Print9.2.2 Community Relations
Simply put, if you want to be accepted into a community, you have to behave like a citizen and strive to become part of the community. You can improve your chances of becoming a part of the community if your behavior and actions strengthen the sense of community.
As a starting point, it may be helpful to think about a few realities. First, even if most people recognize that your mine is providing good jobs and contributing to the tax base, they still don’t want you in “their backyard.” We all drive cars, but how many of us want a car factory nearby? We all take comfort in knowing that a hospital is available in our community, but how many of us would be happy if they broke ground for a new hospital down the street from our house? You get the idea! It’s nothing personal against you or even the company, but people don’t want an increase in traffic, a noise source, or an eye sore in their community. They are concerned about their quality of life and the value of their home. Understanding their concerns is a good starting point to help you understand the task that lies ahead and the journey to become a valued member of the community.
While there is no one “magic bullet,” there are actions that many companies have found productive. Here are commonly mentioned ones.
Community Day: Invite your neighbors for a tour of the mine. Once they better understand what you do and how you do it, they are likely to have a better impression. Combine this with a cookout and a social opportunity for the community to meet and talk with the people who work at the mine. Don’t be afraid to share reclamation and mine closure plans, or to answer questions about the operation. Rather than simply complain about public ignorance, accept that it is your responsibility to educate and inform! And of course, recognize that this is something that requires attention year-round, not just during Community Day.
Citizens Advisory Group: If there are concerns and there is an active citizen's group, work with its members to form an advisory group where they can channel their concerns and engage productively with mine management. However, please understand that if you do this, you and your management must engage in good faith. Otherwise you are likely to take a difficult situation and turn it into a very bad one!
Employee Engagement: Encourage employees to be active on the school board, in civic organizations, e.g. Rotary Club or Lion’s Club, in schools as speakers, in coaching of kids' sports, or in the scouts, among others. Adapt employee work schedules insofar as is practicable to facilitate their participation. Donate rock kits or informational literature to the schools. Invite science teachers to visit your operation.
Donate to Local Activities: Sponsor the local youth teams for soccer, baseball, softball, and so on. Buy the team new uniforms. Purchase sponsorships in local civic events. Make a donation to the local library’s annual fundraiser.
In-Kind Contributions: depending on the nature of your mining operation, you may have surface construction equipment, trucks, wheeled loaders, dozers, and so on, and you may have construction aggregates and even concrete and/or blacktop (bituminous concrete). You may be able to donate the equipment, along with operators and materials, to redo the local ballfield, or to put in or extend a local bike path, for example. If you cannot support the entire cost on your own, you might be able to donate just the machine time or perhaps the materials. These efforts can net goodwill for years to come.
Be a Good Neighbor, Every Day: Do not play “fast and loose” with the parameters of your operating permits, and make sure that contractors and customers coming onto your site do the same. If trucks are taking product from your yard, make sure they are covering their beds before leaving the property, and while you are at it, make sure they are not tracking mud or stone dust onto the public road. Undercarriage water sprays are commonly used in some operations. Back-up alarms are often noted as the single greatest aggravation within the community. When MSHA regulations allow, consider using strobes instead of audible alarms.
You can look at these community relations activities as a major investment in the equitable region of the sustainability diagram. And remember, it’s not about how much money you spend, it’s about making a genuine effort to strengthen the institutions and organizations that comprise the community through your company’s involvement.