Background Info:
Boundary Dam, which is owned and operated by Seattle City Lights, Seattle’s electric utility company, is located in rural Washington. It provides a large amount of the hydro electric energy that Seattle is powered by, even though it is seven hours away. This facility provides low cost power to the local community and provides jobs and recreational opportunities for the citizens of the small towns with Pend Oreille County. It is one of the largest employers for the area, and brings revenue to the local economy by attracting tourists.
The federal license for the Boundary Hydroelectric Project will expire this year. It was first licensed in 1961. The dam was in dedicated in September 1967. In May of 2005 Seattle City Lights started the formal preliminary process to renew its license. It has been on ongoing process up to the present to make sure everything is in place to be re-licensed as a “Project” through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
For part of the process, Seattle City Lights wanted to get support from the local leaders of Pend Oreille County and the community as a whole. This is where the public relations plays a leading role. 
PR Campaign:
How it started: A woman called one of the plant managers. She told him that her father had worked on building the dam, and lost his life while working to complete it. She asked if she could visit and tour the dam, and if while she was there she could place a plaque near the dam in remembrance of him. The plant manager liked the idea and began to research information about others who died while helping build the dam.
Details: The event was planned for September, 40 years after the dedication of the dam. Because it was dedicated in 1967 the planning team decided to go with the theme “Welcome back to 1967” The event would include an evening reception at the historic Cutter Theater, an elementary school dam tour and hydro experiment demonstration, a plaque dedication ceremony for those who had died during the construction of the dam, and an open house and dam tours. The décor of the event was all based around 1967. This included a menu with popular foods from the decade, such as Twinkies, Jell-O, Tab Cola and Tang. Hostesses were also dressed in vintage ‘60s era clothing.
The next morning there was a breakfast at a local café, a class for fifth graders that took place on top of the dam, and the plaque dedication ceremony in one of the dams giant power tunnels. The ceremony ended with a family member of one of the original builders of the Dam spreading the ashes of their father into the water below.
Purpose: To honor the community, those who work at Boundary and those who built the dam. The goal was to do this through a fun event to attract locals and guests traveling through the area to come participate. It also served the purpose of bringing the executives of Seattle City Lights and other prominent figures from Seattle to interact and build relationships with local officials.
Challenges: Most P.R. campaigns that celebrate anniversaries focus on major milestone anniversaries such as the 25th, 50th, 100th, and so on.
The general public view dams as obstacles that restrict water flow.
Results: At least 90% of the invitees turned out. These guests included the city councils of nearby towns, school board members, newspaper editors, representatives of the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Border Patrol, and Seattle’s Mayor.
End Note:
The re licensing process for the Boundary Hydroelectric Project is still on track. Everything I have read seems to indicate that those in charge are hopeful that they will be re licensed without issues. I was unable to find a date of when the process would end.
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