R
THIS
APP’S
FOR YOU!
New mobile app helps
residents become
‘Savvy Citizens.’
BY JENNIFER BROZAK
14 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | Shaler
esidents of northern Allegheny
neighborhoods have a new way to stay
in touch with their local governments,
thanks to a new mobile app.
Launched in April, Savvy Citizen® App 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 Information Technology
Project Lead 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, he explains, 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 timeframe 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 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.
To test the app, the company initially
partnered with local governments in Pine,
Richland, Marshall and Harrison townships.
The response was overwhelmingly positive.
“While it’s too early to measure success by
the number of citizens who sign up, in just a few