Demystifying a Public Agency
 The
Challenge: Most of today’s seaports now sit on deepwater channels
far from the center of town. Fenced off from the public and protected
by guards, the docks and storage yards remain a mystery for most
people.
This image posed a challenge for the public
Port of Oakland, which needed grass-roots political support to dredge
deeper channels for big new ships and for further expansion projects.
The Solution: The port used its 60th anniversary
as an opportunity to show its constituents firsthand how the modern
harbor works. Its Port Day program began with an early morning,
5K/10K run and walking tours of a cargo terminal; 500-passenger
tour vessels made a circuit of the commercial shoreline, a day-long
open house aboard tugs, water taxis and other craft enabled visitors
to meet maritime workers, and a historian gave a standing-room-only
lecture and slide show on waterfront architecture since the port’s
founding.
Results: All of the activities were publicized
in an eight-page tabloid supplement to the city’s suburban
newspaper, reaching more than 100,000 households, in video news
releases to regional TV stations and with a free, color poster distributed
through city schools, libraries and youth and senior recreation
centers.
The port won local support and was successful
in gaining approval for its $100 million dredging program.
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