City of Sarasota Lift Station 87 Project
The Lift Station 87 Project commenced in March of 2011 and was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2012. However, the overall project was delayed due to constructability issues associated with micro-tunneling efforts. The previous engineer and contractor stopped work, leaving the project incomplete. In 2013, McKim & Creed was brought on board to finish the job, and Dialogue Public Relations is a subcontractor.
Chief among the City and the project team’s goals was to foster community trust by maintaining open, two-way communications about the project and rebuild confidence through a transparent project process. Dialogue Public Relations developed a strategic communications plan for the project that includes a number of efforts:
- Developing a visual identity for the project through a project logo and templates for visual elements (fact sheet, signage, display ads, etc.).
- Establishing and maintaining two-way communications with stakeholders through a variety of channels, such as community meetings, a project hotline, and website with contact form.
- Keeping local media informed on the project.
Creating and disseminating public information materials including fact sheets, presentations, and questions and answers. - Working with the City to disseminate information through the City’s existing channels, including email subscriber’s list, Next Door, Facebook, Twitter and more.
Sustained, consistent engagement efforts yielded positive results, with resident input helping shape the new lift station building design and maintenance of traffic plans. Phase 1 (microtunnels under Hudson Bayou, Osprey Avenue and Luke Wood Park) was successfully completed in June 2017. Phase 2 (Lift Station 87 structure) was completed in fall of 2020. Phase 3 (open cut gravity sewer pipeline construction south of Hudson Bayou and demolition of Lift Station 7) began in mid-2020 and was completed in 2021. Dialogue Public Relations assisted with initial engagement for Phase 3, after which the design-build team worked directly with the community.