The following is a description of the major
tasks in the Terrebonne Comprehensive Master Plan Project.
The project as reflected in this scope of
work is quite extensive. The scope of work includes an
analysis of the major issues facing the Parish, as well as
the development of recommendations for the planned growth
and development of Terrebonne Parish over the next twenty
(20) years.
While land use in Terrebonne Parish
continues to be on the forefront of much public discussion
and debate, this plan includes analysis of all major
comprehensive planning issues currently facing the Parish.
Public participation efforts will be a major
component in the completion of the Plan. The public will be
involved through several committees and focus groups, and
the project team will work tirelessly to ensure public
involvement in the process. The consultant team currently
envisions regular meetings with the Project Steering
Committee, and Focus Groups meetings as often as the
participants can manage. In addition to Steering Committee
and Focus Group meetings, the team will be available for
public presentations on the plan during the project.
The following outline contains the major
phases of the project.
A. Establish Project Steering
Committee.
1. Purpose. To ensure delivery of a
product that meets the needs of the community, a project
steering committee was created. The Steering Committee
will meet on a regular basis for the duration of the
project. The consultant team will organize the meetings,
present status reports, and submit key decisions to the
Committee. This committee’s responsibilities will include:
a. Serving as the Parish’s
representative and direct liaison between the consultant
team and the Parish;
b. Serve as the primary point of contact
in all matters concerning project administration;
c. Review work products;
d. Make key decisions in concert with
the consultant; and
e. Appoint the initial focus group
coordinators.
2. Composition. The Steering
Committee should represents a cross section of the
community. The Steering Committee includes:
a. Elected Officials;
b. Parish Staff;
c. Planning Commission Members; and
d. Other Interested Parties
B. Project Kick-off Meeting
1. Purpose. Following the
organization of the Steering Committee and the conduct of
its first meeting, the Steering Committee and the TBS team
will organize a “Project Kick Off” meeting. The primary
purpose of this meeting will be to provide the proper
forum in which the general public can be informed of the
particulars of the project and is allowed the opportunity
to submit their comments, concerns, and questions for
consideration and response. The meeting format will
include:
a. Presentation of an overview of the
project detailing:
-
The members of the consultant team;
-
The administrative mechanisms that
will manage the project (Steering Committee, the
Planning Commission, and the Parish Council);
-
The separate phases of the project;
-
The expected schedule to complete each
of the phases; and
-
The opportunities for public
involvement.
b. A description of the proposed work
elements to be addressed by the consultant team in the
completion of the Plan. A work element is a certain
parishwide area of concern or interest for which a
strategic plan will be developed.
Examples include land use, infrastructure,
or public facilities.
a. A forum for the public to comment on
those work elements and to add or delete additional
issues as necessary.
b. An opportunity for the public to sign
up for the focus groups that will work on the various
work elements. These focus groups will serve as the
assembly by which the planning team will solicit input
on each element of the plan.
2. Location. This meeting should be held in a
central location (e.g. Civic Center) and be publicized
extensively.
C. Orientation of Focus Groups
1. Purpose. Closely following the
“Kick-Off” Meeting, the TBS Team will conduct an
orientation for each of the Focus Groups. The orientation
of the various focus groups will be staggered throughout a
single day, with each focus group meeting separately. The
purpose of the orientation will be to:
a. Finalize the definition of the
topical area covered by each plan element, and to ensure
that all the stakeholders interested in this particular
subject are notified and involved;
b. Determine goals to be achieved;
c. Determine the specific data needs for
each focus group; and
d. Determine the mechanisms for
coordinating review and input from other focus groups as
each plan element is undertaken. The focus groups must
understand the project purpose, schedule, and steps
required for completion. It is the TBS team’s
responsibility to ensure members of the various focus
groups understand their role, and that the ultimate goal
of the project is a comprehensive plan.
D. Parish Inventory and Projection
1. Purpose. Detailed, comprehensive
data will be a necessary tool in this project. The focus
groups’ work will be based on the available data regarding
historical and projected conditions in the Parish. The
planning team will begin compiling this basic information
regarding Terrebonne Parish into a Parish Profile. This
profile will depict the Parish’s current status, and will
include an analysis of the trends which will influence our
future as a community. This information will be used in
the work of the focus groups throughout the project. At a
minimum, this data will include:
a. Socioeconomic inventory, including
b. Physical Inventory, including
In addition, the team will utilize, to the maximum extent
practical, all other pertinent and relevant master plans.
