News
Meet Alan Hughes, RG, LG, PG, Principal Geologist
Where are you from and where do you live now? I grew up in Vancouver and Ridgefield, Washington. After college I moved back to Ridgefield, and I have lived there since. I love the community and all the activities offered in the downtown…
Kathy J. Lombardi, PEPalouse Producers Brownfield Site Wins Phoenix Award
Congratulations to the City of Palouse on receiving the 2023 Small Community & Impact Phoenix Award! The Phoenix Awards are prestigious national accolades that are given to both individuals and projects that highlight the best practices…
Matt HoffmanFacility Odor Issues, Complaints, and Tools to Predict Them
Facility odor issues are very subjective and strangely regulated. For facility property developers looking to build a project, anticipated odors can be a stumbling block to regulatory approval. Additionally, odors can lead to a contentious…
Chad DarbyMeet Elliot Frank, GIS Analyst
Where are you from and where do you live now? I grew up about an hour east of Portland, near Mt. Hood, in Welches, Oregon. Now I live in Edmonds, Washington. What do you do at MFA? I assist local governments, mostly as part of my work…
Sabrina TurnerResults for "2020"
Remember when we used to sit at the same table? In 2019, the MFA Communications and Planning teams gathered stakeholders around a table in the Interbay neighborhood of Seattle as part of a thorough public input process. Our MFA planners and…
Taylor HodgesWhere are you from and where do you live now? I spent my youth in southern California, but I have lived in the beautiful Pacific Northwest for 20 years now, and I call Portland my home. What do you do at MFA? From conceptual site…
Kristi Boon, PEIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Oregon OSHA (OR-OSHA) is preparing rules to protect workers from infectious diseases. The rulemaking process has been dynamic, to say the least, which should not be surprising given the nature of the…
Bill Beadie, CIHWhat’s a HAP? In 2019, the Washington State Legislature passed legislation encouraging all cities planning under the Growth Management Act to adopt actions to increase residential capacity, especially in areas with supportive transportation…
Matt HoffmanOctober is National Community Planning Month and this year’s theme, Planning is Essential to Recovery, highlights how planning and planners can lead communities to equitable, resilient, and long-lasting recovery from the effects of the…
Seth Otto, AICP, LEED APIn September 2020, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) released two new Internal Management Directives (IMDs) that will strongly influence risk assessment and site characterization activities at cleanup sites under DEQ…
Phil Wiescher, PhDIt’s nearing the end of September, 2020. I have been working from home for more than six months—still feeling unsettled in the new normal of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rolling out of bed and immediately beginning my workday had its perks at…
Carly SchaeferWhere are you from and where do you live now? I’m originally from New England. After graduating high school, I traded fluffernutters and maple syrup for chicken fried steak and moved to Austin, Texas, for college—hook ‘em horns! From…
Merideth D'Andrea, RG, LG, PGThis post was originally written by Michael Tarbert, former MFA Staff Engineer. Maul Foster & Alongi uses data and science to serve communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. We solve challenging and complex problems in service to…
Carly SchaeferThe impact of COVID-19 is so widespread that planning to operate or re-open a business today can be overwhelming. The complex scientific, economic, political, legal, and cultural issues present a daunting challenge to anyone tasked with…
Bill Beadie, CIHCongratulations to Jennifer King, PE who has been named principal engineer in recognition of her outstanding commitment to delivering excellence for MFA’s clients and colleagues. For over 15 years, Ms. King has provided a wealth of…
Alistaire Clary, PEAs I drive through the Silver Valley in Shoshone County, Idaho, I see a tight-knit community rebuilding. Store fronts once empty and abandoned have come to life, filled with shops and restaurants. I see new infrastructure where festival…
Carly SchaeferWe must work to resist and reverse systemic racism in the communities where we live, work, and serve. We acknowledge that our society is built on systems and institutions that oppress Black people and Black communities. We have had the…
Alistaire Clary, PEWhere are you from and where do you live now? I was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and raised in Ames, Iowa. When I was growing up, my family would spend a few weeks every summer driving big loops around the U.S. to camp in and explore our…
Alistaire Clary, PEWhere are you from and where do you live now? I’m from St. Helens, OR, and after living in a few other places in the PNW, I have found my way back to St. Helens. I love the quietness of a “small” town while still having great…
Bill Beadie, CIHThis blog was originally written by former MFA Principal Communications Specialist, Charla Skaggs. This week is Public Service Recognition Week, a celebration of all the ways that federal, state, local, and tribal government employees…
Carly SchaeferGet to know the eight professionals who have joined MFA! We are always interested in potential candidates who want to join the talented individuals that make up our team. For current job openings, please visit our online application…
Carly SchaeferOver the last few weeks, Oregon and Washington industries have had to implement significant changes to their operations to protect their employees and the public, and comply with shelter-in-place orders and social distancing guidelines related…
Ada H. Banasik, PEWith Governor Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order enacted this week and other states doing the same, working from home for the majority of us is no longer a choice—it’s the law. Like many of you, MFA staff have been working from…
Carly SchaeferWhere are you from and where do you live now? I’m a full-time Oregonian. I was born in Klamath Falls, raised in Forest Grove, and currently live in Oregon City. What do you do at MFA? I am an environmental scientist by…
Merideth D'Andrea, RG, LG, PGCoronavirus (COVID-19) is no joke. The swift spread of this virus and the surrounding news updates have many—if not all—of our Pacific Northwest-based staff thinking about how to stay safe while best practices for addressing the virus are…
Bill Beadie, CIHWelcome to Engineers Week! The purpose of EWeek, as the abbreviation has been coined, is to ensure a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology…
Carly SchaeferWhere are you from and where do you live now? I was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and spent most of my grade school years in the Midwest, primarily in northwest Illinois, about 120 miles west of Chicago. In January 1983, halfway…
Kathy J. Lombardi, PEWe don’t have to tell our industrial clients twice—regulatory compliance is an important topic. An efficient compliance program helps businesses reduce risk, meet regulatory requirements, and ultimately, run a successful business. In…
Carly SchaeferIf you haven’t heard the buzz and you’re thinking to yourself, “Wait, what’s PFAS?” here’s a recent MFA blog that will introduce you to the topic and get you up to speed. Now that you’ve read the basics, we’re jumping into a…
Courtney Savoie, RG, LHG, PGIt’s hard to believe we’ve entered the year 2020. Although we still can’t teleport or fly our cars to work, there’s no doubt that advancement is all around us (hello, face-scanning phones!). It’s Maul Foster & Alongi’s practice to stay…
Alistaire Clary, PEAre you an industrial stormwater permit holder? Your permit renews on January 1, and Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) updates reflecting the new permit are due January 30. We know these changes can be confusing, so we have…
Ada H. Banasik, PE