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
Comprehensive Planning
Two Sub-Area Master Plans
This case study shows how collaborative public engagement processes helped two different communities located within the same county. Each of these two scenarios involved development of a comprehensive plan to preserve and revitalize mixed-use neighborhoods. The plans also had to comply with zoning regulations and transportation capacity while also serving the interests of both the local communities and the developers.
Services:
Facilitation, Process Design, Training
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
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
