Case Study: Clark County, WA, Building Safety

Engaging the community and creating jobs with a private/public Partnership – Planet Clark

In 2011, Clark County Building Safety created a way to engage the community and teach homeowners and kids about the value of home health and building safety. They had a website that wasn’t working well and they engaged MEQ for redevelopment.

The endeavored to create a public/private partnership between the building community, Clark County Building Safety, and the public. They secured grants, including an ARRA grant, which served to test homes for leaky HVAC ductwork. This work revealed that about 80% of all homes had leaky ducts! 

In addition, construction jobs were down, and Building Safety had fresh ideas to create connections between the local building community and homeowners needing services. They built an interactive trailer with their building partners, which was fun, and educated kids and adults on safe and healthy practices. 

Their creativity was off the charts, and the requirements of their program grew and grew. They needed a partner who could help them with content and visual graphics to bring their vision to life. It was fun and exciting to be a part of this important, multi-faced social marketing program. 

In 2012, they took a national stage and demonstrated to building departments across the US that educating and engaging the public was a priority to ensure the health and safety of every homeowner. For the event, MEQ had 30 days to complete websites, maps, banners, branded thumb drives, videos, logos and more.

Over time, their needs grew, as did our creative effort to support new initiatives, like building Clark County’s first NAHB Emerald Certified Green Home on an unused tax lot – for a family in need.

We are honored to participate in this incredible body of work on a 13-year journey in public education and engagement. We have enjoyed working with Chief Building Official, Jim Muir and Weatherization Program Director, Mike Selig, whose work continues to inspire.