Script for Webinar #4
HOW TO GET INVOLVED: CONSULTING PARTIES AND THE PUBLIC
Your role in the Section 106 Process

I. INTRODUCTION TO WEBINAR 
Slide 1
Welcome back to TxDOT’s Historic Preservation webinar series! This webinar is all about what it means to be a consulting party or participate as a member of the public, and which role is right for you.
Slide 2
This is the fourth of seven webinars about our commitments to Historic Preservation at TxDOT. The goal with this webinar series is to provide you with all the information you need to become an informed participant in the Section 106 process. If this webinar is the first you’ve tuned into, we recommend you pause and watch Webinar 1 before moving on. The previous webinars provide a great foundation for understanding the overall historic preservation process. Be sure to download the handouts for links to other helpful resources and a glossary of terms we use throughout the series. 
Slide 3
In this webinar, we’ll review the formal role of a consulting party and other, less formal ways to participate in TxDOT’s Section 106 process. By the end of the webinar, you’ll know exactly how you can get involved.

II. WHAT IS A SECTION 106 CONSULTING PARTY? 
Slide 4
A consulting party is a person or interest group that formally participates in the Section 106 process of a project. TxDOT reaches out to consulting parties to include them in its historic preservation work because we need your help (it’s also required by law).  
Does your city or town have a county historical commission or main street association? Groups like these work to highlight local history and protect important community resources—and they make great consulting parties. We also talk to property owners and renters in our project areas and interest groups like the Historic Bridge Foundation. 
Consultation and public participation are at the heart of the preservation process. Consulting parties become our partners and provide valuable input in the project planning process. 
       Slide 5
Consulting parties can include representatives from all levels of government, non-profit organizations, tribal governments, community or professional associations, and the public. The more perspectives we have, the better our outcomes. 
Slide 6
Consulting parties participate on a project-by-project basis. TxDOT follows specific protocols to determine when and how to coordinate project reviews with consulting parties. This is guided by our Section 106 Programmatic Agreement and our Memorandum of Understanding, which are discussed in Webinar 2. 
TxDOT does not contact consulting parties for every project. Remember, some projects, like minor street paving projects or traffic light installation, do not impact cultural resources so TxDOT does not engage consulting parties.
Instead, we involve consulting parties on projects that actually have the potential to affect cultural resources, like road widening or historic bridge projects. When we reach out to you, it is because we have a project that really needs your input!  

III. WHEN DOES A CONSULTING PARTY PARTICIPATE?
   Slide 7
Let’s say you’ve decided to be a consulting party on a project in your community.  When do you participate and what do you do? When TxDOT has a project with the potential to affect cultural resources, we make sure you have the opportunity to participate throughout the Section 106 process. Let’s look at what that means for each step.
   Slide 8
During Step 1, TxDOT notifies potential consulting parties and members of the public that we are starting a project that may impact cultural resources. We reach out to consulting parties in a variety of ways: through emails and phone calls, in-person meetings, and at public meetings and open houses.
At this step, we want to know if you or your organization are interested in becoming a formal Consulting Party. And if you miss out, don’t worry – you can request to be a consulting party at any point in the process.
   Slide 9
During Step 2, TxDOT identifies cultural resources in the project area through background research and field surveys. Consulting party involvement is very helpful during this step. Our professional archeologists and historians can often recognize older properties, but we need consulting parties to tell us which are important to their communities. We share the results of our research and offer consulting parties an opportunity to comment and point out anything we missed. 
   Slide 10
During Step 3, TxDOT evaluates the cultural resources that we found in Step 2, to see if they are historically, culturally, or architecturally significant and eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Here, consulting parties tell us why a certain place is important to them or their communities. We also want them to share historical information or point us to someone else who can.  
   Slide 11
During the final step, TxDOT must decide how to balance the transportation project with preservation. We look at the details of the project and determine if cultural resources will be impacted. Here, consulting parties can help us think of ways to avoid or minimize impacts on the cultural resource, like building a noise wall (shown in the top right photograph). 
If we can’t avoid damaging cultural resources, we rely on consulting parties to tell us how to preserve the story of the resource for future generations. We need your help to brainstorm preservation solutions, like creating an exhibit or moving an historic bridge to a local park!
IV. WHAT CAN A CONSULTING PARTY DO?
   Slide 12
So, let’s review what a consulting party does during the Section 106 process. 
Consulting parties can:
* Help us find cultural resources in the project area. 
* Tell us what is important about the resources. 
* Share concerns about how a project might negatively impact a resource. 
* Help us come up with ideas and options if there are negative impacts. 
Your active participation in the process helps TxDOT arrive at the best outcome. Based on this process and your input, TxDOT makes the final decision on how to best proceed. 

