R
esidents of the Borough of Dormont have a new
way to stay in touch with their local government,
thanks to a new mobile app.
Launched in April 2017, Savvy Citizen was
developed by Management Science Associates,
Inc., a business-to -business data analytics and
information technology provider based in East Liberty. The
idea for the app stemmed from the personal experiences of the
project’s managers at MSA, Account Director Chuck Warden
and Business Development Manager Rich McConnell.
“Rich has been a member of Buffalo Township’s Planning
Commission for several years and realized that the current
method of communicating—such as ads buried in the notice
section of the newspaper and notices posted on the municipal
building door—is not effective,” says Warden. “While a
majority of township meetings are fairly routine, there are
occasionally meetings that impact all township residents, such
as new housing and commercial developments and zoning
changes.”
These meetings, says Warden, often have poor attendance
because of a simple lack of awareness, leaving residents
“voiceless and upset.” Another MSA employee, who was also
a Harrison Township supervisor, expressed similar concerns,
agreeing that local governments needed a more efficient way
to communicate with residents. Being that a huge swath of
the population now relies upon smartphones for news and
other information, the team felt that a mobile app would be an
effective way for municipalities to share information with their
residents.
From concept to completion, the app was built completely
in-house at MSA over a period of 18 months.
“This time included discussing the concept with roughly a
dozen communities to ensure there was a need for the product
prior to building it,” says McConnell. “Every municipality we
talked to shared the pain point of wishing they could reach a
greater number of their residents with the information that
comes to their attention that, if shared, would make their
residents’ lives better.”
The app delivers a variety of information, such as summer
camp registrations, family movies in the park, delays in trash
pick-ups, traffic alerts, road paving schedules, tax payment
deadlines, and more.
“Our biggest success, besides the launch of the product, is
seeing how the app is bringing local communities together,”
adds McConnell. “We see synergies and coordination between
adjoining communities when they are scheduling calendar
events. This enables citizens in both communities to enjoy and
be more aware of local happenings.”
For instance, residents who live in a given community can
also sign up to receive news and notifications from neighboring
communities that are participating in Savvy Citizen.
“So, from one product, Savvy Citizen users will stay up to
date not only with what’s happening in their communities, but
also in the others they frequent,” says McConnell.
Benjamin Estell, Borough Manager for Dormont, explains,
The app delivers a variety of
information, such as summer camp
registrations, family movies in the
park, delays in trash pick-ups, traffic
alerts, road paving schedules, tax
payment deadlines, and more.
“Savvy Citizen provides an easy and direct way to reach
residents. Whether it’s a road closure on Hillsdale Avenue or
details about a community event, like our Street Fair, we utilize
Savvy Citizen to deliver information to residents.”
“What’s unique about Savvy Citizen is that, for those
communities whose police are not yet using an emergency
alert system or are unhappy with the one they have, the app
can serve both purposes, as we permit access for the police
department to enter posts as well. In fact, over the last few
months, we received interest from many police departments
looking for a better way to communicate,” says McConnell.
The company is looking forward to sharing the app with
more communities in the future, and eventually hopes to
take it nationwide. In 2018, Savvy Citizen will be exhibiting
at the Allegheny League of Municipalities (ALOM) Spring
Educational Conference and the Pennsylvania State
Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) Annual
Conference, among others.
“The goal is to let more people know that this new
communication method is available to residents for free. They
simply download Savvy Citizen on their phones and sign up
for the information they want to receive,” says Warden. “There
is nothing else they need to do or learn. They’ll just be better
informed.”
The app is free for users to download, and is available
for both Android and Apple smartphones. Residents
who don’t have smartphones can sign up for notifications
via email or text message by visiting the app’s website,
www.savvycitizenapp.com. n
KEYSTONE OAKS
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SUMMER 2018
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