Silver Trumpet ‘Ta-Da’: KDOT Recognized For Engaging, Involving Public
If you’re going to win the Silver Trumpet Award, it’s only appropriate to have a little fanfare.
The Kane County Division of Transportation has been recognized for its efforts to engage and involve the public in its long-range transportation planning. The award — a Silver Trumpet in Public Involvement — was presented June 1 by the Publicity Club of Chicago at the 58th Annual Golden Trumpet Awards ceremony in Chicago.
“We are pleased to see that our efforts to reach out to our residents, workers and visitors was successful,” said Tom Rickert, deputy director of Kane County Division of Transportation. “Public outreach and participation gives us important feedback and can help bring consensus to our planning process.”
Golden Trumpet awards recognize excellence in communications and public relations conducted by communications professionals throughout the Chicago region.
The award was granted to Morreale Communications in partnership with the Kane County Division of Transportation for the development of an outreach plan and countywide survey conducted in Fall of 2016. The outreach plan resulted in 2,500 completed surveys and more than 4,500 comments made by residents, employers and visitors to Kane County on transportation issues.
The outreach plan included print and online press releases, stories in the Kane County Connects blog and e-newsletters, and in-person surveys gathered from locations throughout the county. The survey results are being used by staff to develop policies and strategies for the Long Range Transportation Plan.
Back in October, KDOT and Morreale asked Kane residents to share your input by taking an interactive, mobile-friendly online survey that took just five minutes to complete. Why did they go to such lengths to get feedback?
“We want to hear from the people who drive the roads, take the buses and walk the sidewalks throughout the county,” KDOT Director Carl Schoedel said. “Responses to this survey (were) crucial because no one knows better than our residents and daily visitors where the areas of potential improvement might be.”
How Kane County Connected
The multi-media communication approach included an introductory story and how-to stories on Kane County Connects, “click here to take the online survey” buttons on the KCC blog and daily e-newsletter, social media posts on Facebook and Twitter and survey bottons on the Kane County website.
About the 2040 Long-Range Transportation Plan
The plan was first adopted in April 2012 to address existing deficiencies in the transportation network and projected countywide development trends. Mandated by Illinois State Statute, a long-term plan like this is imperative for the safety of Kane County residents and visitors, and a key planning tool to support viable economic development. The plan is based on projections of growth and travel demand.
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