[il-talk] Fw: Metra Strategic Plan Open Houses 11/1-12

[Jemal Powell]

Fellow Chicago Area federationists, it 's time to let your voices be heard about Metra's proposed Budget and Strategic plan at one of the following hearing locations.  



----- Forwarded Message -----
From: David Kralik <DKralik at METRARR.COM>
To: David Kralik <DKralik at METRARR.COM> 
Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2012 9:58 AM
Subject: Metra Strategic Plan Open Houses 11/1-12

Metra is continuing its efforts to develop a new strategic plan, a critically important document that will guide our agency for years to come. During our successful first round of public outreach in July, we received a significant amount of feedback from our key stakeholders – our board, our employees, our riders, the public, and you.  We want to thank you for attending the first round of public outreach and for providing feedback into this process.  More than 200 people attended our first round of public open house meetings and more than 3,300 people submitted feedback online.  We could not have achieved such significant success without your participation.  
                                                                                                                                                                                            
We have already incorporated some of that feedback into our strategic plan. For instance, we have revised our mission statement based on your input and we have used it to develop our goals and objectives and have started to determine our capital funding priorities.
 
To provide an update on our process and give more details about the plan, we are hosting a second round of public open house meetings this November. These meetings will be held in coordination with Metra’s annual budget hearings to provide “one-stop shopping” for the public to give us their thoughts on near-term budget plans and longer-term agency strategic direction.
 
All of the information regarding these upcoming public open house meetings and the opportunities for public feedback can be found at www.metrarail.com/strategicplan. The dates and locations of those forums are at the bottom of this message. The materials for the open house meetings, including a link to provide feedback, will be posted on this webpage by Oct. 29, and feedback will be accepted through Nov. 12.  
                
We invite and welcome your input and participation in this process. In this time of limited transportation funding, it is especially important that our plans accurately consider the projects and direction desired by the public and key stakeholders in order to make the most effective use of those scarce funding resources.  Your thoughtful contribution, and your assistance in getting the word out, is an important part of our strategic plan process. Thank you in advance for your help, and we look forward to seeing you at our second round of meetings.
 
Sincerely,
 
David Kralik
Department Head, Long Range Planning
 

Schedule for FY2013 Metra Proposed Program & Budget Public Hearings & Metra Strategic Plan Open Houses 
 
Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012  4p.m.–7p.m. 
Kane County      
Kane County Government Center
Building A, 1st Floor Auditorium
719 South Batavia Avenue
Geneva, Illinois McHenry County              
City of Crystal Lake City Hall
City Council Chambers &
Executive Conference Room
100 West Woodstock Street
Crystal Lake, Illinois
  South Suburban Cook County
Flossmoor Village Hall
Village Board Room & Lobby
2800 Flossmoor Road
Flossmoor, Illinois 
Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012  4p.m.–7p.m. 
City of Chicago 
(Budget Hearing)
Metra - 13th Floor Board Room
547 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, Illinois
                
(Strategic Plan Open House)
Chicago Union Station Great Hall
210 South Canal Street
Chicago, Illinois
  DuPage County                
Wheaton City Hall
City Council Chambers, 2nd Floor & Gamon Room, 2nd  Floor
303 West Wesley Street 
Wheaton, Illinois
  North Suburban Cook County
Arlington Heights Village Hall
Board Room & Community Room
33 South Arlington Heights Road
Arlington Heights, Illinois
 
  
Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012  4p.m.–7p.m. Monday, Nov. 12, 2012  4p.m.–7p.m. 
Lake County       
Grayslake Village Hall
Board Room & Community Room
10 South Seymour Avenue
Grayslake, Illinois Will County         
New Lenox Village Hall
Council Chambers & Lobby
1 Veterans Parkway
New Lenox, Illinois South Chicago
(Strategic Plan Open House)
Chicago State University 
Library Auditorium
9501 South King Drive  
Chicago, Illinois
  
All times and locations will include both a public hearing on the FY2013 Metra Proposed Program & Budget and an open house concerning Metra’s Strategic Plan unless otherwise noted.