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AVI News and Events AVI was recently awarded the Surveying Category Grand Prize - Presidential Project Award for 2006 from the Wyoming Engineering Society in recognition of efforts performed for the “Norris Viaduct Right-Of-Way Re-tracement and Engineering Survey”. The award was presented at the 87th Annual Convention in Sheridan Wyoming on February 2, 2007. AVI was recently awarded an Honorable Mention in the Engineering Category - Presidential Project Award for 2006 from the Wyoming Engineering Society in recognition of efforts performed for the “Guernsey State Park Lake Shore Drive Reconstruction Project”. The award was presented at the 87th Annual Convention in Sheridan Wyoming on February 2, 2007. Cheyenne, Wyoming’s Plan Cheyenne To Receive Washington, D.C. – Asked what their town needs to make it more attractive for them to stay on after graduating, college students in Cheyenne, Wyoming, said better-paying jobs, more affordable housing, and more night life. Not surprising answers, perhaps, but the survey results provided important information to city planners who used a variety of methods to garner citizen ideas and input for Plan Cheyenne, the newly completed comprehensive plan for Cheyenne and portions of Laramie County. Designed to be action-oriented – and to follow-through on the dozens of ideas about how Cheyenne can be made more attractive and inviting while respecting the community’s historic Western heritage and culture – the plan has been selected to receive one of two 2007 Daniel Burnham Awards for a Comprehensive Plan being given by the American Planning Association (APA). The plan was spearheaded by the Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization, a regional planning group representing both the City of Cheyenne and Laramie County. Assisting them with the planning process and completion of the plan were several consultants including AVI Engineering; Clarion Associates; EDAW, Inc.; and LSA Associates, Inc. “Cheyenne’s new plan is innovative, not only in the ways the planning team generated public interest and participation in developing the plan, but also by integrating the plan with the city’s parks and recreation needs and transportation issues,” said Carol Rhea, AICP, chair of the APA Awards Committee. “This plan is an exemplary model for others who want to develop an effective comprehensive plan for their community,” she added. “Besides successfully integrating our land-use plan with our master transportation and master parks and recreation plans,” said Matthew Ashby, AICP, a planner with the City of Cheyenne, “the plan is designed to be easily updated through an amendment process.” The plan has land-use categories that are flexible and will enable the city and county to respond to market changes quickly and efficiently. To keep residents informed during the planning process, more than 40 updates were presented to community groups. Other steps taken to increase public awareness about the plan involved programs about the plan airing on a dozen radio shows, publication of full-page newspaper ads, and open house-type events held at local grocery stores. In addition the city held public workshops, conducted a design charrette, and formed a citizen steering committee in order to generate public interest and participation in Plan Cheyenne. The plan contains a variety of implementation strategies, including incentives and model ordinances as well as examples and case studies from other communities that have adopted measures similar to those suggested in Cheyenne’s plan. For additional information about the plan, visit www.plancheyenne.com. APA’s national planning awards, considered by planners to be the profession’s highest honor, is a tradition dating back more than 50 years that recognizes outstanding community plans, planning programs and initiatives, public education efforts, and individuals for their leadership on planning issues. |