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 Pine can
also sign up to receive news and notifications
from neighboring communities like Marshall
and Richland townships.
“So, from one product, Savvy Citizen® App
users will stay up-to-date not only with what’s
happening in their communities, but also in
the others they frequent,” says McConnell.
While some police departments and local
governments use Facebook or Twitter to
share information, those methods aren’t as
consistent as Savvy Citizen®. The app’s ability
to reach residents directly is appealing to John
Bojarski, Communications Assistant for the
Town of McCandless, another community to
join Savvy Citizen® App. “The main advantage
to a mobile app like Savvy Citizen® is the
directness of it. We use our website and
Facebook to communicate with the public,
but those are less-direct methods. If we put
a piece of immediate, breaking news on our
website, we have to trust that residents will
intentionally visit the site shortly afterward.
With Facebook, many people will see a
breaking news item quickly, but just because
someone ‘likes’ or ‘follows’ your page does not
guarantee that a post from our Facebook page
will appear in their news feed—in fact, the
reach of posts can vary wildly,” says Bojarski.
“However, if someone is signed up for Savvy
Citizen®, they will directly get an alert.”
“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 p ermit access for
the police department to enter posts as well,”
notes McConnell.
The company is looking forward to sharing
the app with more communities in the future,
and eventually hopes to take it nationwide.
“The goal is to let more people know that
this new communication method is available
to them for free. They simply download Savvy
Citizen® App 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, savvycitizenapp.com. ■
Sewickley | Winter 2017 | icmags.com 15