Steering Committee Meeting Minutes - March 1, 1999

Submitted By: Russell G. Hanson, Facilitator

TRANSTECH

6328 W. Hackamore Drive

Glendale, AZ 85310

(602) 572-9417

March 3, 1999

Summary

The first meeting of the US US 93, Wickenburg to Santa Maria River Corridor Design Study Steering Committee was held at the Wickenburg Town Council Chamber on March 1, 1999, from 1:00-4:00 PM. The purpose of the meeting was to complete the Partnering relationship initiation process that was begun at a workshop held on February 17th. The agenda included finishing the Charter document, establishing ground rules for Steering Committee meetings, clarifying roles and responsibilities, developing a Partnering Evaluation Process, and setting up the Committee's operating procedures.

Participants

Russ Hanson opened the meeting with an introductory exercise to help get the Steering Committee members better acquainted. Participants introduced themselves, identified the organization they are representing and the key goals and concerns of that group, and identified the skills, knowledge, experiences or personal characteristics that they have that will help the team along its journey. As each person spoke, a rope was uncoiled and passed from member to member. When the last person was finished, an intricate web had been formed, connecting the entire group together. Russ explained how this web represents the interconnectedness of all members, and demonstrated the strength of the web and how it can support the entire group if all members pull together and uphold their respective responsibilities.

The Committee then developed a set of Ground Rules to govern their meetings and team process. The Ground Rules will be printed on a large poster and displayed at each team meeting. Every member is responsible for upholding the rules and intervening if any are broken during a meeting. The Ground Rules should be considered a living document. New rules can be added or rules can be changed in order for the group to manage its process most effectively. A listing of the Ground Rules can be found in the following section of the report.

The team then went on to complete the Partnering Agreement Charter document that was begun during the initial meeting on February 17th. Four additional goals were developed to measure the success of the Steering Committee during the period of the Study. The completed Charter may be found in a later section.

Also discussed during the meeting were member roles and responsibilities and some administrative guidelines for communication and future meeting coordination. Bert Bertleson will serve as Committee Chair and Sverdrup will coordinate the communication and meeting scheduling process. Members provided information about how to contact each other and who their backup will be in case they cannot attend a given meeting. Berwyn Wilbrink will also gather information from the members regarding their availability on an ongoing basis so future meeting schedules can be established that minimize personal conflicts with other obligations. It was also agreed by the members that, at the end of each Committee meeting, a preliminary agenda for the following meeting will be established, along with a date, time and location (if not already scheduled).

The next Steering Committee meeting was scheduled for:

Date: March 31, 1999

Time: 1:00-5:00 PM

Location: Hassayampa River Preserve Conference Room

Preliminary Agenda

* Review preliminary outcomes of Surveys

* Validation of corridor selections (review of history and why other alternatives were eliminated from consideration)

* Review of the responses to the Town of Wickenburg's "26 Questions"

* Identification of Constituency Groups' objectives and key issues/concerns **

** ACTION ITEM: All Members - Provide a 1-2 page statement of your organization's objectives and key issues/concerns for discussion at the next meeting. Send copy to Bert Bertleson prior to the 3/31 meeting so it can be reprinted for distribution.

A Partnering Evaluation Process was developed that the Steering Committee will use to assess its progress throughout the course of the Corridor Study. The Evaluation form is patterned after the Partnering Agreement goals and objectives and provides a mechanism for each member to give feedback to the team regarding these goals. The group agreed to complete an assessment on an every-other-meeting basis initially, and then review the Assessment frequency to perform them as appropriate to the needs of the Committee. Berwyn Wilbrink was selected as Partnering Champion, and he will be responsible for assuring that the Evaluations are distributed and completed.

The workshop concluded with final remarks and a written evaluation of the meeting.

