BREAKING NEWS:
August 20, 2008 --

STB Public Meeting Format and Ground Rules:

All meetings will consist of an open house followed by a public meeting. The same information will be presented at each public meeting and will follow the schedule outlined below.

Open House 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Staff from the Board and HDR, Inc. will be available to answer questions and help members of the public review project maps and other findings of the Draft EIS and analysis.

Public Meeting 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Staff from the Board and HDR, Inc. will make a short presentation to the public and will then be available to receive formal comments on the Draft EIS. This portion of the meeting will be held for the purpose of receiving comment. It is not a question-and-answer session.

Beginning on July 25, 2008, speaker registration will be determined on a first come, first served basis by calling the hotline to pre-register in advance (1-800-347-0689) or at the sign-in tables the day of the public meeting. Each speaker will be allocated up to 3 minutes to present her or his comments. Phone registration for each meeting will end at 6PM the day prior to the meeting.

Mutual respect, courtesy, and patience are the meeting’s guiding principles. In order to maintain an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable and welcome, we ask that you follow the ground rules listed below:

  • Displays, signs, or banners are not allowed in the meeting room or registration area.
  • Please do not interrupt a speaker while he or she is speaking.
  • Please remain quiet while in the audience so the court reporter can accurately hear and record comments.
  • When speaking, please refrain from addressing the audience or asking for audience participation.
  • Please turn off cell phones and pagers or set them to vibrate.

Public Meeting Guidelines

Procedures for speaker registration and participation are listed below. The moderator has the authority to deviate from these procedures, if needed.

  1. All speakers are required to register either by calling the hotline in advance of the meeting
    (1-800-347-0689)     or by signing up at the Speaker Registration table at the meeting.
  2. A list of registered speakers will be given to the moderator and court reporter at the start of the public meeting. Speakers will be called forward based on the order in which they signed up. Federally elected officials will be moved to the top of the speakers list.
  3. In order to accommodate as many speakers as possible, individuals who have spoken at another public meeting for this proceeding will be placed at the end of the speaker list.
  4. Each speaker will be allotted a maximum of 3 minutes to present his or her comments. A timekeeper will alert speakers at the 2 minute mark, the 2-1/2 minute mark, and at 3 minutes.
  5. Speakers are encouraged to summarize written comments rather than read them in full.
  6. To allow equal opportunity for all, and to accommodate the number of people who may wish to speak, yielding time to another person will not be allowed.
  7. Demonstrations will not be allowed in either the open house or the public meeting.
  8. Transcripts of the public meetings will be available on the Board’s website (http://www.stb.dot.gov) approximately two weeks after the public meetings.

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The STB Releases the Draft EIS and Schedules Public Hearings!
 
The STB released its long-awaited DEIS today -- interested parties can review this huge document at the STB website:  http://www.stbfinancedocket35087.com/html/deis-report.html
 
Some key parts of the DEIS have been uploaded to this website -- you can find those under the "Documents" tab. 
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Schedule of Regional STB Meetings to Allow the Public to Comment on the DEIS:

Beginning on August 25, 2008, SEA will host eight open house/public meetings throughout the Chicagoland area to present the findings of the Draft EIS and receive public comments. Each open house/public meeting will offer an informal open house segment from 4:00-6:00pm, followed by a formal public meeting from 6:00-9:00pm. At beginning of each formal public meeting segment, SEA will give a brief overview of its findings in the Draft EIS and will invite interested parties to make oral comments and/or submit written comments. SEA will have a transcriber present to record the oral comments in either English or Spanish. The dates, locations and times of the open house/public meetings are :

Monday, August 25 -- Matteson, Illinois;  Holiday Inn Hotel & Conference Center; 500 Holiday Plaza Drive Matteson, IL 60443

Tuesday, August 26 -- Mundelein, Illinois; Crowne Plaza Chicago North Shore; 510 E. Route 83, Mundelein, IL 60060

Wednesday, August 27 -- Barrington, Illinois; Barrington High School; 616 W. Main Street, Barrington, IL 60010

Thursday, August 28  -- Bartlett, Illinois; Bartlett High School; 701 Schick Road, Bartlett, IL 60103

Monday, Sept. 8 -- Chicago, Illinois; Loyola University of Chicago; 25 East Pearson Street, Chicago, IL 60611

Tuesday, Sept. 9 -- Aurora, Illinois; West Aurora High School; 1201 W. New York Street, Aurora, IL 60506

Wednesday, Sept. 10 -- Gary, Indiana; Indiana University; Northwest 3400 Broadway, Gary, IN 46408

Thursday, Sept. 11 -- Joliet, Illinois; Holiday Inn Hotel & Conference Center; 411 S. Larkin Avenue, Joliet, IL 60435

The same short presentations will be given by staff from the Board and HDR, Inc. at the beginning of each public meeting following the schedule outlined below:

Open House: 4:00pm – 6:00pm

Staff from the Board and HDR, Inc. will be available to answer questions and help members of the public review project maps and other findings of the Draft EIS and analysis.

Public Meeting: 6:00pm – 9:00pm

Staff from the Board and HDR, Inc. will make a short presentation to the public and will then be available to receive formal comments on the Draft EIS. This portion of the meeting will be held for the purpose of receiving comment. It is not a question-and-answer session.

Beginning on July 25, 2008, speaker registration will be determined on a first come first serve basis by calling the hotline to preregister in advance (1-800-347-0689) or at the sign-in tables the day of the public meeting. Each speaker will be allocated up to 3 minutes to present his or her comments. In order to allow as many speakers the opportunity to speak, we ask that groups appoint a single spokesperson, that members of the public who have spoken at another meeting wait until others who have not spoken have the opportunity to be heard, and that speakers summarize their written comments rather then reading their full comments verbatim.

 
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