also hoped that project leaders would participate in talk shows since they can reach large audiences.

Mr. Rankin said the next Advisory Committee meeting would be held in late August or early September based upon the progress of data collection for the project. He reminded the members that they would be receiving additional information during the next several weeks and their continued input and feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Meeting Adjourned