Workshop Evaluation Summary:

Overall Rating of the Effectiveness of the Workshop: 3.9 out of 5

Of most value:

* Establishing positive ground rules to place everyone on equal footing; which if followed will greatly enhance the success of the team's work

* Expressing the notion that the work involves a serious consideration of verifiable data and evidence, that consensus is the goal, not necessarily total agreement

* A better definition of the goals. I believe some of the group still doesn't understand what we are to accomplish

* Having every opportunity to declare what they want as a process

* Learn who the players are; gained better knowledge of other participants

* Setting guidelines for future meetings

* Provided a structure and organization for discussion

* To realize that this is much bigger than all the things being discussed just around our town

* Getting somewhat away from Phase I problems

* The attempt of eliminating basic preconceived biases of the participants

* Working together seemed to create a positive atmosphere among group

Suggested improvements:

* It could have gone faster

* Regular checks against the agenda to ensure meeting was on track

* Having had a steady schedule to determine the timing and number of future Committee meetings

* Emphasize the role of data and evidence as opposed to emotion in the consensus building process

Facilitator Effectiveness: 4.1 out of 5

Rating of the Team's Potential Effectiveness: 3.6 out of 5

Other Comments:

* More effective than past meeting

* Keep neutral moderator for future sessions. Who's running the meeting??

* Group needs a statement of shared values and shared vision

* In my opinion, it will be difficult to build sufficient trust in 6 mo. To move people off their positions to a discussion of interests.

* Project appears to be off on the right foot. Great job!

Steering Committee Ground Rules

* Be recognized before you speak

* No side conversations

* No belittling of people or ideas

* No personal attacks; discuss ideas, not personalities

* Maintain civility and decorum

* Make decisions based upon facts

* Separate positions from true interests; focus on fundamental needs, not pet solutions

* Maximize attendance at meetings; assure backup is there if you cannot be

* Once consensus is reached, move forward (unless team agrees a change is needed)

* No backbiting: keep issues open and on the table, not discussed outside the meeting

* No undermining of the Committee's decisions outside the meetings

* Commit to seeing the process through to its conclusion

* Be open and honest

* Be accountable to your constituents and to the Steering Committee

* Maintain a spirit of cooperation

* Come prepared for the meetings; do your homework in advance.

PARTNERING AGREEMENT

US 93, Wickenburg to Santa

Maria River Corridor Study

Mission: As Partners of the US 93 -- Wickenburg to Santa Maria Study Steering Committee, we commit to creating a positive working relationship and an effective, rational process for identifying and evaluating all interim and ultimate corridor alternatives (including the Wickenburg Bypass). Our process will strive to be inclusive and well coordinated so that everyone's needs are considered. Our recommendations will be in the best collective interest of all stakeholders and the community at large. We set forth the following goals:

1. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

* Provide continuous communication with the public and stakeholder groups

* Share results of surveys as soon as information becomes available

* Use all media available to disseminate information

* Provide consistent messages, both into and out of the Steering Committee

* Establish key points of contact for communication

* Develop effective communication processes within the Committee

* Provide interactive communication processes; e.g. web site with e-mail response

2. BUILD CONSENSUS

* Clearly identify all issues and gain all perspectives

* Ensure all stakeholders have an opportunity to participate

* Stick to issues, not personalities

* Search for common ground

3. COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

* Use all possible sources of data to develop and evaluate alternatives

* Give fair and objective consideration to all of the information presented

4. MAINTAIN SCOPE

* Maintain focus within the scope of the Study

5. ABIDE BY GROUND RULES

* Abide by the Ground Rules established by the Steering Committee

6. HAVE FUN!

* Maintain a positive attitude

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

PARTNERING EVALUATION PROCESS

The Wickenburg to Santa Maria Corridor Study Steering Committee has made a commitment to the success of its Partnering process. The team will assess its progress on an every-other-meeting basis using the Partnering Rating Form that follows. The evaluations will be sent out two weeks prior to the meeting and are due back a week before the meeting. They will be summarized and distributed to the Partners for review and appropriate action.

The Champion for the evaluations process is Berwyn Wilbrink of Sverdrup. He will make sure copies of the Rating Form are distributed to the membership and that the surveys are completed, reviewed and action taken on identified issues.

Partners are encouraged to include written comments on the Rating Form, both good and bad. Low ratings on any item should be accompanied by a written comment explaining the issue and any suggested corrective action. High ratings also warrant comments in order to provide positive recognition to deserving team members. The categories on the form are based on the goals and objectives defined in the Partnering Agreement, so you are evaluating the performance of the team against those goals. Please sign the forms so additional information can be gathered and follow-up feedback provided.