PIQUA — The City of Piqua is seeking to identify design alternatives for the Hydraulic Canal system, which includes Swift Run Lake, Echo Lake, and Franz Pond and the canal that connects them.

The residents of Piqua value this system of waterways for a variety of reasons and it is important to engage the community in the process of determining the preferred design alternative.

The City of Piqua’s plan for engagement with the public on this important project has three parts:

1. Form a Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) – Completed

2. Series of small Focus Group Sessions – Engagement beginning in August with those who live on the hydraulic canal system

3. Community Summit – Large Group Public Meeting

These engagement events will have an initial round and a second round, meaning there will be 12 total meetings, including two public meetings during this season of engagement.

Piqua City Planner Kyrsten French, the staff manager of this engagement process, will mail a letter to those who live around the hydraulic canal/lakes at the end of July or the beginning of August. This letter will notify recipients of the dates and times for the Focus Group discussions and Community Summit. This list includes over 200 households.

The project team is also keeping a list of contacts from the December public meeting, and adding all those who submit contact information through the signup section of the https://piquadamstudy2022.com/ website. Those who sign up to be on the list will receive an emailed notice. A public meeting notice will advertise the Community Summits. It is the staff’s intent to provide a clear understanding of when and how decisions are made in response to the State of Ohio’s regulations, and to make sure that no one’s voice or ideas are lost in the process.