Government Affairs and Public Involvement & Information Projects


Government Affairs, and Public Information and Involvement Projects

Citywide Sewer System Project, City of Carnation

GA_Projects3.jpgThe City of Carnation, in coordination with King County, is in the process of designing and building the City’s first comprehensive citywide sewer system, a project that is required to meet State health regulations. Carnation residents are currently on septic systems where they only incur the costs of maintaining their individual systems. The introduction of monthly fees for a service that was only costing them the price of maintenance every few years is a hard sell for many residents and oftentimes puts our community communications team to the test. Public involvement and information service provided:

  • Meeting organization, facilitation, and documentation
  • Worked with King County to determine treatment plant siting process
  • Identified key community issues and impacts
  • Prepared a Public Involvement Plan
  • Recommended community outreach strategies and communication techniques
  • Staffed City Council Public Involvement Sewer Public Relations Ad Hoc Committee
  • Prepared speaking points for City staff and elected officials for community presentations
  • Provided meeting management and facilitation services for community, project-wide, and City Council meetings
  • Coordinated, scheduled, staffed, and documented public involvement activities
  • Assisted with development of key messages
  • Prepared press releases
  • Prepared sewer brochure for use in the Washington State Legislature
  • Prepared flyers for water utility bill inserts and public meetings
  • Prepared exhibits and materials for open houses
  • Developed materials to be used on the City’s web site

Juanita Interceptor Sewer Project, City of Kirkland

GA_Projects4.jpgThis project removed a 40-year-old sewer lift station from service and replaced it with a gravity sewer system. The lift station facility was located in the middle of a large wetland near Lake Washington that was restored to blend in with the surrounding area. Roth Hill planned and facilitated the open house to present information to the public regarding the pending construction, including the need to reduce a major four-lane road to two lanes for an extended period of time. Additionally, the meeting addressed a wetland and stream crossing that would have permit restrictions placed on the time of year of construction and water quality monitoring measures. The public meeting was held with an “open house” arrangement to better engage the neighbors and general public with their comments, questions, and concerns. Roth Hill also developed and produced general information sheets, along with plan displays and graphics showing the proposed design. Comment forms were available and were collected at the end of the meeting for review and incorporation into the design process.

Big Gulch Sewer Improvements, Olympus Terrace Sewer District

GA_Projects5.jpgRoth Hill was selected by the District as a subconsultant to be responsible for all public involvement/information aspects of this project that included organizing and facilitating meetings between affected jurisdictions, submitting notices to all known stakeholders, and facilitating a two-day stakeholder workshop. In addition to the jurisdictional coordination, Roth Hill will also set and facilitate multiple informational public meetings for the communities that will be affected by construction. Our public involvement-related services on this project have included:

  • Project Management and Coordination
    • Progress reporting
    • Scheduling
    • Project team management and coordination
  • Public Outreach Planning
    • Prepared Public Involvement Plan
    • Identified key community issues and impacts
    • Recommended community outreach strategies and communication techniques
    • Prepared speaking points for City staff and elected officials for community presentations
  • Community Relations Plan Implementation
    • Provided meeting management and facilitation services for project meetings
    • Coordinated, scheduled, staffed and documented public involvement activities
    • Assisted with development of key messages
    • Prepared press releases for local media
    • Outlined exhibits and materials for open houses
    • Developed and maintained mailing lists

Witte Road Conveyance System, Soos Creek Water & Sewer District

This project impacted surrounding neighborhoods while determining the project location and during construction. Roth Hill staff engaged the residents in determining project location and informed the residents of the impacts, project area, schedule and reasons behind the project. Roth Hill produced and distributed mailers, newsletter content and web site articles to inform customers. This project was also staffed with an on-site project representative to resolve any issues that came up for residents during construction regarding service interruption and access issues. Our public involvement-related services on this project have included:

  • Project Management and Coordination
    • Scheduling and status reporting
    • Project team management and coordination
    • Meeting organization, facilitation and documentation
  • Public Outreach Planning
    • Prepared Public Involvement Plan
    • Identified key community issues and impacts
    • Recommended community outreach strategies and communication techniques
  • Public Involvement Plan Implementation
    • Provided meeting management services
      • Commissioner Board Meetings
      • One-on-one neighbor meetings
      • Neighborhood meetings
      • Project-wide meetings
    • Coordinated, scheduled, staffed and documented public involvement activities
    • Wrote, produced and distributed informational pieces and informational flyers
    • Developed and maintained mailing lists
    • Coordinated with staff and local jurisdictions
    • Prepared responses to citizen questions and concerns

