Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Bartlett Bay Wastewater topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council reviews outreach plan for Bartlett Bay wastewater upgrade and bond vote
Summary
Public works and staff presented a communications and outreach plan for a proposed bond to upgrade Bartlett Bay wastewater treatment; council asked for clearer, tangible messaging (phosphorus reductions, net energy/carbon savings) and scheduled pre-election listening sessions and Channel 17 content.
City staff presented a draft outreach and communications plan, and a “public-facing” website, ahead of a planned bond vote for the Bartlett Bay wastewater treatment facility upgrade. Jesse Baker (senior manager) and Tom DiPietro (public works director) described the draft collateral—FAQs, an FAQs submission portal, listening sessions timed before July council meetings, school and community outreach, and paid/earned media assets.
Council members emphasized plain-language, tangible metrics to help voters assess the project’s value. One councilor urged framing benefits in everyday terms—"what happens when you flush the toilet? Where does it go?"—and suggested quantifying water-quality gains: “20,000 pounds of phosphorus comes in. We put out 300 pounds,” as a way to make the environmental improvement concrete for readers and voters.
Staff recommended two pre-council listening sessions (planned just before the July meetings) and a Channel 17 taped presentation or Q&A that could be linked from the project page. Councilors volunteered to write opinion/education pieces for local outlets, suggested staffing a booth at SB Night Out and other events, and asked staff to add an obvious home-page icon linking to the bond materials. Director DiPietro agreed to work with Finance on net operating-cost and solar/carbon-savings figures for inclusion on the website.
Council provided general support for the outreach approach and asked staff to return with condensed messaging, NPV-style net savings (operating and energy), and clearer visuals that show environmental risk without the project. Staff will incorporate the feedback and finalize a schedule for the public listening sessions and materials ahead of the required public-hearing timeline.
