ne of the first steps our new General Manager undertook when he started was the hiring of a Communications Specialist and development of a communications plan that would define how the District could and should be expected to perform community outreach.
What is a communications plan?
It's a policy-driven approach to providing the community with needed information. It formally defines who should be given information, when it should be delivered, and what channels will be used to deliver that information. Development of the Plan included several forms of analysis to gauge effectiveness of existing communications. It's probably no surprise to anyone reading this that communications were lacking. As residents, we too have felt the frustration and have a strong desire to change this.
What is the goal?
The goal of a communications plan is to anticipate and address outreach needs, how communications will be documented and archived, and to discover and use the communications channels that are most effective for a given audience. These plans play a very important role in helping to engage the audience and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
How will this work?
The Website
This redesigned website is one of the first steps. Each project will have a dedicated page where information on that project will be collected. On the primary project page you will find any related files attached at the top right hand side. As updates are published for a project, those articles will be collated on the right hand side beneath the files section. This will make it easy to find all information related to the projects.
There is also a new events calendar to keep residents aware of upcoming meetings and special events, so that they may attend if they choose.
The Agendas and Minutes page has been planned so that you can easily find and view agendas and packages for upcoming meetings as well as the minutes for past meetings, sorted by board or committee.
Engagement
With vital infrastructure and public safety projects on the horizon, it's important to us that our community knows what is happening, and why. It is equally important that we are able to listen and recognize concerns among the residents by developing tools to help residents reach out to us. Among these are:
- Coffee with the General Manager, the 2nd Tuesday of each month at the Oak Branch Saloon from 8:30am - 10:30am
- Quarterly town hall meetings
- Special town hall meetings may be held to discuss specific topics of concern
- An active social media presence
- Feedback form on the website
Social Media
The District has an official Facebook page that will be used to push immediate notifications about weather and events in the valley. This page is monitored daily throughout the week by the Communications Specialist, and is a place for residents to ask questions and be answered.
Direct Access
Our General Manager wants residents to know that he is available. His contact information is on the Management page, and he is open to conversations with residents to discuss concerns and possible solutions to problems that we face.
Welcome to the new BVCSD!
Our new communications plan was formally adopted by the Board of Directors on May 9, 2019, and will drastically improve the quality and quantity of information that residents of Bear Valley Springs receive from the Bear Valley Community Services District. Attached in the files section on the right, you will find a copy of the Bear Valley Community Services District Outreach Communications Plan. The plan also includes an external Social Media Policy that specifically outlines when comments on District social media pages may be removed, the process that is taken in determining which posts should removed, and how the staff should conduct themselves. This plan will be reviewed each year by the Communications Specialist and General Manager to refine and improve outreach efforts. Resident input is appreciated. Any thoughts or comments can be sent to the District Communications Specialist.