Southwest Service Area Expansion, Soos Creek Water & Sewer District

Roth Hill staff engaged the residents in determining project location and informed the residents of the impacts, project area, schedule and reasons behind the project. Roth Hill produced and distributed mailers, newsletter content and web site articles to inform customers. The project area also bordered environmentally sensitive wetlands and salmon-bearing streams. Our team produced materials informing the surrounding community of the measures that were taken to minimize the impacts to these areas. Educating the community on new technologies and protective measures alleviated their concerns for these sensitive areas. This project was also staffed with an on-site project representative to resolve any issues that came up for residents during construction such as service interruption or equipment blocking driveway access. Our public involvement-related services on this project have included:

  • Project Management and Coordination
    • Progress reporting and scheduling
    • Project team management and coordination
    • Meeting organization, facilitation and documentation
  • Public Outreach Planning
    • Prepared Public Involvement Plan
    • Identified key community issues and impacts
    • Recommended community outreach strategies and communication techniques
  • Public Involvement Plan Implementation
    • Provided meeting management services, including:
      • One-on-one neighbor meetings
      • Neighborhood meetings
      • Project-wide meetings
      • Commissioner Board Meetings
    • Coordinated, scheduled, staffed, and documented public involvement activities
    • Wrote, produced and distributed informational pieces and educational flyers
    • Developed and maintained mailing lists
    • Coordinated with staff and local jurisdictions
    • Prepared responses to citizen questions and concerns

Permitting Experience

Juanita Interceptor Sewer Permitting, City of Kirkland

Roth Hill designed the interceptor sewer project to remove a nearly 40-year-old pump station facility located in the middle of a large wetland near Lake Washington. Originally planned for replacement by the City, Roth Hill devised a feasible solution wherein 2,300 linear feet of 18-inch gravity interceptor sewer, at depths up to 20 feet, could drain the basin instead of utilizing a pump station. The cost comparison for a new pump station versus a gravity sewer revealed that the gravity sewer would be less expensive with lower long-term O&M costs. Another significant benefit of the sewer option was that the pump station site was restored to match the surrounding wetlands.

The sewer alignment is essentially along the edge of Lake Washington at elevations below the lake level; from the existing lift station site, the sewer extends through a steel casing which crosses under Forbes Creek (a salmon-bearing stream), across a wetland, and then north within 98th Avenue NE (a busy, four-lane arterial between downtown Kirkland and the Juanita community). Local, State, and Federal permits were required for the wetland and stream crossings. Roth Hill coordinated the services of a wetland biologist, and geotechnical and structural engineers. We also provided a full-time construction observation representative on site during the entire 11-month construction period.

Citywide Sewer System Project Permitting, City of Carnation

Roth Hill has scoped all required permits for both the City of Carnation’s collection and conveyance system and King County’s Carnation wastewater treatment plant. We are providing subconsultant coordination to collect geotechnical, wildlife, wetlands and archaeological information necessary for construction permitting and project approvals at the Local, State and Federal levels. Roth Hill prepared the NEPA Environmental Assessment and is coordinating agency reviews and approvals with the Washington Department of Ecology and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). We will then coordinate the ESA Section 7 approval process with the USEPA, National Marine Fisheries Service, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Water Treatment Plant Permitting, King County

This facility sits at the base of a steep slope in the Cedar River Valley. Permitting requirements include a DOE permit for groundwater recharge/disposal of filter backwash water containing manganese and iron, and a variety of King County permits, including a sight distance variance, a steep slope setback variance, a building permit for the facility at the toe of a steep slope and an on-site sewage disposal permit for a holding tank. The project includes a generator and fuel storage, as well as chemical handling and spill containment equipment.

Lift Station 10B Replacement Permitting, Soos Creek Water & Sewer District

The purpose of this project was to replace an existing lift station where the incoming flows were approaching and sometimes exceeding the station’s pumping capacity with a new station that would have an ultimate pumping capacity of approximately 10,000 gpm. In addition to the complete system process and site design, Roth Hill provided construction permitting services. We obtained permits from the City of Kent for the odor control facilities, the underground pump station, the aboveground electrical and control building and the backup generators. Each of the two generators will provide 600 kilowatts of electricity and has 1,100 gallons of integral diesel fuel storage.