Neighborhood America Helps the City of San Francisco Improve its Wastewater System

In San Francisco, development of a 30-year wastewater  master plan is underway. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is undertaking this comprehensive effort, and the IBM – Neighborhood America Public Comment® Service is being used to  collect, manage, and report on the public’s views as part of an overall public outreach program SFPUC consultant CirclePoint is helping to manage.

During this first phase of the master plan, the public is being asked to comment on the challenges of the current sewer system that  could affect the future of public health and safety, and environmental sustainability. Technical studies and resulting comments from the public will help shape how the study proceeds and  alternatives identified to improve the system. 

“In February to help kick off public outreach efforts, we posted a public comment survey on the Website using Public Comment Service. We have received valuable input on topics the planning team will be addressing as they explore potential alternatives. Overall, this system  is enabling us to  ask  focused  questions that  solicit meaningful  comment , and  do so in a way we can  view the results immediately, in a format easy to analyze,” commented Julie Ortiz, Senior Project Manager at CirclePoint. “The results  are also available on the site for the public to view, so they can see how their comments compared to others."

The SFPUC is committed to integrating community interest into the Master Plan.The public will continue to be invited to comment throughout all phases of the Master Plan project. 

To learn more about the Master Plan visit www.sfsewers.com.

Neighborhood America's Solution Supports Efforts to Improve the Quality of Life in Atlanta, Georgia

Neighborhood America is supporting efforts in the city of Atlanta to improve the overall quality of life for its citizens. Plans are underway for a 22 mile BeltLine that will provide Atlanta citizens in 45 in-town neighborhoods with parks, trails, transit, affordable housing, and an improved economy. The Atlanta Development Authority (ADA) is leading the development efforts and has enlisted Public Comment Service to collect input from the public on what the priorities of the workplan should be for the first five years, and thereafter.

The ADA is dedicated to making the BeltLine project a true community experience. Combined public input with technical expertise will give the ADA valuable insight into the ideas, concerns and preferences of the community with regards to planning and will help them define the project's direction.

It is important for the ADA to keep the public informed and involved throughout all phases of the project, and Public Comment Service will allow them to efficiently collect comment that is robust and measurable through nine focused public comment surveys. The solution will enable project teams to see results immediately and efficiently report back to the community on a weekly basis. City residents and stakeholder 

groups will also be asked to comment during several upcoming rounds of engagement for drafting the workplan which is due out early this summer.

"The ADA's initiative to engage the Atlanta community is greatly 

facilitated by Neighborhood America's solution," states Abigail Wall of Boston Consulting Group, the ADA's consultant on the project. "They wanted to ensure that the engagement process was readily accessible, transparent and open to all stakeholders. Public Comment Service helps the ADA to achieve these goals by inviting citizens to voice their opinions through the convenience of the Web."

Neighborhood America continues to support public involvement initiatives in the Atlanta area with the recent addition of two more planning projects involving Clifton Community around Emory University and Interstate 285.

To view the project Website go to www.beltlinecommunity.com .

Neighborhood America's Enhanced Corporate Website Brings More Value to Customers

As a service to our customers, we have recently launched our enhanced corporate Website. The new design is intended to strengthen our messaging, reinforce our branding, and provide our customers with the tools they need to better understand our service offerings. 

Our Website is designed to bring value to our customers and to provide knowledge and strategies that will help our customers succeed. 

"We are often asked how our sales process works, and what makes Neighborhood America different," stated Kim Patrick Kobza, President and CEO of Neighborhood America. "We have used this feedback to enhance our corporate Website with features that help you gain a clear understanding of what it will be like doing business with Neighborhood America. For example, we have added a How it Works channel to our Interactive Gallery. The channel walks you through our business processes and educates you on what to expect once you have purchased one of our solutions." 

Other highlights of the new design include:

• A clear value offering for the three lines of business we serve: media, government, and business.

• An opportunity to experience Public Comment Service through interactive advertising.

• A showcase of our newest solution offerings, including our mobile edition, kiosks, RSS feeds and podcasts.

• A complete, video-enhanced Interactive Gallery containing productions designed to make the web experience more personal.

Visit our new homepage at www.neighborhoodamerica.com.

Neighborhood America Receives an Award of Merit for Its State-of-the-Art Online Help and Training System

Neighborhood America was recently recognized with an Award of Merit for its state-of-the-art Online Help and Training System. 

The award, given by the Florida chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC), recognizes Neighborhood America’s tutorials and training in the Online Communication competition. Every year, the STC sponsors peer-reviewed competitions that judge the excellence and effectiveness of technical communication products. The Award of Merit is awarded to products that meet high standards and apply technical communication principles proficiently.

Citizens' Health Care Working Group (CHCWG) and Neighborhood America have created a Spanish public comment center on the Citizens' Health Care Working Group Website in order to make it easier for Spanish speaking citizens to voice their opinions regarding health care in America. 

The goal is to remove barriers for participation for the Spanish speaking community in order to increase the number of responses and ensure maximum inclusiveness.

Three questionnaires, which duplicate the English questionnaires, are now available on the Spanish site. Over 5,000 English responses have been received to date with the three active polls.

View the questionnaires at http://www.citizenshealthcare.gov/.