12-16-2020 Workshop Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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1 Introduction Overview of RCP Fellows Program This report is the result of a collaborative effort between the City of Little Canada and the Resilient Communities Project (RCP) Fellows Program. The RCP Fellows Program organizes interdisciplinary teams of University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (UMN) graduate and professional students to assist local government agencies with projects and initiatives aimed at advancing their community’s sustainability, livability, and resilience. This work was prepared by the Fall 2020 Fellows team, a group of five UMN graduate students who returned to aid Little Canada after working with the City during a Summer 2020 RCP Fellowship. Project Development Over the course of Summer 2020, the RCP Fellows and City staff began development of an overarching community engagement guide that included targeted recommendations and considerations for the City of Little Canada to aid its pursuit of a master plan for Pioneer Park. As part of their final report, the RCP Fellows expressed interest in remaining involved with the City during the Fall 2020 semester, as the team was eager to see the Pioneer Park Master Plan through to completion. Consequently, all five of the RCP Fellows returned in early September 2020 to conduct COVID-19-approved community engagement with City stakeholders, the results of which would be used to inform the master plan. At the onset of the project, the RCP Fellows team met with City staff to review the results of the Summer 2020 Final Report. Using the stakeholder analysis previously created, City staff identified four stakeholder groups that they felt were especially critical in the Pioneer Park Master Plan engagement process: 1.Pitrinia Park Townhomes Association 2.Montreal Court Residents 3.Little Canada Parks and Recreation Commission 4.Little Canada Youths The RCP Fellows then identified best practices for engaging each of these stakeholder groups during the ongoing pandemic. Using the Final Report recommendations as a guide, the RCP Fellows decided to launch a three-part community engagement campaign that included a survey, focus groups, and a kids art project. Together, these engagement efforts ensured that the City would receive quantitative and qualitative feedback on Pioneer Park from the targeted stakeholder groups mentioned above. However, the breadth of these engagement efforts also allowed for the collection of feedback from other stakeholders who could be easily reached via these tactics, such as Little Canada parents, seniors, and the Little Canada Recreation Association.