Oak Harbor city leaders will soon be making some big decisions about the sewage treatment plant, and they need to hear from the public more than ever.

Trouble is, it seems that a lot of people have lost interest in a project that the community has been discussing for years. Recent meetings on the subject have been scantly attended.

City Engineer Joe Stowell said he’s trying to think of ways to lure more people to take part in an upcoming open house scheduled for Aug. 12. The time and place haven’t been determined yet.

Door prizes? Toilet plungers, perhaps?

While engineers get to design the inner-workings of the plant, city leaders are looking to citizens for their thoughts on what it should look like on the outside. Ideas include a campus theme with varied roof lines and architecture that incorporates both contemporary and traditional Northwest styles.

Drawings of what the facility may look like are part of a Powerpoint presentation at www.oakharborcleanwater.org, the city’s website dedicated to all things sewage treatment related.

Council members will be deciding whether the project should include a community meeting room or training facility; one proposal is to have a second-story, glassed-in space with views overlooking the park and water. It would increase the cost but would fill an economic-development need in the city for space for conventions or large gatherings.

We think Oak Harbor could definitely use such a facility, one that seats at least 200.

Another upcoming decision is how to handle the biosolids. The less expensive alternative is a de-watering process that reduces the solids to what is called “cake.” Stowell said it has the consistency of cow manure.

The “cakes” would be trucked to Eastern Washington for safe and legal disposal.

The other option is to install a dryer than would take out most of the water and heat it in the process, thus killing the bad bugs. Stowell said the resulting material is similar to Cheetos in size and texture.

These solids would have a much smaller volume and would be safe to dispose of on the island. The city could conceivably sell it to landscapers or gardeners by the bag.

Then there’s the vital question of what to call the facility. City officials use the euphemistic term “wastewater treatment facility,” presumably because the word “sewage” conjures unpleasant images. City staff also call it the “Clean Water Facility,” but it’s rather dull label.

Councilman Rick Almberg referred to the project as a “poop palace,” but that didn’t catch on.

Surely the community must be overflowing with ideas.