V. HOW DO YOU BECOME A CONSULTING PARTY?
   Slide 13
A consulting party is a formal role with certain responsibilities outlined in the National Historic Preservation Act. If you want to participate in a project as a consulting party, you must let TxDOT know your interest in this role.  
How do you make this request? You can fill out the contact form on TxDOT’s website (there’s a link in the video description and the handout)—just be sure to include the project name and TxDOT project number if you have it. You can email or write to your local TxDOT office or the Texas Historical Commission and ask to be involved. You can respond to a project-specific letter or email that you’ve received from TxDOT. You can also attend a public or consulting party meeting and speak to TxDOT representatives there.
To find out about projects in your area, check TxDOT’s website. The public involvement page lists public meeting schedules; TxDOT’s project tracker hosts an interactive map with information about current and upcoming projects; and TxDOT’s Environmental Affairs “Get Involved” page has a variety of helpful resources.

VI. WHAT IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE A CONSULTING PARTY?
Slide 14
You can still find out about our projects without becoming a consulting party. What’s the difference? as a member of the public, you can always get information on our projects and even let us know what you think, regardless of if you are participating as a consulting party on a project. You can choose to stay informed of the Section 106 process and participate in outreach or mitigation but not formally partner with TxDOT for the project. Participants at this level are not expected to respond to TxDOT inquiries and do not have to participate in each step of the process. At any time you may request to become a consulting party.

VII. KEY TAKEAWAYS
Slide 15
Let’s recap: A consulting party is an organization or individual with a formal role in the Section 106 process for a project. Individuals can also participate as members of the public who are concerned about the project but want to participate in a less formal way. 
Regardless of the role, all of TxDOT’s preservation partners provide us with important information about cultural resources, project impacts, and education or interpretation opportunities in their area. Participation ensures that your community’s history, culture, and architecture are preserved for future generations. We value your help no matter how you wish to participate. The choice is yours!

VIII. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
   Slide 17
Thanks for listening to this webinar about Consulting Parties. Tune into the other webinars in this series to learn more about Section 106 and historic preservation at TxDOT. In the meantime, check out the video description below for links to helpful online resources and handouts. Head to TxDOT’s Beyond The Road website for videos, podcasts, and story maps about the interesting resources we’ve uncovered during our projects. Sign up for our newsletter and learn more about how you can get involved.


LINKS FOR THE VIDEO DESCRIPTION:
	For more information specifically about participation visit:
• TxDOT Environmental Affairs “Get Involved” page provides a variety of resources (https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/division/environmental/get-involved.html)
• TxDOT’s public involvement page lists public meeting schedules (https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/get-involved/about/hearings-meetings.html)
• TxDOT’s project tracker (https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/projects/project-tracker.html)
• “Getting Involved in Historic Preservation at TxDOT”: (https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/division/environmental/historic-preservation.html)
• Contact form on TxDOT’s website: https://www.txdot.gov/contact-us/form.html?id=env-asc-email – be sure to include the project name and project CSJ number if you have it
       For more specific guidance on TxDOT’s Section 106 process, head to TxDOT’s toolkits. 
• Archeological Sites and Cemeteries Toolkit: (https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/division/environmental/compliance-toolkits/toolkit.html)
• Historic Resources Toolkit (https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/division/environmental/compliance-toolkits/historic-resources.html). 
       Contact us: (https://www.txdot.gov/contact-us/form.html?id=env-asc-email)