Such plans include the parish transportation master plan,
the drainage master plan, any other utility master plans,
and any other relevant reports. The consultants will also
include regional, statewide, and national data as needed.
A. Introduction Following the
project initiation phase, the focus groups will begin work
on the various elements of the plan. This focus group work
is where the plan is written. The focus group members,
with support and counsel from the consultants and the
Steering Committee, will develop strategies and make
recommendations to achieve the previously identified
goals. The focus groups will use the historical data and
projected trends from the Parish Profile as the basis for
their work. The focus groups will meet as often as
necessary to develop the strategies for their particular
area of interest.
For the purposes of scheduling and
budgeting, the project team has assumed that each focus
group will have 6 meetings during the project. All focus
groups will meet on the same day, and the group meetings
will be staggered throughout the day to allow for the
greatest public involvement.
Each focus group will basically follow a
four (4) step process:
1. Data Collection and Inventory.
This step is a more selective use of the data collected
in the parishwide inventory. The focus groups will
probably need the data collected in the parishwide
inventory, as well as additional, refined data for their
work.
2. Focus Group Meetings. Through
the deliberations of the various focus groups,
information and input received will serve as the
foundation upon which the plan will be written. The
focus groups will meet as often as necessary to complete
the plan. Focus group meetings will be held at locations
and times to facilitate maximum public involvement.
During these meetings, the focus group coordinator (with
the consultant) will solicit public input, document
concerns, and facilitate consensus towards plan
recommendations.
3. Report Development. The report
will be written by the consultants based on the
consensus reached at the focus group meetings. The focus
group reports will contain the following:
a. Element Definition and Purpose.
This section will provide a definition of the topical
area covered by each plan element and a statement of
the purpose for including the element in the Plan.
b. Element Vision Statement.
The vision statements for each plan element, as
drafted by the citizen participants in each focus
group, will specify the overall goals to be achieved
for each plan element and reflect the general
consensus of each focus group.
c. Element Action Plan. The
action plan for each element will reflect the
consensus of its focus group. The action plan(s) will
be the result of a collaboration between the focus
groups and the planning team and contain an analysis
of the support data collected; an identification of
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
related to that element (SWOT’s analysis); the goals
to be attained; and the strategies to be implemented
in attainment of the stated goals.
4. Adoption and Implementation.
As each focus group completes its work, the vision,
goals, and strategies for that particular work element
will be forwarded to the Steering Committee for review
and approval. Once approved, the Steering Committee will
forward the recommendations to the Planning Commission,
Parish Administration, and Parish Council for approval
and implementation.
B. Work Elements
1. The elements are certain parishwide
issues that require long range planning consideration.
The TBS team has identified 8 potential plan elements.
This list will be enlarged or reduced based on public
comments during the project.
a. Terrebonne Parish Goals and
Vision Statement. The Steering Committee will
develop a list of parishwide goals and an overarching
vision statement. The Steering Committee will base
these goals and the vision statement on the goals and
vision statements of all the focus groups.
b. Land Use
c. Infrastructure. Drainage and
Hurricane Protection; Transportation (Roads,
Waterways, Railroads); Utilities (Electricity,
Sewerage, Water, Gas, Telecommunications);
d. Public Facilities. Schools;
Hospitals; Parks;
e. Environment. Coastal Zone
and Wetlands; Wildlife Refuges;
f. Economic Development.
g. Essential Community Design.
Aesthetic Issues such as Building Façades
Requirements, Landscaping, Signs;
h. Housing
C. Preparation of Draft Report
1. Following the work of the Focus
Groups, the TBS team will compile the goals, vision, and
strategies from the focus groups with the inventory and
projection data into a draft report. This draft report
will be distributed to the Steering Committee and used
in the Community Meetings which follow.
D. Community Meetings
1. The TBS team will then engage the
public through a series of community meetings. These
meetings are vehicles though which members of the public
who have not had the opportunity to take part in the
process to this point are offered the opportunity to
comment on the plan. These meetings will be held in
geographically diverse areas of the parish. The
locations include:
East Houma
West Houma
Bayou Blue
Gray
Gibson
Dularge
Dulac
Chauvin
Montegut
