PUBLIC OUTREACH COMMITTEE
4.	REPORT ON STATUS AND DIRECTION OF JOINT OUTREACH PROGRAM ON GROUNDWATER REPLENISHMENT PROJECT
Meeting Date:		February 6, 2014	Budgeted:	GWR Budget
From:		David J. Stoldt,	Program/	N/A
		General Manager	Line Item No.:
Prepared By:		Stephanie Pintar	Cost Estimate:	N/A
General Counsel Review: N/A
CEQA Compliance: N/A

SUMMARY:  2014 is a critical point in the development of the Monterey Regional Groundwater Replenishment Project (GWR). With both the impending legal complexities of the desalination project and the Public Water Now initiative pulling focus away from finding a viable water supply solution, the GWR project has a substantial opportunity to gain top of mind position and support through a series of efforts supported by the GWR Joint Public Outreach Committee.

On January 28, 2014, Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA) and District staff met in an effort to review and refine the Strategic Outreach Plan and the line item production responsibilities and to review effective use of the budget. Several changes were made including the following:

1. MPWMD will now be the lead on the GWR Joint Public Outreach Committee. This will include taking on the role of “Project Manager” as well as having creative, budgetary and administrative oversight.

2. Steve Thomas will act as Project Manager reporting directly to Stephanie Pintar with timely updates to Dave Stoldt and relevant MPWMD Committees.

3. Steve Thomas will also act as the “gatekeeper” for the MPWMD team, by which he will request, receive and facilitate all edits, comments and updates from district staff and committees.

4. TRG Associates will no longer be working on this project.

5. MRWPCA will still act as the “administrative manager” setting meetings, creating and distributing agenda’s and supporting the entire outreach effort.

6. Karen Harris will act as MRWPCA “gatekeeper”.

7. Project will be rebranded as Pure Water Monterey. Revision to project logo and printed materials will be brought to Public Outreach Committee (may require special scheduling).

8. Every possible effort will be made to receive agency committee support and approval on all items; however, as this project is in a hyper-accelerated time sensitive state, the committee is requesting that any material review process take this into account.

The increase in efforts to support GWR outreach by MPWMD are reflected in the amended GWR budget adjustment currently being considered by the Water Supply Committee and approved by the MRWPCA. The Outreach Scope of Work being conducted by TBC is provided as Exhibit 4-A) includes funding for the following elements:

1. Project Management of GWR Public Outreach Project

Please refer to Proposed Scope of Work for list of Tasks, Deliverables and Budget.

2. Hospitality and Business “Fact Finding” Tour to Orange County

Buy in from the hospitality and business community is paramount for the success of the project. While some of these thought leaders have casually supported the idea of GWR, it is critical the project receives official “endorsement” from these two groups. To achieve that, two fact finding tours have been planned. The first, focusing on the hospitality industry, will take place the first week of March. The second tour will take place later in the spring. The first tour will consist of a guided tour of the Orange County Wastewater Treatment Facility, as well meetings with Orange County Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau representatives. To ensure smooth travel and enough time to properly lobby the attendees, it has been determined that an overnight stay would serve the project’s purposes best. The committee is requesting a total not to exceed $30,000 to cover the costs of both tours.

3. Paid Advertising Buy

Gaining the general public’s acceptance of GWR is also of critical importance. While it has been accepted that there will, by nature, be project detractors, if the greater public has been informed, they are much more likely to be accepting of the project since any potential objection has been displaced by a positive informative outreach campaign. By utilizing a combination of mass (broadcast and print), web (internet and email), and social media (Facebook, Twitter) in a consistent manner that highlights the three major tenants of the project, the general public can receive factual information before being reached by any potential naysayers. The cost of this initial advertising push will be $25,000.00 and will run through June 30, 2014. It will include the production and design of the Television, Print, Radio, Internet and Social Media Advertising in English and Spanish, as well as the associated buys.

4. Promotional Products

Branded promotional products are also an important piece of the overall public outreach effort. It is no secret that people love free stuff whether they are executives or event attendees, and with over 80% of promotional products being taken to the home or office they are a necessity to garner a positive image and stay top of mind. These items would be given to on and off site tour attendees, event attendees, as leave-behinds following presentations and as components of the media kit. The items can be traditional in nature like pens, pads and key chains to more elaborate like zip drives and hats. The committee is requesting a budget of $7,500 that would cover the outreach effort’s needs beyond the 2013-2014 fiscal year, understanding that purchasing in bulk greatly reduces the per unit cost.

RECOMMENDATION: This is a discussion item. No action is needed.

EXHIBIT

4-A Proposed Scope of Work for GWR Outreach

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