Summerset staff narrows survey approach for future land-use outreach, sets stakeholder list and tentative meeting dates

Staff members leading Summerset's comprehensive-plan outreach asked residents whether the city should grow and how to frame a public survey about preferred directions of growth, proposing both mapped sticker exercises and simplified geographic choices tied to I-90 exits.

The question of whether to plan for growth and, if so, where it should occur was central to the meeting. "Do we wanna grow? Do we wanna grow? So that's gonna give me the first indicator is, you know, do we wanna stay how we are? Do or do we wanna grow as a community? And I would like and then where do we wanna grow?" said a staff member leading the discussion.

Why it matters: decisions about where a city grows affect infrastructure costs for roads, water and sewer and shape future residential and commercial development. Staff described choosing survey question formats and outreach methods to capture useful public input while limiting data-cleaning burden.

Meeting participants discussed two main approaches: a multiple-choice or example-based question using recognizable reference points (for instance, "East of I-90" or by exit numbers such as "Exit 52"), or an open-ended text response. The staff member said they often supplement surveys with an in-person activity: "When we do, not this stakeholders meeting, but the next stakeholders meeting we have, I print out maps and then stickers, and I stick things all over that to help." The group noted open-ended responses are often skipped or produce many "not sure" answers, while mapped sticker exercises produce clearer directional signals.

Participants raised local naming and orientation issues. One resident said people use local markers differently and recommended using I-90 and exit numbers as anchors: "By going by 48, 406, 502'I know a lot of people here." Staff said simplified geographic categories (for example, "east of I-90," "north toward Sturgis," "south toward Rapid") could reduce confusion for respondents and make results more comparable across neighborhoods.

Staff described practical constraints and data needs: turned-in map data can require substantial effort to clean and code; an example cited was a community of about 400 responses that took two staff members about two weeks to process. That informed the team's preference for a closed or example-based question in the initial survey to keep analysis manageable.

The meeting also reviewed a stakeholder-invite list for the next round of outreach. Proposed invitees and partners included the school superintendent, economic-development representatives, childcare providers, the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) and state Department of Transportation staff, local trails and recreation groups (including Black Hills Trails), the U.S. Forest Service, local engineers and developers, and emergency services (police, fire, county emergency manager and sheriff). Potential venues listed for the community meetings included the American Legion in Piedmont, a hotel/convention space and the middle school.

Timing and logistics discussed: staff proposed a follow-up internal meeting on April 22 to finalize the survey and stakeholder list, then community meetings in late May or early to mid-June, allowing at least two weeks of advertising. Staff recommended leaving the survey open during the meetings and closing it roughly a week afterward to capture both in-person and remote respondents.

Process notes: participants favored in-person engagement for higher-quality input and noted streaming or remote-only formats can depress in-person participation. Staff said they would prepare an updated survey and stakeholder list for review at the next meeting and requested emailed additions to the invite list.

Formal actions recorded at the end of the meeting were procedural motions to close the discussion and to adjourn. The group carried both motions by voice vote.

The meeting closed with staff committing to circulate an updated survey before the next stakeholders meeting and to attempt to set community meeting dates in coordination with available venues and staff schedules.