Potomac River
Inter-jurisdictional Water Pollution Management
The Department of Justice filed suit on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency against nine state, county, and municipal governments. The lawsuit claimed that a massive regional water treatment plant exceeded its permitted treatment capacity after heavy rainfall and caused significant pollution in the Potomac River.
Services:
Facilitation, Mediation
Patuxent River
"Wild and Scenic" Designation
Due to considerable disagreement among environmentalists, recreational fishermen, farmers, and commercial boatmen regarding the Patuxent River’s designation as “Wild and Scenic,” we conducted a situation assessment involving 40+ stakeholder interviews to explore whether the parties might find common ground for such a designation.
Services:
Facilitation, Public Engagement
Water Rights Dispute
Allocation of Water Supply
Three parties–a developer, a private school, and a homeowner’s association (HOA)–were unable to negotiate an agreement regarding their rights to their collective water supply allocated by the county. Each party wanted access to the limited water supply for specific purposes. The HOA wanted to water lawns and maintain a swimming pool. The developer sought county approval to install water taps in the homes it planned to build. The school wanted water access for daily consumption and science and physical education classes.
Services:
Facilitation
Large Denominational Church
Organizational Effectiveness & Team Building
A large local denominational church was falling into three rival factions over whether the national church and/or the regional district had departed from traditional church beliefs and principles. These issues raised the question of whether the local church should separate itself from the national church and organize into two or three new groups.
Services:
Mediation, Process Design
Family Business Enterprise
Organizational Effectiveness
A large family with members located in three different parts of the country owned multiple commercial properties in the Chicago area. The family units disagreed about how to manage their properties and leasing commissions, distribute rental income, and create a plan of succession from the older to younger generations. As distrust grew, they hired us to facilitate their conflict and build consensus about the issues most important to them.
Services:
Facilitation
County Executive Office Reorganization
Organizational Effectiveness
To cut costs and improve operational efficiency, the county executive sought to consolidate two departments to cut the county budget. However, some of the county directors and their staff wanted to keep their departments intact, including their existing access to the county executive.
Services:
Facilitation
