‘It’s like a conversation’; City launches What’s Up Woodland Park website
An online forum, a digital town hall, What’s Up Woodland Park is an invitation to the citizens from the city to participate and collaborate on projects.
“The online platform is timely, of course, like things in the government going digital,” said Michael Lawson, interim city manager. “Since we can’t be together, this is like a community meeting.”
The platform is funded by CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act) money from the federal government. “We’re keeping all the interaction confined to a single project,” Lawson said.
To engage the community, the city employs tools such as surveys, polls, an online forum and maps.
“We are using this new tool to encourage open, honest conversations among the community’s various stakeholders and to get a better sense of what our community wants and needs,” Lawson stated in a press release. “Our sincere hope is to have a meaningful and constructive dialogue with all the folks who call our community home.”
One of the first topics to discuss will be about the city’s comprehensive plan. “The platform is a tool to hear back from the community and to facilitate the discussion,” he said. “Its like a conversation.”
The city provided directions on how to get started:
1. Go to https://whatsupwoodlandpark.com
2. Click the orange “Join the Conversation” button in the middle of the screen
3. Fill out the registration form
4. You will be prompted to verify your email address, follow the instructions to verify your email address
5. Now you can participate! Start by scrolling down to current projects
6. Participate in one of our current projects!
a. Share your story and map your favorite place in the “What I Love Most About Woodland Park” project
b. Share your ideas and vote on other ideas using the Ideas board on the “About” project
c. Take the survey in our “Help Us Improve Our Communication” project
“We’re excited to launch this new tool and are hopeful it will make it easy to learn about and have your voice heard about what’s going on in Woodland Park in the future,” Lawson said.